I like *this* so recommend me.....

[Silvion Night]

Can anyone recommend me some science fiction horror books or some good horror books, I’m trying to stay away from SK though as I’ve read a lot of his books this year. Post apocalyptic books can be added either from a pandemic or zombie (I have read The Stand and Swans Song) virus.

Added to kenubrion's recommendations:

Post-Apocalyptic world (pandemic):
Earth Abides
The Postman

Post-Apocalyptic world (zombies):
World War Z
I am Legend (the zombies are more like vampires, but the vibe is the same)

Horrors:
Have you tried anything by Dan Simmons? He's the writer of the sci-fi hit 'Hyperion', but he's also written some engaging horror stories. Of these, I liked 'The Terror' best and Carrion Comfort least.

 

[Khartun]

Can anyone recommend me some science fiction horror books or some good horror books, I’m trying to stay away from SK though as I’ve read a lot of his books this year. Post apocalyptic books can be added either from a pandemic or zombie (I have read The Stand and Swans Song) virus.

Not pandemic or zombie but the Silo series by Hugh Howey is a very good post-apoc.

 

[TheBloodyNine85]

Sincerely, give John Dies At The End by David Wong a chance. It is horror/scifi/humor of the highest order. The sci fi element comes in as the story moves forward and we begin to discover what our "heroes" have stumbled into. There is almost no books that combine humor with serious story telling that is effective, (Ready Player One comes to mind). Usually the book will not really have any "teeth" because the humor disarms the attempts at making you believe something really bad could happen here. John Dies At The End hits on every cylinder. At some of the most tense moments I would literally laugh snort because of Dave's dark or out of left field thoughts that totally fit. G
Give it a shot. Won't take long to know if it is for you or not.

 

[TheBloodyNine85]

Ok, before I begin, I wanna say this.

As someone(who I assume wants to remain annoymous) has mentioned, I've been kinda mean in my responses to recommendations that I've been given in the past. I wanna apologize for that. I appreciate any recommendation anyone is willing to give, and if you'll give me some, I'll keep my mouth shut if it doesn't interest me(Unless you want me to do otherwise). Just please, whatever you're willing to recommend that you think that there's a small chance it'll pique my interest, please do so.

This is some of the things that I know for sure that I like, but feel free to recommend anything. Forget what I said before, we can start fresh, as I found out that you can preview almost anything on goodreads.com, and I'll try to read the first chapter of everything that gets recommended, and I'll judge from there.

1. Sword and Sorcery Adventures with likable characters. This is the probably the easiest thing to recommend to me.

2. Assassins and Mages.

3. Dystopian/Dark Future Fantasy, be it cyberpunk, post apocalyptica, or whatever.

4. A story about a group of people who maybe aren't adventurers.

5. Something heavy on combat

6. Vampires of all sorts.

7. Dark and Lighthearted fantasy.

8. YA and Adult Fantasy.

9. A whole book devoted to characters on the run from something dangerous., or maybe just something that crosses the realm into half fantasy, half horror in general.

Just finished Stephen King's The Institute. First King book in years that I have liked, or even been able to finish. I didn't just like it but I loved it. Made me remember why I used to be a Stephen King fan.

 

[Zave]

hi, i'm in the mood for some fantasy high on the magical element where the magical system makes sense.
a good example of something i liked within the criteria is "mistborn" from brandon sanderson while bad examples are "a song of ice and fire" (weak on the magical element) or harry potter (magical system lacking any consistency) or the sword of truth (same as harry potter and also utter garbage).
any reccomendations?

 

[afa]

hi, i'm in the mood for some fantasy high on the magical element where the magical system makes sense.
a good example of something i liked within the criteria is "mistborn" from brandon sanderson while bad examples are "a song of ice and fire" (weak on the magical element) or harry potter (magical system lacking any consistency) or the sword of truth (same as harry potter and also utter garbage).
any reccomendations?

What other books/series have you read?

Since you liked Mistborn, one easy answer is pretty much all other books by Brandon Sanderson. Being heavy on magic, and the magic being well thought-out, is basically what Sanderson is best known for.

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (whose last three books were actually completed by Sanderson after Jordan died) is heavy on magic, but it's a massive 14 book series so is quite a commitment.

Another series that is supposed to have an interesting magic system (though I haven't personally read it) is The Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.

 

[Zave]

What other books/series have you read?

Since you liked Mistborn, one easy answer is pretty much all other books by Brandon Sanderson. Being heavy on magic, and the magic being well thought-out, is basically what Sanderson is best known for.

The Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (whose last three books were actually completed by Sanderson after Jordan died) is heavy on magic, but it's a massive 14 book series so is quite a commitment.

