Best science fiction & fantasy books according to Reddit
Reddit mentions of Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet)
Sentiment score: 34
Reddit mentions: 67
We found 67 Reddit mentions of Ender's Game (The Ender Quintet). Here are the top ones.
- Springer
Features:
Specs:
Height | 6.78 Inches |
Length | 4.12 Inches |
Number of items | 1 |
Release date | July 1994 |
Weight | 0.39903669422 Pounds |
Width | 0.95 Inches |
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#1 of 7,114
In no order:
The Gunslinger
Stranger In A Strange Land
Siddhartha
Ender’s Game
East of Eden
The Stranger
Ender's Game - By Orson Scott Card
Hell, the whole series of books he wrote after Ender's Game is great.
There is only the one book. The movie only used the book as a premise and went off on its own. Anyone who has read the book pretty much doesn't like the movie. I don't think the 2nd and 3rd made it to theaters...
If you like bug killing adventures, look at Armor. If you like a more engrossing story look at Ender's Game.
I don't know if it is exactly what you are looking for, but you may like Ender's Game.
I'd suggest one of the following:
Most of the time I am "in the mood" for a certain genre or type of book. I will recommend some of my favorites that are easy to read and enjoyable. With a super short summary to see if it sparks your interest.
Fantasy:
Scifi:
It might be helpful if you give us a list of any books you've read that you did enjoy or genres you think you might like.
I have never met a person who didn't love Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy but it may not be your thing if you don't like wacked-out sci-fi so some general idea of your interests could help a ton with suggestions.
A Short History of Nearly Everything is a solid non-fiction
Robot Dreams is a great set of sci-fi short stories
Ender's Game gets a ton of hate but is a pretty great sci-fi
On A Pale Horse is an older series that I'd consider fantasy but with sci-fi elements
Where the Red Fern Grows is well loved fiction
A Zoo in My Luggage is non-fic but about animal collecting trips for a zoo and is hilarious.
In all honesty, the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings are pretty tough to get into, since they are practically the ur-examples of fantasy, written back when a lot of commercial fiction methodology was still being developed.
When i read a book, I worry first and foremost if I'm entertained, if I am, I'll give it my recommendation, regardless of the flaws. These are the ones I think you'd find best for jumping in with.
YA/Middle Grade Books
Fantasy
Discworld by Terry Pratchet (I'd recommend not starting at the beginning.)
Sci-Fi
Urban Fantasy
Thrillers/Suspense
I have three books that I love to loan out (or just strongly recommend to those weirdos out there who refuse a loaner):
The first two books have in some ways shaped my life over the years. The last book is just the funniest I've ever read.
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.
The HItchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.
The one I linked to is actually a collection of all 5 in the Trilogy, but it is so worth reading. Also, I thoroughly enjoyed anything I've read by Vonnegut.
If you like Sci-Fi, check out Orson Scott Card's work. I'd start with Ender's Game. What Would Satan Do?. Don't let the title discourage you. It offers a very interesting take on the apocalypse. I am currently reading Immaculate Deception, very interesting.
Ender's Game, by Orson Scott Card.
xD ok this will be a long message bear with me.
Yes! Every serial I write has a home page, and every home page has:
For my serials, the home pages are as follows:
Flameweaver Saga
Halfway to Home
From a quick browse-through of your comments I didn't see you crossing paths with any other serial authors - If you haven't read any of his stuff, I highly, highly recommend /u/Hydrael's work, over at /r/Hydrael_Writes! His Dragon's Scion and Small Worlds projects are exceptional! Small worlds is also published on Amazon!
I can help with that! Some quick recommendations that I personally love - these are loosely ranked in order of how I'd recommend them, but the fact that they're here at all means they've got my support :)
Fantasy novels:
The October Daye series:
Trickster's Choice/Trickster's Queen
Graceling
Scifi Novels:
Agent to the Stars and Old Man's War
The Ender Quartet
The Ship Series
I think the best way is to suggest a few that got me into reading. One or two are YA, but well-written enough that I find it as worthwhile a read at 28 as it did at 14.
Ender's Game - Earth Has made contact with an alien species, and... It didn't go well. A program is started to teach a new generation of soldiers how to fight this alien threat. Children are not allowed to be children for long when the future of mankind is on the line. Also, it's being adapted into what is shaping up to be a pretty badass movie.
