Top SF&F books (Top 10 Books)

Member Name: Alindrail

Product:	Top 10 Books
Date:	27/03/01 (20 review reads)
Rating:

Advantages: They're books - what more needs to be said?

Disadvantages: Finding ROOM for them

I'll be honest and call it my top ten science fiction and fantasy books. No real order of preference, it gets fuzzy at the top!

1) Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series. Recent volumes aren't as good as they should be, but the beginning is a treat in itself. Interesting characters and an interesting world with a concrete form of 'magic' that is syetmatic (usually). Intricate plot workings and intrigue, a little something for everyone. (The Eye of the World, the Great Hunt, The Dragon Reborn, The Shadow Rising, The Fires of Heaven, Lord of Chaos, A Crown of Swords, Path of Daggers, and Winter's Heart)The Shadow Rising is the best book in my view as here the series reachesa critical point, the characters are working toward definite goals, we see more action than ever before, and best of all more exposition. A shame RJ decided to slow the pace after this.

2)Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy. The most complete series ever written on Mars. He manages to evoke Mars' beauty and danger, it's uniqueness in terms of itself and its potential. He makes you fall in love with the planet, and the main characters. Epic in every sense of the word. An intellectual book which assumes the readers intelligence. There's politics, science, adventure, intrigue, mysticsim and great character interaction. Beautiful (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars) Red Mars is the best - setting out the parameters for a colonisation of Mars.

3) Julian May's Saga of the Exiles and Galactic Milieu Trilogy. Not so famous as the other two - the first series follows a set of misfits in the 22nd century who go back 6 Million years to the past to find that Earth is inhabited by aliens akin to humans who have enslaved the other time travellers with their mental powers. A great adventure series follows. The second series takes place before the first series, but in the 22nd century during the rebellion of metapsychics in the Galactic Milieu. Here
too are interesting characters that stick in the mind for a long time to come. (The Many Coloured Land, The Golden Torc, The Non-Born King, the Adversary, Intervention, Jack the Bodiless, Diamond Mask, and Magnificat)
I think my favourite one here is Intervention, explaining the creation of the Galactic Mileieu and introducing the character of Rogi, a main piece of the second trilogy. May does a fantastic job of blending the two series (very different in character from each other) in this bridging volume.

4) George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. A gritty form of fantasy that really pulls the reader into his world. agic is limited, it is more about court intrigue and politics in a feudal universe. Good characters and a refreshing realistic approach to fantasy make these really stunning books. Expect the unexpected, main charaters die here and there, there is no good and bad - only gray. Spectacular. (A Game of Thrones, A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords)A Storm of Swords is fantastic, fast paced, and the action rapidly gathers pace. Still all the books are like that - a series that has never really changed in pace, spectacular fantasy.

5) The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. A remarkable series; the first book follows twelve pilgrims to Hyperion, a distant planet with odd relics from the future which are travelling backwards in time. 'Hard SF', and very interesting. These books encompass entire epics. Really great stuff. (Hyperion, The Fall of Hyperion, The Rise of Endymion, Endymion.)Hyperion is definetely the best of the books, and operates well as a standalone book. It's Canterbury Tales way of telling the stories of the pilgrims is effective and distributes the story well across the entire book.

6) Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. There are books that follow, but this book stands alone in its spectacular portrayel of a young genius stuck in a military school orbiting the Earth. Ender's isolati
on from the others, and his need to forge links with his army speak to the child in all of us. I read it in one night, I just couldn't put it down.

7) Peter F Hamilton's trilogy - The Reality Dysfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, and the Naked God. Great hard SF. Detailed intricate plots, intresting characters, severe action, and horror mingle in an epic space opera style. Scenes you read over and over again, visualise in your head, and remember. The central mystery of the series is intriguing and pulls you through all three books, rarely do you wonder why you are still reading despite the hefty size of each book (1000 odd pages each) The Reality Dysfunction is the best book, with it's mishmash of action, horror and hard SF.

8) The Truth Machine by James Halperin - an odd little book about one man's drive to create a machine that can tell the truth. The author explores the ramifications this would have on society. A good little reader.

9) Iain M Banks' Culture books. Odd is one word used, but these intelligent stand alone books work well and are very addictive. His recent Look to Windwards demonstrates his talent, the way that his characters work well within interesting plots. Talent.

10) Discworld Novels - They're different, they're funny, and the recent ones aren't as good, but still stonking reads. Personal faves: Mort, Guards, Guards, Moving Pictures, and Witches Abroad. Moving Pictures was my frist read, and hence my favourite, it's comments on Hollywood and the movie industry amusing while the story is interesting and engaging.

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