(Part 2) Reddit mentions: The best fantasy books

1.) These postcards are mostly grey. And black and white. And they are also good for grey days. :)

2.) This is The Dead Weather's debut album. A good one. (jack white <3 <3 <3)

3.) As you will see on the track listing, the eponymous The White Stripes album has TWO songs on it that relate to food: "Sugar Never Tasted So Good" and "One More Cup of Coffee". Plus, the cover has the traditional swirly mints of The White Stripes. (Also, this one reminded me that I don't have Neutral Milk Hotel's first album on my list! So thanks for that.)

4.) The postcard books are for my friends. I send postcards to them. This TOTALLY counts. Especially the David Choe ones since David Choe is amazing. And I know that my friends like his art.

5.) If there is ANY chance that you have not read Sabriel, you need too. Really, really, really.

6.) This was on my list, but was removed after the lovely /u/scrumtrelescent sent it to me! And heads are definitely not related to hair, because heads can be bald. And the biggest annoyance about these things is that they sometimes get stuck in your hair. So it's really an advantage if you have no hair. :)

7.) This postcard book is actually titled "Wicked Witches and Creepy Cats", so there are lots of cats in it. If you look inside, you will see a cat dancing with an owl, an awesome dress covered in cat faces, and a very cute cat in a pumpkin. Also some truly scary cartoonish cats. Avoid the one in the bowtie. shudder

8.) I really don't need another dress, but this one is so cute!

9.) So...I don't have movies on my list that I have seen before. I actually only have this one. BUT. I can save this. This is a Studio Ghibli film. And Studio Ghibli films are awesome. (Spirited Away is my favorite movie <3) So...my argument is, everyone should watch every Studio Ghibli movie at least once in their life because they're so great. Which is why I want it! :)

10.) When zombies attack, it is important to be able to run quickly. No one could run faster than someone wearing SUPERMAN SNEAKERS!! I mean, he's faster than a speeding bullet!

11.) My biggest current goal is to make new friends, since I'm moving to a new city (eek! yay!). Board games always help with friends! This would definitely help me out.

12.) I'm going to interpret "pesky Add-On items" as anything that a company encourages you to purchase after an initial purchase of an item. Instead of what you really meant. So you should probably just ignore this one. BUT. An expansion to Munchkin would be so fun! Even if you don't really need it at all... <3

13.) I wouldn't call this my dream item, but it is the most expensive item on my list. This NES game for a number of reasons. First, it's a GREAT game. Second, I think it's funny having an amazingly expensive item on my list. Thirdly, what if someone actually bought me the "new" one? That would be Amazing.

14.) (I love the edit-I always just knew what size a breadbox was from playing 20 questions with my mom...) So. I don't really have large items on this list so much. BUT. [Fabric] (http://www.amazon.com/Aviary-Sparrows-Cavern-Black-Fabric/dp/B004VNVE7A/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_nC?ie=UTF8&colid=NO029QAH2C2U&coliid=IEEZTV09MV12V), while perhaps being able to fold up into something smaller than a bread box, could also wrap around the bread box. This must count for something. It's already 42" across, so that's wider than a bread box...Plus, what if you just purchased 100 yards of it? Then it wouldn't fit inside...

15.) My dad has one of these and it is so useful. I want one too! I'm pretty sure it's smaller than a golfball. It's possible that it's longer than one, but if you smushed it into little pieces, the total volume would definitely be less than that of a golfball. :P

16.) If I ordered this now, it would be brand new when I recieved it in September, and new books just smell SO GOOD!

17.) I love Rio Grande games, so I really want to try Power Grid. Plus, if you worked at an electrical company, your boss might even think you were just hard at work on some new electrical line, soooo it's definitely safe for work. (hehehe)

18.) Since I'm starting grad school this year in a new city, far from my undergrad friends, I need chocolate to help me when I'm sad and lonely! (Another good way to make friends, too!)

19.) This summer, the only thing I've been doing is making things. I really want to get into making hats (for some reason), so I've been rather obsessed with finding sinamay-it would be so useful to have the forms already made too...

20.) Purchasing this item gives you TWELVE Toblerone bars (you get two of the beautiful 6-pack boxes that you see pictured. That's ELEVEN MORE than usual!!! I can't explain the amazingness of this any better.

BONUS ITEMS

Anything that has my real name on it: Hm. Will have to do more research. :)

Made in Oregon: While perhaps not recorded or manufactured in Oregon, as The Decemberists are from Portland, OR, these songs were certainly composed there!

fear cuts deeper than swords

Fellow fan of series here! Let me see...

Young Adult
Percy Jackson series is fun (and finished, too, I think).
Artemis Fowl series isn't quite as good as Percy Jackson IMHO, but it's got a following.

Fantasy
Harry Dresden series This is one of my favorites. Harry is Chicago's only professional wizard. There are a ton of these books and they are still going strong.
Game of Thrones These are great...but unfinished. If you watch the show, reading the books does help you get even more out of the story, I think.
Wheel of Time Another good series. There is a LOT of this series and it's finished. (Thank you, Brandon Sanderson!)
Mistborn Speaking of Brandon Sanderson... This one is very good. I highly recommend reading the Mistborn books before trying the Stormlight Archive, but only because as good as Mistborn is, Stormlight Archive is even better.
Stormlight Archive Amazing. Man, these are good. The series isn't finished, but the two books that are available are some of my favorites ever.
Kingkiller Chronicles I loved the first book. I could not freakin' believe I enjoyed the second one even more. The third one is still pending.
Temeraire Dragons in Napoleonic times. Super cool premise! This one is not finished (I don't think, anyway).
Gentlemen Bastards Con men in a fantasy realm. It's pretty light on the fantasy elements. Very light, I'd say. I'd also say that it has some of the very best swearing that I've ever come across. :D

Scifi
Old Man's War I'm almost finished this one--it's amazing!

Horror/Thriller
Passage Trilogy I've heard these described as vampire books...maybe zombie books... It's apocalyptic for sure. Great books!

Mysteries
Amelia Peabody Egyptology + murder mysteries. Super fun, but trust me...go with the audiobooks for these. They are best when they are performed.
Stephanie Plum Total popcorn reads. If that's your thing, shut off your brain and just enjoy.
Walt Longmire These get particularly good as it goes along. The main character is a sheriff in modern day Wyoming. (Side note: The TV show is also great--just don't expect them to stick to the books.)

Graphic Novels (Everything recommended can be gotten in a "book" format instead of only in comic form, in case that matters. I've gotten most of these from my local library.)
Locke & Key Eerie as crap. Love the art! This one is on-going.
Y: The Last Man All the men on the planet drop dead in a day...except for Yorrick. REALLY good. This is the series that got me reading graphic novels. Plus, it's finished!
Walking Dead I am not a zombie fan...but I like these. They're not done, but I've read up through volume 22 and am still enjoying them.

Other
OutlanderI have no idea how to categorize these or even give a description that does them justice. I refused to pick it up for AGES because it sounded like a bodice-ripper romance and that's not my bag. But these are good!

I hope there's something in there that'll do for you. Have fun and read on!

Edit: Apparently, I need to practice formatting. :/
Edit 2: I forgot to add the Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen Bastards #1).

Some of my favorite books available on Kindle Unlimited:

They Mostly Come Out At Night and Where the Waters Turn Black by Benedict Patrick

Paternus by Dyrk Ashton

Danse Macabre by Laura M. Hughes

The Half Killed by Quenby Olson

A Star Reckoners Lot by Darrell Drake

Sufficiently Advanced Magic by Andrew Rowe

Jaeth's Eye by K. S. Villoso


Here are some that I haven't read, but have heard mostly positive things about:

The Palace Job by Patrick Weekes

Revenant Winds by Mitchell Hogan

Ghosts of Tomorrow by Michael R Fletcher

A Warrior's Path by Davis Ashura

Valley of Embers by Steven Kelliher

Faithless by Graham Austin-King. He also has another series, The Riven Wyrde Saga, beginning with Fae - The Wild Hunt

Ours is the Storm by D. Thourson Palmer

Path of Man by Matt Moss

Threat of Madness by D.K. Holmberg

To Whatever End by Claire Frank

House of Blades by Will Wight

Path of Flames by Phil Tucker

The Woven Ring by M. D. Presley

Awaken Online: Catharsis by Travis Bagwell

Wolf of the North by Duncan M. Hamilton

Free the Darkness by Kel Kade

The Cycle of Arawn Trilogy by Edward W. Robinson

Dawn of Wonder by Jonathan Renshaw

Benjamim Ashwood by AC Cobble

The Crimson Queen by Alec Hutson

The Queens Poinsoner by Jeff Wheeler

Stiger's Tigers by Marc Alan Edelheit 

Rise of the Ranger by Philip C. Quaintrell 

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron

Devil's Night Dawning by Damien Black


Here are some older fantasy and sci-fi books that I enjoyed:

Tales of Nevèrÿon by Samuel R. Delany - African inspired S&S by an extremely talented writer.

Witch World as well as other good books by Andre Norton

Swords and Deviltry The first volume of Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser by Fritz Leiber - Many of the tropes of the rogue/thief came from this legendary duo created by Leiber. And it's worth noting that Leiber actually coined the term Sword & Sorcery. This collection contains 3 stories, two average origin stories for each character and the final story is the Hugo and Nebula winning novella "Ill Met in Lankhmar" detailing the first meeting of Fafhrd and The Grey Mouser.

Swords Against Darkness - A '70s S&S anthology. It has few stinkers, a few mediocre stories, and a some really good ones. Poul Anderson and Ramsey Campbell both have awesome stories in this anthology that are well worth checking out. For some reason, there were quite a few typos in this book, it was slightly distracting, but may have been fixed since I read it.

The Best of C. L. Moore by C. L. Moore. I read this earlier this year and I absolutely loved it. The collection is all sci-fi and one Jirel of Joiry story, which is her famous female Sword & Sorcery character. I was suprised by how well her sci-fi stories held up, often times pulp sci-fi doesn't age well, but this collection was great. Moore was married to the writer Henry Kuttner, and up until his death they wrote a bunch of great stories together. Both of their collections are basically collaborations, although I'm sure a few stories were done solo. His collection The Best of Henry Kuttner features the short story that the movie The Last Mimzy was based on. And, if you are into the original Twilight Zone TV series there is a story that was adapted into a memorable season 1 episode entitled "What You Need". Kuttner and Moore are two of my favorite pulp authors and I'm not even that into science fiction, but I really enjoy their work.

There's a lot of great authors publishing independently(self and small press) now, but it can be hard to pick the ones you'll enjoy out of the flood of new releases on Amazon. I'll link to a few of the authors and books I've enjoyed.

Super hero novels

The Blackjack novels by Ben Bequer are fun.

I also enjoyed Confessions of a D-List Supervillian by Jim Bernheimer. They share similar themes of a super-villain forced out of their comfort zone.

Please Don't Tell My Parents I'm a Supervillain by Richard Roberts is the start of a great young adult series about the daughter of super heroes charting her own path.

Fantasy and SF

Anything by Andrea K Höst is great. The Touchstone series is great comfort reading about a young woman who walks around a corner and ends up in another world. It's the most SF of her works.

Terry Mancours' Spellmonger series is a fun fantasy about a mage who retires to the backwoods but ends up in the center of a continent spanning conflict. It spends a lot of time on the details of living in a fantasy world, but there's plenty of action too.

John Conroe's Demon Accords is a contemporary fantasy about a cop turned holy warrior. Fun action/fantasy, a couple of the books focus on side characters for a change of pace.

Jack L. Knapp has a couple enjoyable SF series. I'm partial to his New Frontiers series about the rediscovery of a space drive technology and humanities expansion in to the solar system.

