Seeking

[ladysprite]

So for some reason, I have been let down lately by the new books that I've been trying. They all look so good in theory - they get good reviews, or the synopsis on the back cover sounds fascinating and cool, but when I get into the story itself, it just utterly fails to live up to what I want it to be and what it could be. Sometimes the writing style is weak, sometimes there's just no actual plot, and sometimes there are immortal invisible sentient shrimp men - and not in a good way. No matter what, though, they're just not good.

I'm coping with this at the moment by rereading old favorites - I've finally decided to throw myself back into the Wheel of Time series, given the promise that it really, truly, this-time-we-mean-it will be ending next year. But I'd honestly like to have some new stuff to intersperse with that; I can't survive on rereads alone. So it's time to pick the brains of my friends again.

Got any good new books or authors to recommend to me?

Oh, and just a warning - stay away from 'Fragment' by Warren Fahy. Unless you really like shrimp men....

Comments

[tpau]

i really liked the first two books in the Mistborn trilogy by Saunderson. cannot say about hte 3rd, i have not read it yet

[siderea]

Are you an LMB fan? Cryoburn was released by Baen in free electronic edition, if you didn't already snarf down the hardcover.

Read The Hunger Games yet?

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

... IS there a good way to have immortal invisible sentient shrimp men?

[umbran.livejournal.com]

Immortal invisible sentient shrimp-man scampi?

Or maybe just with cocktail sauce?

[hfcougar.livejournal.com]

Mmmmmmm... cocktail sauce.

But if they're immortal, they'd be alive in my stomach. Eek!

[umbran.livejournal.com]

So, really, remember to chew vigorously.

[dornbeast.livejournal.com]

It really depends on what kind of immortal they are. Although, if cutting off the head of an immortal invisible sentient shrimp person results in a blast of lightning, I'd imagine that cooking them could be challenging.

Also, if they're alive in your stomach, they'll probably just wait it out. They'll be bored - not like they can pull out their smartphones and play Sudoku - but they'll survive.

[umbran.livejournal.com]

Blasts of lightning would just make them self-cooking invisible immortal sentient shrimp-men! How convenient is that?

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

Maybe if they are immoral as well as immortal :-)

[arachne8x.livejournal.com]

I've been really enjoying the Outlander series. And another vote for The Hunger Games.

[mermaidlady]

You've read Bridge of Birds, right?

[gyzki.livejournal.com]

+1

Or The Long Ships, by Frans Bengtsson.

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

"Bridge of Birds" is one of my favorite novels ever...

[bkdelong.livejournal.com]

I really enjoyed the "Prospero's Daughter" series by L. Jagi Lamplighter. Two books out with the 3rd (and final?) due out next Sept. The story is basically what happens if Prospero and Miranda live for "eternity", the wizard has a handful more kids and utilize his (and her) magic to grow a business doing both the magical and mundane while collecting artifacts from Christian (oh what's the right word here...) mythos to Greek, Egyptian, Muslim and other pantheons. The story starts with Prospero missing, Miranda really being the only one left to run the business with her far "younger" immortal siblings off on their own and a message that they are being hunted. I found it fascinated....very much like the "Sandman" series with the amount of different references it pulled from.

I've been seeking urban fantasy sans the oft cliche vampire/were-creatures and have really gotten into Rachel Caine's "Weather Warden" series - about humans with the power to manipulate three elements - Weather, Fire and Earth - with the Warden's existing as an Intl org like the UN to combat the out-of-control raw power of Mother Nature and quell natural disasters that would actually be far worse if they weren't putting their powers to work with their djinn companions (pseudo-slaves/batteries) to soften the blows). The "Outcast Season" series - a spinoff of the latter where one of the former djinn "servants" retains her powers to some degree but is shunted into a human body and how she deals with her former keeper, fellow djinn, the Wardens and the chaos of what is going on in the world from a weather perspective.

Also, Seanan McGuire's "October Daye" series about the overlap of the land of the fey with that of the mundane with the protagonist being a bad-ass changeling (half-fey, half-human) who is a private detective and knight to the local fey Baron. She'll be a guest at the brunch at Arisia this year.

Finally, Jennifer Estep's "Elemental Assassin" series - a world where human walk with giants and dwarves; the mundane with those who have the powers to manipulate Earth, Fire and Air with fine-tuned abilities of Stone, Ice, Metal and others. The protagonist is a bad-ass orphan-turned assassin who is about to retire when all hell breaks loose.

[johnpalmer.livejournal.com]

Also, Seanan McGuire's "October Daye" series about the overlap of the land of the fey with that of the mundane with the protagonist being a bad-ass changeling (half-fey, half-human) who is a private detective and knight to the local fey Baron. She'll be a guest at the brunch at Arisia this year.

I'm glad the Baron gave October leave to be the guest at a brunch, but won't this blow her cover to the general public?

(Sorry... couldn't resist.)

[vettecat.livejournal.com]

What type of thing do you like?

[redfishie.livejournal.com]

I'm reading The Spirit Thief by Rachel Aaron which i'm enjoying so far. The first 2 chapters are on her website.