Snow Crash - Written in the 90's, but it essentially pioneered the concept of the online avatar, and predicted the rise of the MMO. Also, pizza-delivering ninjas. Trust me on this. It's good stuff.
Neuromancer Classic cyber-punk. Most sci-fi is like you see in star trek. Clean and sterile. Cyberpunk is the dirtier side of sci-fi. Organized crime, computer hacking, and a heist on a space station. And Molly. This book is the reason I have a thing for dangerous redheads.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Considered by most to be the very best in sci-fi humor. Lighthearted, hilarious, and I find I can read it in the course of about two days. It is absolutely, completely, and utterly amazing.
American Gods - What happens to the old gods when we start worshiping the new ones? Can the likes of Odin or Anubis compete with our new objects of worship. like television or internet? Remember, Gods only exist as long as folks believe in them. The old Gods aren't going down without a fight, though...
Hope some of these strike your fancy. It's admittedly more sci-fi than anything, but it's all soft sci-fi (Where the science isn't as important as the fiction, so story comes first), and nothing too out there. Please let me know if you decide to try any of these, and especially let me know if you enjoy them. I always like to hear if I help someone find a book they love.
Ender's Game. This is an easy book to read and you will probably enjoy it.
Ender's Game
I second The Hunger Games and Percy Jackson series as recommendations.
Looking for Alaska is really popular among my high school students, both girls and boys.
Maybe Ender's Game?
The Seven Realms series is another one several of my kids have been raving about to me. I haven't gotten around to reading them myself, but it might be worth checking out. Starts with The Demon King.
I loved to read. I started reading the BoxCar Children on the bus every day. Then I found the Hardy Boys, Nancy Drew, and some other obscure mystery books in the basement of the same caliber (e.g. bad). I kept reading everything I could find, until Highschool.
I too went to a "demanding" school. I stopped reading for fun, and would occasionally skip books for english class, too. Luckily, only one of my teachers in 4 years was a very pro-feminist (she was actually bi) , and then off to college... I pretty much stopped reading entirely, but unlike you I wasn't dissuaded by feminist nazi's.
Then I got a concussion. Let me tell you about concussions: They manage to turn the most basic thing like telling time into a chore, while other more complex things like driving remain unaffected. Anyway, I got a concussion, and the mental effort to read an hour for class would send me to bed exhausted.
The best books would take me a week or more to read through, and this is without school or work to slow me down.
What I found worked for me was to find something simple that I remember liking, and I would try to get through that. My goal was to re-teach my brain how to read.
Your goal is to sit down and enjoy it in 1, maybe 2 settings. Find a free weekend, ask your girlfriend not to disturb you, and start reading. When I tried to start reading again, my routine included an energy drink to keep me awake and focused.
Your goals are 3-fold:
If you can read a news article about your favorite video game, you can read, and this is probably more mental than anything else. If that's the case, remember it can take up to 3 months to break a habit because it takes 3 months for your brain to "re-arrange itself" (lets not get into neuroscience right now!). Likewise, even if you start reading now, it may take 3 months before you notice any change, because it'll take your brain that long to "re-arrange itself" to enjoy reading. So try to read a book a week, for 3 months, until you can get somewhere.
Also, it doesn't matter if you miss a sentence, or even an entire paragraph. You're not trying to read everything, you just want to have fun!
It's back to school season. Go into your local Barnes & Noble, and ask for someone that works in the kids department. They can recommend good books, or just see what the local schools have for required reading. Generally, there's some good books on their lists (Gary Paulsen, Louis Sachar, etc)
Lastly, some good books I would look at reading, in order of difficulty:
Aw! <3
Like, what books I'd recommend, or just....stuff to do underway that would be in the self-improvement area? The big two that jump out as underway activities are always "save money, and work out."
What platform are you floating on?
So the first thing I do with all my proteges is I hand them the grading sheet for Sailor of the Year/Quarter and a blank evaluation, and I ask them to grade themselves. Not everyone wants to be, or needs to be, Sailor of the Year or a 5.0 sailor, but if that's the standard the Navy has set as "the best," then at least we have a guideline of what we should be working toward, right?