Military SF

Marko Kloos is great as mentioned by others.

Christopher Nutall has a ton of books, both SF and fantasy(I tend to prefer his fantasy).

I highly recommend:

1. The Orphans of Chaos trilogy by John C. Wright. He really pushes the boundaries of the imagination by writing about a universe in which there are 4 different paradigms of magic/power, each of which cancels one of the others out and is canceled out by one of the others. It's an epic Titans vs Olympic Gods fantasy, and I've read it several times--which is rare for me to do.
   
   
2. Obviously read the Song of Ice and Fire series by George RR Martin if you haven't already done so! I delayed reading it a long time but then read all of them in a week and a half when I finally succumbed.
   
   
3. ALWAYS recommend The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
   
   
4. ALSO always recommend Lies of Locke Lamora and its sequels by Scott Lynch.
   
   
5. The Abhorsen trilogy by Garth Nix. It's YA, but pretty mature YA, and IMO could easily transition to the regular fantasy section.
   
   
6. Books by Diana Wynne Jones. She writes YA, but fantasy that I wouldn't call immature. The best word I could use to describe it would be "whimsical." If I could compare her style of fantasy to anyone's it would EASILY be the filmmaker Miyazaki. (His films include Spirited Away, Kiki's Delivery Service, Porco Rosso, etc.--he even adapted one of her books!) I think her best work is her Chrestomanci series which has 3 volumes (each volume is made up of several novellas), but she is best known for Howl's Moving Castle, which I also highly recommend (along with its sequels Castle in the Air and The House of Many Ways).
   
   
7. Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. It's fun, original, often dark, often humorous, fast-paced, and FILLED with action. As noted by someone else, there are vampires in the universe, but they're not the central motif. There are also other scary things, like fairies, goblins, witches/wizards, demons...the list goes on and on.
   
   
8. Terry Pratchett's Discworld canon. There are many, MANY books, and they're not written in series so you can jump in almost anywhere. I recommend Small Gods to start.
   
   
9. The Sevenwaters Trilogy by Juliet Marillier, starting with Daughter of the Forest. There are also spin-off novels, though I haven't read them all. Her writing is beautiful and mystical. She almost makes me believe magic/fae could exist.
   
   
10. The Passion and The Promise (a duet) and, separately, The Alchemist by Donna Boyd. These are really, really excellently written. "Lush" would be the word I'd use. They're not hugely well known, and I find that utterly boggling considering how good they are.

1. The Heritage of Shannara - The Wishsong of Shannara was the book that brought me into reading at the age of 10 thanks to a truly amazing 4th grade teacher. The Heritage series cemented my interest in Epic Fantasy and lead me to multiple amazing authors. This quadrilogy has a special place in my heart for many reasons, I'd be hard pressed to pick something else if I had to pick only one book. I love that the ultimate weapon against evil is literally a two edged sword that makes you accept the naked truth about yourself to wield it, and undoes evil by that same principle. Hard to beat four books for the price of one with this collection. I've read them countless times and would happily do so again at any time.
   
2. The Complete Works of William Shakespeare - Shakespeare's works are the basis for so much literature and culture (good and bad) that a complete volume of his works would be enjoyable in its own right while providing memories for the many offshoot works that have their roots here which I have already consumed.
   
3. The Stories of Ray Bradbury - A few have mentioned Fahrenheit 451 here already, but Bradbury was an amazing author beyond the confines of his popular works, and a collection such as this offers a decent variety from an amazing writer.
   
4. Isaac Asimov: The Complete Stories, Vol. 1 - Azimov is another author who was a prodigious writer with a wealth of amazing concepts and stories. I've enjoyed most of his popular fiction and a collection as large as this would seem a godsend should I be as limited as this challenge proposes in my reading.
   
5. Warbreaker - Brandon Sanderson is probably my favorite author right now, and if I had the option I would pick the complete Mistborn series or the whole of the as yet to be finished Stormlight Archive, but with 1 book left in my 5, I would have to limit myself to his one offs, and of those I think Warbreaker speaks to me most. It's a great story and having read it a couple of times already, I don't think I would tire of it easily.

1. The Path of Flames by Phil Tucker (70)
   
   It's in this year's SPFBO and Pornokitch gave it such a great review that I had to pick it up right away. IMO it's the real deal and might be the next Blood Song. Go read the kindle sample already.
   
   
2. Winter Be My Shield by Jo Spurrier (534)
   
   This is just a really good dark fantasy series that no one ever talks about.
   
   
3. The Cloud Roads by Martha Wells (3,415)
   
   One of the very few fantasy books that not only doesn't have human protagonists, but the world doesn't even have 'standard' humans. Well worth trying out
   
   
4. The Heir of Night by Helen Lowe (960)
   
   The Heir of Night is a strong first book that manages to tread the line between young adult and "adult fantasy" really well. The second and third books in the series just get even stronger.
   
   
5. Servant of the Underworld by Aliette de Bodard (795)
   
   How many books do you read about an Aztec priest forced to solve a mysterious death? Unless you've read this series, not enough.
   
   
6. The Thief Who Pulled on Trouble's Braids by Michael McClung (447)
   
   This book won last year's SPFBO and out of the books I read in that competition, it was easily my favorite. Sadly it's no longer free, but even for $6, it's a complete bargain.
   
   
7. Company Town by Madeline Ashby (445)
   
   This is a book filled with strong characters and an engaging plot. It didn't really stick the ending, but I still enjoyed it.
   
   
8. Mage's Blood by David Hair (1,893)
   
   This series starts out feeling built on two stereotypical societies, but the author does a really good job of making things more complicated than they first appear and including a really rousing story. All four books of the series are now out and they're completely worth your time.
   
   
9. Twelve Kings in Sharakhai by Bradley Beaulieu (1,121)
   
   Maybe the only book on my list that will actually make it big, despite 12 Kings being recently published, it was just too strong a book to not to include on my list.
   
   
10. Heaven's Needle by Liane Merciel (105)
    
    It's the second book in the series and while the first book was good, Heaven's Needle just hits it out of the park.

Funny you should ask. I'm a novelist in this genre as well, and I've done a bit of research on the market. As you might imagine, this is a fairly niche space. I'd probably be making more money if I wrote vampire romances, but you gotta write what you love, right?


Anyhow, the advice about the Fantasy>Superheroes category on Amazon is real good. There are a lot of books directly tied to licensed properties, like DC and Marvel characters, but I can't tell you much about those since I work in my own universe. There are also excellent lists on GoodReads. Here are some of the examples I used to figure out my keywords and categories (I haven't read any of these yet, but they're on my list):


Soon I will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. I hear this is awesome.

Confessions of a D-List Supervillain by Jim Bernheimer.

Good Intentions: A Supervillain Story by Michel Crider.

Meta by Tom Reynolds.

The Second Super by Logan Rutherford.

ULTRA (The Last Hero Book 1) by Matt Blake.


And, I hope this isn't a violation of the self-promotion rules (if it is, please let me know and I'll edit this out), but I can't help but add my own novel, The Hero Beat!

...know what it takes to go through the design process of creating your own 'professional' looking book covers.

Speaking as a cover designer, here's a number of elements where I see a lot of amateurs messing up:

Failing to research their genre niche to see what the covers of the top-selling books look like. Book buyers use the covers to guess at what the book will contain, to narrow down their choices. There are far too many books available to expect that readers will read the description of every single result of their search on whatever platform they're searching on, so you need to signal genre, sub-genre, and mood loudly enough that it jumps out as someone's eye is scanning over a batch of 1.5" tall covers that are all competing for attention.

What signals those things, and what things readers are looking for, changes subtly over time, so you need to keep an eye out. I designed the house look for the Zoe Chant shifter romance books (I don't do all the covers; many of the authors do their own) and while we've kept the same overall look, when Zoe Chant first published the idea was to play up the cozy qualities in the books. As action romance has gotten more popular in the past few years, the challenge now is to play up the dramatic tension without signalling "alphahole" because the Zoe Chant niche is focused on ultimately kind heroes. This mostly involves a lot of dramatic lighting, and in recent months a lot more glowy elements to pull focus. The books are the same sort that have been published all along, we're just focusing on different aspects now.

Yes, there are always books that break the mold of current design and sell a ton, and thus set new fashions that everyone else chases. Your book will not be the one that does that.

Leaving large flat areas of color in the design. This also fits in with researching covers in your niche: large flat areas of color are common in non-fiction, but not so much in fiction. At the very least, fill in that empty blackness with a texture or with words. If you have a background in graphic design and understand how to use negative space properly, go for it, but if you don't, then I wouldn't attempt it.

Failing to give the focal point of the design a 'pop'. 'Pop' means to stand out. You can do this with color, composition, negative space, light glows, etc., and you should use more than one thing. It should be immediately apparent what the focal point is, because you have less than one second to grab the reader's eye and make them interested. The more experienced you are, the more subtle you can go--I love the cover for Leigh Bardugo's Ninth House, where the broken-up letterforms cause you to look twice and realize it's a snake doing that.

Failing to take lighting on the stock photos into account. If you grab two stock photos and montage them into a picture, they need to have complementary lighting. You can't have one high-key (bright, few shadows) and one low-key (dark, dramatic), and if you have the lighting in each photo coming from a different direction, you need to account for it in the rest of the picture because the two pictures will never blend properly if you don't. Yup, even in photomontages that aren't supposed to look like one photo: we are used to consistent lighting schemes in real life, and inconsistency draws the attention in a bad way because the brain goes "Something is wrong here."

Slapping the text on as an afterthought. The best cover designs involve the text from the very beginning, and make sure the composition includes the text. Ninth House above is a very obvious (and also very trendy right now) example.

(Also note that while Ninth House technically has large flat areas of black in the artwork, the title covers it up.)

Being afraid to put text on top of the artwork. Too many amateurs either make or buy a nice picture, and then go "I can't hide this picture!" and scrunch the title waaaaay down at the bottom and put their name waaaay up at the top. Ideally, you should have researched what your genre's conventions are--note that most trad publishers often put the text smack on top of the artwork, even interacting with it--and worked with the artist to develop a composition that takes the text into account. Barring that, put the full artwork on your website where your fans can see it (and maybe buy prints from your artist, or you if you licensed the copyright), and just slap that title on top.

Joe Abercrombie can get away with breaking this rule because he's Joe Abercrombie (and because the positive shape of the helmet POINTS AT THE TITLE, and because his name is BRIGHT RED and focus-pulling, and because the lighting on the helment is dark at the bottom and light at the top--three things that drive the eye to Abercrombie's name, which is the focal point).

Using default Photoshop text effects. Do not use anything more than a subtle drop shadow if you're new to this. Most text effects just look muddy at Amazon search results size, and are terrible anyway. If you find yourself looking at your title on the cover in a flat color and thinking, "This looks boring. I should jazz it up," then it means you are using the wrong font. It's still going to look wrong once you put a pillow emboss and outer glow on it. Go look at creativemarket.com, filter by price range, and invest in a (READABLE) font that is more interesting than Arial or Times New Roman or whatever you were using that came default with your computer.

Not making their author name big enough. You shouldn't go as big as Robert Jordan's name if you're not as big as Robert Jordan, but when your name is tiny, it looks like you're apologizing for having dared write the book.

Speaking of Jordan, I love these current covers. This is what you do if you can't bear to cover the artwork: you frame it, and you pull colors for the frame and the text from the artwork, and you incorporate interesting shapes into the frame. As a not-well-known author, you'd put the title into text the size of Jordan's name and put your name into the smaller text, and in the case of these covers, the frame would draw attention to your name, so the text could be smaller. (Although for an unknown author who wanted a similar cover, I'd put the series name into the frame, make the title large, and put the author name across the top.)

