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My favourite sci fi, fiction and fantasy books

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What I have on my Fiction Bookshelf

I read a lot. I read many authors, and many books. I enjoy mostly fiction, but I also read a lot of texts on computing and technology. For this page I will focus on the non-technical books, though not strictly fiction.

This is a collection of some of the great science fiction and fantasy writers, why I read them and how their work has sometimes contributed to far more than just literature.

Perhaps an overview of my reading habits will give you an insight into who I am, or perhaps it will just inspire you to pick up and read a book. Either way, reading a book is my favourite habit.

Iain M Banks

Inversions (Culture)

by: Iain M. Banks

Amazon Price: $14.81 (as of 02/14/2012)

Iain Banks writes with two personas. The "M" is used when he is writing SciFi.

Both his styles, sci fi and contemporary fiction are inspiring to read. It can be dark, on a grand scale, somewhat satirical as well.

The stories are often somewhat pessimistic, but yet compelling. I have yet to regret reading any of Banks work.

Among my favourites are "The Wasp Factory", "Against a Dark Background", "Whit" and "The Bridge".

Read Iain Banks

This is the less Sci Fi and more contemporary side of fiction.

Or Read Iain M. Banks

This is his more Sci-Fi moniker. I like how his work can be distinguished by the use of a single initial, although it is all worth reading.

When do I find time to read so much?

It is easy to find time to read when ones day includes a longish commute. I travel around 45 minutes each way on the tube, with a bus ride when coming home. By using public transport, and knowing where/when to get seats, I am able to sit down and read mostly uninterrupted.

In the evening, I obviously like to spend time with my wife, but as we rarely watch any TV, I also find time to read. Reading in the evening is a good way for me to relax. I make time for reading, because it is a worthwhile activity to me.

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Terry Pratchett & The Discworld

Amazon Price: $10.61 (as of 02/14/2012)

When I am in a lighter mood or in need of one, I love to read Terry Pratchett. I have mostly read the Discworld series, although I have read some of his other novels.

I love the ridiculousness and comedy of it, yet it is still in places a satirical reflection on real life. The Science of The Discworld series is a fantastic way to engage popular science and I own the whole set.

Some Pratchett books are very difficult to put down. I am a bigger fan of the Wizards of the Unseen University like Rincewind and Chancellor Ridcully or the antics of The Watch than the witches of Lancre. But of all the characters in the Discworld, perhaps Death is ironically the most colourful.

Any book where an Orangutan is a librarian is a winner too.

Top Discworld books

More Discworld goodies

Give someone else the opportunity to read

I talk about how much I love to read. You are reading this too. How about giving someone who needs it most the opportunity to read?
Room to Read is an organisation that is non governmental and independent of denominations. Its purpose is to provide school rooms and reading spaces to those who may otherwise not have this simple pleasure.

Room to Read partner with local communities throughout the developing world to provide quality educational opportunities by establishing libraries, creating local language children's literature, constructing schools, providing education to girls and estab

Douglas Adams

Douglas Adams is known for the Dirk Gently series, and more famously, The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy.

The h2g2 series (as it is commonly known among fans) has entertained and influenced me hugely in my life. Its comic and stark irony, its jaunty viewpoint have been with me for a long time, pretty much since my childhood since I heard the BBC Radio version and saw the TV version.

Read Douglas Adams

Buy Hitch Hikers Guide Gear

The Hitch Hikers Guide To The Galaxy was perhaps the greatest, but it was not the only hitch hikers guide...

Jules Verne

If you've not read Jules Verne, you've missed one of the great sci-fi authors of all time.
20,000 Leagues under the Sea is one of the greatest books ever written, along with Journey to the Centre of the Earth.

Isaac Asimov

Those who know me will know I am very interested in robots. No author has influenced the idea of robotics more than Isaac Asimov. In fact, the interesting thing to note is that it is Isaac Asimov that first conjugated the word robot into "Robotics".

His three laws of robotics have shaped the idea of robots, and he studied both robot as menace and robot as friend concepts. He investigated what would happen when robots became sophisticated enough to request rights, for example the Bicentennial man. He showed how simple semantic concepts like the three laws still have enough play for intriguing and amusing stories like "Runaround" and "Reason".

Read Asimov

If you want to pick up and read Asimov, here are a few ideas.

Collectable Asimov

On eBay, you may be able to find first edition and signed copies of Asimov's books. I own a collection of early or first edition Asimov hardbacks which I will not part with.

Arthur C Clarke

I am sure there are some who are exclaiming that I left it this long before getting to him.
Arthur C Clarke has given massively to science fiction, and indirectly or directly to science.

Arthur C Clarke was responsible for the concept of geostationary orbital satellites. Considering how much those are now used, this is a massive contribution.

The Space Odyssey series is amazing. I have read it more than one time and will probably read it again. There are a number of other novels and short stories I have read by Clarke.

Read Arthur C Clarke

J R R Tolkien

Lord of the Rings (Gandalf w/ Hobbits) Art Poster Print - 24x36 Poster Print by J. Cauty, 24x36

Amazon Price: $1.00 (as of 02/14/2012)

The Lord Of The Rings is perhaps one of the most well known fantasy epics of all time, establishing well the ideas of Orcs, Elves, Wizards, Halflings (the same as Hobbits) and a manner of other creatures.

