By Gene Wolfe ,
Here are 35 books that The Wizard Knight fans have personally recommended if you like The Wizard Knight. Book DNA is a community of 13,000+ authors and super readers sharing their favorite books with the world.
While this is a stand alone contemporary spy novel, it plays with the past catching up and haunting us, and it provides us with visions and glimpses of characters we now know to be other people in other times.
By Mick Herron ,
7 authors picked The Secret Hours as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Mother of Trees is the first book in an epic fantasy series about a dying goddess, a broken world, and a young elf born without magic in a society ruled by it.
When the ancient being that anchors the worldâs power begins to fail, the consequences ripple outwardâthrough prophecy, politics,âŚ
Rakesfall is one of the most original and interesting works of SFF I have read. It pushes the boundaries of the genre in surprising and experimental ways. Its themes are revealed as much through narrative structure as through character and plot, which made for a unique and engaging reading experience.
By Vajra Chandrasekera ,
1 author picked Rakesfall as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Some stories take more than one lifetime to tell. There are wrongs that echo through the ages, friendships that outpace the claws of death, loves that leave their mark on civilization, and promises that nothing can break. This is one such story.
Annelid and Leveret met as children in the middle of the Sri Lankan civil war. They found each other in a torn-up nation, peering through propaganda to grasp a deeper truth. And in a demon-haunted wood, another act of violence linked them and propelled their souls on a journey throughout the ages. No world can hold them,âŚ
By Gene Wolfe , #1 of New Sun series
As a nonfiction author, Iâve always been mystified by fictional character development. What qualities make one character fascinating and another a dud? How do great writers make us fall in love with their creations? If I had one wish as an author, it would be to create one truly beloved character. I particularly like quirky nonconformists who forge their own paths, making mistakes along the way, yet they remain sympathetic. When I finish reading the story, I miss their company. My five recommended books include some of my favorite characters in modern literature.
This book drew me in from the first sentence: âIt is possible I already had some presentiment of my future.â I was amazed that in just eleven words, Wolfe conjured three time periods (the present moment, the future, and a later future while looking back).
The incredible adventures of the narrator, Severian, span five books, and Iâve read them all several times. Shadow is also one of the most challenging science fiction books Iâve read because the author leaves mysteries behind for me to figure out myself.
By Gene Wolfe ,
5 authors picked Shadow & Claw as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
âA major work of twentieth-century American literature...Wolfe creates a truly alien social order that the reader comes to experience from within...once into it, there is no stopping.â ÂâThe New York Times on The Book of the New Sun
Gene Wolfe has been called "the finest writer the science fiction world has yet produced" by the Washington Post.
THE BOOK OF THE NEW SUN is unanimously acclaimed as Wolfeâs most remarkable work, hailed as âa masterpiece of science fantasy comparable in importance to the major works of Tolkien and Lewisâ by Publishers Weekly and âone of the most ambitious works ofâŚ
Olivia Thrift, a.k.a. the superheroine Captain Fantastic, is excited to be meeting fellow Canadian superheroines for the first time. However, when their gathering is violently interrupted, it quickly becomes a savage fight against evil.
And, when Olivia suddenly loses her powers, will she be able to set things right whenâŚ
By Frank Herbert , #1 of Dune series
I re-read the first six books of Frank Herbertâs Dune series this year. I only last read them forty years ago as a teenager. I remember much from the movies and the various mini-series, but had forgotten how these six books are epic masterpieces in and of themselves. They present a much richer and more detailed universe than I ever remembered, or was able to absorb back in my teen years. Herbertâs epic is a philosophical treatise on the nature of political power and a speculative treatise on the nature of humanityâs future. (The first six books are: Dune (1965), Dune Messiah (1969), Children of Dune (1976), God Emperor of Dune (1981), Heretics of Dune (1984) and Chapterhouse: Dune (1985))
By Frank Herbert ,
80 authors picked Dune as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
Before The Matrix, before Star Wars, before Ender's Game and Neuromancer, there was Dune: winner of the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards, and widely considered one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written.
Melange, or 'spice', is the most valuable - and rarest - element in the universe; a drug that does everything from increasing a person's lifespan to making interstellar travel possible. And it can only be found on a single planet: the inhospitable desert world of Arrakis.
Whoever controls Arrakis controls the spice. And whoever controls the spice controls the universe.