I'm really glad to hear that! I'm sure you've heard this a lot, but I got to know you from the YouTube channel (still working my way through Running the Game as I prepare my own campaign - awesome series), and if I hadn't seen you on YouTube, I would never have known about the Ratcatchers.

I bought Priest and Thief on Amazon nine days ago sight unseen, partly out of curiosity and partly because whether I liked the books or not, I wanted to kick something back to you for your completely free YouTube content.

Well, I finished them both and just started re-reading Priest. Great job! Lots of fun, lots of comedy, but especially love all the relationships and heart and feeling. Can't wait for Fighter and what I assume will be Wizard.

While not my favorite ever I really enjoyed the Otherland series (only four volumes but each book is fairly large).

It's entertaining cyberpunk and features some interesting looks at the future. Very enjoyable read.

Another (shorter) series that is good for a quick read and a lighter introduction to scifi is The Risen Empire. Split into two parts (although together they would have made an only slightly-large novel) it's along the border of Hard Scifi and "pulp scifi". I'd consider it as an okay introduction to hard scifi.

Which leads me to the third and forth series, Alastair Reynold's Revelation Space. Reynold's is hard scifi, meaning that there are points where he spends twice as much time describing the technical details when character advancement would be very much welcome. However, this also means he takes into account things like relativistic travel and how boring space battles would be to spectators. Awesome books though.

Last but not least is the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. It's hard scifi that doesn't lose sight of character development. Also, out of all the books I've mentioned I'd have to call it the most "realistic" as the technological point at which it starts could conceivably be reached in the next decade or so.

All enjoyable reads, all enjoyable scifi. After (or during) these don't forget to check out classics like Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Banks, etc. Especially Asimov's Foundation books or the short(ish) story Nightfall, although the original short story can easily be considered better than the expanded version linked (so you might want to stop reading when you reach the end of the original).

> I'd love to see an example of a romance novel about a 6.

I'm not sure I could find you a romance novel about a completely average guy. Partly that's because I like romance novels with a bit of action, and action-novel heroes are usually well above average even if you leave the romance out of the equation.

But I can come close. Try Wickedly Dangerous by Deborah Blake. It's brainless fun, but not bad. The guys in this series are just a smidgen above average: a divorced sheriff in a tiny rural town, a former firefighter struggling with PTSD, and so on. They're solid, decent guys, responsible citizens who do their best. It's the women in this series who are "wickedly dangerous," and who outshine the guys. The relationships are fairly cute and turn out to be pretty good matches.

An honorable mention goes to Julius in Nice Dragons Finish Last. By dragon standards, he's tiny, weak and pathetic, and he gets constantly abused by his family. But this is only an honorable mention, because (1) his niceness will eventually save the day, and (2) he's still stronger and faster than any ordinary human. This is still pretty brainless fun, but the writing is solid.

For more, you might have luck with a list like Beta Romantic Heroes:

> Other qualities of the beta male: shy, sweet, reliable, trustworthy, easygoing but not a pushover, quick to offer comfort, feels deeply, avoids confrontation.

"Beta heroes" is definitely a popular subgenre. There's some more discussion here and here.

On the physical side, I suppose I should make another honorable mention of Miles Vorkosigan, who gets a romance or two among all his action plots. Miles is extremely short, somewhat deformed, and suffers from extremely brittle bones. Physically, he's way below average. But he has inhuman determination. When he's thrown into a prisoner of war camp, he's attacked by other prisoners:

> The tunic was jerked off over Miles's head, the pants over his feet. Miles was too busy protecting his head from random kicks to fight much for his clothes, trying obliquely to take as many hits as possible on his belly or ribcage, not arms or legs or jaw. A cracked rib was surely the most injury he could afford right now, here, at the beginning. A broken jaw would be the worst.
>
> His assailants desisted only a little before they discovered by experimentation the secret weakness of his bones.
>
> "That's how it is in here, mutant," said the talker, slightly winded.
>
> "I was born naked," Miles panted from the dirt. "Didn't stop me."
>
> ...The second beating was worse than the first.

Miles is a born leader and tactical genius, and he's always in charge of any situation he finds himself in. Give him a vessel full of corrupt enemy mercenaries, and he'll bullshit and bluff and make them feel shame at their life choices and slovenly habits. Then he'll offer them the opportunity to feel pride again. Despite his physical limitations, Miles is far above average.

It depends on what you already read, but let's start you off easy:

I would take a look at some stand-alone books to get you started:

• The Hobbit: Short and can be read as a stand-alone. It's a good mix of whimsy and darkness, which seems to be key to the genre. It's more of a story than an epic tale.
  
  
• Stardust: I love Stardust. Neil Gaiman is a master of the beautiful and thorny nature of magic. No magic "systems" to sift through here.
  
  
• Warbreaker: Brandon Sanderson is considered a modern master of the craft. He loves unique magic "systems," and this is no exception. He originally released this book free of charge in [PDF] format! I found it to be enjoyable, but it's still on my "to finish" list (which is too long). Highly recommended due to being FREE and a good sample of some modern fantasy.
  
  Slightly more involved:
  
  Harry Potter was mentioned - 7 books, easily accessible, builds complexity and atmosphere over the series. Highly recommended.
  
  Also, The Name of the Wind and The Lies of Locke Lamora have been mentioned, and I second these. I also would add The Magicians, by Lev Grossman. Each series has two books out. I don't know if The Magicians will have a third book, but the others surely will.

Walter Moers

Given the massive success of Adams, Pratchett and others, the rave reviews of everything in Moers' ever-expanding Zamonia series, the fantastic illustrations and the riotous and creative writing I cannot believe so few people have read these books.

These books have some deep social and psychological analysis alongside absurdity, humor, violence, love and adventure.

Reference books, chronologically:

• The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear
  
  
• Rumo
  
  
• The City of Dreaming Books
  
  
• Alchemaster's [sic] Apprentice
  
  Editorial reviews:
  
  
  >“Cheerfully insane. . . . Remains lively and inventive right through the final heroic battle between good and evil.”
  
  —The New York Times Book Review
  
  
  >“Moers’s creative mind is like J.K. Rowling’s on ecstasy; his book reads like a collision between The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy and the Brothers Grimm…. What a delightful book.”
  
  —Detroit News and Free Press
  
  >“An overstuffed confection… Cross The Lord of the Rings with Yellow Submarine, throw in dashes of Monty Python, Douglas Adams, Shrek, and The Princess Bride…That’s the sort of alchemy in which this sprawling novel trades.”
  
  —Kirkus
  

Oh man, a billion of 'em, but here's a handful:

If you like 2001 then I presume you've read Childhood's End and Rendevous with Rama (avoid the sequels), both by Clarke--if not, you're missing out on my two favorite books of his. Beyond that, I love big-concept sci-fi.

Somewhat similar in concept to Rama but more current is Greg Bear's Eon.

More rollicking and not as hardcore is anything by Larry Niven, but Ringworld is among his most famous and best-loved.

One of my very favorite hard sci-fi authors is Iain M. Banks. I randomly picked up his novel Excession and was blown away by the breadth and depth of it. It takes place in his "Culture" universe where he stages a number of other novels, almost all of them very good.

I also really, really enjoyed John C. Wright's Golden Age trilogy.

And I assume you've done your Herbert and Heinlein.

I personally love worldbuilding in stories, probably to the same extent you do. Someone wrote below that they don't want to read a D&D guide, I DO want to read a D&D guide. We probably are in a minority, but there are a few ways I've seen authors cover for the fact that their stories are very heavy on world exposition:

1. Young characters learning about the world, or characters in school. The character can be learning things at the same time you are teaching the reader. Harry potter takes this format.
   
2. Portal fantasy. A person is transported to another world. Its a justification for why they know absolutely nothing about that world, and anytime they learn new things its an opportunity for the author to go on some exposition. The schooled in magic series did this a lot.
   
3. Do it shamelessly, but spread it out and try to always keep it really interesting. I've enjoyed all of the books in the Spellmonger series because it dumps exposition everywhere, but its also why I rarely recommend the books because I know I'm kinda weird for how much I like exposition.
   
4. Appendices, and separate areas where you keep the majority of your exposition. Just keeping most of the background separate from the story but available to curious readers can also work. Most famously, Lord of the Rings did this.
   
   My advice as a wanna-be author (a few unfinished stories) is to just do something that you feel good and comfortable doing, but just make sure you have some good editors that can understand what you are trying to do. Amazon self publishing is a thing, and there are a bunch of websites where you can also share your stories. There are way more readers than authors out there

Sure! I know exactly what you mean. So, I will say that a lot of the most interesting stuff in Fantasy is (and has for a while) being done in YA fantasy, and I don't mean stuff like Twilight.

Garth Nix's Abhorsen series (starting with Sabriel) is excellent. Melina Marchetta's Finnikin of the Rock is kind of along the lines of what you're talking about, but is really well done.

Just about anything by Dianna Wynne Jones is great, I will call out specifically Howl's Moving Castle (the inspiration for the Miyazaki film of the same name) and also her 6 part [Chronicles of Chrestomanci] (http://www.amazon.com/Chronicles-Chrestomanci-Charmed-Lives-Christopher/dp/006447268X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1417629757&sr=1-1&keywords=chronicles+of+chrestomanci).

If you're in the mood for something more adult, I really enjoyed Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series, starting with Kushiel's Dart, but that gets into some S&M stuff, which, YMMV.

And then Terry Pratchett's Discworld. Which is just fantastic.

If you haven't, you really should read Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. Here's its description on Amazon:

>After bursting onto the fantasy scene with his acclaimed debut novel, Elantris, and following up with his blockbuster Mistborn trilogy, Brandon Sanderson proves again that he is today’s leading master of what Tolkien called “secondary creation,” the invention of whole worlds, complete with magics and myths all their own.

>Warbreaker is the story of two sisters, who happen to be princesses, the God King one of them has to marry, the lesser god who doesn’t like his job, and the immortal who’s still trying to undo the mistakes he made hundreds of years ago.

>Their world is one in which those who die in glory return as gods to live confined to a pantheon in Hallandren’s capital city and where a power known as BioChromatic magic is based on an essence known as breath that can only be collected one unit at a time from individual people.

>By using breath and drawing upon the color in everyday objects, all manner of miracles and mischief can be accomplished. It will take considerable quantities of each to resolve all the challenges facing Vivenna and Siri, princesses of Idris; Susebron the God King; Lightsong, reluctant god of bravery, and mysterious Vasher, the Warbreaker.

It has one of the most unique systems of magic I've ever come across, as well as other interesting premises. But the best part is, it's offered for FREE on his website! You can read it on the site itself or download it for kindle.

One of my favorite series is Super Powereds by Drew Hayes. It's about Supers if you couldn't guess. The last book isn't in KU, but it is available to read free on Drew Hayes's website.

I just finished the Bobiverse series by Dennis Taylor and was enthralled! It's sci-fi/space exploration.

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron is about a magic, spirits, and a nice dragon thrown into trouble by his viperous family.

Silvertongue by Casey White was fantastic (and it came from a reddit writing prompt!), but the series is not finished yet, if that matters to you.

Scott Meyer writes many hilarious books, nearly all in KU.

Lindsay Buroker writes sci-fi/fantasy, and she has a decent amount of KU books (and frequently has 1st book/boxsets for free for series not in KU).

K. M. Shea if you like fairy-tale retellings.

Cassandra or Elizabeth Gannon (sisters) for kind of odd, over-the-top, funny romance adventures (both write explicit sex scenes, fyi). Also while bad/crude language can be found in both sisters' books, Elizabeth has some absolutely magnificent crude expressions in hers. Like, if I ever want to be fired with extreme prejudice, I know how to go out with style now.

And that seems like a decently long list of possibilities to leave you with, so I'll stop here.