It is a bit of an undertaking to read all of it, yet it is also very rewarding to get through. The scale of this is breathtaking. Although the films show some of this, there is a great deal more to the books that the films did not capture.

I have also read The Hobbit, and intend one day to read The Silmarillion. As a child, I read The Father Christmas letters.

Read some Tolkien

If you have only ever seen the movies, I highly recommend taking the time to read the books. It will take time, but there is far more to thr books than the movies could capture.

Robin Hobb

This is a deeply touching and somewhat pessimistic fantasy writer. The work is very imaginative - I love the idea of The Whit and The Skill.

Colourful, dark and gritty.

Try Reading Robin Hobb

Comics and Graphic Novels

As a youngster and even a teenager I used to really enjoy reading comics and graphic novels.
My favourites were:

2000AD - Judge Dredd, Strontium Dog and ABC Warriors were among some of my favourite characters in the SciFi scene.

Aliens - There was a comic version of this for a while.

Batman - I only ever had a few, but I would read them when they were handed to me.

Eagle - When I was younger I used to read Eagle and Dan Dare. It was great to see these characters revived at the science museum in London.

Danny Sci Fi Blog

What have I been reading or watching now?

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Who are your favourite fiction authors?

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Tiggered Jan 4, 2012 @ 5:05 pm | delete

One day I'll conduct a survey for Pratchett lovers to prove there is a connection between reader's gender and favourite characters - my man is just like you and I think the witches are the best :)
Highly recommendable selection.

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anansigirls May 30, 2011 @ 4:13 pm | delete

Where's Neil Gaiman on your list? You can not possibly like all these fab authors and not like Neil Gaiman?

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dannystaple May 30, 2011 @ 5:09 pm | delete

I have read a little Neil Gaiman - I'll probably get onto more of him later too.. Going through Robert Heinlein right now.

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SofiaMann Dec 28, 2010 @ 7:25 pm | delete

There are several books here that I like to read. Thanks for the recommendations.

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MoonandMagic Dec 28, 2010 @ 6:15 pm | delete

nice lens Danny, my favourite is Robin Hobb, I don't think she's pessimistic she just has a talent for making you really feel for her characters because their emotions are in some ways very real.
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About Me

Meeting another DIscworld Fan

23/04/10 2:15 pm

I've long been a fan of Terry Pratchett and his Discworld books. Today on the tube (London Underground) I spotted another chap reading "Thief Of Time" - A book I've also enjoyed (which I can say for most Discworld).

I was just preparing to leave the train at the next station and as I offered the guy my seat I remarked that it was a good book, we chatted a little on Discworld and he mentioned that there is a meet up of Discworld fans in London. I am yet to verify the details, but he suggested that on the first Monday of every month, The Broken Drum club (named after a notorious Ankh Morpork bar) meet up in the Monkey Puzzle bar near Edgeware Road tube station. Pretty random, but pretty cool.

I'm now reading with a kindle!

09/10/10 2:42 pm

I bought myself a treat this week, an Amazon Kindle 3G. It's become my favourite way to read really quickly, and I've added notes on my experience of it to this lens!

I am Legend, Thomas Matteson

28/12/10 9:51 pm

I Am Legend, the Book, would have been just another mediocre (okay perhaps not mediocre) vampire survival horror WITHOUT the genius twist at the end. I just watched (at last) the Will Smith version, and it totally, and utterly IMHO missed that point. There was no hint at the humanity, the fear and loathing of the infected. The infected were simply a monster to survive. My advice - if you've read the book, don't watch the film. If you've only seen the film - it borrows from bits of the book, but it is a different tale completely. I would be disappointed had I not been warned off it before...

The joke is, the film used the title, without using the line from the book which made the title in the right context.

Robert Heinlein

25/05/11 8:06 pm

If my other casts on my lenses do not give it away, I have started reading a lot of Robert Heinlein at the moment, and I must say I am thoroughly enjoying it. I've just started reading Time Enough For Love. I've also recently read Job and Stranger In A Strange Land.

Other recent reading was the Fairy Tales of Hans Christian Andersen which are actually fairly dark, pessimistic and depressing.

by dannystaple

dannystaple

I have two children - a girl and a baby boy, and we live in West London, Uk. I program computers for my day job. In my spare time I build stuff, grow stuff,... more »

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The Amazon Kindle

Kindle Keyboard 3G, Free 3G + Wi-Fi, 6" E Ink Display

Amazon Price: $189.00 (as of 02/13/2012)

I've recently bought myself a Kindle, and it has changed my reading habits. How? I now have a much easier time reading books on my daily commute with this. It is smaller and lighter than a paperback, let alone heavy hardback books. Its display uses eInk technology, which to me feels like reading real paper - it it not like screen-reading at all and is a much more comfortable experience.

The Kindle also comes with access to the Amazon bookshop, which has many books at very low prices, many less than a pound (or less than a dollar in the states). Theres a reasonably big selection of free books, which has given me a great opportunity to read classics, like Gulliver's Travels. It also means I can expand my books without worrying about where to put them all, as my actual bookshelf is currently rather over-occupied, and I've already had to get rid of two many loved books.

It is not a touch screen device, and comes with simple page turn buttons, doubled on either side - very easy to use. It has a very clear display, the best I've seen, but it is black & white. There is a web browser, based on webkit, very good for reading text intensive websites comfortably. I really do not regret buying this.

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