Building a SciFi/Fantasy Library discussion

Hi, I'm looking for suggestions. As much as some of you might hate it, I really did adore the Twilight saga and The Host. I like to escape a bit and enjoy fantasy/action and most of all I need romance!I like characters that are developed and an interesting premise.

I read Hunger Games~Very good book and a very small romance. I also read Poison Study~Good book but again very little romance. I read Graceling~I did enjoy it and it explored a good love story between Po and Katsa-the type of depth to a relationship im looking for.
But, lately I just haven't been able to find a good series or book that I just can't put down or get into... any suggestions? And even though I read Twilight, Im not too into vampires :)

Thanks!

Restoree by Anne McCaffrey is an SF/Romance novel. I think it was the first one I ever read by her. Her The Ship Who Sang series is a kind of romance, too. No physical grappling since the ship is run by a woman who is physically incapable & piloted by men who are more than capable - makes for lots of tension, though.

I know SF doesn't always have romance or it doesn't always mix, but thank you for your quick reply and suggestion!

Laurell K. Hamilton's books are fantasy/sci-fi romance novels, but if you don't like vampires then the Anita Blake series isn't really for you, haha.
Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series is really good sci-fi with romance to it.

How heavy do you like the sex/romance? The McCaffery stuff is pretty clean & has more SF & action than romance. I prefer it.

Laurell K. Hamilton's Anita Blake series starts off with some & gets into it pretty heavy by the 6th book or so. Her Merry Gentry series is into it by the 2d book. I'd call them both fantasy, since they have magic, but your definition may vary. (We've had some discussions on that topic!) I still read both, but find the sex distracting & kind of feel ripped off on the story/action end.

A GoodRead's author, Rowena Cherry has some very heavy panting in her book Mating Net. It's available very inexpensively as an ebook to try. It wasn't my cup of tea, but you may like it. I'd call her stuff SF since it has an alien race & spaceships. Email her through her profile here for where to get it. She's a nice lady.

Try Linnea Sinclair's books. I particularly like An Accidental Goddess and The Down Home Zombie Blues, but she has many SF/Romances.

Desiree wrote: "I know SF doesn't always have romance or it doesn't always mix, but thank you for your quick reply and suggestion!"


You want sci-fi with romance....? Just look up just about anything by Harlan Ellison! His stories almost never go without a cheeky male-female interchange in the plots....Great stuff!

Stephen H. Turner
The Last Voyage of the Cassiopeia
Almagest The Adventures of MarsShield
3700
The Avedon Question

I never would have thought of putting 'romance' & 'Harlan Ellison' in the same sentence. Is it just me?

Maybe I'm too scarred by I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream or A Boy and His Dog, two of my early favorites by him.

Jim wrote: "I never would have thought of putting 'romance' & 'Harlan Ellison' in the same sentence. Is it just me?

Maybe I'm too scarred by I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream

good points. The first is one of my favorite Outer Limits episodes (Robert Culp?) & the second one of my favorite Star Trek episodes, although I read somewhere that Ellison wanted that to be credited to Cordwainer Bird. It was extensively re-written for Star Trek by others.

While I'll agree he has man-woman relationships, he's a bit too dark for me to think of him as a romantic writer. Happy endings aren't for him.

Jim wrote: "good points. The first is one of my favorite Outer Limits episodes (Robert Culp?) & the second one of my favorite Star Trek episodes, although I read somewhere that Ellison wanted that to be credi..."

Ellison will probably be my favorite POPULAR sci-fi writer from here until doomsday! The man has a special touch...I can't quite put my finger on what it is exactly, but he's definitely got it. But he isn't necessarily dark ALL the time....Babylon 5 was fairly positive, episode to episode, and he was head writer for that! Remember, he's known for his humor as well....

Stephen H. Turner
The Last Voyage of the Cassiopeia
Almagest The Adventures of MarsShield
3700
The Avedon Question

Don't get me wrong, I really do like Ellison's writing. The first book of his that I read (about 40 years ago) was I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream & I think the title story is one of the best, most chilling stories I ever read. High praise.

He is, IMO, the grand master of the short story. That he can write them so easily (In the display window of a book store upon request!) is yet another point in his favor. While I'm sure a lot of dreck was produced, I've read some of those stories & they're excellent.