I forgot, I have also started Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (Read by Stephen Fry), and it is well done as well.
I remembered a couple more that I liked:

Unbroken - good (true) story about WWII pilot who was captured by the Japanese

Water for Elephants - Good book (fiction) about a circus in the depression era

Anathem - I really like Neal Stephenson, and this was a good book, but it was very long, and I'm sure I would have had a much harder time if I had to read it, instead of just listen to it

Eye of the World (Wheel of Time Book 1) - Good book, but very long and if it weren't for the different voices by the narrator, I would have gotten lost pretty easily.

Hope this helps, and hope you find some good ones!

Ok, possibly secret nugget of awesome: Tad Williams' Otherland series. Starts off fairly slow but when it gets going, you're in for a good, long ride, as there are four books in the series, each with nearly 1000 pages.

Also, Connie Willis has a clever, almost frenetic writing style that I really enjoy. I particularly liked To Say Nothing of the Dog but she has a number of novels that involve her own particular take on time travel.

An older classic that not everyone reads, Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun. Like Frank Herbert, Wolfe definitely writes for adults, and also like Herbert it's hard to say whether what he has to say is really significant or if he's just pulling philosophy from his ass.

First book in the "Wheel of Time" series, if she likes it there are like 13 or so books in the series. I LOVE her book selections. I'm a huge fantasy reader.

Bingo game!

Free cell game too. My grandmother LOVES this card game

Lauren Bacall's autobioghraphy, your mother-in-law would have grown up watching her, and the book is a great read.

Happy shopping.

<3 Your generosity never ceases to amaze me!

I'd absolutely love to have something like that. I don't have a smartphone or laptop, which makes managing my business quite tricky when I'm away from home. If I had something that could connect to WiFi, I'd be able to reply to customer emails, update my shop, keep track of finances, etc. Certainly would make things quite a bit easier, especially as I've been helping take care of my mom a lot lately (in hospice, over an hour away).

And business-aside, I'm a huge bookwork, and I'd be all "read ALL the books!!". And so would my Tiny Turtles, as they becoming quite the mini-bibliophiles as well. <3

I think my first e-book would be The Eye of the World... might as well start off with an epic series. :)

Hmm...

Could you be more descriptive in what you like about Sci-Fi? It is a huge genre. What is your aesthetic?

Also, don't feel bad about re-reading sections; it is a good habit if you don't understand the author. I'm reading The Brothers Karamazov right now, and I like to reread sections to better understand lengthy dialogue.

I think you should try reading Dune. It is a brilliant story and universe. However, you have to look up a lot of the words in a glossary in the back, which may be annoying for you.

An easier book that is sci-fi with elements of fantasy/folklore is Artemis Fowl. Definitely a favorite of my teen years. It is full of loveable characters, action, and intrigue.

If you like video games and have ever played Halo, I would recommend the first of the Halo book seires, Halo: Fall of Reach. It is well-written and develops the characters immensely, but it is still relatively easy reading. Even if you don't play the game, this is a "movie-in-the-head" kind of book.

The more feedback you give us, the better we can help you!

There are many classics that you should definitely check out, but I'm going to recommend two different things:

I would highly recommend Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It is a long read about an escaped Australian convict that begins when he touches down in Bombay, India. There are really interesting characters, and the story is great.

Also, if you happen to like the epic fantasy genre, you should check out The Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan. This is a link to the first book in the 14 book series. The series' final book is due to come out fairly soon, and it has become my favorite epic fantasy story.

If you need something that you can mention at a party or in an interview that'll make you feel smart, I'd suggest Amusing Ourselves to Death by Neil Postman. It's the kind of book you can bring up to make yourself seem smart, but unlike Atlas Shrugged it's actually interesting to read and has some (largely) insightful ideas about technology.

Alternatively, if you need something more fun to read, I would suggest Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series. It's a pretty fun fantasy romp that is largely enjoyable to read if you want to turn off your brain.

Jacqueline Carey is probably exactly who you want to read. She has a three trilogy series known as Kushiel's Legacy, and it is amazing. She is very good at character development, world-building, AND the series is complete, so you won't have to wait around for years hoping to get more. It's full of politics, intrigue, drama, travel, courtesans, spymasters, royalty, pirates, romance (epic, happy, and tragic)...anything you want, it's in there. The first half of the first novel is intense world-building/set-up, but it's all interesting, and when the story kicks into full-gear, it's hard to put it down!

The first trilogy is Kushiel's Dart, Kushiel's Chosen, and Kushiel's Avatar.
The second trilogy is Kushiel's Scion, Kushiel's Justice, and Kushiel's Mercy.
The third trilogy is Naamah's Kiss, Naamah's Curse, and Naamah's Blessing.

Here is the Amazon description of the first novel in the first trilogy, Kushiel's Dart:

"A nation born of angels, vast and intricate and surrounded by danger... a woman born to servitude, unknowingly given access to the secrets of the realm...

Born with a scarlet mote in her left eye, Phédre nó Delaunay is sold into indentured servitude as a child. When her bond is purchased by an enigmatic nobleman, she is trained in history, theology, politics, foreign languages, the arts of pleasure. And above all, the ability to observe, remember, and analyze. Exquisite courtesan, talented spy... and unlikely heroine. But when Phédre stumbles upon a plot that threatens her homeland, Terre d'Ange, she has no choice.

Betrayed into captivity in the barbarous northland of Skaldia and accompanied only by a disdainful young warrior-priest, Phédre makes a harrowing escape and an even more harrowing journey to return to her people and deliver a warning of the impending invasion. And that proves only the first step in a quest that will take her to the edge of despair and beyond.

Phédre nó Delaunay is the woman who holds the keys to her realm's deadly secrets, and whose courage will decide the very future of her world.

Not since Dune has there been an epic on the scale of Kushiel's Dart-a massive tale about the violent death of an old age and the birth of a new. It is a novel of grandeur, luxuriance, sacrifice, betrayal, and deeply laid conspiracies. A world of cunning poets, deadly courtiers, deposed rulers and a besieged Queen, a warrior-priest, the Prince of Travelers, barbarian warlords, heroic traitors, and a truly Machiavellian villainess... all seen through the unflinching eyes of an unforgettable heroine."

It's... well, yeah, it's pretty eh. I was never the hugest fan of apostrophes in fantasy names either, but it's part of a subgenre. The type of fantasy Tal'Dorei lies in is very high and metropolitan, focused largely on being fantastical. The use of an apostrophe communicates "weirdness" and "foreignness" at a glance, and so it can be useful for setting up the genre and tone. Even if it's a quick decision, that doesn't necessarily mean it's the wrong one for this particular work, subgenre, and tone.

If you're interested in a fantasy setting that does take its names, linguistics, and language pretty seriously, though, and typically avoids apostrophes to boot, might I recommend the world of Vasloria in the Ratcatchers series? The author of those books (two so far, three more planned) talks online a lot about the time he spends trying to get the names in his setting juust right, since he really believes in the usefulness of language in setting a certain tone and delivering a specific feeling. Might be a breath of fresh air for you.

I have Flowertown and Confessions of a D-List Super Villain that can be lent. Both were very good. I'm sure there are many others, but it is so hard to search for the lendable titles on Amazon!

EDIT: Adding more lendable SF titles - only adding books that I liked a lot.

The Forever War

The Year's Best Science Fiction and Fantasy, 2011

Bob Moore, No Hero - this is currently free in kindle store

The Way of Kings - Brandon Sanderson

Warbreaker

The God Engines

13 Bullets

Agent to the Stars

Old Man's War

I really like:

Terry Mancour's Spellmonger series on Kindle. It's not super deep like Gene Wolfe or even Sanderson, but he writes very fast, a couple books a year, they're cheap. It's like comfort food sword and sorcery medieval fantasy. Story follows a fairly young veteran battle mage who has retired to a quiet mountain village to be the local "spellmonger", when he gets caught up in an attack by the evil goblins. His survival launches him on a martial and political career that will reshape his world. There's also romance and some nice wisecracks along the way, and hints that the world isn't as simple as it first appears. Sometimes you just want something easy and fun and this delivers.

http://terrymancour.blogspot.com/?m=1

https://www.amazon.com/Spellmonger-Book-One-Terry-Mancour-ebook/dp/B004Q9TD7W


I also like H. Paul Honsinger's Man of Honor trilogy. It's fairly hard military sci fi. The first trilogy is complete and he's working on a follow up series in the saga. Story follows a young naval destroyer captain in a total galactic war against a crazy alien enemy. There is a strong sense of esprit d'corps, and it is a fun action packed read. Technically no longer self-published, since Honsinger got picked up by Amazon's own publishing imprint. The books are cheap and there are excellent Audible editions.


https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00DQUKZMY/ref=tmm_kin_title_0?ie=UTF8&qid=&sr=


The first book for both are only a few bucks, and I love recommending both authors! They definitely deserve all the fans I can send their way.

>Once again, the mod team at r/dndnext are pleased to announce an AMA. This time with Matt Colville! Matt, as I'm sure many of you are aware, Is an Author, GM, Youtube personality, Redditor, and above all a font of wisdom for all things D&D.
>
>I personally have used much of Matt's advice in my own campaigns. It has made me a better DM, a better player, and a better table companion. I am subbed to his subreddit where he is very active, and I can tell from the feedback survery many of you are as well. If you aren't, why don't you wander over to r/mattcolville and sort that out :P
>
>
>So Join us on Saturday the 29th for a late morning chat, with Matt.
>
>Chur,
>
>-ba
>
>(Sticky threads will be returning the week after next.)

i mean, i say give the books another shot because i can't imagine enjoying the movies but not the books. but to each their own. if you don't want to go down that road, what do you mean things that might interest you? do you mean in the harry potter universe? if so, the other stuff is fun but the original seven are her magnum opus IMO and to get my fix, i had to go outside the Harry Potter universe.

some books that I just inhaled and read in one sitting will sound super corny, but...

• The Sookie Stackhouse novels. Wow. I am embarrassed at how fast I read these books. Edward Cullen can screw off. Eric is way hotter.
  
• the Da Vinci Code. Not the best writing. not the most factual history. don't care I blasted through that book.
  
• Ready Player One
  
  If you just want some good fantasy that isn't just Lord of the Rings rip offs, these are the ones I like.
  
  
• Gormenghast
  
• King Killer Chronicles
  
• Wheel of Time
  
• Game of Thrones
  
• The Blade Itself
  
• The Crystal Cave

Hi there! You've gotten some amazing suggestions here, but I'd like to add the Sharon Shinn book, Archangel. (Bonus points because it's got an amazingly unique setting.) Also Kushiel's Dart, by Jacqueline Carey. And if you're open to indie authors, the first book of my fantasy series is free through today! Catalyst Moon: Incursion. (I just did a writer of the day post here, too.)

Happy reading! :)

The Jedi Path

The Book of Sith

Jedi vs. Sith: The Essential Guide To The Force

None of these are novels, but they sound exactly like what you're looking for. The Jedi Path is an "authentic" training manual and journal written by Jedi Masters and annotated by the more popular Jedi. I assume the Book of Sith is the same thing. Jedi vs. Sith is like all the other Essential Guides out there, just a big reference manual. It's really neat.

The Darth Bane trilogy deals with Sith and their philosophy.

The New Jedi Order series (22 books) deals with an extragalactic species who cannot be sensed in the force, so a lot of the series deals with how the Jedi have to deal with that. It's really good, but it took me almost four years to finish that series.

This made me think of Matt Colville's Priest - everything after the first act.

