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I'm surprised that no one has started a thread to talk all things SF&F

I do love a good Sci-Fi novel but I often struggle with Fantasy novels (with the exception of Urban Fantasy) and I'm not sure why?

What are your favourites in both genres? What do you recommend to SF&F fans.

Also for SF&F fans that like ebooks you should check out;

Pay what you want and get;

Magic for Beginners
Stranger Things Happen
Invasion
Pump Six and Other Stories
Zoo City
Pirate Cinema

beat the average (currently $12.44) and also get
Old Man's War
Signal to Noise

I just brought it because I wanted to read Pirate Cinema (currently $9.99 on Kindle) and Old Man's War (currently $5.95 on Kindle) and Zoo City sounded interesting.

some of my favs would have to be sooo fantastic!

Melanie wrote: "some of my favs would have to be The Night Angel Trilogy sooo fantastic!"

Surprise surprise :P

magic ninjas! how can you say no!?

I have others if people dont like ninjas ( I cant fathom who wouldnt like them)

was funny and just amazing!

of course but the tv series is just as good

or a personal YA fave by an Aussy author

or oldie but a goodie

Melanie wrote: "I have others if people dont like ninjas ( I cant fathom who wouldnt like them)

was funny and just amazing!

..."

I guess you like the Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles Mel?? ;P

Brenda wrote: "Melanie wrote: "I have others if people dont like ninjas ( I cant fathom who wouldnt like them)

was funny and..."

Hahah seriously one of my have shows ever!! shredder was terrifying!

I used to watch it with the kids:) It was a great show!!

Science fiction is one of my favourite genres too. Best ones I can think of off the top of my head are Dune (the whole series) and Kevin J. AndersonSaga of the Seven Suns- also a nice loooong series!
I like fantasy when it is well written which most of it isn't. Terry Pratchett is an example of when it is good!

If you've got a kindle there's some great sci fi reads here. Some really different stuff & some humorous Sci fi too.

I'm more a fan of complex or philosophic Sci-Fi so some of my favourites are; The City and the City, Slaughterhouse-Five and The Man in the High Castle

I like Sci-Fi a lot. Recently I've read which I really liked. I also enjoy Robert Heinlein, and some vintage SciFi from CS Lewis

I enjoy Fantasy as well, and have recently become a fan of Brandon Sanderson. I've really enjoyed Ian Irvine's books - particularly his latest series (only 2/3 through).

I've just bought my first Joe Abercrombie book, simply because Juliet Marillier said he was her favourite author and she's one of mine! I haven't started reading it yet, so I've no idea what to expect.

Katie wrote: "I've just bought my first Joe Abercrombie book, simply because Juliet Marillier said he was her favourite author and she's one of mine! I haven't started reading it yet, so I've no idea what to ex..."

Joe Abercrombie is an excellent writer. I have all the books he's released so far, and am currently rereading them :)

Leonie wrote: "I like Sci-Fi a lot. Recently I've read which I really liked. I also enjoy Robert Heinlein, and some vintage SciFi from CS Lewis

I..."

Brandon Sanderson is brilliant! I'm getting impatient waiting for the second book in his Stormlight Archives series :)

Absolutely loved the first Stormlight - can't wait for the second one!

I have some new ones! (shock horror!) some are paranormal, so if you don't count that in your fantasy genre just shield your eyes :P

so some paranormal fantasys at the top of my list are
so so so amazing cant stress enough!
just read the second one and it was freaking awesome!
(poe!)

(kindle)
some good old fantasy


Sci-fi:

(if you have a kindle)
(its real science and its happening! )

I have more, but I'm at work and should probably do some

I just read a fantastic YA post-apocolyptic novel by a Sydney author - absolutely stunning. My review is here



Another one I loved is The Ball Machine by Simon Townley. My review here.

Has anyone read TimeSplash by Graham Storrs? He's a Queensland author.

Frances wrote: "Has anyone read TimeSplash by Graham Storrs? He's a Queensland author."

TimeSplash by Graham Storrs :) No, I haven't heard of him Frances.