When the Emperor transfers stewardship ofâŚ
Science fiction is rightly famous for experimenting with new and strange social worlds, but fantasy tends to fall back on the usual feudal tropes: the whims of kings, the valor of knights, the always-temporary powerlessness of farm boys, the technicalities of succession. Which is a shame, because fantasy provides just as much opportunity to reimagine what society could look like. Thatâs what I try to do in my books, and at my job, where Iâm working to bring 21st-century data literacy and quantitative reasoning to a state government stuck resolutely in the â90s. When I think of books that have done what Iâm trying to do, these five are at the front of my mind.
The action in this book begins when Severian, an apprentice in the Torturersâ Guild, gives a convict a weapon to kill herself rather than be tortured.
The reason thereâs a Torturersâ Guild is, allegedly, that it beats prison: Better to deliver a punishment and then let the punished person return to their life, the thinking goes, than confine them to a useless existence as a ward of the state. Severian is expelled from the Guild, but not from the profession, and wanders the world plying his trade, at least until the plot canât spare him.
Itâs a constant dissonance, looking through the eyes of a character whose training and purpose is the infliction of pain, who seems so decent and forthright in the story he narrates. (But donât be fooled.)
By Gene Wolfe , Don Maitz (illustrator) ,
3 authors picked The Shadow of the Torturer as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
In a thoroughly decadent world of the future, Severian the torturer is cast out from the torturer's guild when he falls in love with one of his victims and allows her to die
A slow, meticulous, ordered and incredibly enjoyable read. I loved all the characters, including the Metropol hotel itself. Count Alexander Rostov, destined to spend the rest of his life in the hotel, handles his situation with grace, style and some fun. The book is cleverly written with wit and detailed description. There is a hilariously perfect description of a dog and cat encounter, and an episode of juggling oranges and knives that had me chuckling, to name a few. The Count's relationship with the hotel staff, patrons, and long-term residents is well depicted. There are many heartwarming moments. I also loved how Russia's history is woven into the story.
By Amor Towles ,
49 authors picked A Gentleman in Moscow as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
The mega-bestseller with more than 2 million readers, soon to be a major television series
From the #1 New York Times-bestselling author of The Lincoln Highway and Rules of Civility, a beautifully transporting novel about a man who is ordered to spend the rest of his life inside a luxury hotel
In 1922, Count Alexander Rostov is deemed an unrepentant aristocrat by a Bolshevik tribunal, and is sentenced to house arrest in the Metropol, a grand hotel across the street from the Kremlin. Rostov, an indomitable man of erudition and wit, has never worked a day in his life, andâŚ
The Cave of Past and Present is an archaeological descent into a living labyrinthâpart ruin, part machine, part prophecy.
When Moria Chione follows a vanished colleague into the empireâs wild fringes, she uncovers a sentient subterranean archive that reshapes itself around intruders and rewrites their memories as easily as stone.âŚ
By Terry Pratchett , Neil Gaiman ,
I have always been fascinated with various myths, folklore, legends, and history. And Iâve always liked sharp humor and witty punchlines. Considering I have read all the Slavic fairy tales and historical books, I thought that presenting the rich and extensive history of that region through the eyes of a baker is the natural thing to do. So I tried to retell the rich folklore of the Slavic realm as an absurd baking journey through magic, empire-building, and baking the perfect loaf. It does add spice and flavor to the otherwise violent history of the region. Folklore and history should be fun and entertaining to read, not dry and academically challenging.
Last but not least, this book is a fantastic and entertaining read.
It may be classified as fantasy, but it's full of history from biblical times to contemporary England, so Iâm putting this book in the âhilarious historyâ section.
The idea of an angel and demon working together is as absurd as it gets; the humor is sharp and sarcastic; and the book is full of quirky takes and punchlines on history and folklore.Â
By Terry Pratchett , Neil Gaiman ,
21 authors picked Good Omens as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
THE BOOK BEHIND THE AMAZON PRIME/BBC SERIES STARRING DAVID TENNANT, MICHAEL SHEEN, JON HAMM AND BENEDICT CUMBERBATCH
'Ridiculously inventive and gloriously funny' Guardian
What if, for once, the predictions are right, and the Apocalypse really is due to arrive next Saturday, just after tea?
It's a predicament that Aziraphale, a somewhat fussy angel, and Crowley, a fast-living demon, now find themselves in. They've been living amongst Earth's mortals since The Beginning and, truth be told, have grown rather fond of the lifestyle and, in all honesty, are not actually looking forward to the coming Apocalypse.
And then there's the smallâŚ
By Eoin Colfer , #1 of Artemis Fowl series
Science fantasy uniquely combines elements of science fiction (advanced technology, futuristic settings) with those of fantasy (magic, mythological creatures, and supernatural elements). This fusion creates rich and versatile storytelling that often comes with a deep sense of mystery beyond what science fiction or fantasy achieves on their own.