In his setting the sky elves were demigod-like creatures, now mostly gone, and the fey were their servants. When they get a hold of someone, they feed and entertain, but these illusions were made for minds alien to ours. You know how little kids can get glued to the TV - absorbing hyperstimulation tailored to them by what is, relative to them, a superintelligent collective? Now imagine a bunch of pixies and sprites around a person having simultaneously the best and worst trip possible. They laugh and writhe in a pool of their own urine and feces, in utter ecstasy, all the way until their mind or body gives out. Who knows which is worse.
And the fey, they don't ... they can't understand. They're doing everything they're supposed to do, executing it perfectly.

Anyway, it's not exactly what you asked for. The forest isn't intentionally malevolent, but the village folks would definitely get that impression.

I tend to like stories that make me laugh and make me think. Here are a couple recs that met that criteria.

1. I think I stumbled upon this on SV somewhere; also it is mentioned in Open Fanfiction Thread. Applied Cultural Anthropology, or How I learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cruciatus. Great character arc for Hermione as she learns social skills in Slytherin, which makes you think about how social dominance can be a force for good or bad. Also liked that it makes Neville a main character. (Currently on chapter 8, as I just started it yesterday.)
   
   
2. Daniel Black Book 1: Fumbulwinter. This one costs money, but you can read the first six chapters here. YMMV/TW/etc, has some author tract elements with a neoreactionary flavor and contains a certain amount of BDSM as well as other sex scenes (all consensual). It is by the same author as Time Braid, and the character becomes similarly overpowered compared to those around him. My biggest complaint with this one is that the main character seems really slow on the uptake about how to exploit his powers, and the magic system comes across a little too exploitable. But he does do some smart things, the worldbuilding is interesting (if a tad exploitable), and it's entertaining enough that I ended up buying all three of the books.

I completely understand. Some characters rub me the wrong way as well! Thanks for giving my work a try. And I'd encourage you to keep giving indie writers opportunities. There are some great works out there. I'd recommend Phil Tucker's The Path of Flames, Timandra Whitecastel's Touch of Iron, and Benedict Patrick's They Only Come Out at Night.

Just looking around a bit, I found these three possible novels:

• [Metro 2033] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Metro_2033_(novel)
  
  
• [Dark Universe] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dark_Universe_(novel)
  
  
• [The Dark Elf Trilogy] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Dark-Elf-Trilogy-Collectors/dp/0786915889)
  
  Although, all of these have differences to what you described.
  
  ---
  
  These are in a similar vein, but are missing important details, so I doubt they're what you're looking for. Figured I'd mention them anyway:
  
  
• The Deltora Quest Series by Emily Rodda. Medieval-like society but a focus on magic, trio of heroes (one female, possible princess), darkness spreading (sometimes in a cloudy form). Missing: Definitely not as old as the one you're thinking of, underground cities/kingdoms/lands are present, but are not an integral part of the plot (other than the second series).
  
  

• The Kingdom Hearts (Video Game) Series. Medieval-like society, but a focus on magic, trio of heroes (one female), darkness spreading (known as "The Heartless"). Missing: Once again, not as old as what you're thinking of, lack of underground city main-plot, and perhaps the most important factor - it's not a novel.
  

  
  

  I've probably not been much help, but hope you got something useful/enjoyable out of this!
  

  
  

  )

Not sure what age range you're interested in but if your inner child enjoys super heroes I heavily recommend Confessions of a D List Supervillain. It's a story for adults with childish fun, the protagonist is a failed villain trying to save a world ruined by the heroes; there's plenty of underdog action and though I haven't read the sequels, they exist too.

https://www.amazon.com/Confessions-D-List-Supervillain-Jim-Bernheimer-ebook/dp/B004WE0D3E

This ebook from this wishlist, please!

I'd love to read it!

Thanks for the contest! You're AWESOME!

Spellmonger definitely has combat, but it isn't a progression story in that respect after the traditional sense.

The protagonist starts out as a small village hedge wizard, slowly growing in power and importance until he's eventually a feudal lord and more. So if you consider gaining new titles and ranks in the peerage progression, then you might find it to be a fun read.

I would recommend The Codex Alera series by Jim Butcher - here’s the first book in the 6-book series!

The whole series is one I can read over and over and absolutely love it every time. Thanks for the contest! 😊

Yep. They're written (mostly) by Rand Miller. I think Robyn helped with one of them, but Rand did the others. I may have that backwards, but it's one of those ways. ANYWAY.

There are three books. You can get all three in one novel now called the Myst Reader. The first book, Book of Atrus is/was out of print and is harder to find, so the Myst Reader is a great resource if you want all three.

The books are The Book of Atrus: about his childhood, his meeting of Catherine, and his relationship with his fucked up father, Gehn, and his grandmother, Ti'ana; The Book of Ti'Ana: goes back in the past to show what happened to the D'ni, the people who created and perfected the Art of Writing Books (they're all capitalized in the books as well for a reason); and The Book of the D'ni: takes place after the first two and falls sometime after Riven, but before Exile. It's about Atrus and Catherine trying to rebuild what is left of the D'ni people and culture.

If you like Myst, the books really do flesh out what happened in the games much much more. Things click better. And, it makes the games more haunting, I feel. The only thing that isn't mentioned is the full extent of what Sirrus and Achenar did. I don't even think it's mentioned at all, actually.

Also, there's supposed to be two new books coming out sometime, but there's no information on when that might occur.

Some of the LitRPG stuff on Amazon qualifies for this. There are quite a few cool original English stories as well as some great translated (mainly from Russian) stuff on amazon available pretty cheaply or for 'free' if you've got the monthly kindle unlimited subscription.

The Daniel Black series and the Dragon's Wrath series most closely match the kingdom/etc building themes you're asking for.

• "The Wandering Inn" for best world building, and best slice of life mixed with an epic story
  https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/10073/the-wandering-inn
  
  
  
  
• "The Snake Report", for best reincarnation into a monster, ALL HAIL THE TINY SNAKE GOD!
  https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/14396/the-snake-report
  
  
  
  
• "Cradle", for a Xianxia with a non jerk protagonist and a mentor + sect/faction that you can root for
  https://www.amazon.com/Unsouled-Cradle-Book-Will-Wight-ebook/dp/B01H1CYBS6
  
  
  
  
• "Savage Divinity", for a nice Wuxia like story with a sometime depressed but always nice protagonist (and lot of floofs!)
  https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/5701/savage-divinity
  
  
  
  
• "There is no epic loot here, only puns", for best light hearted dungeon core story
  https://www.royalroad.com/fiction/15935/there-is-no-epic-loot-here-only-puns
  
  
  
  
• Daniel Black series for a Male Adult Power Fantasy with sex and a harem that still has a story if you remove the sex
  (guilty pleasure)
  https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00KZ41LHM/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_bibl_vppi_i1

Oh man, he absolutely looks like a Rocko.

Or maybe a Ted?

good luck naming him though! Beautiful animal.

I would definitely read this to my dog, she's spoiled and needs to be tucked in for bed.

But this is just for me.

Kushiel's Dart is by far THE BEST romance/erotic novel with a clever plot that I have ever read. I highly recommend it. It is also a series so if she likes it, you've got a couple to go on.

The Circle Trillogy by Ted Dekker is an absolute must-read. Its not what I would call "high fantasy" (No elves or dwarves here) but it's superb fantasy none the less.

I have also really enjoyed the Myst trilogy. Ignore the fact that it's based of a video game. It's some of the best fiction i have read In a while.

You can find physical copies of most older books on amazon for like $4.

Half price books, abebooks, thrift stores and shopping around for ebooks are all also options.

If you are looking for specific books there are some pretty reasonably priced compilations out there.

The Belgariad volumes one and two can be gotten for around $14.

All ten volumes of The Chronicles of Amber can be purchased for about $12.

All three volumes of the Dark Elf Trilogy can be purchased for around $12.

If you look around there are some pretty great deals out there.

If you want some "mind blowing" scifi, definitely look into the works of Greg Bear. He has a flair for writing stories that will make your jaw drop. Blood Music and Eon are good starters. Even tho both books do center around technology (nanotech and space travel, respectively), the writing is not tech heavy.

Two other books I strongly recommend are both collections of short stories that Orson Scott Card put together from various authors. The books are called Future on Fire and Future on Ice, and no the stories have nothing to do with temperature. Fire is supposed to have stories that get you fired up, Ice is supposed to be all stories that chill you to the bone. It's worth mentioning that Future on Ice contains the original Greg Bear story that Blood Music came from.

For something lighter hearted, my wife loves the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy books and, even tho it's more Fantasy then SciFi, you can't go wrong with the Discworld series. The early books can be a little rough, but the later novels are simply excellent writing. The city watch books are particularly thrilling reads.

I'll give you a link to the Amazon page: https://www.amazon.com/Dark-Elf-Trilogy-Collectors-Homeland/dp/0786915889

It does sound like a pretty amazing story. Mostly excited because it's a subterranean setting lol.

1.) The Eye of The World - by Robert Jordan (and subsequent novels)

2.) 9.8/10

3.) High Fantasy, Adventure, Fiction

4.) This is the first book of a 14 book series called the Wheel of Time. The story follows a young man named Rand Al'Thor and his friends. He is absconded away from his home by a mysterious woman and a wonderful adventure comes from it. The series contains the most complex magic system I have ever read and it is always exciting. You will find yourself thinking about how you would use the magic if you had it. The Wheel of Time is one of the most critically acclaimed fantasy series of all time. You are doing yourself a disservice to not fall into this world that Robert Jordan crafts. I do it no justice, and I cannot recommend it more.

5.) http://www.amazon.com/The-World-Wheel-Time-Book/dp/0812511816/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1375429878&sr=8-1&keywords=The+eye+of+the+world

I would check out The Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. It starts out historical moves forward into sci-fi and then goes backwards to historical again. It's hard to explain but it is a very rewarding read and one I pick up periodically just to reread again.

I also liked Girl In Landscape by Jonathon Lethem and Dune by Frank Herbert a lot and both have been good rereads.

Oh! And The Nightrunner Series by Lynn Flewelling which I inhaled.

I can recommend:

• The Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett has a really nice and different world compared to other fantasy series and I'm really mesmerized by the story. 4 books
  
  
  
• Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan. The Wheel of Time has 14 books, so it might be more than what you are looking for. But the story is insane, except for 1-2 books that were slightly boring.
  
  
• A Song of Ice and Fire. You have probably read it, but since you didn't list it, I thought I'd recommend it anyways. Amazing fantasy world, but with Game of Thrones being everywhere, you know of this one. 5 books (not finished yet)
  
  
• I also like the Eragon-series, but it's not for everyone and might be not as "grown up" as the others. Eragon by Christopher Paolini. 4 books

> Play to Win.

is this it here?
http://www.amazon.com/AlterWorld-Play-Live-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00LYJOII6

sounds awesome! thanks!

GOOD IF YOU LIKE "EPISODIC" STORIES RATHER THAN EPICS. I ACTUALLY LIKE THE FURY SERIES BETTER THAN DRESDEN.

Lately I've been ruminating on the Dark Elf Trilogy. I read it years ago, but I liked it a lot. If I recall, I once saw u/mistborn at The Dragon's Keep, and he liked that trilogy too.

I hope sci-fi is okay. Most of the time it's fantasy set in a different era.

• The Martian
  
  
• Existence
  

Interesting! I am reading something similar: The Discernment of Spirits: An Ignatian Guide for Everyday Living by Fr. Gallagher. I am also reading Fire Within by Thomas Dubay.

...and The Dark Elf Trilogy because it was recommended by a friend and given to me for free on the Kindle. I am on the third book of the trilogy now and hope to finish it within the week so I can move on to another fiction series.

Matt has an obsidianportal wiki with some of the information on his world -

http://the-age-of-conquest.obsidianportal.com/wikis/main-page

It's not really a campaign so much as a world Matt has built up over the time he has been running the game - it doesn't really have a "plotline" to it and he makes up stories as he goes based on how he believes the world will react to the players and drops in modified versions of old modules he likes running.