1. Foundling
2. Lamplighter
3. Factotum
By, D.M. Cornish

He's an Australian author and illustrator. :)
Also, I thoroughly enjoyed the setting of the novels, Half Continent. Sadly though, he lost me a bit on the last novel. :(

Actually this reminds me that I've yet to write a proper review of the series...maybe I'll just procrastinate just a little bit more...

Who are some good 21st century sf authors?

I think there's a list on goodreads for Best Science Fiction of the 21st Century. Ah! Here it is: http://www.goodreads.com/list/show/48...

Sadly, I'm a bit behind in terms of 21st century sf novels/authors. I think the main ones I know are from the 20th century.

So I'm not really in the best position to answer, Sorry.

Yes, I saw that list but can't make out who is good enough for academic research... I thought it best to ask people... I have a few names in mind - Doris Lessing, John Scalzi, Paolo Bacigalupi,China Miéville, etc. But are they simply popular or really good? I don't know...

Are you simply researching the author or will you also discuss in detail any of their work? Try and find some reviews (either here or wherever you can) that analyze their work. Maybe from that you will be able to gauge what is what.

And yeah, that's always the difficult part, deciding whether an author is just popular (which doesn't say much about their writing) or if they actually have great talent.

I've yet to read anything from the ones you've listed. Hopefully someone with more insight sees your post.

Good luck with the paper! How long does it have to be?

Am writing the first draft for a synopsis for my ph.d. on feminist cyberpunk. So its really, really important. Right now, the length of the first draft has to be 15 pages or so. Not much. Have to write an entire history of sf from H. G. Wells to today, and conclude about how I propose to conduct my research.

I have never read any 21st century sf authors.

Ohhh, I'm in the same boat when it concerns 21st century sf authors...or maybe I have read some but forgot. :/

Interesting research topic though!

I'm not sure I'm on the right track here, please ignore me if I'm not!

Suzanne Collins author of The Hunger Games series
Kazuo Ishiguro author of Never Let Me Go

Can't think of anymore off hand...

@Lit Bug: Michael Grant writes very, very light SF (Gone and BZRK), but his books are more about the... I guess, the adventure than the logistics/logic of the sci-fi), and are not explicitly feminist as far as I know.

Tanvi wrote: "@Lit Bug: Michael Grant writes very, very light SF (Gone and BZRK), but his books are more about the... I guess, the adventure than the logistics/logic of the sci-fi), and are not explicitly femini..."

Michael Grant

Lit Bug wrote: "Am writing the first draft for a synopsis for my ph.d. on feminist cyberpunk. So its really, really important. Right now, the length of the first draft has to be 15 pages or so. Not much. Have to w..."

Maybe check out the current Hugo awards nominees list which just came out today.

And perhaps look at Aurealis, which is a current Australian Sci-fi/Fantasy magazine. Often has interesting comments about current Sci-fi authors and trends.

There are also quite a few Sci-fi dedicated groups on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ.

Hope some of that is useful!

Thank you all... Yes, I am a member of the Sword and Laser group dedicated exclusively to SF and fantasy, but I have experienced that many other groups have in fact provided very good links, so I keep taking chances in unlikely places as well! See, I got the link to Aurealis!

I'll see about Kazuo Ishiguro, but Suzanne Collins is definitely not SF, just a dystopia.

Brenda wrote: "Tanvi wrote: "@Lit Bug: Michael Grant writes very, very light SF (Gone and BZRK), but his books are more about the... I guess, the adventure than the logistics/logic of the sci-fi), and are not exp..."

Michael Grant

Lit Bug wrote: "Thank you all... Yes, I am a member of the Sword and Laser group dedicated exclusively to SF and fantasy, but I have experienced that many other groups have in fact provided very good links, so I k..."

Glad to hear that the Aurealis link was helpful! Hope the Ph.D proposal goes well :)

Thanks :)

Hi all,

There is also science fiction and fantasy discussion in this Group in the "Speculative Fiction - aka what planet are you from" thread for those that are interested.

(I've been commenting there, didn't realise this thread also existed!)