Another series that is supposed to have an interesting magic system (though I haven't personally read it) is The Lightbringer series by Brent Weeks.

thanks for the suggestions, sadly i've already read the wheel of time and most of brandon sanderson's novels.

about brent weeks i've already read his first trilogy (night angel) an i thought it was very weak, also tried the second one (lightbringer) because someone else here on this forum convinced me to give him another chance and i wasn't really impressed, dropped it after the second book.

 

[kenubrion]

"Post apocalyptic books can be added either from a pandemic or zombie (I have read The Stand and Swans Song) virus."

Unfortunately, reality is scarier than the stories.

 

[afa]

thanks for the suggestions, sadly i've already read the wheel of time and most of brandon sanderson's novels.

How about Malazan, then? Quite a bit of magic, though I think it's more on the mysterious side and not explained Sanderson-style.

Unfortunately, I can't think of many books with heavy magic. Hopefully, some of the more well-read members can chime in. Paging @kenubrion, @Silvion Night, @TomTB, @Alucard, @rudyjuly2...

about brent weeks i've already read his first trilogy (night angel) an i thought it was very weak, also tried the second one (lightbringer) because someone else here on this forum convinced me to give him another chance and i wasn't really impressed, dropped it after the second book.

I felt the same way about Night Angel, didn't like it at all. That's why I haven't bothered with Lightbringer.

 

[kenubrion]

The Belgariad by David Eddings has more magic than anything else I can think of, Pawn of Prophecy is the first book. The Riftwar Cycle by Raymond Feist is similarly chock full of magic, first book is Magician: Apprentice. Both are traditional sagas with young protagonists who grow into heroes and magicians. Both are very popular, usually read early in a fantasy reader's exposure to the genre. I would start with Polgara the Sorceress and Belgarath the Sorceror to provide the background setting and how it started type of info. Both absolutely great novels. All these books and series are all magic all the time.

 

[Zave]

How about Malazan, then? Quite a bit of magic, though I think it's more on the mysterious side and not explained Sanderson-style.

Unfortunately, I can't think of many books with heavy magic. Hopefully, some of the more well-read members can chime in.

thanks for the suggestion. i've already read the malazan book of the fallen and i loved it (kruppe was the best) but as you say the magic system is more of the kind of whatever the author pulls out of his ass will happen.

The Belgariad by David Eddings has more magic than anything else I can think of, Pawn of Prophecy is the first book. The Riftwar Cycle by Raymond Feist is similarly chock full of magic, first book is Magician: Apprentice. Both are traditional sagas with young protagonists who grow into heroes and magicians. Both are very popular, usually read early in a fantasy reader's exposure to the genre. I would start with Polgara the Sorceress and Belgarath the Sorceror to provide the background setting and how it started type of info. Both absolutely great novels. All these books and series are all magic all the time.

this isn't the first time i hear about the belgariad by eddings but i still haven't read it (or anything from him), i will try it.
i've already read the riftwar cycle by feist and also the following trilogy (empire), it was years ago and while i liked it i didn't feel like reading anymore (also i remember the plot of silverthorn being a huge waste of time).
yes, i think i will go with eddings, i've heard good things about his books and it's only time i finally give him a chance.
thanks for the suggestions.

 

[afa]

The Belgariad by David Eddings has more magic than anything else I can think of, Pawn of Prophecy is the first book.

yes, i think i will go with eddings, i've heard good things about his books and it's only time i finally give him a chance.

I've never read The Belgariad, so don't know how good it might be. But I would be remiss if I didn't point out that David Eddings and his wife were child abusers. Many might feel that is irrelevant to their art, but I personally won't read anything they've written (or Marion Zimmer Bradley).

 

[Silvion Night]

thanks for the suggestion. i've already read the malazan book of the fallen and i loved it (kruppe was the best) but as you say the magic system is more of the kind of whatever the author pulls out of his ass will happen.



this isn't the first time i hear about the belgariad by eddings but i still haven't read it (or anything from him), i will try it.
i've already read the riftwar cycle by feist and also the following trilogy (empire), it was years ago and while i liked it i didn't feel like reading anymore (also i remember the plot of silverthorn being a huge waste of time).
yes, i think i will go with eddings, i've heard good things about his books and it's only time i finally give him a chance.
thanks for the suggestions.

Two additions to the suggestions above:

The Deverry Cycle by Katherine Kerr (and the later Westlands Cycle). The books are based in Celtic mythology and heavy on magic that is reminiscent of the Jewish kaballa, interspersed with Celtic and Druidic influences. Think travelling through dimensions, the Fae, little gnomish / elvish helpers etc. The magic system has clear rules, makes a lot of logical sense, but is not over-the-top (no fireballs, lighting bolts, etc)

The Prince of Nothing series by Bakker (and later books). These books are very, very dark and certainly not for everyone. quite depressing really, but the overall story and world are amazing. The final 2 books leave a lot to be desired though. The magic systems are somewhat similar to those in Mistborn, but rather based in certain philosophical systems, rather than based on consumption of metals.