One thing that was pretty big at my last command was the Military Outstanding Volunteer Service Medal. Instruction here. One thing that is a really easy way to gain community service hours while underway is to make blankets for the Navy Marine Corps Relief Society's "Budgeting For Baby" class. You can crochet (that's incredibly easy, I promise) or you can google one of the thousand DIY no-sew blanket tutorials. If you belong to a Bluejacket Association or Enlisted Association or whatever, you may be able to get them to fund the cost of buying the material...or even ask the FCPOA if they'll give $50 to the cause. You can head over to Jo-Ann's or Fabric.com and check out their discount sections too. NMCRS offers 30 hours per blanket. Taking an hour out of your Holiday Routine for the entire float.....most of the DIY no-sew blankets only take an hour or two to make, sooooo. Collect those hours. Add in a COMREL or two, and there's no reason you can't end a float with over a hundred hours of community service. This is particularly great if you have a friend or two to make blankets with you....snag one of the TVs on the messdecks and watch a movie while you crochet. You can also contact a local homeless shelter and see if they need hats and crochet hats for them. Obviously not a good suggestion if you're stuck underway on a submarine with no space, but if you're surface side--good to go.
Books I'd suggest, well, hm, this could get out of control pretty fast, but off the top of my head:
I know I'm Horrible, but I have never played Cards Against Humanity!
If you haven't read it, I suggest reading Ender's Game before the movie comes out. The book is fabulous, and the movie could really ruin it for you. :)
I just read Ender's Game for the first time a few weeks ago. Don't let the blurb on the back deceive you, this is no kids book.
Ender's Game
Original content shop by me, however the source of the quote is from Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. My first time posting, so I hope I can share some quotes from my collection with everyone here!
Edit: I smoothed out the text in this image and may repost.
Ender's Game is always a good one for young adults.
My first scifi-ish books were: Keeper of the Isis Light, Alien Secrets, Animorphs, Beyond the Farthest Star. The first three may be a bit too young for him though.
Don't be afraid to give him non-YA (adult) scifi books. It's better to go too old for him than too young and risk insulting him. If you have a particular favorite (that isn't too theoretical/preachy), give him that. He's more likely to read it if you are interested in it, and it'll give you something to discuss.
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
Some of my favorites:
I tried to get as many different authors as possible in there. Many of those authors have plenty of really good books you shouldn't miss.
> To arms, rise the banners, he who believes in a God will quake when he sees the Hordes of nerd atheist bigots. Descend upon the Theist and show no mercy!
That's what I half expected....
> But, define beliefs?
What I believe in personally even without solid, absolute, undeniable, beyond a doubt, unquestionable, incontrovertible proof.
> Are you spiritual compared to believing organized religion
I guess part of it is spiritual, but it's mostly religion. Just not a single religion.
> And reddit only likes it if you go from Theist ot Atheist, due to then you will agree with them.
All I see on Reddit is these Theist/Atheist conversions so I thought it was time to hear from somebody who did the opposite.
> Favorite book?
Ender's Game
Ender's Game...little boy trains to save the world from aliens on a video game. The first book connects you to Ender and books 2-4 make you think about things a little difficult. They deal with some pretty taboo topics from a point of view that allows you to sympathize. They are so well written, Orson Scott Card is an amazing author, and you will be hooked by 50 pages, I promise :)
Do yourself a favour and pick up a copy, damn good book.
Talk about a hard decision! I seriously cannot choose so here are a few of My Favorite Book (s):
Pride and Prejudice
Shadow Divers non-fiction
Ender's Game
If RedditRaffle chooses me I would like this book.
What a great first contest!
Just started A Game of Thrones. You ALL still have Zoidberg!
Book
Ender's Game- Orson Scott Card.
The characters play a game in a zero-g environment.
http://www.amazon.com/Enders-Game-Ender-Book-1/dp/0812550706/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1280179219&amp;sr=8-1
You should read Ender's Game. I don't want to ruin it for you, but it too has big, scary bugs.
If you are willing to give it a shot and you have 16 hours to kill, I'd recommend starting the series A Song of Ice and Fire. Guaranteed to keep you engaged.
If you are looking for a short read about small time crime in Boston and trying to sleep for 14.5 hours I'd recommend The Friends of Eddie Coyle.
Also if you have not read Ender's Game or the companion series Ender's Shadow this would be your other option. A fantastic sci-fi series, just realize that the author is kind of a dick.
*edit added links
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 take it from Harry Potter and Divergent he likes strong, morally-white protagonists on journeys to save the world. I don't know his exact reading level or interests, so I will make the following suggestions by category. I ranked books in each category by difficulty.