His Partners in Wonder books are excellent & introduced me to many authors I would never have read otherwise.

I've read I don't know HOW many of his compilations, but will never forget "Demon" or "City"....OR the great run of "Babylon 5"! The man's one of the best things to happen to modern sci-fi since "Metropolis"...

Stephen Turner

Marc, thanks for the shout-out!
Desiree, a huge reliable source for paranormal romance and science fiction romance is the PEARL awards. The PNR site is a legit, respectable venue that annually chooses (reader-vote) their favorites in the variety of flavors that make up science fiction and fantasy romance. You can use the finalists lists or the winners lists of this year or any previous as a terrific starting point.

Here are this year's winners:
Anthology:
Honorable Mention is The Magical Christmas Cat by Nalini Singh, Lora Leigh, Erin McCarthy, Linda Winstead Jones

The winners are a 2 way tie
Blood Lite by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Jim Butcher, Kelley Armstrong, Charlaine Harris
Dead After Dark by Sherrilyn Kenyon, Susan Squires, J. R. Ward, Dianna Love,


Best FUTURISTIC Romance –
Honorable Mention is ... Heart Fate by Robin D. Owens
Winner is.... Dark Light by Jayne Castle

Best FANTASY/MAGICAL Romance
Honorable Mention is... The Darkest Pleasure by Gena Showalter
Winner is... Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Best VAMPIRE Romance
Honorable Mention is... Wait Till Your Vampire Gets Home by Michele Bardsley
the Winner is.... Lover Enshrined by J. R. Ward

Best TIME TRAVEL Romance –
Honorable Mention is... Twist by Colby Hodge
Winner is... Viking Unchained by Sandra Hill

BEST NEW AUTHOR
Honorable Mention is..... Jocelynn Drake
and the Winner is... Ann Aguirre


Best SHORT STORY/NOVELLA
Honorable Mention is.... "Kung Fu Shoes" in These Boots Were Made For Stomping by Jade Lee
"Story of Son" Dead After Dark by J. R. Ward

Best SCIENCE FICTION & FANTASY
Honorable Mention is.... Dragonborn by Jade Lee
And the Winner is.... Shades Of Dark by Linnea Sinclair

Best SHAPESHIFTER Romance
2 Honorable Mentions Honorable Mentions are: Hotter After Midnight by Cynthia Eden and Rogue by Rachel Vincent
the Winner is..... Cry Wolf by Patricia Briggs

Although Patricia Briggs 'novel is actually Urban Fantasy most identified it as shapeshifter. We will have a separate category for
Urban Fantasy next year and the categories descriptions will be very specific. New category descriptions at http://paranormalromance.org/Award.htm

Favorite OVERALL PARANORMAL
Honorable Mention is.... One Foot in the Grave by Jeaniene Frost
and the Winner is.... Acheron by Sherrilyn Kenyon

Website:
http://www.paranormalromance.org/PNRp...

Now that should seriously fill up your TBR pile! ;-) Enjoy, ~Linnea
www.linneasinclair.com

The Time Traveler's Wife

One of the most Romantic fantasies I know of is Mercedes Lackey's "Last Herald Mage trilogy"

Bill

The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke has a good deal of romance to supplement the scifi. Cradle and the Rama series, both by ACC, also contain much romance (largely due to the coauthor, Gentry Lee's, influence, I suspect).

Jason wrote: "The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke has a good deal of romance to supplement the scifi. Cradle and the Rama series, both by ACC, also contain much romance (largely due to the coauthor, G..."

Ah, yes...Arthur, Arthur!! Only Asimov's "The Last Question" will ever compete with his "2001"/"The Sentinel"! One of the best storytellers in sci-fi!

Stephen H. Turner
The Last Voyage of the Cassiopeia
Almagest The Adventures of MarsShield
3700
The Avedon Question

for a good fantasy try c.l. wilson series.Its about a man who can change into a flying cat and he finds his mate and must romance her.the first one was Lord of the fading lands.It was a very good series and there are stil some coming.

