SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Hi all,

first post here! I'm looking for a recommendation, for what I'm hoping is not too specific. Looking for a gripping read (obviously). Being an engineer it's impossible for me to handle plot holes, so something that has a solid plot would be great. A resolution that you don't see coming from a 100 miles would also be nice. I'll give a few examples of what I liked and why:
- The Expanse series - epic (billions years old cultures, spanning many planets etc), no obvious plot holes, good character development, good pace, good writing in general.
- Spin - again, epic proportions, gripping story, not predictable, good characters development
- The Foundation series - for all the reasons in the universe ;)
- Children of Time - was great, but I read a couple of other novels by Tchaikovsky and they feel a bit repetitive.
- Revelation Space - was a good read, with all the checkbox ticked (solid plot!), but was a bit "wordy". Could definitely be shorter.

Thanks ahead, and happy reading!

Try Galaxy of Thorns: Rise of the Empress, it is very concise and everything happens for a reason. The begining is a bit rushed in my opinion, but the story and action is top notch and you will never guess how it ends (and no it doesn't end in a cliffhanger).
Also, since you mentioned both fantasy and sci-fi I think this will be perfect for you since it has both.

Yuri wrote: "Hi all,

first post here! I'm looking for a recommendation, for what I'm hoping is not too specific. Looking for a gripping read (obviously). Being an engineer it's impossible for me to handle plot holes, so something that has a solid plot would be great."

That's such a subjective and difficult quality to measure. You list Foundation as a series that you loved, but I thought there were plot holes you could fly 747s through, and disliked it so much I didn't even finish the first book.

That being said, I completely agree with you and love the Expanse series, and I'm counting down the days until I feel enough time has passed to do a full series re-read.

So as far as recommendations go, YMMV - but here are some I liked a lot:
The Windup Girl - future post-apocalyptic story, with really interesting characters and setting and concepts
The Martian - astronaut stranded on Mars - very irreverent and sarcastic tone with lots of math and life or death situations... and I LOVED it, but unfortunately didn't like his follow-up books as much. (Project Hail Mary was good, but I had some major issues with it, so I don't recommend that one.)
Dune - Really an obvious choice and I'd be surprised if you haven't read it already, but here it is just in case.
Oryx and Crake - Really enjoyed this one but haven't continued on the series so I can't speak to the other books at all.
Solaris - a little dry at times, but really interesting and perceptive
Hyperion - I haven't read this one yet, but I have heard VERY good things about it, so thought I would mention it.

Try some more recent Alastair Reynolds.

David Drake’s RCN (Republic of Cinnabar Navy) series is tightly plotted (although some very minor inconsistencies have crept in between books). Drake bases some improbable-looking plot elements on real history, some of it readily recognisable, at least to me.

(But he declined to use the case of a battleship whose gunners were so excited during a battle that they failed to load shells along with propellant. Some possible things are too improbable for fiction, as Aristotle already pointed out.)

A main character is the human galaxy’s most dangerous librarian.

The Malazan series comes to mind - but they’re not exactly sequential so not sure if that’ll bother you.

Ian wrote: "David Drake’s RCN (Republic of Cinnabar Navy) series is tightly plotted (although some very minor inconsistencies have crept in between books). Drake bases some improbable-looking plot elements on ..."

Did he put someone firing a torpedo at the ship the President is on?

Stephen wrote: "Try some more recent Alastair Reynolds."

Does he use less words these days? Will do, thanks!

Ian wrote: "David Drake’s RCN (Republic of Cinnabar Navy) series is tightly plotted (although some very minor inconsistencies have crept in between books). Drake bases some improbable-looking plot elements on ..."

Sounds fun, I'll give it a go

Becky wrote: ...

Thanks for the detailed reply, I think I'll start with the Martian.

Yuri wrote: "Stephen wrote: "Try some more recent Alastair Reynolds."

Does he use less words these days? Will do, thanks!"

Looking at page counts, later books aren’t necessarily much shorter and some are longer. My answer was a quick one based on my recollection that Revelation Space, while a fascinating read, did feel to me like a bit of a slog in places, much more so than later Reynolds books that I’ve read. He has also written at other lengths, e.g, separately published novellas and shorter novels. I’ve read about a dozen of his books and enjoyed most of them quite a bit. Last year’s Eversion is relatively short and has an unusual narrative approach, if a tricky plot is of interest. Though less “epic” in scope.

Becky wrote:


The Windup Girl
Oryx and Crake


I'm into CliFi these days and really enjoyed Paolo Bacigalupi's works. The Oryx and Crake (MaddAddam) series was fabulous too, IMHO. Margaret Atwood slayed it.

Given your preferences, I'll toss in Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy, though it's definitely not a quick or light read and it ends on more of a bittersweet note.