About swinter

Sci Fi Guy - Third Place Books

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  books like "the prestige by Christoper priest"?

  2 0 Hi Jack, You said you don't necessarily need books about magic, but here's a list of magician fiction that I recommend that also fits the bill of intelligent and complex stories. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay by Michael Chabon. Comics! Escape Artists! Pre-war NYC! Carter Beats the Devil by Glen David Gold. Magicians! Television! True Love! Roaring 20's Oakland! The Magicians by Lev Grossman. A School for Magicians! Slightly unlikable narrator! His version of Narnia for grown-ups! Also, I haven't read it yet, but many of my bookseller friends have read and *loved* The Night Circus by Erin Morgenstern. Not so much about a circus but a troupe of magicians--very atmospheric with lots of beautiful imagery. However, my co-worker just chimed in that the one complaint she has heard is that it's a little short on actual plot. Sorry for the brevity and explosion of exclamation points, but I hope some of these may be to your liking. Abracadabra! swinter answered in Book Recommendations 7 months ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

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  Modern dark fantasy, but not romantic dark fantasy?

  0 0 Some very belated suggestions here. I was on vacation, so a few of my ideas were already mentioned. I second anything by Neil Gaiman and also Altered Carbon is amazing and kick ass! David seems to have covered the fantasy noir detective angle, so I'm dropping a few that are just plain dark fantasy... as in grim and cynical. Glen Cook was already mentioned for his Garrett PI novels, but for  epic fantasy, you should check out his Black Company series. The publisher has been reissuing all of them in excellent omnibus editions over the last few years; the first one is The Chronicles of the Black Company, followed by The Books of the South, The Return of the Black Company and The Many Deaths of the Black Company. These collect what was originally published as ten individual books, so you should have plenty to keep you busy for a while! For tales of charming rogues, con artists and skullduggery, try Scott Lynch. The Lies of Locke Lamora is Ocean's Eleven crossed with Fritz Leiber's Fafhrd and Grey Mouser tales. The second one, Red Seas Under Red Skies in a word is about pirates! The long awaited third tale, Republic of Thieves, will finally be published in February 2011. (Oh, and if you haven't read them already, the Fafhrd and Grey Mouser books are fabulous sword and sorcery classics! Sadly out of print at the moment, you should be able to find them at used bookstores with a little bit of hunting and good luck.) Lastly, I highly recommend Joe Abercrombie's "First Law" trilogy: The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and The Last Argument of Kings. Abercrombie takes epic fantasy and twists it until it becomes a cynical upside down version of most fantasy doorstoppers. His characters may seem unheroic at times, but you can't help but liking them anyway. Defnitely dark and not always happy. His characters are richly drawn with individual voices and the fight scenes are terrifically bloody but some of the best I've read. It may not be the best tagline in the world, but I tell people that if Quentin Tarantino were to write epic fantasy, it might look like "The First Law". I just finished his forthcoming book The Heroes (also due in Feb 2011) and I plan on reading Best Served Cold very soon. These are stand alone novels set in the same world as "The First Law"; the former is a bloody war novel, the latter is a bloody revenge novel. Did I mention that his books are bloody? Have fun! swinter answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 4 more answers »

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  Epic, cultural, character-driven fiction?

