Science Fiction and Fantasy

Even in an electronic era with all the power of the World Wide Web filtered through advanced document retrieval technology, you still can't beat a good book. If you're looking for a good book in this neighborhood, try the Handee Books for a good used bookstore with a choice selection of new books. If you're in Berkeley, try The Other Change of Hobbit, or Dark Carnival. You can also make good discoveries at a local science fiction convention like BayCon or SiliCon.

I've been collecting science fiction and fantasy for well over a decade now, and if you're interested in finding something good to read, just ask. I may be able to lend you something or point you in a good direction. If you know me at all well, you may be worried about whether you'd trust the recommendations of anyone with my evident sense of taste; this may reassure or unsettle you.

Some very good authors:

Guy Gavriel Kay (another reference or two, and reviews)
Katharine Kerr (and a page about her world of Deverry)
Barbara Hambly
Daniel Keys Moran, with another page here
Tim Powers, also at lysator along with reviews
P C Hodgell (God Stalk, Dark of the Moon, Seeker's Mask-- hard to find)
Neil Gaiman (author of Sandman; it's been annotated)
Charles de Lint (another link, and some reviews)
Iain M. Banks (and A Few Notes on the Culture by Banks, and some book reviews)
Emma Bull
Steve Brust (with links on sflovers and lysator, with some reviews)

Some good sword opera/space opera authors (cheesy [in the American sense of the word] and/or fluffy, but entertaining):

Lois McMaster Bujold
David Weber’s “Honor Harrington” books are a delightful homage to the Horatio Hornblower books; the technology is carefully arranged so you can have walls of battle firing broadsides at each other in the depths of space.
Robert Jordan
David Eddings (also at lysator)
Mercedes Lackey (also at lysator, along with reviews)

And just plain funny:

Terry Pratchett (for whom annotations exist)
Esther M. Friesner

For hard science fiction, try

Larry Niven (also at lysator); take a look at some computer-generated images of the Ringworld
Greg Bear (also at lysator)
David Brin (also at lysator, along with some book reviews)
Gregory Benford (also at lysator)
Robert L. Forward (much softer when he adds coauthors)
Vernor Vinge

The Science Fiction Resource Guide is a good place to track down cool stuff; the Lysator Science Fiction & Fantasy Archive is probably worth a look, though I haven't had a chance to do serious investigation yet.

If you're particularly interested in the realm of Faerie, there are some good books extant. Greg Bear's The Infinity Concerto and its sequel The Serpent Mage are collected together as Songs of Earth and Power, and combine's Bear's usual habit of trashing entire planets (OK, OK, not quite that bad this time) with his own variant of mythology. Raymond E Feist took a break from Midkemia to create Faerie Tale, which show just how dark even the nicest of the Good Neighbors are. Emma Bull's War for the Oaks is a wonderful urban faerie tale, with rock'n'roll in the Seelie Court, as are Charles de Lint's Jack the Giant-Killer and its sequel Drink Down the Moon. (Moonheart and its sequel Spiritwalk, along with Yarrow, Greenmantle, and The Dreaming Place are more excellent tales of urban magic and wonder, though not quite as connected to this topic.) C J Cherryh's work The Dreamstone and its sequel The Tree of Swords and Jewels are interesting, though not as well-paced as her Faery in Shadow or trilogy (rife with interesting mythological Russan critters) Rusalka, Chernevog and Yvgenie; she's done some excellent science fiction as well, and has her own web site.