this post was submitted on 28 Jun 2023
20 points (100.0% liked)

Books

10373 readers
39 users here now

Book reader community.

founded 4 years ago
MODERATORS
 

My favorite is the Gormenghast Trilogy by Mervyn Peake

top 15 comments
sorted by: hot top controversial new old
[–] [email protected] 5 points 1 year ago

Someone else suggested N.K. Jemisin’s Broken Earth series, which is also an unusual take on the post-apocalyptic and survivalism stuff that a lot of people are into these days.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Mark Lawrence's "Book of the Ancestor" and "Book of the Ice" series.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago (1 children)

I'd have to say China Mieville's Perdido Street Station.

I've been trying to get into the first Gormenghast book and finding it difficult to get into the swing of. Does it get any easier as you go?

[–] [email protected] 1 points 1 year ago

I wouldn't say it gets easier but if you're like me and love fantasy settings but hate magic as a cure-all, it gets more engaging and interesting as you start to realize that maybe the castle itself is a central character and the fantasy comes from the fantastical massiveness of it all, when so few people live in it.

Also, the third book is where it really takes off in my opinion, and also where the sci-fi elements come in.

[–] [email protected] 4 points 1 year ago

Stephen King’s Dark Tower series. Mix of cyberpunk post-apocalyptic parallel universes with science so deep it’s magic.

(Trying not to give away too many spoilers!)

As a bonus, there’s an extended reading list which ties the Dark Tower into books and short stories from King’s universe.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

Honestly, Discworld is both sci-fi and fantasy.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

The Broken Earth series is really original and well written.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)
  • The City We Became and The Broken Earth series by N.K. Jemisin.
  • Light From Uncommon Stars by Ryka Aoki
  • Remote Control by Nnedi Okorafor
[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago (1 children)

Wait, Gormenghast has Science fiction? When does that show up? I only read the first book so far and don't remember a lot.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Third book is all scifi.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago

I know this is answer is overdone at this point, but a pretty good chunk of Brandon Sanderson's books are this.

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago) (1 children)
  • The Captain by Will Wight
  • The Shadows of Dust by Alec Hutson
  • Portal to Nova Roma by J.R. Mathews
  • Starship's Mage by Glynn Stewart
[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

Just finished The Captain. It's so good. I love both Will Wight and Alec Hutson and it seems we have similar taste (good taste 😀)

Any other book recommendations?

[–] [email protected] 3 points 1 year ago* (last edited 1 year ago)

Mark Lawrence has several trilogies that fit into this genre. They're fantasy books but the setting/universe is based on science fiction.

Series that I've read and recommend:

Broken Empire

Holy Sister

Red Queens War

I found them all an enjoyable mix of dark/grim fantasy with a good mix of humor. These series all tend to follow an anti-hero or in Broken Empire's case you could argue it's a villain protagonist given just how unsavory a character Jorg is. Even still I found myself liking and rooting for that bastard.

[–] [email protected] 2 points 1 year ago

The Black Ocean series

load more comments
view more: next ›