-m

Lit Bug wrote: "Am writing the first draft for a synopsis for my ph.d. on feminist cyberpunk. So its really, really important. Right now, the length of the first draft has to be 15 pages or so. Not much. Have to w..."

The list of is interesting as it is a judged award rather than a popular vote - that might help identify work in an Australian context that is "good" rather than "popular".

For instance last year's winner of the sci-fi category was The Courier's New Bicycle by Kim Westwood, which has strong representation of gender issues and has a cyberpunk feel.

Also, the is an international award focusing on representation of gender in speculative fiction. It might be a good place to look for recommendations if you are focusing on feminist cyberpunk in your thesis.

Other prominent international sf authors that have been active in the 21st century: Neil Gaiman, Caitlín R. Kiernan, Kim Stanley Robinson, Seanan McGuire, Charlie Stross, Elizabeth Moon, Cory Doctorow, Paolo Bacigalupi, Connie Willis, China Miéville, Jo Walton, Ursula K. Le Guin�

-m

Congratulations to Kirstyn McDermott who has won the Australian Shadow Award for best horror novel 2012 (for Perfections) and Kaaron Warren who won two awards, one for best collection (Through Splintered Walls) and the second for one of her short pieces (Sky) from the same collection.

I've read (and enjoyed) both - my reviews can be found here on Å·±¦ÓéÀÖ or .

(I'll also put this comment in the other SF thread)

-m

Thanks! The info about Aurealis awards makes my work a bit easier. :)

Lit Bug wrote: "Thanks! The info about Aurealis awards makes my work a bit easier. :)"

Glad to be of help!

-m

I love me some science fiction and fantasy. I'll probably use this thread as a vehicle to promote some series that don't get the attention I think they deserve. To start off..


David J. Williams' Autumn Rain trilogy is awesome, fast-paced and confusing-as-all-hell cyberpunk/science-fiction. Just my cuppa tea.



T.C. McCarthy's Subterrene War trilogy is a sort of sombre, neat look at a war in the not-too-distant future, fought over the Earth's dwindling resources and with genetically engineered soldiers who come complete with a "shelf life". Exogene in particular I really enjoyed, it goes really deep into exploring what makes someone human and other such nonsense. Very good.



Sam Bowring's Strange Threads duology is a pretty awesome twosome set in a pretty neat fantasy world which is slowly falling apart. Cool concepts in it, great magic system, and a good Aussie author.

thanks. Looking forward to the Autumn Rain trilogy

Michael wrote: "I'm surprised that no one has started a thread to talk all things SF&F

I do love a good Sci-Fi novel but I often struggle with Fantasy novels (with the exception of Urban Fantasy) and I'm not sure..."

I have a love hate relationship with fantasy as well. I love Stephen Donaldson and Robin Hobb, but I'm not so fond of fantasy writers who focus on the big Good vs Evil thing. I want to read about people winning or losing because of human traits like courage and honour.

Robin Hobb is a fantastic author.

Liam wrote: "I love me some science fiction and fantasy. I'll probably use this thread as a vehicle to promote some series that don't get the attention I think they deserve. To start off..

[bookcover:Mirrored ..."

Thanks for those recommendations. I'm always looking for new, innovative voices in sci-fi. Are any of these authors indie? I'm trying to find quality indie sci-fi in particular.

Nah, David J. Williams is Bantam Spectra and T.C. McCarthy is Orbit. Orbit are probably my favourite publisher, though.



Just read The Broken Sword , by Poul Anderson. Fantastic dark tragedy fantasy, only 230~ pages so a quick read, and a classic. Released the same year as Lord of the Rings, but much better.

It is very much an unoriginal tragedy, so if you're aware of any tropes of the genre (and even if you're not) you'll probably see most of the plot coming, but I found myself not caring about it. Concise, well-written and characterised. Very good.

Liam wrote: "Robin Hobb is a fantastic author."

Totally agree! :)

Hi all, is it possible to link the books and/or authors to your post when discussing. It makes it easier to for us to see what they have written or read the blubs :) thanks