Wow, thanks for all the suggestions. I've heard a lot of mention of J.R. Ward and some other authors listed, so I've added them to my TBR list-Thanks again! I'm currently reading Patricia Biggs and The Outlander (time travel). Outlander is off to a slow start, but hopefully it will pick up.

Desiree wrote: "Hi, I'm looking for suggestions. As much as some of you might hate it, I really did adore the Twilight saga and The Host. I like to escape a bit and enjoy fantasy/action and most of all I need roma..."

There are two Kushiel trilogies by Jacqueline Carey, fantasy, that are very interesting and lush. Start with Kushiel's Dart. Interesting premise - society's guiding premise is "Love as thou wilt," so many types of love/romance are involved. The main character of the first three is a nationally-acclaimed courtesan...The main character of the second three is her adopted son. Lots of travel, political intrigue, and adventure. Oh, and lots of sex!

OH, yes, stick with Outlander, you will love all of them...

On the SF side you might consider Catherine Asaro's Skolian Empire series. An excellent mix of hard SF and romance (and this coming from someone who doesn't really like romance). The next book in the series is coming out soon. I can hardly stand the wait. :)

Stephen wrote: "Ellison will probably be my favorite POPULAR sci-fi writer from here until doomsday! The man has a special touch...I can't quite put my finger on what it is exactly, but he's definitely got it. But he isn't necessarily dark ALL the time....Babylon 5 was fairly positive, episode to episode, and he was head writer for that!"

I have to correct this....J. Michael Straczynski (aka JMS) was the head writer/creator. Ellison was a creative consultant for the series.

Point of note - Neil Gaiman wrote the episode Day of the Dead in season 5.

Rand0m1s wrote: "Stephen wrote: "Ellison will probably be my favorite POPULAR sci-fi writer from here until doomsday! The man has a special touch...I can't quite put my finger on what it is exactly, but he's defini..."


He was described, in a forum HEADED by JMS his own self, as head writer of the show! Of COURSE, J.M. oversaw everything, but Ellison was pretty much riding herd on the script people....

And I am so sorry I missed season 5...that's the season they went cable and I'm strictly a free-TV man.

Stephen H. Turner
The Last Voyage of the Cassiopeia
Almagest The Adventures of MarsShield
3700
The Avedon Question

Stephen wrote: "He was described, in a forum HEADED by JMS his own self, as head writer of the show! Of COURSE, J.M. oversaw everything, but Ellison was pretty much riding herd on the script people.... "

I was on the Usenet Babylon5 newsgroup (rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5 and then later rec.arts.sf.tv.babylon5.moderated) in which JMS participated.

Check out the wikipedia article. JMS was the creator, producer (along with Douglas Netter), and wrote 92 of the 110 episodes. Ellison only received 2 writing credits on the show.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Babylon5

Actually I believe somewhere in the run Ellison had serious medical issues. I can't remember exactly what happened, but I do remember JMS mentioning it and being very concerned about him.

Season 5 was a bit shaky. There had been threat that the show wasn't going to make it 5 seasons. It was picked up by the other network very last minute so JMS had actually put a good amount of subject matter he had planned for season 5 into season 4. Because of this, season 5 was a bit anti climatic IMO.

There were also some TV movies released after the show finished but to be honest, its been so long I can't remember much about their quality.

Rand0m1s wrote: "Stephen wrote: "He was described, in a forum HEADED by JMS his own self, as head writer of the show! Of COURSE, J.M. oversaw everything, but Ellison was pretty much riding herd on the script people..."

At a certain point in the first season, it became SOOOO obvious that "B5" was going to be vastly superior to anything Star Trek, it wasn't funny! Do you know just about everybody but Doohan, Nimoy, Kelley and Shatner guested on there?? I mean, when you get the competition's creator's WIDOW to make a cameo, you've definitely hit the proselytization jackpot!

B5 made Deep Space 9 look like the sick plagiarism it was! DS9 = "Duplicate Strasczinsky 9 weeks later". ;-)

Stephen H. Turner
The Last Voyage of the Cassiopeia
Almagest The Adventures of MarsShield
3700
The Avedon Question

Lots of good suggestions here. I'll a few that haven't been mentioned yet in this thread (and though I mention romance, they all have the action element that kept me from wanting to put the books down!):

I haven't read it in a few years, but what about Julie E. Czerneda's "Thousand Words for Stranger"? I remember that as being a romance/sci-fi ...

