Good Reads - Fiction

Science Fiction/Fantasy

Fantasy Series to Get Lost In

Tired of this world? Let these imaginative and varied worlds draw you in.

SF/F/BERG
Berg, Carol - Son of Avonar - 2004, 471 p.
A Leiran noblewoman living in self-imposed exile, Seri refuses to be involved with rulers who persecute sorcerers and fight continuous wars that cause the Leiran people great suffering. Suddenly, her world is changed when she shelters a man, both mute and half wild, who is a fugitive of the Four Realms. Seri must help this man remember who he is before great evil causes an apocalypse.
• Bridge of D’Arnath Series: Guardians of the Keep, The Soul Weaver, Daughter of Ancients

SF/F/BUTCHER
Butcher, Jim - Furies of Calderon - 2004, 440 p.
A nation threatened by rebels in league with the savage Marat, Alera’s safety depends upon the people and the events boiling to the surface of the Calderon Valley. The Cursor Amara, a windcrafter, travels to the valley as a representative of the crown where she is rescued in a storm by the young Tavi, a boy with no furycrafting skills at all. Together they must use their cleverness and courage to defend the land of Alera.
• Codex Alera Series: Academ’s Fury, Cursor’s Fury, Captain’s Fury, Princeps’ Fury

SF/F/CAREY
Carey, Jacqueline - Kushiel’s Dart - 2001, 701 p.
Phedre no Delaunay, born with a rare scarlet mote in her left eye, experiences pain and pleasure as one. Under the tutelage of a nobleman who buys her bond, Phedre learns to observe, to think, and to analyze. These skills prove invaluable as the courageous Phedre navigates the world of political court intrigue, survives captivity in the barbaric land of Skaldia, and learns of a plot that threatens to destroy her beloved homeland, Terre d’Ange.
• Kushiel’s Legacy Trilogy: Kushiel’s Chosen, Kushiel’s Avatar

SF/F/ERIKSON
Erikson, Steven - Gardens of the Moon - 1999, 494 p.
Ganoes Stabro Paran knows from a young age that he wants to be a soldier of the Malazan Empire. He achieves this goal and more after an unexpected meeting propels him into a position of great power. However, a series of events not only threaten his life, but also force him to rethink his part as a puppet of the Empress Laseen and her bloody battles. With gods, mages, hounds of shadow, and assassins, Erikson carefully lays the groundwork for a series of epic proportions.
• Malazan Book of the Fallen Series: Deadhouse Gates, Memories of Ice, House of Chains, Midnight Tides, The Bonehunters, Reaper’s Gale, Toll the Hounds

SF/F FARLAND
Farland, David - The Runelords: The Sum of All Men - 1998, 479 p.
Visiting a foreign land to win the hand of a fair princess, the young Gaborn is thrown into the midst of peril as King Ahten, the Wolf King of the south, rides to attack the kingdoms of the north. King Ahten, as the most powerful Runelord in the land, has received endowments of physical gifts from other people to achieve superhuman status—none of the other ruling Runelords can compare. Little does King Ahten know that Gaborn is the next anointed Earth King, whose purpose is to help the kingdoms fight an even greater threat.
• Runelords Series: The Brotherhood of the Wolf, Wizardborn, The Lair of Bones, Sons of the Oak, Worldbinder, The Wyrmling Horde

SF/F FLEWELLING
Flewelling, Lynn - The Bone Doll’s Twin - 2001, 524 p.
The wizards Iya and Arkoniel, in following the vision granted to them by the Oracle, go to protect the soon-to-be-born child of the Princess Ariani, whose brother, King Erius, usurped the throne. With the help of dark magic, the baby girl is given the male form of her twin brother, who is sacrificed to let her live. They must protect this girl child in order to restore the divine prophecy of the warrior queens and in turn protect the land of Skala.
• Tamir Trilogy: Hidden Warrior, The Oracle’s Queen

SF/F GREEN
Green, Simon R. - Something from the Nightside - 2003, 230 p.
Coexisting with modern day London is the secret, hidden Nightside, where it is always night and where monsters and myths exist. Detective John Taylor, who has a gift for finding things, refuses to go back and has been seeking refuge in London for the past five years. That is until a client’s case leads him back into the world where he grew up. Whether he likes it or not, John has a legacy, a part to play in this dark world.
• Nightside Series: Agents of Light and Darkness, Nightingale’s Lament, Hex and the City, Paths Not Taken, Sharper than a Serpent’s Tooth, Hell to Pay, The Unnatural Inquirer, Just Another Judgement Day

SF/F HAYDON
Haydon, Elizabeth - Rhapsody: Child of Blood - 1999, 479 p.
Rhapsody is a talented Singer in training, attuned to the melodies of the earth and of all that lives within. While running from a jealous suitor, Rhapsody bumps into two rather shady looking men who agree to rescue her. Her rescue soon turns into a tremendous journey that traverses centuries, with Rhapsody discovering powerful talents along the way.
• Symphony of Ages Series: Prophecy: Child of Earth, Destiny: Child of the Sky, Requiem for the Sun, Elegy for a Lost Star, The Assassin King