&nbsp;
Teen Fantasy:
&nbsp;
Dealing with Dragons: Funny, easy to read, dragons, magic, and sarcasm.
The Lioness Series, Immortal Series, or The Magic Circle Series: Strong female leads and interesting to read with great stories (Think Mulan). My brother loved them.
Artemis Fowl: Strong, morally ambiguous but ultimately altruistic, sarcastic, and smart protagonist against the world.
User Unfriendly: Dudes get sucked into a video/rpg and try to get out without dying. Like Tron, but less sci-fi and more fantasy.
Halo: One of my brothers who HATES reading -- or at least is incredibly picky actually stayed up all night to finish four of Halo books. He also really likes the games. I don't know which one is the first or the best but this one had the best reviews. I dunno if it is dark either -- I haven't read it :'(.
The Dark Elf Trilogy: Darker than anything else I have on here (or can be) hero vs world type fantasy. Drizzit = my brothers' hero growing up. Kinda WOW-esque? Having played both, I understand how much of WOW is inspired by DnD. I personally didn't like this.
Redwall: Harder to read, talking animals save the world from other talking animals. I personally hated this series, but my brothers read every single book in the series at the time.
&nbsp;
Adult Fantasy:
&nbsp;
Magician: Magic, totally badass protagonist, BORING first couple chapters, but ultimately the most OP hero I have ever read. Amazing, truly amazing. I think it is two-three books in the first series.
Harper Hall: Dragons, music, strong, but lost protagonist. Deals with sexism and gender biased. The other books in the cycle range from sci-fi to political fantasy.
Dragonbone Chair: Strong, badass hero vs a dragon. What happens? He becomes more badass. It is a lighter verison of LOTR/Sword of Shanara (which is probably too much politics/genetics/enviromental commentary -- generally boring-- for him right now) --
An even lighter alternative, more teen book is Eragon. That being said, I absolutely DETESTED these books. I don't care if he was 16, he didn't coming up with any of his own material. But -- a lot of people really like it, so your brother might!
&nbsp;
Sci-fi:
&nbsp;
Ender's game: Amazing ending, especially if he likes videogames. I haven't seen the movie, but my Dad said it was "loosely inspired" from the book. All I know is the book was world-changing. It has some legitimately dark points (like gouging out a giants eye or drowning puppies).
Johnny Maxwell Trilogy: This dude is cool. I didn't know until I linked it that it is hard to get a copy >.<.
Dune: This, like LOTR, is VERY political and can be very easily boring. It might also be too adult or hard for him. There is mental illness and just crazy people in the later books.
&nbsp;
Mature Humor:
&nbsp;
He should be ready for some British humor, which is a little more mature than American humor (sorry) and much more sarcastic. You also have to be in the mood for it, especially if you aren't expecting it.
Sourcery: Really, really funny.
Hitchhiker's Guide: Also funny.
Magic Kingdom for Sale -- Sold: American. Funny take on fantasy books.
&nbsp;
I kept away from darker books where the protagonist is morally grey (Artemis fowl and Drizzit being exceptions -- though they are both still definitely heros), sex, questionable themes, or general mental derangement.
I also stayed away from more modern books, which I have read a lot of if you would like recommendations for those instead. I read a lot in general, so if you have a questions about a book in particular, I can try to help.
Edit: Links
Let's start with the premise of your question: there's only one conflict in your story, and this single conflict is the only source of suspense to keep the reader interested. Fortunately, suspense is not the same as conflict, and using that difference effectively will help your reader power through the "info dumps."
Conflict = things like man vs man, man vs society, man vs nature, etc. In a novel, there may be one or multiple conflicts, but it's usually a finite number of important conflicts. Interesting conflicts generally span the whole novel. Conflicts can take a lot of time to fully establish, can evolve over time, and the resolution of a conflict is a big deal.
Suspense = things that keep the reader interested. When done well, suspense is what causes readers to keep turning pages long after they promised themselves they would stop reading and go to bed. Suspense is not a genre, but something that every well-written work of fiction has in abundance. Suspense can be created in a single sentence and resolved in the next one. Suspense can also relate to the main story arc and function as a long term "hook." If you want a really good example of how to create many sources of suspense in just a few paragraphs, look up Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. When reading carefully, you'll notice that Card juggles multiple sources of suspense at any one time. For instance, the main character might react to something but the reader doesn't get to see what they're reacting to until the next paragraph (short term suspense that makes you keep reading to find out what they saw). The thing that they are looking at might relate to the next roadblock in their overall story arc (medium and long term suspense). This is a "can't put it down" kind of book, and there's no reason you can't borrow some of those tricks to keep the pace moving even in the very beginning of yours.