He also has been writing a book series set in his D&D world in a different time period that are really good and can be great for inspiration.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OIBG44/ref=series_rw_dp_sw
https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00JQ20KOE/ref=series_rw_dp_sw

Hahah, I want to say this octopus just because I'd be really surprised to see it. But I'd be plenty pleased with a book so you can have enough funds to give other people toooooooo!

GOOD LUCK.

http://amzn.com/B00LSV28DC

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron was great and funny at times. :)

I came here to suggest Dune as well. May not be about swords and dragons, but there are lasguns and giant sandworms!

The story is great and you should read all 6 by Frank Herbert; but you can skip the series of prequels, interquels, and sequels that were co-written by Kevin J. Anderson and the original author's son, Brian Herbert. They were no where near as good as Frank Herbert's.

u/MattColville has an excellent book out, two actually! Definitely fits in the spirit of D&D and all of that! You can find the first book here. Take a look and enjoy! I know I did!

https://www.amazon.com/Priest-Ratcatchers-Book-Matthew-Colville-ebook/dp/B003OIBG44

I cannot say enough good things about The Name of the Wind. it's the first book in the Kingkiller Chronicles.

If you love fantasy and strong female characters, the Eye of the World is the first book in the just recently finished Wheel of time series. Amazing series, long, deep, complicated, but amazing.

If you like VRMMO read AlterWorld.. its pretty good.. I definitely recommend it if you like LMS and Ark

Here's the first book on Amazon, it has the rest of them on there too. I'm sure you can just pick them up at the library, but Amazon does a good job of giving you a preview and some reviews and stuff.

The only problem I have with the series is the cover art on the first couple books. They don't resemble characters in the book at all. Heck, they hardly even resemble scenes in the book!

Other than that, Bluemoonflame got it right. It also happens to be a "rags to riches" story following the main character Tavi.

I read it, and do NOT recommend it.

Book is too meh, relies too heavily on common tropes we've seen done time and time again better. The writing style is too slow and ponderous for my liking, while still managing to be imprecise. It's like they wrote it relying more on the ideas and topics then the actual story; it's the kind of thing that if was a movie you'd think was made by committee.

You want a good Steampunk book series? Myst; yes after the game. There are three, and they chronicle the fall and aftermath of a civilization from the perspective of a family. (Grandparent, Mother, Husband, Son, etc...)

Drizzt from The Dark Elf Trilogy. He is such a fascinating and lovable character, throughout his development, we find such likable, and heroic qualities. Talk about rooting for an underdog.

My all time favorite book is "The Merro Tree" by Katie Waitman. (https://www.amazon.com/Merro-Tree-Del-Rey-Discovery/dp/0345414365) It's an excellent science fiction tale about a boy who transcends incredible odds to become one of the galaxy's greatest performers. It is about love, music, dance, and theatre, all in a beautiful sci-fi setting. Excellent and easy to read.

If you want harder science fiction, I suggest "House of Suns" by Alestair Reynolds (https://www.amazon.com/House-Suns-Alastair-Reynolds-ebook/dp/B002AKPECW/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1550262904&sr=1-1&keywords=house+of+suns+alastair+reynolds) A murder on a planet full of immortal clones. A murder mystery in a transhumanist far future.

Not into Sci-Fi as much, but don't want your usual sword and sorcery Fantasy? How about "Warbreaker" by Brandon Sanderson. (https://www.amazon.com/Warbreaker-Brandon-Sanderson/dp/0765360039/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1550263031&sr=1-1&keywords=warbreaker) Political intrigue in the court of the GodKing, and a tireless immortal attempting to correct a wrong done a long time ago. It also has an interesting form of magic, different from your usual "pinch of pixie dust, eye of newt, mutter incantation" kind of wizardry.

Into Gaiman, but want something slightly more serious? How about something akin to "Neverwhere"? I suggest "The City's Son" by Tom Pollock (https://www.amazon.com/Citys-Son-Skyscraper-Throne-Book-ebook/dp/B00LSX4TO6/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1550263325&sr=1-1&keywords=The+City%27s+Son+tom+pollock)

RA Salvatore -- the Dark Elf Trilogy

Excellent stories, wonderful protagonist and fantastic writing

I can't really see any translated novels that I read and someone else hasn't already recommended, but here are a few English ones:

Worm, it's a completed web novel with a lot of chapters. Although I dropped it halfway through, I think it's a really good read (and has tons of good fanfics as well).

Daniel Black (book)

Contractor (book)

First off, BEST CONTEST EVER! Just thought I'd say that.

I'm not sure what the limit is but if I can get THIS MY LIFE WOULD BE COMPLETE

But this or this would be just as good :)

I was actually going to suggest the entire Old Man's War series. It's very good. Actually, all of Scalzi's books are great. Just finished Lock In for the 4th or 5th time. And Forever War was amazing.

I'd also suggest Eon by Greg Bear if you're into high scifi concepts.

And I haven't seen it on the comments, but I'm sure it's there. The Expanse Series by James S.A. Corey. The Syfy series is doing a wonderful job adapting it to the small screen.

Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series, starting with Furies of Calderon and going from there. I really enjoy the character development and the interesting use of magic.

One of my favorite series...I'm getting ready to read it again soon.

Sounds like you might enjoy Neal Stephenson's The Diamond Age. I think Snow Crash is meant to be in the same universe - it's hilarious but not as dense. You might also like his Cryptonomicon, though it's not technically Sci Fi.

Tad Willams' Otherland Series is Epic Sci Fi with a huge amount of detail. Might be right up your alley.

Dune, Neuromancer and The Enderverse if you haven't already read those.

If you like fantasy books, and want to sink a lot of time reading a good long story, I'd recommend starting with book 1 of the Wheel of Time Series, The Eye of the World. I have read this massive series 4 times now. It's a good waste of time! :) The Eye of the World (The Wheel of Time, Book 1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0812511816/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_yZrUzbW2T2FXY

I finally got around to reading Greg Bear's Eon and Eternity this week, and they were wonderful. I don't know how I missed them before, but I'd recommend them (and looking at the Amazon page, apparently now I've got to get Legacy this week as well).

I'd also recommend David Brin's Uplift series.

The Abhorsen Trilogy was really great. A pretty wild fantasy ride with a really cool twist on necromancy.

Yeah they're great. It's down to $60 right now on Amazon which is a great price tbh.

Do you like Neil Gaiman? More to the point, have you read Neverwhere? It is that extension you want and the prose is just gorgeous.

For unique, I'd say The City of Dreaming Books. It is particularly good if you haven't read any of Moers other books beforehand.

The thing about glitter is, if you get it on you, be prepared to have it on you forever 'cause glitter is the herpes of craft supplies.

=D

I think this book looks pretty good :3

That's the best thing I've seen all week AND it come in a holocron!

Thanks for sharing the info.

Found on Amazon - may have to get one myself.

Games: Minecraft. I found a multiplayer server and I spend hours and hours building cities.

Books: Tad Williams' "Otherland" series, starts with "City of Golden Shadow"

Best I've got. Good luck to you.

The other versions are pretty awesome. I bought the Book of Sith vault edition a while back. So worth it.

Book of Sith

The Bounty Hunter Code

The Jedi Path

I would like to mention a great book about D-list super villains:

Confessions of a D-list super villain

The Abhorsen trilogy is some great YA fiction that I'm sure your son would enjoy. The books are about a decade old, and are available as a cheaper box set - but admittedly the covers on these might not be as intruiging to a 7th grader.

The Mistborn Trilogy is also great, but might be a little difficult for a 7th grader to get through. Regardless, I'd get him these if you feel that he's up to the challenge.

list of linked fictions in order posted repeats omitted, see my other comments for what EY said about them.

Dungeon Keeper Ami by Pusakuronu As a .docx

Mandragora (HP)

To The Stars (Madoka)

My Little Pony: Friendship is Betrayal (MLP)

Earthfic

Unequally Rational and Emotional(Negima/damn near everything)

The Missing Risk Premium (Non-Fic)

Mahou Sensei Negima manga


Harry Potter and the Natural 20 (HP/DnD)

Naruto: Game of the Year Edition(Naruto)

Big Human on Campus(Ranma/RosarioxVampire)

Friendship is Optimal (MLP)

Myou’ve Gotta Be Kidding Me(MLP)

Prince of the Dark Kingdom (HP)

Fallout Equestria (MLP)

Time Braid(Naruto)

Hybrid Theroy(Mega Crossover)

Luminosity (Twilight)

[Discworld] (http://i.imgur.com/kvqoC1h.jpg)

The Best Night Ever(MLP)

Imperfect Metamorphosis(Touhou)

Sanctum

Friendship is Optimal: Caelum est Conterrens(MLP)

Tales of Mu

Black Cloaks, Red Clouds (Naruto)

Dirty Old Men(Naruto)

The Eyre Affair (first novel in the Thursday Next series)

Postnuptial Disagreements(F/SN / Sekirei)

Saga of Soul

Murasakiiro no Qualia

NGE: Nobody Dies: The Trials of Kirima Harasami(Eva)

Love Lockdown(Naruto)

Worm

MLP Loops(MLP)

City of Angles

The Last Christmas

Branches on the Tree of Time(Terminator)

How I Learned To Stop Worrying and Love Lord Voldemort(HP)

Emperor of Zero(Familiar of Zero/Napoleon)

Cenotaph(Worm)

Memoirs of a Human Flashlight(Worm/Exalted)

She Who Skitters in Darkness(Worm/Exalted)

Goblin Queen(Worm/Exalted)

Starry Eyes(Worm/Lovecraft)

Tale of Transmigration(Worm)

Bug on a Wire.(Worm)

Sunshine

Toasterverse(Avengers)

Back Again(LOTR)

Carpetbaggers(Narnia)

A Bluer Shade of White (Frozen)

Metropolitan Man(Superman)

Ra

Homestuck

In Fire Forged(Naruto)

Right Moments(Ranma)

Hitherby Dragons

Nice Dragons Finish Last

The Shadow of What Was Lost

The Unwelcome Warlock

Path of the King (F/SN)

Gate! Thus the JSDF Fought There

Weaver Nine(Worm)

https://www.fanfiction.net/community/Rational-stories/117575/99/4/1/0/0/0/0/
https://www.reddit.com/r/rational

Thank you. I wish i could take credit for it but i can't.

I just parodied The Wheel of Time opening, but i would be more then happy to repost it in the event you remake this thread :D

I've posted the first thirteen chapters of the PRIEST audiobook for free on soundcloud. Shit, the whole thing might be free, I dunno. I haven't decided if I'll try to monetize it yet.

https://soundcloud.com/matt-colville/priest-one-through-seven

https://soundcloud.com/matt-colville/priest-part-two

At this point, this is as good as the audiobook is going to sound. Totally DIY. Though I suspect by the time I'm done I'll end up going back and rerecording the beginning. I get better as I go. :D

I'll try and do another chunk each week depending on my free time.

And, of course, if you want to know what happens next and don't want to wait for me, you can always read ahead. :D

http://www.amazon.com/Furies-Calderon-Codex-Alera-Book/dp/044101268X

Each book gets better and better. It has a different twist on fantasy with the "born with a 'fury'" thing going on. Tons of political intrigue that is actually interesting compared to blah blah skip a page in other fantasy books....IDK

Highly recommend this!

Alterworld is like Zhang Long, except better in every way, shape, and form. It's slow to start, but the cultures and worldbuilding within the virtual world are amazing to read!

Have you read Walter Moers' The City of Dreaming Books? If not, it has a similar premise and would likely be a great source of inspiration!

I can't believe no one has said the "Otherland" series by Tad Williams.
I think it's his best work.