Kelley Armstrong's "Bitten" is werewolf/romance - I liked this best of all her books.

Ilona Andrews' "Magic Bites" series is very crossover sci-fi/fantasy/romance.

Robin McKinley's "Sunshine" is vampire/romance - I don't know why this one worked so well for me, but it's one of my favorites.

Anne Bishop usually has some good romance in her books - I'd say her "Black Jewels" trilogy is where to start for fantasy/romance factor, though her other series are also very engaging.

And I've recently been reading Rachel Caine's "Morganville Vampires" series - young adult oriented in terms of outright sex, but still very good for the romantic emotion factor.

I haven't read Twilight, but here's some books I've read recently about young women who fall into seemingly hopeless and inappropriate romances:

"In the Garden of Iden" by Kage Baker is sort of a sci-fi/alternate history romance. A young girl is rescued from the Spanish Inquisition by a group from the far future. She is trained as a botanist to save samples of plants that will later become extinct. Sent to England during the reign of Bloody Queen Mary, she meets a brilliant young man who admires her intelligence, and wants to save her soul.

"The Silver Metal Lover" by Tanith Lee is about a rich, lonely teenage girl who is wandering aimlessly through her life until she meets a robot. Her passion leads her to risk everything in order to be with him. She fears that his feelings towards her are programmed and artificial, but she knows that what she feels for him is real, possibly the first true feelings she's ever had.

I'll second In the Garden of Iden - I loved the whole Company series by Kage Baker, but this one is especially good!

I'm looking forward to the new one coming out soon!

I'm going to be a little daring and recommend "A Different Light" by Elizabeth Lynn.

Jimson has cancer. If he stays planetbound where he can be treated he can live twenty years. But he is in love with a Starcaptain. If he goes into space his cancer will kill him within a year.

The daring part - it is a male/male romance. I don't remember there being anything really graphic, but it has been a long time since I read it.

Thanks for that suggestion, Tayla. I am ever on the lookout for Good gay SFF

The only gay SF/F I know of are Elizabeth Lynn's "A Different Light"
"Chronicles of Tornor" trilogy
and Mercedes Lackey "Last Herald Mage" and "Vows and Honor"

Kernos,

Mercedes Lackey also wrote "Magic's Pawn", "Magic's Promise" and Magic's Price". It has been years since I read them, but I did enjoy them as fantasy with a strong gay romance element.

There are lots of other sci-fi/fantasy books that hint at the possibility of a same-sex relationship or include secondary characters who are openly gay (for example Elizabeth Moon's "Serrano Legacy" series and PC Cast & Kristin Cast's "House of Night" series). I wouldn't recommend them if you're specifically looking for gay romance in your sci-fi/fantasy, but they're good reads anyway :)

Allison

There's quite a lot of gay SF/F out there, especially Tanya Huff, Diane Duane, and R.M. Meluch. Huff is gay herself, and most of her books have at least one character, usually major, who is gay. Diane Duane's Doors series, The Door Into Fire and others that I don't see on GR, has institutionalized homosexuality. The Goddess' first lover was female, so love is usually between members of the same sex, while children are born due to an obligation to reproduce. R.M. Meluch has a number of gay characters in major or minor positions as well, especially the hero of Sovereign and one of the heroes of The Queen's Squadron

The :Last Herald Mage is tops, IMO. I know if Huff and Duane, but not Meluch which I will amazon.

An interesting SF Space Opera is E. Robert Dunn's Echelon's End series. I have some other's I cannot locate now.

There is a Fantasy trilogy which I read in the '80's which I have been trying to locate with no results. I do not remember much, except that the protagonist is an Alexander the Great type, leading the good armies from the north to fight evil in the south. Standard stuff, but he was young, beautiful, powerful and loved his men.

Kernos wrote: "Thanks for that suggestion, Tayla. I am ever on the lookout for Good gay SFF"

There is a chock load of gay/lesbian/queer themed fiction out there. You might check out site for Lambda Sci-Fi (you can find an old list for the Lammies -- awards given by the Lambda Literary Foundation -- through the early nineties):
http://www.lambdasf.org/lsf/books/lam...