I highly recommend this Dictionary of Narratology. It will inform your writing by showing you choices you didn't know exist.
(Disclaimer 1: I'm not saying that Orson Scott Card is an amazing author that everyone should emulate. He has some limitations that I get frustrated with, such as sexism and nondescript settings. However, suspense is something he excels at creating in abundance, so he's a good model for learning new ways of creating suspense and increasing pace.
Disclaimer 2: Suspense for the sake of suspense is not a good idea. Connect the suspense to things that matter, like character development and the story, for maximum effect.)
I hope this helps.
What I had to do was find a reading spot/time. I only read comfortably laying in bed before I go to sleep. It's become a habit now and thats the way I like to read. No distractions, read until I'm tired and then go to sleep. My wife can read anytime/anywhere, and I'm jealous of that, but it doesn't work for me.
Also find some books that you really like, that are easy. When you don't want to stop reading it helps a lot. Eventually you get to the point that you really can read anything because it doesnt have to hold your interest for every single sentence.
Try some Young Adult or easy reads right off the bat. a few suggestions, things I enjoy that are easy reads:
Suzanne Collins - The Hunger Games
Dean Koonz
Orson Scott Card - Enders Game
Find a Genre you're interested in and something with good reviews, then find your time/place and make it a habit.
Ender's Game?
It's about a boy who was fooled into thinking he was playing a simulation but was actually attacking and destroying a world for real.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski. Doesn't appear to be a kindle version at the moment, but the formatting of the novel doesn't really lend itself to digital. Still worth a read even if you must lug around a dead tree.
The Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card.
A Song of Ice and Fire series by George R. R. Martin.
Animal Farm by George Orwell
The Cold Equations by Tom Godwin. My favorite sci-fi short story. Couldn't find a link to a kindle version, but it's in a lot of sci-fi short story collections. You can probably find it in your local library (if it still exists).
> How does one who has never tried at anything, try at life?
How do you eat an elephant? One bite at a time.
Some challenges seem huge but if you break them down into little pieces you can conquer them. How do you do that? Just start doing anything and something will happen.
Succeeding in my line of work is all about the effort I put into my projects. Even if I work my tail off there is a chance I could fail but the success is so sweet that I have to keep trying. Just do anything. Good luck.
Books: The Four Agreements
Ender's Game
Body for Life
If You Haven't Got the Time to Do It Right, When Will You Find the Time to Do It Over?
The War if Art
I got something out of these, maybe you will too. Good luck.
Every single one of these books has something different to offer you from the genre of scifi. Those three at the top are great entries into the genre. As what I perceive to be "deeper cuts", allow me to suggest my four favorite scifi novels:
Cheers!
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
10/10
Science Fiction
it's my favorite science fiction book. People should read it before the movie comes out next year!
Ender's Game
Get those kids some books!
oh lawd, this is going to be LONG
for advanced readers,
Enders Game
The Giver
The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night Time
The Harry Potter Series
The Heir Apparent
Farenheit 451
A lot of these books can be read young and then reread when older to get more meaning
For younger beginning readers
Dr Seuss, I really remember Green Eggs and Ham, Go Dog go, and One Fish two Fish Red Fish Blue Fish
Oh and surprise me, i really like SciFi/Fantasy and have read the Dune Series and ASoIaF, but the Modern High Power Rocketry Book would be very very appreciated.
Ender's Game and Artemis Fowl might be up your alley.
Yeah I read a lot of Fantasy and Sci-fi. Umm, if he likes more Military Scifi I would recommend:
If he likes "high fantasy" (elves, wizards, knights, etc) then let me know and I throw out a few of those too.
EDIT: Also I'll plug Audbile.com here because these all also have great Audiobooks with GREAT narrators and I love listening to my books on my Android phone all the time. And of course Amazon owns Audible! discounts for buying the audiobook and the kindle book (often cheaper than outright buying the audiobook!)