SF/F HOBB
Hobb, Robin - Assassin’s Apprentice - 1995, 356 p.
The newly discovered existence of the bastard child Fitz, son of Prince Chivalry, causes discord in the royal family, and some see him as a threat to be squelched. However, Fitz’s devious grandfather, King Shrewd, asks for his loyalty and for him to be secretly trained as an assassin. As the brutal raiding of the Red Ship warriors worsens, the kingdom is in need of those trained in the Skill, and Fitz is one of those chosen who will help influence the fate of the Six Duchies.
• Farseer Saga: Royal Assassin, Assassin’s Quest

SF/F KERNER
Kerner, Elizabeth - Song in the Silence: The Tale of Lanen Kaelar - 1997, 378 p.
Lanen Kaelar knows she is destined to travel to the Dragon Isle. Born on a horse farm in the Kingdom of Ilsa, Lanen grabs her chance to leave after the death of her distant father. When the mystery of her mother and birth are revealed by the steadfast Jamie, Lanen knows that her life could very well be in danger; and this danger will follow her as she searches for the dragons she has yearned to know from childhood.
• Lanen Kaelar Series: Lesser Kindred, Redeeming the Lost

SF/F KEYES
Keyes, J. Greg - The Briar King - 2003, 552 p.
After a bloody battle two thousand years ago, the Born Queen freed the human race from slavery. Now, these many years later, a beast known only in folktales is stirring deep in the King’s forest, an omen of destruction and death. The royal family faces betrayal and death as sinister forces try to stop a new born queen from ruling the land. And in the midst of the chaos stands Anne Dare, the youngest daughter of the King, who faces a destiny that has the power to change the world.
• Kingdoms of Thorn and Bone Series: The Charnel Prince, The Blood Knight, The Born Queen

SF/F LACKEY
Lackey, Mercedes - Joust - 2003, 373 p.
Vetch is an Atlan serf under the cruel master Khefti-the-Fat. Forced to work all day with little food, Vetch finds strength in his anger against the Tians who took the land his family owned for 500 years. His life changes instantly when a Jouster, a dragon rider of Tian, decides to make Vetch his dragon boy. He soon uncovers the secret of this Jouster, who does not need the drug tala to control his dragon, and with this knowledge, Vetch believes he may be able to help his enslaved people.
• Dragon Jousters Series: Alta, Sanctuary, Aerie

SF/F LINDSKOLD
Lindskold, Jane M. - Through Wolf’s Eyes - 2001, 594 p.
Raised by royal wolves since she was a small child, Firekeeper is a part of the pack. She remains the only survivor of a fatal fire that killed the group led by Prince Barden into the wilderness beyond the mountains. Years later, a group searches for the lost colonists as the Prince’s children have a legitimate claim on the kingship, currently held by the aging King Tedric. Firekeeper, along with her faithful wolf brother Blind Seer, join this puzzling human world of silly customs and dangerous court intrigue.
• Firekeeper Series: Wolf’s Head, Wolf’s Heart, The Dragon of Despair, Wolf Captured, Wolf Hunting, Wolf’s Blood

SF/F MARTIN
Martin, George R.R. - A Game of Thrones - 1996, 694 p.
In this intricate medieval saga, Martin blends a cast of characters into a wonderfully crafted world, where winters and summers can last for years. As winter encroaches, unnatural forces pressure the confines of the kingdom’s protective northern Wall, while in the south traitors to the king bide their time as his powers weaken. Caught between these events are the newly appointed Hand to the king, Eddard Stark, Lord of Winterfell; Tyron Lannister, the clever dwarf and brother to the queen; and Daenerys Targaryens, the exiled Dragon princess.
• Song of Ice and Fire Series: A Clash of Kings, A Storm of Swords, A Feast for Crows, A Dance with Dragons

SF/F NOVIK
Novik, Naomi - His Majesty’s Dragon - 2006, 356 p.
A Navy Captain in the British army, Will Laurence commands the ship that captures a French frigate carrying unexpected cargo, a dragon egg on the verge of hatching. Suddenly, Laurence is swept from a life as a seaman to the world of the Aerial Corps as the rider of an intelligent Chinese dragon, Temeriare, with whom he quickly forms a deep bond. Together they begin a crash course in aerial tactics in preparation for Napoleon’s cleverest move yet.
• Temeraire Series: Throne of Jade, Black Powder War, Empire of Ivory, Victory of Eagles

SF/F ROTHFUSS
Rothfuss, Patrick - The Name of the Wind: The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One - 2007, 661 p.
The innkeeper Kote dwells in the backwaters of the land. At the appearance of the Chronicler, Kote, now revealed as the legendary Kvothe, agrees to tell his heroically tragic tale over the span of three days. And so The Name of the Wind recounts the first day of Kvothe’s story-telling, where he tells of his childhood growing up in a traveling troupe to his time as an orphan beggar to his attendance at the University to learn magic. In a world where names contain power, this award-winning novel will leave you scrambling for the next in the trilogy.
• Kingkiller Chronicle Series: The Wise Man’s Fear, The Doors of Stone

SF/F SNYDER
Snyder, Maria V. - Poison Study - 2005, 361 p.
About to be executed, Yelena is offered her life back if she serves as the poison taster for the Commander of Ixia. Yelena goes from one form of prison to another as she is tricked into drinking Butterfly Dust, for which she must get a daily antidote. Plus, General Brazell wants revenge for the death of his son. As Yelena faces many dangers, she develops magical powers she does not understand how to control, and soon bigger problems threaten the land of Ixia.
• Study Series: Magic Study, Fire Study

Prepared by Nicole, May 2009