Planet Magazine Recommends These Books:
The following books have been tested by PlanetMag Labs for readability. All have been found highly page-turnable. This list, in no particular order, will be extended and updated over time. Feel free to make recommendations by clicking here.
Click on the title to order Glen Cook's The Black Company.
"Adrift in a world torn by sorcery gone wild, the Company is the last remnant of a once-great mercenary army. Led by Croaker, former physician and primary chronicler, they must search the world for the last ray of hope--the White Rose." (Amazon.com) Planet says: An enjoyable sword-and-sorcery epic. Sure, you'll spot the influences of J.R.R. Tolkien and Robert E. Howard, and maybe even Patrick O'Brian, but Cook avoids being derivative like so many other authors and makes it all his own. This book is the first in the inevitable series, which is also fun reading.
Click on the title to order Tim Powers' The Anubis Gates.
"The Anibus Gate is the classic time travel novel that took the fantasy world by storm a decade ago. Only the dazzling imagination of Tim Powers could have created such as adventure." (Amazon.com) Planet says: Fun mix of high-tech, magic, and time travel.
Click on the title to order Wayne Douglas Barlowe's Barlowe's Inferno.
"Through 40 chilling and beautiful color paintings, best-selling science fiction and fantasy artist Wayne Barlowe details an amazing visual journey into the strange, frightening, and bizarre world of hell." (Amazon.com) Planet's Art Director, Romeo Esparrago, says: Beautifully frightening and effective! Being a fan of Mr.Barlowe's fantastic work in the past, especially his 1990 book "Expedition: Being an Account in Words and Artwork of the A.D. 2358 Voyage to Darwin IV", this one is a stunner! He has broken his own mold by departing the worlds of dinosaurs and science fiction and entering the dark realms of terror. His narrative and artwork were so effective that I felt I was there beside him, to the point of being nauseated and frightened by the images he evoked within my psyche. I recommend it highly, although it's best read when all the lights are turned on inside the house. My only wish is that the book was bigger so I could more closely scrutinize the horror!
Click on the title to order Wayne Douglas Barlowe's Expedition: Being an Account in Words and Artwork of the 2358 A.D. Voyage to Darwin IV .
Visit the link for reader reviews. "Synopsis: In 2358 Wayne Douglas Barlowe joined the first manned flight to Darwin IV, a newly discovered world beyond our solar system. Here he provides naturalistic paintings that vividly capture the alien creatures he encountered. Illustrations, full-color paintings, and maps.." (Amazon.com) Planet says: Yummacious eye candy for sci-fi art gourmands.
Click on the title to order Philip Jose Farmer's Image of the Beast.
Visit the link for reader reviews. "Philip Jose Farmer has written one of the most bizarre novels of all time.... Although Image is mind-blowingly explicit, it is much more than an excuse to write sex scenes. It is truly one of Farmer's best novels and deserves a place on your bookshelf." (Factsheet Five) Be warned: This book is explicit, horrific, nasty!
Click on the title to order Frank Herbert's Dune.
Visit the link for reader reviews. This is a classic SF tale of galactic politics, intrigue, and murder, mixed in with some mysticism and a bit of Lawrence of Arabia (you'll see where George Lucas got a lot of his ideas for Star Wars). Personally, I'd stay away from the Dune sequels and movie, as you'll only be disappointed.
Click on the title to order Robert Holdstock's Mythago Wood.
Visit the link for reader reviews. This is a truly great, classic fantasy story that is unfortunately out of print, but Amazon.com will try to obtain it for you. Otherwise, check out your local used-book stores; finding this book is worth the effort.
Click on the title to order Lawrence Watt-Evans' Crosstime Traffic.
This is perhaps the best collection I've ever read of short stories on time travel and alternate universes -- all by the same author. In my opinion, some of the tales are as good as anything written by Ray Bradbury. The book is unfortunately out of print, but Amazon.com will try to obtain it for you.
Click on the title to order Larry Niven's The Legacy of Heorot.
Visit the link for reader reviews. This is a great example of an SF/Horror book.
Click on the title to order Vernor Vinge's Across Realtime.
Visit the link for reader reviews. The publisher is out of stock, but Amazon.com will try to obtain it for you. Synopsis: Previously published in three parts, The Peace War, Marooned in Realtime, and The Ungoverned, this is "a marvelous extrapolative tale, to which no summary can do justice, with a gripping blend of high-tech razzle-dazzle and good old-fashioned murder mystery--all spiced with . . . the time-travel theme".--Kirkus Review.
Click on the title to order Vernor Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep.
Visit the link for reader reviews. Synopsis: "A unique blend of hard science, high drama, and superb storytelling" (Library Journal). "A rescue mission races against time to save a pair of children being held captive by a medieval lupine race, and recover the weapon that will keep the universe from being changed forever" (HC: Tor). Although this book doesn't quite work, it has some great ideas in it and is a good read.
Click on the title to order Walter Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz.
Visit the link for reader reviews. Synopsis: A masterful achievement that ranks with Brave New World and 1984, this mesmerizing tale of the terrible aftermath of nuclear war has captivated generations of readers since its first publication in 1959. "Prodigiously imaginative, richly comic, terrifyingly grim."--Chicago Tribune.
Click on the title to order Greg Bear's Eon.
Visit the link for reader reviews. Synopsis: "When an enormous asteroid enters the Earth's orbit, the remains of a vanished human civilization are discovered within that reveal the asteroid's futuristic origins and predict a catastrophic immient Earth war." (LJ. PW.) This book would be one of my top-five SF rave faves, if I had such a list. The sequel, Eternity, isn't as good. Other books by Greg Bear that I like are The Forge of God (the sequel, Anvil of Stars, is almost as good), Blood Music (creepy SF), and Moving Mars -- collect 'em all!
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