+loads for Alastair Reynolds. I have now read all of his stuff several times over. His latest Trminal Worlds is quite different, but very good. House of Suns is great. My personal favourite is Absolution Gap.

(Absolution Gap is also my Xbox name if anyone fancies Halo Reach?)

Matthew.

If you liked Takeshi Kovacs, you really have to check out Iain M Banks, particularily Consider Phlebeas, even if he has gone rubbish lately. Ken Macleod also, ironically Newton’s Wake’s far from his best but it’s quite Kovacs-ey. (his Fall Revolution series is superb)

Dark fantasy- Must read George RR Martin and China Mieville. Mieville’s not yet been as good as he could be I think but still what he’s done is pretty damn good.

And just deviating a wee bit from what you said you actually want, but Kim Stanley Robinson’s Mars series is stunning. And Heinlein’s The Moon is a Harsh Mistress should be compulsory reading.

Here I’ve deleted a load of criticism, but, to cut it short Joe Abercrombie’s hugely entertaining but also a bit of an obvious hack, and recycles ideas and characters depressingly often. Oh look, another world-weary northern barbarian. Still, worth the read.

Alastair Reynolds has ideas, but IMO lacks craft and timing, in ways I can’t explain without dropping enormous spoilers- but after about 10 bazillion pages Absolution Gap ends the series (perhaps) with as much grace as a kick to the balls, despite having spent at least 2 bazillion of those pages having absolutely nothing happen at all. It is absolutely awful. Also, making space battles so dull is a gift. Wait. Time passes. I’m sure it’s more realistic than most but it’s still like watching paint dry, such a shame. And he’s not very good at post-human characters, as soon as he starts fleshing them out they become regular-humans with funny hats on. Still, for all that, for the sheer scope and imagination I think it’s well worth the visit, I just wish he had some discipline, or an editor that could keep up. His novella Galactic North is a real highlight (though does tie in with the abovementioned absolutely awful ending)

vondally – Member

tell us how you liked them!

I will do!

Those that suggested Raymond Chandler’s books – agreed, excellent & seminal but I wanted something ‘fresher’ if that makes sense. Dan Abnett was a good shout – I thought ‘Eisenhorn’ was great and am looking forward to ‘Embedded’.

Northwind – cheers for taking the time for that – sounds like a good critique. I bought ‘Altered Carbon’ on the basis of what was said in a similar thread some months back and was glad of the insightful review- was that you! I never really got into Banks. His fiction novels ‘Complicity’ and ‘The Wasp Factory’ were good but in Sci-Fi mode his ‘The Player of Games’ bored me rigid and I never recovered from it to pursue that side of his writing any further. A mate recommended Robinson’s Mars series today so again, thanks, I’ll definitely check that out.

God, the Mars series sent me to sleep 🙂 ymmv

clubber – what series of Asher’s books are you reading? He aroused my interest as well?

When looking at the various well regarded authors across the genres, Sci-Fi in particular, it seems the British feature very prominently indeed. More than I’d have thought perhaps.

Nothing new to add, I don’t think.
I’m a massive fan of Richard Morgan and Michael Marshall Smith, Iain M Banks (especially the Culture stuff) and for a bit of classic sci fi William Gibson.

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson was OK, and for some reason I’ve got fond memories of some Vernor Vinge stuff but that’s from when I was a young ‘un.

Not sure if it counts as sci fi but number9dream by David Mitchell is just amazing, in fact all of his stuff is. Ghostwritten is a close second…

I read polity agent as a random library book but liked it so much I now have all his polity books on loan and am reading my way through them. Guess I’ve spoilt some of it by reading one of the later ones first but not much I can do about that now.

Just thought of another recommendation – Rendezvous with Rama which I loved. There are sequels which are ok too though not as good as the original.

+1 Joe Abercrombie and China Mieville
+1 Jo Nesbo for the crime stuff

You might like to check out the Tales of the Ketty Jay trilogy by Chris Wooding – colourful, inventive and funny.

What about Julian May’s Coloured Land? And anything by Arthur C Clarke, e.g the Rama stuff?

I’m a big fan of Jeff Noon, a sci-fi/fantasy mix with a Manchester twist. Vurt, Pollen and Pixel Juice are all great. Have read a couple of the Gaiman books recently. The Graveyard Book was the most memorable I think. As something I want to recommend which has nothing to do with your requirements ( this IS STW 😉 ) Great Apes by Will Self is a fantastic book.

Not sure this is quite what you’ve asked for, but assuming you haven’t already read it, I bet you’d enjoy ‘World War Z: An Oral History of the Zombie War’ by Max Brooks.

Read it before the much anticipated film version comes out.

Player Of Games is the least enjoyable of Banks’ SF novels. I’ve got it for the sake of completeness, but honestly, I struggle to read it now. All the other Culture novels are terrific, and I love the intelligent ships and the names they give themselves.

Have just ordered the first of the Kitty Jay series by Chris Wooding, based upon the recommendations here.