 

[afa]

The Prince of Nothing series by Bakker (and later books). These books are very, very dark and certainly not for everyone. quite depressing really, but the overall story and world are amazing. The final 2 books leave a lot to be desired though. The magic systems are somewhat similar to those in Mistborn, but rather based in certain philosophical systems, rather than based on consumption of metals.

Are the last two books not good? I had actually read somewhere that the second series ended in a way that would be somewhat satisfactory even if the third series never gets written.

I've been interested in reading them for a while, but most of the books don't seem to be on sale anywhere, even on Kindle. I'm leaning towards downloading pirated versions, something I never do with books (and haven't done with any media in years) but in this case I don't think I'll feel guilty about it.

 

[Alucard]

The only thing that comes to mind right now is Dresden Files, that is if you don't have anything against urban fantasy.

 

[Zave]

I've never read The Belgariad, so don't know how good it might be. But I would be remiss if I didn't point out that David Eddings and his wife were child abusers. Many might feel that is irrelevant to their art, but I personally won't read anything they've written (or Marion Zimmer Bradley).

didn't know about that.
as a general rule i'm for separating the art from the artist and i manage to do it most of the time. there are some exceptions both in terms of individuals and companies that i've sworn off in disgust.
i tend to be lenient in my judgement if what people are accused/guilty of was something normal in their time (like lovecraft being a racist).
from what i read about eddings and his wife that wasn't the case and they were real scum.
still i don't feel like adding them to my very small black list, i usually reserve that for things that really strike at my core (doen't mean it needs to be something major, it could be something petty that i take personally) and the biggest reason is not wanting to contribute to the success of someone/something i despise. with them being both dead that element is out of the window.
i usually don't care about the personal life of authors/actors/artists as i'm mostly interested in their works so it's really no problem for me to ignore that they were bad people.
i will give the books a try and judge them on their own merits.

Two additions to the suggestions above:

The Deverry Cycle by Katherine Kerr (and the later Westlands Cycle). The books are based in Celtic mythology and heavy on magic that is reminiscent of the Jewish kaballa, interspersed with Celtic and Druidic influences. Think travelling through dimensions, the Fae, little gnomish / elvish helpers etc. The magic system has clear rules, makes a lot of logical sense, but is not over-the-top (no fireballs, lighting bolts, etc)

The Prince of Nothing series by Bakker (and later books). These books are very, very dark and certainly not for everyone. quite depressing really, but the overall story and world are amazing. The final 2 books leave a lot to be desired though. The magic systems are somewhat similar to those in Mistborn, but rather based in certain philosophical systems, rather than based on consumption of metals.

thanks, they both seem interesting even though i'm not in the mood for something depressing at the moment so i will likely only check out deverry at this time.

The only thing that comes to mind right now is Dresden Files, that is if you don't have anything against urban fantasy.

not my favourite genre but also don't dislike it, i began reading the first book years ago but i wasn't in the mood for the mystery detective feel it gave me so i dropped it, i will probably pick it up again in the future, i didn't give it a fair chance.
thanks for the suggestion.

 

[afa]

i will give the books a try and judge them on their own merits.

Fair enough. Personally, I find it difficult to separate the art from the artists. Or rather, I am disinclined to do so.

not my favourite genre but also don't dislike it, i began reading the first book years ago but i wasn't in the mood for the mystery detective feel it gave me so i dropped it, i will probably pick it up again in the future, i didn't give it a fair chance.
thanks for the suggestion.

Just a heads up - it's been a while since I read the books, but from what I recall the first couple of books weren't great, but the series picks up pretty well after that. Just something to keep in mind if you do decide to start them.

 

[Silvion Night]

Are the last two books not good? I had actually read somewhere that the second series ended in a way that would be somewhat satisfactory even if the third series never gets written.

I've been interested in reading them for a while, but most of the books don't seem to be on sale anywhere, even on Kindle. I'm leaning towards downloading pirated versions, something I never do with books (and haven't done with any media in years) but in this case I don't think I'll feel guilty about it.

The ending was indeed somewhat satisfactory, but unfortunately there are some elements that ruined the experience for me, the main one being that the last 2 books contain a lot of murder-pr0n (if you know what I mean). There's only so many over-gratuitous rape and necrofilia scenes you can read before you get exasperated. The sought after shock effect also diminishes quickly.