This blend also requires greater âbuy-inâ from the reader to believe in the world weâre being presented. As readers, we often accept dwarves in fantasy with little to no explanation. We do the same with spaceships in science fiction. But dwarves in spaceships require truly creative storytelling to achieve a much higher buy-in threshold. The author who can pull this off has my attention.
The only Young Adult book on this list but firmly deserving of its place, this book is the perfect example of how to successfully blend science fiction and fantasy.Â
Colfer takes a traditional fantasy fairy society and gives them advanced weaponry, surveillance gadgets, and time-stopping devices. It works incredibly well, and through convincing world-building I was immediately bought into the idea of fantasy creatures with sci-fi technology.Â
A standout feature of the novel is the characters, whose backstories, motivations, and behaviours all help to build this science fantasy world. We get an elf âLEPReconâ officer with access to bionic wings, a centaur who heads the technology department of the âLower Elements Police,â and a dwarven thief who sells stolen human property on the black market. They were all enormously fun to read.
By Eoin Colfer ,
7 authors picked Artemis Fowl as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it. This book is for kids age 10, 11, 12, and 13.
Now an original movie on Disney+!
Twelve-year-old criminal mastermind Artemis Fowl has discovered a world below ground of armed and dangerous--and extremely high-tech--fairies. He kidnaps one of them, Holly Short, and holds her for ransom in an effort to restore his family's fortune. But he may have underestimated the fairies' powers. Is he about to trigger a cross-species war?
Disney's âArtemis Fowlâ is directed by Kenneth Branagh and stars Ferdia Shaw, Lara McDonnell, Tamara Smart, Nonzo Anozie, with Josh Gad, and Judi Dench.
Iâve always loved the darker side of fantasy. While heroes, knights, and handsome kings can occasionally be enjoyable, I want to know the other characters who have suffered, hurt, lost, grieved, and been hardened by grim circumstances and cruel fate. Those characters demonstrate the resilience of human nature and how goodness truly can exist even in the harshest environment. I love using this darkness in my own novels to show that even the tiniest spark can shine immensely brightâa true testament to the indefatigability of our spirits. Â
I love the cunning, wit, and charm of the one-and-only Vlad Taltos. Though heâs an assassin, heâs never cruel or wicked; he merely does what he needs to appease the âmafia-feelingâ organization he works for. Heâs almost more a swashbuckling rogue than a killer.
In his interactions with his familiar, Loiosh, you see his more nuanced side, the morality beneath the magic and swordplay. And few fantasy worlds Iâve ever visited have been as rich and colorful as those created in the Vlad Taltos series.Â
By Steven Brust ,
5 authors picked The Book of Jhereg as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
The first three fantastical adventures of assassin Vlad Taltosânow in one volume.
A welcome addition to any fantasy fan's library, The Book of Jhereg follows the antics of the wise-cracking Vlad Taltos and his dragon-like companion through their first three adventuresâJhereg, Yendi, and Teckla.
There are many ways for a young man with quick wits and a quick sword to advance in the world. Vlad Taltos chose the route of assassin. From his rookie days to his selfless feats of heroism, the dauntless Vlad will hold readers spellboundâand The Book of Jhereg will take its place among the classic compilationsâŚ
Two young lovers are called on to save the world.
Tom and Katie have drunk a love potion and were devoted to one another when Tom embarked on the voyage that would make his fortune. But then Deirdre, Queen of the Witches, struck a blow meant to destroy the civilizationâŚ
A wonderfully imaginative novel of a distopian future. In a world brought too collapse by a rampant capitalist biotech the characters make their way across a blighted landscape. Sounds grim indeed, but there is humor as well as pathos and the beautifully crafted writing lifts you up into the swirl of events where past and present intersect and loop back again. The first in the 3 volume MaddAddam Trilogy that I never wanted to end.
By Margaret Atwood ,
14 authors picked Oryx and Crake as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.
By the author of THE HANDMAID'S TALE and ALIAS GRACE
*
Pigs might not fly but they are strangely altered. So, for that matter, are wolves and racoons. A man, once named Jimmy, lives in a tree, wrapped in old bedsheets, now calls himself Snowman. The voice of Oryx, the woman he loved, teasingly haunts him. And the green-eyed Children of Crake are, for some reason, his responsibility.
*
Praise for Oryx and Crake:
'In Jimmy, Atwood has created a great character: a tragic-comic artist of the future, part buffoon, part Orpheus. An adman who's a sad man; a jealousâŚ
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