Recommend a Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book

[Yurtles]

The last thread like this ended up getting pushed off the forum right when I hit a dry patch for books to read and my hankering for a good sci-fi or fantasy story has continued unabated ever since.

Last set of books I truly enjoyed (staying up well past my bed time reading) were the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher and before that it was his Codex of Alera series, just to throw in a recommendation of my own.

[CrazyMonkey]

I'm enjoying Asimov's Foundation Series at the moment.

I've only read 'Prelude to Foundation' and 'Foundation' at the moment, but imo they're quite good. I just found out there was one in between (written later) call 'Forward the Foundation' too...

His Robot Series sounds interesting, I've read one of them (though the name of it escapes me at the moment). I-Robot was his too

[Mekon]

My favourite semi-recent fantasy series:

Stephen Erikson - Malazan Book of the Fallen
Probably the most epic dark fantasy series I've read - cast of thousands, 10 books, world spanning. I have yet to read a series which matches it (it is often compared to A Song of Fire and Ice, but totally eclipses it, IMO).

Joe Abercrombie - The First Law Trilogy
Just good, dirty medieval fantasy. No orcs, elves or dwarves, just barbarians and renaissance types with assassins, dark sorcery, inquisitors and pitched battles.

For sci-fi, pretty much anything by Charles Stross or Greg Egan - I like hard science speculative fiction. On the space opera note, Alastair Reynolds is awesome, as is early Peter F Hamilton (the Greg Mandel and Night's Dawn trilogys in particular, not enjoying his later work as much).

[steve_rogers42]

if you havent already, grab dan simmons Hyperion.

[Nekosan]

Read quite a few decent books lately, most recently "Armor" by John Steakley, deals with the results of prolonged combat stress on the human psyche.

I've been tempted to start a new "what are you reading" thread since christmas, got myself a Kindle and i've been going through a few books a week minimum hehe.

[shadowrunner03]

The Amtrack wars, post apocalyptic sci fi/fantasy. brilliant series

anything by Robert N Charette
anything by Robert Thurston
anything by Michael Stackpole

[exe3]

I've really enjoyed the Halo and Star Wars Republic Commando books, probably not what you're looking for but I don't see why they shouldn't count

otherwise you could wait for the book i'm currently writing to be published :3

[Bek]

I just finished the recently released Deus Ex: Icarus Effect book by James Swallow, quite good, especially for fans of the original game. It brings back some old characters and sets the scene for DX3.

[Commander Boom]

Just a few of my all-time favourites, and some I've been reading recently, and really enjoyed.

In Fantasy:

+1 For Erickson's Malazan's series. (Wouldn't consider them greater than SoIaF though)
G. R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire.
R. Jordan's Wheel of Time (1-5 are awesome, 5+ merely good).
Naturally, Tolkien. Especially The Hobbit.

In Sci-Fi:

P. F. Hamilton's Nights Dawn trilogy.
David Brin's Uplift saga, particularly Startide Rising.
A. Reynolds' Revelation Space.

[War]

More steampunk fantasy than anything but I really quite enjoyed Chris Wooding's Tales of the Ketty Jay Retribution Falls and Black Lung Captain

[Ezelek]

A Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss is coming out tomorrow, so if you haven't read the first book, The Name of the Wind, you should totally do so. Other good fantasy books I've read lately and would recommend include: The Painted Man/The Warded Man by Peter v. Brett, Bitter Seeds by Ian Tregillis (WWII alternate history, the Nazis have superhumans, the Allies have Warlocks), and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson (The guy that has taken over the Wheel of Time, and will take over for G.R.R when he loses both hands to diabeties).

[Yurtles]

To throw in a couple more obvious must read fantasy ones;
Brent Weeks and The Night Angel series.
Raymond E. Feist's Riftwar.. extravaganza I guess you'd have to call it. It's gone well beyond a mere series or even compilation now.
Terry Pratchett's Discworld series.

[War]

Brent Weeks and The Night Angel series.

That was a good series

[Nekosan]

Brent Weeks and The Night Angel series.

That was a good series

First book in his new series is not so bad either once you get into it "The Black Prism" it's called iirc.

[Dexterian]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.