Interesting, The Kindle version is free on Amazon .. good enough reason to add it to my collection :)
I'm mostly into SciFi books myself. Recently I've been reading a bit by Paul McAuley, If I were to recommend something recent it'd be The Quiet War and Gardens of the Sun by him. For old classics you can't go wrong with Ender's Game or Ringworld.
Girl in the Tangerine Scarf. Novel about a muslim growing up in america.
John Dies at the End. Horror fantasy novel with a lot of philisophical aspects. Also, lots of dick jokes. It's written by a guy that went on to write for Cracked.com. It also recently came out as a movie.
Ender's Game. Futuristic scifi about a kid that goes up to space-school to learn how to save the world from an alien invasion. Soon to be a major motion picture.
13 Reasons Why. Novel about the aftermath of a high school suicide. Good if you want lots of feels.
I'd love to get Ender's Game. I've had it on my to-read list for a while. :)
I pick 7!
Again on the sci-fi note: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
I'VE BEEN GOOD I SWEAR
$4.19 book :)
Thank you for the contest, Santa Chica!
a book!
The Forever War and Ender's Game maybe not to your specs but similar in a way.
Robin Mckinley - anything by her though specifically Sunshine. If you haven't read Mercades Lackey than you would probably like her since you like Tamora Pierce. Start with Arrows for the Queen or Magic's Pawn. Raymond E Feist writes another good fantasy series that has tons of books in it. You might even like the Robert Jordan Wheel of Time books since you like the Game of Thrones. If you haven't read the Ender's Game books by Orson Scott Card they are very good. Some classical sci-fi - Foundation series by Issac Asimov.
edit: also because it looks like you like some historical romance The Secret History of the Pink Carnation and Peony in Love.
I'm also about to do a road trip with two other scientists! Here are some awesome books that either I've read, or I plan on reading on my trip:
Contact - Carl Sagan. This book is absolutely my favorite science-y fiction, ever.
Cat's Cradle or Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, if you haven't read them already.
Anything by Ray Bradbury - specifically Fahrenheit 451, also if you haven't read it already.
If you're into full-on science fiction, I can totally recommend the Ender's Game series by Orson Scott Card and the Hyperion series by Dan Simmons.
I mostly read speculative fiction, which is typically divided between the subgenres of fantasy, sci-fi, and alternate history. Alternate history is technically considered a subgenre of Sci-Fi, but I read enough of it to make it worth counting as a separate group. Within each of those subgenres, there is a wide variety of styles and some people might find themselves not a fan of one style but a fan of another. If you are not well read in these genres, then you will want to try a few different styles of story before dismissing it. I also sometimes read novelizations of historical events which have their own sort of enjoyment to them that fictional stories lack. Then there are books that are set from an animals point of view, which range from attempts to be as accurate as possible to being practically fantasy stories.
As far as individual books, I will try to give you a few of the best to pick from without being overwhelming. Some are stand alone stories while others are parts of series.
Fantasy single books:
After the Downfall
Fantasy series:
The Dresden Files
A Song of Ice and Fire aka Game of Thrones
Sci-Fi single books:
Slow Train to Arcturus
Mother of Demons
Sci-Fi series:
The Thrawn Trilogy There are a great many Star Wars books worth the read, but this is definitely the place to start.
Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow
Alternate History single books:
The Guns of the South
1824: The Arkansas War Technically this is a sequel to an earlier book, but this one is leagues better and you don't need to read the first book to understand what is going on.
Alternate History series:
How Few Remain
1632
Worldwar
Non-Fiction:
Band of Brothers
War Made New This one isn't even really a novelization, just an analysis of the changes to military technology, tactics, and training over the last 500 years. Regardless, it is very well written and a great read.
Animal POV books:
Watership Down
Wilderness Champion
The Call of the Wild and White Fang These two books are by the same author and go in pretty much opposite directions. Among literature fanatics, there is no consensus over which one is better and I don't think I can decide for myself so I am recommending both.
Edit: I forgot to mention, the first book in the 1632 series is available online for free. This is not a pirated version, but something the author put up himself as a part of an effort to move publishing into the modern day with technology and make books more accessible to readers.
Okay I know the giveaway is over but you asked for obscure and so you have to read this fanfiction called Harry Potter and the Methods of Rationality. It's so amazing it has its own fanbase, inspired a new genre of fiction, has its own website, wikipedia article, and a few news sites have even reviewed it.
It's even got a podcast reading if you prefer.