Also, most big booksellers' web sites (Amazon, Borders, Barnes & Nobel, etc.) have a way to cross index for gay-themes and sci fi/fantasy if they don't already have it broken out as a subject area).

Desiree wrote: "Hi, I'm looking for suggestions. As much as some of you might hate it, I really did adore the Twilight saga and The Host. I like to escape a bit and enjoy fantasy/action and most of all I need roma..."

If you like Twilight, you might like Annette Klause's "The Silver Kiss" (it's also a YA book). Or you could go the serious route with "Let the Right One In" by John Lindqvist.

Try Jane Fletcher at http://www.goodreads.com/author/show/...

She also has a website at
http://www.janefletcher.co.uk/books.htm

She has two series that are wonderful. I would suggest starting with the Lyremouth Chronicles- The Exile and the Sorcerer.

She also has a series called the Celaeno - that starts with the Temple at Landfall.

r

Knight1

Shards of Honour by Lois Bujold is a wonderfully unique romance and the start of a great world-building. It and the follow-up Barrayar are collected in one volume called Cordelia's Honor, which may be easier to find.

I also recommend Outlander. It was a guilty pleasure for me - all time travel, romance and passion. Great summer read! First book I ever bought in the "romance" section. It was pretty funny - I proudly shop the Sci/Fi and Fantasy aisle but didn't want to be caught dead in Romance ;-)

The Mists of Avalon is also great!

I'm sure Linnea Sinclair has been mentioned several times on this list, but she's worth mentioning again.

Kernos wrote: "Thanks for that suggestion, Tayla. I am ever on the lookout for Good gay SFF"

Here are some "gender issue" or glbt sci-fi and fantasy that I really enjoyed:

Commitment Hour
Hominids and the sequels.
Shadow Man
and: The Margarets by Sheri S. Tepper (trying to upload it onto Goodreads right now

I dont know if the author C.L. Wilson has yet been mentioned.. but i think her series starting with "Lord of the Fading Lands" is a really good book to start on... i'm hooked on the entire series. its great! i recommend it completely. :)

Tanya Huff doesn't write romances but her books usually have a romantic subplot, or a strong romantic element to the main plot.

The only one i can think of at the moment is The Time Traveler's Wife

Don't see any mention of Sharon Shinn. . . her books ALWAYS have a well-fleshed out SF or Fantasy plot AND a major romantic arc (as well as the requisite happily-ever-after).

Will second the mention of Lois McMaster Bujold's Shards of Honour; if you like it it's the start of a major series which moves away from romance but then has a two-book romantic arc (Komarr & A Civil Campaign) that is some of my favorite writing ever; she has also written a romantic fantasy quadrilogy called The Sharing Knife (starts with Beguilement) that is quite pleasant.

I've also enjoyed In the Garden of Iden, Sunshine, and the Jacqueline Carey; and I thought The Silver Metal Lover was very well done if you like angsty romance.

And on the subject of SF/F with gay characters. . . Marion Zimmer Bradley, Jacqueline Carey, Elizabeth Bear, Sarah Monette, and Jo Walton often/always feature non-heteronormative worlds; and of course, there's always Samuel Delany. . .

Michael wrote: "The only one i can think of at the moment is The Time Traveler's Wife"

Not sci-fi. No science involved. Just a romance.

Gerald wrote: "Michael wrote: "The only one i can think of at the moment is The Time Traveler's Wife"

Not sci-fi. No science involved. Just a romance."

Yup. Agree 100%. Also over hyped.

Arthur wrote: "Gerald wrote: "Michael wrote: "The only one i can think of at the moment is The Time Traveler's Wife"

Not sci-fi. No science involved. Just a romance."

Yup. Agree 100%. Also over hyped."

Gerald wrote: "Michael wrote: "The only one i can think of at the moment is The Time Traveler's Wife"

Not sci-fi. No science involved. Just a romance."



I notice in your posts you don't offer a book selection for Desiree to read. In the future if you have nothing to offer, as you clearly don't, refrain from posting at all. Also Arthur, hype is before something is released. The Time Traveler's Wife was released then it got rave reviews, it's completely different