I love these threads on this forum; over the years they’ve introduced me to so much new music/books!

Stephen Donaldson – Not sure of the book titles, but it is referred to as the gap series i believe. Epic read mind and heavy going.
Peter Hamilton – Greg mandelson novels

househusband – agreed. They have been very helpful in introducing me to a number of excellent films, books and music. It’s good to have other peoples views on what constitutes a good viewing/read/listen.

Due to the consensus of opinion I’ll check out Banks’s Culture series I think.

RichPenny – Member

I’m a big fan of Jeff Noon, a sci-fi/fantasy mix with a Manchester twist. Vurt, Pollen and Pixel Juice are all great.

And then he vanished up his own arse 🙁

Unless I’ve missed it, I can’t believe no one has mentioned “I am Legend” by Richard Matheson.

Another vote for “American Gods” – one of my favorite novels.

Not really sci-fi, not really sure what genre it is, but I can strongly recommend “House of Leaves”: It’a hard work, but one of the most original books around.

Something else that is pretty original is “Wonders of a Godless World”: It’s not really sci-fi, or horror, but contains elements of both.

Try any books from this guy,highly recommended.Huraki Murakami

Cat’s Cradle – Kurt Vonnegut. Fantastic book.

Nearly forgot. Omon Ra – Viktor Pelevin. Check the back covers, I’m 99% sure you’ll buy.

Joe abercrombie is good. Raymond feist is better imho

I was sure I posted up a bunch of suggestions at the beginning, but there’s nowt there, so:
Roger Zelazney – brilliant writer, superb use of language and very inventive. Everything he’s written is worth reading.
Charles Stross – where do I start? Obvious Zelazney influences, writes in any number of styles and subjects, his Laundry series mixes James Bond and H P Lovecraft, for example.
Kate Griffin – another Zelazney influenced writer, wrote her first published book for teenagers at fourteen, now writing an adult Urban Magic series A Madness Of Angels, The Midnight Mayor, and The Neon Court, with three more to go. Very gritty and dark books, inventive way of looking at how magic works in a totally urban environment. Excellent series.
Cory Doctorow – writes a blog called boingboing.net, and also for the Guardian, very into Creative Commons, gives all his ebooks away for free, very into the Maker ethos, all his books are very good.

This:

The Gone-Away World
http://www.nickharkaway.com/books/

Or Sandman Slim by Richard Kadrey.

China Meivilles The City and the City was good but the best Sci Fi book I have read recently is hands down is

The Windup Girl – Paolo Bacigalupi

It won the Hugo last year with the above book and is just an amazing piece of writing.

The more recent Culture novels by Banks are IMHO not as good as his earlier work or anywhere near the brilliance of Excession or Look to Windward – as a one off novel, the Algebraist is phenomenal.

I am glad that there are others that are not enamoured with Alastair Reynolds, the man cannot end a story and the stories are not graceful. There are some really good dark bits but it just falls apart when he does not carry it through.

Definitely read The Windup Girl though – amazing book.

Rysz.

Second vote here for the Joe Haldeman Peace and War trilogy. He fought in Vietnam which adds an interesting slant, wrote the series in the 1970s so there is a lot about social politics.

+1 for Roger Zelazny – unfortunately a lot is now OOP.

Dan Simmons Illium is OK, but the previous Hyperion set (4 books) is much better.

+1 for Kurt Vonnegut. Try also his classic Slaughterhouse 5. Or anything.

Also, for a very old skool (sp) read, The Kraken Wakes by John Wyndham. It’s made me scared of going in the see and overusing the word “presently”.

I found the Conservative Party manifesto to be the most terrifying blend of fantasy,horror and crime,that I’ve ever read.

Update – I’ve just finished (aside from another book) ‘The Blade Itself’. Yeah, enjoyed that – Glokta my favourite character, but as a snooping sadist he was always going to appeal to me.

‘A Game of Thrones’ next. Then I can start watching the HBO series.

Half Head by Stuart B Mcbride (scifi-crime) or any of Stuart Mcbride’s Logan McCrae series (crime) both gritty and gory

For SF try Jack Vance – especially the Demon Princes books – sound right up your street.

Gene Wolfe’s Book of the New Sun may suit as well.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Book-New-Sun-Fantasy-Masterworks/dp/1857989775/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1303682945&sr=1-2

Finally, although they are not the genre you requested, the Flashman series of novels by George McDonald Fraser are absolutely superb.

glokta is a genius and one of my favourite characters

just started game of thrones…..not thrilled yet…..passable

What about the stainless steel rat harry harrson,

older classic writers
Paoul Anderson
did we say micheal moorcock?

Another vote for Weaveworld here – one of the few books I have read multiple times.

+1 The Windup Girl really impressive book, it’s setting serving to set it apart from most SF. Banks’ Surface Detail I really enjoyed, I thought it was up there with his better works. Just re-reading Use Of Weapons on the ‘phone at the ‘mo, as it happens, gradually getting the set as ebooks.