It's like... if Harry Potter was smart and rational and also a huge sci-fi/science geek. It's basically a bit like Ender's Game if you've ever read it (which is another one you should definitely read).
Links:
HPMOR website
Podcast's site (also has readings of other works of rationalist fiction inspired by HPMOR)
Podcast on iTunes
HPMOR on Fanfiction.net
HPMOR Full PDF
HPMOR PDF but separated into separate books: 1 2 3 4 5 6
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I can honestly say that this fanfiction is without a doubt the best thing I have ever read in my life. I can't speak well enough of it. I recommend paying attention when you read because the things you learn are useful later in the book for solving the plot. The plot is so well crafted that you can trust anything that happens has an explanation behind it. If you find yourself asking "why is it like this?" there is a reason! This is a game you can only play once, so please enjoy it while it lasts. Ahhhh! I'm talking too much, enjooooooooooy~!
Read Ender's Game before the movie comes out.
I have Your Inner Fish . It was a very good read. Any random chance you have Ender's Game ?
I've read The Book Thief! I really liked it. Here are some books that are similar to the Book Thief, and have changing/growing characters:
If you have any questions at all or want any more book recommendations, feel free to message me!
puedo hablar un poco español, despues de seis años de clas
es. tu ingles es mucho mejor que mi español. quiza leo unos libros, jaja
I have to recommend my favorite book, it was even made into a decent movie!
I would love Speedrunners. And if you're feeling extra generous, Nimble Quest is also on sale for $0.50 right now!
www.steamcommunity.com/id/13DprimePlays
Zeitoun by Dave Eggers
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said by Phillip K. Dick.
Really, anything by Phillip K. Dick.
Don't feel lame. I went on a really long kick where I was reading a lot of franchise books - Dungeons and Dragons, World of Warcraft, Stargate, etc etc. Sometimes they're terribly written, but sometimes there are really good stories with some great character development.
I'm not really familiar with the other two books but from what I looked up of them (especially considering the Halo + Ben Bova) I think you'd like Ender's Game.
It's technically YA fiction, but it's good enough that you'll often find it in with the regular science fiction. It's also a series so if you like the first one that'll give you a few more to read.
In the classic Science fiction category The Foundation Series is worth looking into as well.
Let's see. Maybe The Sky People too. It's not exactly classic literature, but it's a fun romp in space - a what if there was life on Venus & Mars and it was dinosaurs and prehistoric humans sort of thing. Although not classic science fiction it has that same feel because it takes a stab at what type of life might exist on our neighboring planets.
I haven't read Edgar Rice Burroughs, but he might be up your alley too.
Hmm....I'm going to interpret that question as '10 Books in No Particular Order that Weren't Massive Bestsellers that I Loved*'
/* Ebooksgirl reserves the right at any time to change, amend, add or delete this list.
Ender's Game is seriously so much better than the movie. It's amazing what people will do to ensure the safety of the human race, without fully seeing the whole picture.
The Story of Edgar Sawtelle, by David Wroblewski. I was hesitant at first, always seeing it, but never checking it out at the library. It wound up being one of my favorite books to read, it was that good. Story of a mute boy raised on a farm breeding dogs. He can sign, and has pretty good life, as far as things go, until his father dies. He tries to prove his uncle had a hand in the death, but the plan backfires. Hated the ending - not because it was bad, but it was so damn sad.
If you're willing to poke at a series, try Scott Lynch's Gentlemen Bastards series, the first book is The Lies of Locke Lamora. The series centers around Locke and his shenanigans as a Gentleman Bastard - a notorious gang of thieves. They pull off some pretty intense schemes, some with great success, some with spectacular failures. It's a great series, and another set of favorites that I recommend to everyone that'd ask.
Congratulations on the new job, hope it works out well for you! Also, I love that you had such a great turn out for your book drive. My kids know how important it is to read - I actually push my daughter to read a little bit above her grade level. She keeps a reading log for homework, so her teachers are pretty impressed. She did amazingly well on her latest state reading/math test, and her teacher believes it's because of all the reading she does. If you do another drive, I hope it goes just as well.
Maybe Ender's Game?
I need to pick up Game of Thrones. Looks really good. Anyway, I'll recommend Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. Amazing read, and the start of an even more awesome series of novels. Of course, if you don't mind reading a book from a little known author, try checking out John Evans. I picked up The Fallen a couple months back and couldn't put it down. Really good read, but kinda tricky to find.