  0 0 Sorry that this is going to be a relatively brief answer (at least for me), but I've got to get back to our biannual used book sale--bookselling duty calls! For great narrators and interesting characters, I second Paul's recommendation of  Set This House in Order and Motherless Brooklyn. And for good historical thrills, I concur with David on The Alienist and Perfume and I have enjoyed Robert Harris' historicals as well. Hands down, if you want truly EPIC SciFi Space Opera, try Peter F Hamilton's "Night's Dawn" trilogy: Reality Dysfunction, Neutronium Alchemist and The Naked God. At least a half dozen intertwined story lines with great characters (some border on being stock caricatures but hey, it's space opera), jumping from planet to planet in an interstellar struggle for survival against... well, something really bad. Oh, there are also some pretty damn cool space battles too. Be warned that the three tomes weigh in at around 3000 pages overall, but the plot(s) fly along. Go to your local bookstore, read the first chapter and if it grabs you as immediately as it did me, you are in for one heckuva fun ride. On the fantasy side of the coin, I highly recommend Joe Abercrombie's "First Law" trilogy: The Blade Itself, Before They Are Hanged, and The Last Argument of Kings. Abercrombie takes epic fantasy and twists it until it becomes a cynical upside down version of most fantasy doorstoppers. His characters may seem unheroic at times, but you can't help but liking them anyway. In fact, Abercrombie's version of the classic hulking barbarian warrior, Logen Nine-Fingers, has such a great narrative voice, he has become one of my favorite SF/F characters EVER. It's a richly drawn world that doesn't overshadow the characters and the fight scenes are terrifically bloody but some of the best I've read. It may not be the best tagline in the world, but I tell people that if Quentin Tarantino were to write epic fantasy, it might look like "The First Law". Whatever you choose, enjoy! Steve swinter answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 5 more answers »

• Comment on David Wright's answer…

  0 0 Ted Chiang--YES! I am so happy that it's been reissued (and that you mentioned him here). One of my favorite short story collections ever. Also, thumbs up to Inverted World too. Fun with physics! swinter commented about 1 year ago

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  What should I read after Dreadnought?

  1 0 For messing around with history like Cherie does, my favorite author for years has been Tim Powers. He chooses a certain era or historical personage, research the hell out of it, then write his own fantastical version of "what really happened"--the secret history behind the scenes. The Romantic Poets mixed up with strange psychic vampire fairies? Try "The Stress of Her Regard". Kim Philby, the OSS and CIA wrapped up in mysteries out of Arabian Nights? Read "Declare". Blackbeard as a voodoo sorcerer, the fountain of youth, and undead zombie pirates (decades before "Pirates of the Caribbean")? Set sail "On Stranger Tides". Or if you just want an excellent general introduction to Tim Powers , definitely pick up "The Anubis Gates": one of the best time travel stories ever with a whole lot of wonderfully bizarre touches to 1815 London. I can definitely give you some more recommendations since Stephenson and Mieville are among my favorites, but Tim Powers seemed to be the best overall answer, especially after Cherie's steampunk fun. Let me know if you want more ideas! Cheers, Steve swinter answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 3 more answers »

• Comment on Cherie M. Priest's answer…

  0 0 I like your multi-tasking strategy and will have to check out one of those titles when I'm next in the mood for some "stranger than fiction" non-fiction. Thanks, Cherie! swinter commented about 1 year ago

• Follow Following 1 Who and what do you like to read in your free time? swinter asked in Visiting Authors about 1 year ago 1 Answer by Cherie M. Priest…

• Comment on swinter's answer…

  0 0 Thanks, David! I'll add those to the reading list. Related to Fadiman, I sometimes go back to the "New Lifetime Reading Plan" by Clifton Fadiman when I feel the need to catch up on those never read classics. swinter commented about 1 year ago

• Comment on Renée's answer…

  0 0 I like your description of McDevitt. I brought home "Moonfall" one weekend to see what he was all about it and read it in one long Sunday afternoon. Enjoyed it but definitely not too heavy. I called it Tom Clancy in Space, but "beach sci fi" sounds less judgmental! swinter commented about 1 year ago

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  I've inhaled everything Louis De Bernieres has written - what to read next?

  1 0 Try Eduardo Galeano's recently reissued "Memory of Fire" trilogy: Genesis, Faces and Masks, Century of Wind. A broad sweeping historical fiction of Latin America with a hint of your magical realism spice. Not quite as historical, but for beautifully written and gently fantastic novels, how about John Crowley. Little Big and The 4 book Aegypt Cycle are the most readily available books at most bookstores/library. swinter answered in Book Recommendations about 1 year ago Answer, comment & read 2 more answers »

• See all of my 1 Question , 8 Answers and 5 Comments