[laurion]

I'm currently reading 'The Big U' by Stephenson. Not a new book or a new author, but if you haven't read it before it might be interesting. Or maybe I find it so because I work in academia...

Got a particular genre you're jonesing for something good in?

[alexx-kay.livejournal.com]

My favorite author discovery of the last few years was Rosemary Kirstein. start here. It looks like traditional high fantasy, but it's a good deal more subversive than that. Lengthier (but non-spoiler) recommendation here.

[serakit.livejournal.com]

Tamora Pierce, especially her newest series which so far contains the books "Terrier" and "Bloodhound." (It's actually not about small fluffy dogs, although she does get a scent hound in "Bloodhound".) Also Mercedes Lackey.

If you don't mind books that are much longer than they should be, Michelle West tells good stories. "Hunter's Oath" was much better about conciseness than the Sun Sword series and well worth reading. Sun Sword series (start with "The Broken Crown") was pretty good too; she just likes lots of side-stories.

[gmkieran.livejournal.com]

Thoroughly enjoyed the first two Beka Cooper books by Tamora Pierce - Terrier and Bloodhound. Graceling by Kristen Cashore is pretty good for the first half, at least (still reading). Green by Jay Lake is also good, so far. If you're up for short stories, check out the latest issue of Interzone - you'll recognize one of the authors this month. ;) There's a new Young Wizards book out if you liked that series: Wizard of Mars (Diane Duane). Seems like there are several new de Lint books out, too, but I haven't picked any of them up, yet. Happy reading!!!

[wcg.livejournal.com]

I recommend you read Patrick O'Brian's novels about Jack Aubrey and his friend Steven Maturin. Jo Walton has been blogging about them, and she explains why these are appealing to SF readers even though they're seagoing adventure stories set in the early 19th century. She's papersky here in LJ, and she has links to her Tor.com blog in her journal.

If that doesn't appeal to you let me know and I'll see what else I can pull out of the treasure chest.

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

I second the recommendation for the O'Brian books.

[evcelt.livejournal.com]

monsteralice and I can recommend the Clockwork Century novels by Cherie Priest. Nice, gritty steampunk.

ETA: We also like the Johannes Cabal books by Jonathan L Howard- "Johannes Cabal the Necromancer" and "Johannes Cabal the Detective". Very funny and poignant- the title character is an oddly likeable anti-hero.

Also good, more-or-less recent, and steampunk-ish: "Terminal City" by Alastair Reynolds* and "The Half-Made World" by Felix Gilman...

Have you read Sarah Monette's "Melusine" books ("Melusine", "The Virtu", "The Mirador" and "Corambis")? Excellent, dark-ish fantasy in a very well-realized world...

Of course, I will always put in a plug for Michael Swanwick (especially "Stations of the Tide"), Tim Powers (especially "Declare"), and Guy Gavriel Kay (anything, but start with "The Lions of Al-Rassan").

---
* Alastair Reynold's work is in general excellent. I highly recommend "Chasm City", "The Prefect", "Pushing Ice", and "House of Suns".

[johnprester.livejournal.com]

Clockwork Century also has intimations of an impending zombie holocaust.

Also, just for you

[wcg.livejournal.com]

[clstal.livejournal.com]

I have an insane LOVE for Ian M Banks -- http://www.sfreviews.net/phlebas.html -- I'd also rec many of the other books on the 'highly starred' list. Also, Red mars/blue mars/green mars, if you haven't read em, are GREAT!

Also, I just asked a similar question of friends (on facebook) -- and added all the recs to my 'library list' on amazon: http://amzn.com/w/22JAQL052B9E3

[johnprester.livejournal.com]

The Face In The Frost, by John Bellairs. Mostly known for children's urban fantasy, Bellairs got started with this one, which despite having no specific content that wouldn't pass muster, is maybe a little too intense for the wee ones. It has some genuinely creepy, scary moments, and also some of the funniest I've ever read.

I played the main character of this in Drink Deep, and on the day I arrived at the hotel, Sean Butler came over and thanked me profusely for doing so, since it made him read the book.

[auntiemame67.livejournal.com]

As far as I know there's only the one book right now, but Tanya Huff's The Enchantment Emporium was lots of fun... and Simon Green's Blue Moon Rising was awesome -- his usual dry wit applied to traditional fantasy. I'm also reading the first in his new series, Ghost of a Chance. Oh, and if you are ok with YA fiction, I have enjoyed Rick Riordan's Percy Jackson books so much I picked up his The Red Pyramid. Oh, and CE Murphy at long last put out another Urban Shaman, and Patricia Briggs put out another Mercy Thompson, with another due out soon... and Kelly Armstrong has a new one out, too.

But then, I don't read hard sci fi much, so this is all fantasy.

[bbq-bill.livejournal.com]

My "Go-To" Authors are Terry Pratchett, Lois McMaster Bujold, Tony Hillerman, and P.C. Hodgell. I suspect you probably have read these authors already since they are not new, but if you haven't let me know and I'll suggest some titles.