Only one of the major characters doesn't know he is in a virtual reality but almost all of the characters visit multiple virtual worlds and try to discover it's secrets. There is an amazingly diverse cast of wonderfully real characters. check it out

Just remembered Fimbulwinter: Daniel Black Book 1. No Qi but the MC's goal is simply to survive the end of the world. Collects a merry band of follwers along the way. It is a good read and somewhat fits.

Not sure which one, but it sounds like one of the Abhorsen Trilogy books. Maybe Sabriel? She has a talking dog friend?

http://www.amazon.com/Abhorsen-Trilogy-Box-Set/dp/0060734191/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1425998900&sr=8-3&keywords=garth+nix

My Puggle pooped on the floor haha!

A used copy of this book from my Husband's wishlist is $0.08 plus $3.99 shipping. Thank you for the contest :)

I would recommend The Land by Aleron Kong and Daniel Black by E. William Brown. Daniel Black can get a little raunchy, if that is not something you are looking for you might want to skip it. Both book series are excellent and worth a read.

I dunno if these will float your boat but you can try:

Traitor - Amazing standalone book set in the starwars universe

Ender's saga - Philosphy, strategy

Dune series - Abstract philosophy, higher concepts

Ringworld - Haven't read it but I've heard it's worth a go. I'm going to start it as soon as I finish the bloody Sword of Truth series.

Hitchhikers - Need I explain?

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


amazon.co.uk

amazon.ca

amazon.com.au

amazon.in

amazon.com.mx

amazon.de

amazon.it

amazon.es

amazon.com.br

amazon.nl

amazon.co.jp

amazon.fr

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.

The Zamonia-Novels by Walter Moers:
1

2

3

4

They are funny, gruesome, surreal and simply brilliant. Look at the reviews on amazon. Especially Rumo and The City of the Dreaming Books were unputdownable.

1. The City of Dreaming Books - Walter Moers
   
   
2. 10/10
   
   
3. Humour, fantasy
   
   
4. Moers' writing is absolutely delicious. This is the best book about books narrated by a talking dinosaur poet that you will ever read.
   
   
5. amazon
   

The Daniel Black books are pretty good. Unfortunately there are only three at the moment.

https://www.amazon.com.au/Fimbulwinter-Daniel-Black-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00KZ41LHM

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/22500562-fimbulwinter

It's about a man who has a string of bad luck and at his bedside at the hospital a goddess from another world appears and offers him a new life if he will become the guardian for her last priestess and keep her alive in the apocalypse.

I like how he uses magic in the universe, always experimenting and coming up with new inventions.

Confessions of a D-list Supervillian by Jim Bernheimer, which exactly what it sounds like and is great.

Mogworld by Yahtzee Croshaw follows an npc in an mmorpg that has gained sentience. My girlfriend hated this book because I kept waking her up with my laughing.

Bad Humors by Aaron Wright is a phenomenal novella that is kind of a cross between SF, fantasy, and a Lovecraftian Mythos.

I love reading!

I am interested in starting the Wheel of Time series. This is the first book.

Ishmael (and the rest of the series) by Daniel Quinn opened my eyes in my senior year of high school.

It's about a Gorilla, who has lived beside man for a number of decades and teaches a pupil through stories and analogies about how we are already at the cusp of civilization collapse. It's about a lot more than just that, namely the relationship of humans, animals, the planet, and how humans have a unique, egotistical view of themselves where we deemed ourselves rulers of the planet.

Confessions of an Economic Hitman by John Perkins is an eye opener as well.

Other great reads:

Magicians of the Gods by Graham Hancock.

Necronomicon

UFO's by Leslie Keen

Siddhartha - Herman Hesse

I also really enjoyed the Myst series by Rand & Robin Miller (the books the game is based on). It's about worlds within worlds and an ancient race of authors creating worlds through magical ink and books (sci-fi/fantasy).

The book that has had the biggest impact on me has to be the Big Book of Alcoholics Anonumous. This book has seen me through one of the lowest point of my life and helped get me through it. As i worked through it, I felt that it was written for me back when Bill W and Dr. Bob put it together. My copy was given to me at my first meeting and with it (and my sponsor) I've managed to stay sober for almost 15 months now.

As for what I want, there is this, this, and this (all of which are unecessarily expensive, but I love all things Star Wars). I think this is far more reasonable though.

Edit: Spelling

The Stainless Steel Rat (probably the closest thing to Space Opera on my short list of suggestions)

Dune

Anything by Isaac Assimov

Anything by William Gibson (Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive, and Neuromancer would be good first choices)

Ender's Game

H. G. Wells and Jules Verne are also good choices if you want some classic old-school sci-fi

I would recommend:

Patrick Rothfuss's Name of the Wind


Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn series, or his newest series The Way of Kings (The Stormlight Archive).

If you made it all the way through Sword of Truth series, you probably will enjoy Jordan's Wheel of Time.

Scott Lynch's Lies of Locke Lamora is also very enjoyable.

If you are looking for another big one, enjoy the gritty and dark elements from Martin, Stephen Erikson's Malazan series might be up your alley. The first book is a little difficult to get through, but it picks up after that.

1. A Short History of Nearly Everything by Bill Bryson
   
2. The Black Swan: The Impact of the Highly Improbable by Nassim Nicholas Taleb
   
3. A People's History of the United States: 1492 to Present by Howard Zinn
   
4. Dune by Frank Herbert
   
5. The Life You Can Save: How to Do Your Part to End World Poverty by Peter Singer

I would recommend the Zamonia series by Walter Moers; Rumo & His Miraculous Adventures, The 13 1/2 Lives of Captain Bluebear and The City of Dreaming Books. It's incredibly imaginative and great story-telling.

Yeah I tore through them pretty fast. The first couple are solid gold, but #5 and #6 kinda gets away from the good stuff a bit. http://www.amazon.com/AlterWorld-Play-Live-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00LYJOII6/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1452878704&sr=8-5&keywords=d+rus

It's important to note I don't read a ton of fantasy, but I just recently read and loved /u/mattcolville 's Priest and Thief books.

I ordered mine from Amazon a few years ago. Looks like it's currently out of stock but will be back again soon.

I've also seen them in book stores like Books-A-Million but that was years ago as well.

A Tree Grows in Brooklyn - on reading and education as the door to escaping poverty. Might be a little young for them.

The Grapes of Wrath - on the humanity and the inhumanity humans and industry are capable of in harsh times. Might be a little long/dry/boring.

-----

Basically any science fiction novel by Greg Bear, because they are probably mind-blowing in vision to a teenager who hasn't had exposure to ideas of such scale (at least, they were to me. But I don't know how the parents would react to them, or if these girls like science fiction)

Blood Music- themes of nanotechnology and perception changing humanity

The Forge of God- on the destruction of earth once it becomes noticeable enough to aliens. And its sequel

Anvil of Stars- on whether revenge can be justified, how libertarian/cooperatives groups break down or are usurped, and an unusual alien race.

Queen of Angels- on psychology, consciousness, artificial intelligence, virtual reality and the beginnings of an internet (before there was an internet).

Eon- an asteroid suddenly appears in orbit, and its unusual history and construction destabilizes earth during the Cold War, but opens the door to alien technologies and civilizations. And its sequel

Eternity- the far future of humanity, conflict with an alien race, travel in space and time.

-----

But to be honest two books that would give them a fundamental understanding of how the world actually operates, if they aren't being exposed to it, would be:

Campbell and Reece's Biology

and

Chemistry: A Molecular Approach

They don't require too much math other than algebra, and though they're kind of expensive, they're worth it. The utter logic of how scientific thinking is done can be easily introduced with biology and an understanding of the atomic framework chemistry teaches is invaluable because it explains so many behaviors in our world. Maybe in e-book format or something, so they're not as obvious.

Nice Dragons Finish Last by Rachel Aaron. Like a breath of fresh air to the genre for me, while still having all that stuff you asked for. https://www.amazon.com/Nice-Dragons-Finish-Last-Heartstrikers-ebook/dp/B00LSV28DC

My favorite cookbook

Man's search for meaning

My favorite series

Raptor Red

Mostly because I suggest everyone read those books.

Jim Butcher's Codex Alera is a wonderful bit of fantasy. Magic is set up in a pretty novel way, slightly akin to Avatar or Legend of Korra, with a lot more nuance. LOTS of political posturing and backstabbing, very much in the vein of aSoIaF. And if you've ever read Jim Butcher, he is occasionally funny as hell.

Other works of fiction that contain the concept of a metaverse;

Books

• The Otherland series, by Tad Williams, beginning with City of Golden Shadow (sidenote, this series also has an MMORPG based on it, currently in closed beta, and recently (October of last year) brought back from the dead)
  
  
• The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons, beginning with Hyperion.
  
  
• The Golden Oecumene, by John C. Wright, beginning with The Golden Age.
  
  
• Accel World, by Reki Kawahara, beginning with Kuroyukihime's Return. (If you are familiar with the manganime Sword Art Online, this is by the same author, and shares the same universe)
  
  
• This Alien Shore, by Celia S. Friedman. (amazon link)
  
  
• The Sprawl Trilogy, by William Gibson, beginning with Neuromancer.
  
  
• Accelerando, by Charles Stross. (free e-book link)
  
  Anime and Manga
  
  
• The .hack series, specifically .hack//SIGN
  
  
• For a lighter feel, there's Summer Wars (available on CrunchyRoll) and the INCREDIBLY similar second Digimon movie, Our War Game!. Also I guess by extension, but not really explored as much, the entire Digimon series, as it takes place in an analogy for the internet.
  
  
• Serial Experiments Lain
  
  
• Okay fine, here's Sword Art Online (CrunchyRoll link)
  
  Film
  
  
• The Singularity is Near, a speculative documentary based on the Ray Kurzweil book of the same name.
  
  
• The Thirteenth Floor, a crime thriller about the owner of a VR simulation company getting murdered.
  
  ----
  
  I know I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of the genre, because if there's one thing humans are good at, it's writing fucktons on what we like.
  
  So feel free to comment additions to this list, or opinions on what I've currently included. I have by no means read/watched all of these, so having someone with actual experience with each of these weigh in would be nice.

I'm a fan of the Wheel of Time Series by Robert Jordan. I would love to see a movie made from these books.

Wheel of Time series (first book is The Eye of the World).

Fantastic fantasy series.

I also noticed you had a few books about the Appalachian Trail - I would recommend A Walk in the Woods by Bill Bryson.

Jim Butcher's Codex Alera series, starting with Furies of Calderon might fit the bill, it follows a magic-less protagonist in a society where magic is so common place it's used to turn on lights and faucets, and strength of magic is almost directly proportional to your place in society. He definitely depends on his wits, but doesn't really have the dry sense of humor though.

Depends on what you mean with "epic" I guess.

It's hard to go more epic in SF than Frank Herberts Dune series. The story is complex and has wheels within wheels, the characters are well crafted with their own inner motivations and Frank Herbert was excellent when it came to the craftmanship of writing. There's a reason why the first book in the series gets almost 80% five star ratings at Amazon.

On the downside they can be a bit heavygoing at times, some people get put off by "The God Emperor of Dune" which reads a lot like a 500 page autobiography by the main character. But I loved it.

And as for the "sequels" and "prequels" his son Brian Herbert has written along with Kevin J Anderson I'd leave them alone. Same universe but the characters are written in a reactive way (it seems like they just bounce around like ball in a pinball game) and they keep pulling shit out of their asses when they've written themselves into a corner.

Try Frank Herbert's Dune for starters. A more modern author would be Neal Stephenson, maybe start with his Cryptonomicon.

I really enjoyed Nancy Kress' Beggars in Spain as well, though I haven't read anything else by her.

Rachel Aaron's heartstriker series is pretty good light hearted stuff.

Hey folks, I'm Phil Tucker, author of The Chronicles of the Black Gate and The Godsblood Trilogy. I'm thrilled to be here, and thanks to Mark and Dyrk for putting on this AMA!

Daniel Black series has some similarities. 1, 2, 3. That MC is using magic to re-create modern marvels, during an apocalypse, after being brought to another world, oh and he is protecting witches... There are a lot of similarities and the story is very interesting so I would suggest reading it.

Take a look at the list of past Hugo winners and look for easily accessible ones. A few jump out at me:

Starship Troopers - Robert Heinlein

Dune - Frank Herbert

The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress - Robert Heinlein

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card

Barrayar - Lois McMaster Bujold, or maybe the omnibus Cordelia's Honor

The Diamond Age - Neal Stephenson

Eon by Greg Bear

Maybe Neverness by David Zindell. Though the "mysterious artifact" in it isn't exactly an artifact. Still, it's a crime that this novel has been out of print for over a decade.

Frederik Pohl's Heechee series, beginning with Gateway. Pulpy, but enjoyable.

Ringworld of course, but I'm sure you've already heard of that one.

edit: Whoops. You mentioned Pohl already.

His Drizzt books are the most famous. But...the writing in the beginning of the series....is not near as good as the later books.

So it depends on how much time you have. I'd say you could start here:
http://www.amazon.com/Trilogy-Collectors-Homeland-Exile-Sojourn/dp/0786915889

Its a good balance of being early on in the series, easy to read, and not terrible writing.

On the fantasy end of things (since you mention Neil Gaiman), is City of Dreaming Books. German author so there's a good chance she hasn't read it and this isn't the only one in the series.

Cory Doctrow also writes YA, Little Brother, comes to mind.

At that age I was working my way through the Golden Age authors (Heinlein, Bradbury, Clark, Asimov, etc). Even if I didn't understand all the finer points, I really enjoyed them.

Dragonlance is good, but the Dark Elf series (Drizzt Do'Urden) is better.

The Dark Elf Trilogy: Collector's Edition (Homeland / Exile / Sojourn) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0786915889/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_izRpzbMC13FGR

Thank you for your interest! Here are some other works tagged (Low Quality):

[Iron Wood] (Low Quality)
[Mauling Snarks] (Low Quality)
[Taylor Varga] (Low Quality)
[Defiance of the Fall] (Low Quality)
[He Who Fights With Monsters] (Low Quality)
[A Hero's War] (Low Quality)
[The New World] (Low Quality)
[Azarinth Healer] (Low Quality)
[The Gam3] (Low Quality)
[The Arcane Emperor] (Low Quality)
[The Legend of Randidly Ghosthound] (Low Quality)
[The Land] (Low Quality)
[Daniel Black] (Low Quality)
[Savage Divinity] (Low Quality)
[The Wheel of Time] (Low Quality)
[The Tutorial Is Too Hard] (Low Quality)
[Metaworld Chronicles] (Low Quality)

This list is incomplete. You can help by expanding it.

When you started off I though you were talking about Ratcatchers.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B003OIBG44/ref=oh_aui_d_detailpage_o04_?ie=UTF8&psc=1

Really really good book I'd never heard of before with a similar sounding lead. I'll be sure to check this out.

Anyone who read into the series of D.Rus. (Alterworld - Play To Live) on Free Folk?

https://www.amazon.com/AlterWorld-LitRPG-Play-Live-Book-ebook/dp/B00LYJOII6

Yesterday I ran this colossal fucking tournament for the PC platform fighter Rivals of Aether (Available now on Steam!). Along with two other people I run 3 online tournaments every week for this game, which has quickly turned into a terrifying monolith. Luckily, the T.O. team is made of sterner stuff than mortals - we're like about as tough as a hardcover book, actually. Today I played Kerbal Space Program until I remembered I'm bad at Kerbal Space Program, then I started my re-read of Applied Cultural Anthropology, or... (How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love the Cruciatus Curse), because it updated after a year-long hiatus and I didn't know what was happening. Also because I'm a lonely disgusting fanfic-reading filthmonster...

I'm trying to read a book a week for 2016 and I've completed the first step of that process by enduring Furies of Calderon by Jim Butcher. I liked The Dresden Files a lot more than this higher-fantasy stuff, which is a shame. Next up on my list is Hyperion. I've been told that this novel contains a spaceship called THE TREESHIP YGGDRASIL, and that is all I know.

AOTD1: I woke up at like 7 AM this morning, disgusted with myself. Luckily I managed to pull off a noon-2 nap, which felt great.

AOTD2: Book a week for a year.

You started with Exile? Not such a great introduction to the story. Start with the original game and play it as if you're actually there. Try to what you'd actually do if you were stuck on an island full of strange machinery - poke around, read things, and try to find a way out. Finishing the game is well worth your patience.

Also, if you're interested you might read the game's backstory beforehand. Things will make much more sense if you do.

Frank and beans!

Wheel of Time book one would be awesome!

Do you like fantasy/sci fi? If so, check out Elantris and Warbreaker by Brandon Sanderson. Two of the most enjoyable standalone fantasy novels I have ever read.

Yep XD

What about original English novels? Because there is this series: http://www.amazon.com/Spellmonger-The-Series-Book-ebook/dp/B004Q9TD7W

It's a long series, and the development you want happens in book 3 and 5. Book 4 is from the supporting characters' viewpoint.

How about a novel heavily inspired by comic books? Confessions of a D-List Supervillain might be up your alley.

I enjoyed "Time Enough for Love"

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lazarus_Long

Also:

"Elantris" and "Warbreaker" by Brandon Sanderson

Oh! Also check out "The Mummy or Ramses the Damned" by Anne Rice!

I'd like to add that - according to the artist - they remaining five books will (at least for now) only be released as mass-market paperbacks. The first book is available in both paperback and mass-market editions, with the paperback being of better quality and not as tall/thin as the mass-market paperback.

Once we get closer to the movie's release, there'll probably be a whole bunch of editions and a box set too, so I'd just wait a bit.

Dune series is amazing. My favorite series of all time. Deals with so many political, ecology, and philosophical issues and spans so much time.

The Unincorporated Man is a very very interesting read. Deals with a minarchist society that rose after the economic collapse of civilization due to virtual reality. The protagonist ultimately takes the view that the way the society is setup is akin to slavery, since most people in it sell a majority share in themselves (individuals can sell stock in themselves or buy stock in others. The only 'tax' is that the government is assigned 5% stock in everyone at birth but can't sell or buy any), then start getting told what to do by their shareholders. Brings up some interesting questions on just how far should contracts be enforced and such. I haven't read the sequels yet so I'm not sure where the authors take the story after the first one.

The credits roll to completion after episode 10 of season 6, the closing music concludes as well. The crackling of a fire can be heard against the black screen. There is a now shot is of Kit Harrington sitting in a chair in front of a hearth in Winterfell. A the fire is roaring, and Ghost is sitting at his feet. He is looking down, reading a book. The camera pulls into a mid-shot and he looks up at us, breaking the fourth wall and says:

"I hope you enjoyed tonight's episode, and this whole season. Mr. Benioff and Mr. Weiss wanted to thank you, our fans, for watching and we look forward to an even more exciting and compelling season seven." [he shifts his weight and closes the book in his lap] "But really I am here to tell you that Mr. George RR Martin has given me permission to announce that--" The tip of an ice spear bursts through his chest. Ramsay, now a walking ice-corpse, is at the other end of the spear. Ghost immediately leaps onto him to tear out his throat. In the ensuing kerfuffle the camera shakes and tumbles to the ground. The book falls into frame, just out of focus, but the cover is somewhat visible...

I'm not working right now, but my last 2 jobs were at hospitals. To complain a bit, I really don't like 12 hr shifts. For some reason I feel like I'm trapped at work, and it adds to the stress of the job. Plus 12 always turns into 13 or 14 hrs. Sure I get to work 3 days and off 4, but it really just ruins those 3 days! I'm bitter =)

I hope your days starts to look up. I love glitter!! Thank you for the contest.

Glitter all the things. ALL of them!

book!

I'd suggest reading the Afterworld. It's... extremely representative of the genre, free at the moment and, uh, an extremely guilty pleasure to read.

Because it's Spellmonger, by Terry Mancour But i have to agree its an awesome series. It is kinda indie but damn its one of my favorite.

http://www.amazon.com/Spellmonger-Book-1-Terry-Mancour-ebook/dp/B004Q9TD7W/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1407696655&sr=8-1&keywords=spellmonger

I mostly get audio books.

The books this year.

• 7 Halo books
  
• 1 mass effect book
  
• 5 Star Force books
  
• Ready Player One
  
• For The Win & The Makers by Cory Doctorow
  
• Into the Black: Odyssey One
  
• Redshirts
  
• The Black cloud by Fred Hoyle
  
• City of Golden Shadow (Otherland, Volume 1)
  

(OOC: Have you read Codex Alera? Similar premise (monster control is a part of society), well-thought out, great story.)

Dune

A timeless masterpiece that current sci-fi literature can only aspire to be compared with

PS: a recent discovery http://www.amazon.com/AlterWorld-Play-Live-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00LYJOII6/

Awesome light scifi book

Here's the link to Amazon, if anyone is interested!

http://www.amazon.com/dp/B01DTTO9MI

Let me know if this breaks any rules!

Warbreaker is standalone.

It actually has a really fantastic ending.

Shadow of the Wind and Angel's Game, both by Carlos Ruiz Safon:

https://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Wind-Cemetery-Forgotten-Book-ebook/dp/B000OVLINI/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498238020&sr=8-1&keywords=Shadow+of+the+Wind

https://www.amazon.com/Angels-Game-Cemetery-Forgotten-Book-ebook/dp/B001NLKZLE/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498238029&sr=8-1&keywords=Angels+Game


Kushiel's Dart and pretty much all the books that followed, by Jacqueline Carey:

https://www.amazon.com/Kushiels-Dart-Legacy-Book-ebook/dp/B0055DLCAY/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1498238161&sr=8-1&keywords=kushiel%27s+dart


Right now, I can't think of anything that I keep going back to over and over.

Wow, no kidding on the "next to nothing" claim. You can get the paperback of the first one for 15 cents (plus ~$4 shipping) on Amazon: https://www.amazon.com/Book-Atrus-Myst/dp/0786881887/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1500427093&sr=1-2

I loved Soldiers in the Shadows: Unknown Warriors Who Changed the Course of History

Fiction:

Furies of Calderon. 5 parts. The good guys fight roman style but with magic based on the elements. The bad guys varies from book to book.

Harald. Very different language style in the book. Medieval type warfare without magic or monsters. Pretty good.

Alter World is probably one of the highest quality ones out there since it has an actual physical print in Russia also available on Amazon digitally in English with a high quality translation. You can read a synopsis here. The translation speeds not to bad about 1 to 2 full books a year as well.

My bad, I was thinking of "Necromancer Awakening"

Have you looked into the "Play to Live" series? Its quite a bit darker than LMS but its one of my favorites. http://www.amazon.com/AlterWorld-Play-Live-Book-1-ebook/dp/B00LYJOII6/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&qid=1421864024&sr=8-3&keywords=play+to+live&pebp=1421864028692&peasin=B00LYJOII6

Most people who start it end up finishing the entire translated series in several days.

Believe it or not there are quite a few good sci-fi books exploring these ideas already. Here is an incomplete list you may want to check out:

• Snow Crash where it's called the 'Metaverse'
  
• Otherland where it's called 'Otherland'
  
• Neuromancer where it's called 'The Matrix' (pre-dates the movie by the same name by more than 10 years, fyi)
  
• Hyperion where it's called the 'data plane'.