My local book store has had some great finds for me in the past, but mostly I’m digging through a back section of fantasy/sci fi that’s separated by authors. I just got into reading recently and most of these books are like stuff from the 80s so I’m not super familiar. I know of a few standouts that I’ve gotten like terry pratchett, robin hobb, Steven Erickson, Dan Simmons. I’m really lost on anything else and wondering if anyone knows any good old series! I know this is sort of open I’ve seen authors I wonder about like guy gavriel kay, terry brooks, glen cook and tons more but there’s almost too much to pick through.
by wyattsons
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Foundation series by Isaac Asimov (which really starts with Caves of Steel)
Heinlein is another great old school author – his juveniles (less than 200 pages typically) are mostly light and enjoyable, but a couple begin to hit some interesting topics – Moon is a Harsh Mistress; Citizen of the Galaxy; Tunnel in the Sky; Starship Troopers. His adult work (mostly 300+ pages) tends to go deeper into some moral ideas and views.
Greg Bear, Larry Niven some other great older sci-fi names.
Piers Anthony the Bio of a Space Tyrant series, as well as Incarnations of Immortality both read very well for me back in the day.
Glen Cook’s Black Company series is solid if you like darker fantasy.
Terry Brooks wrote a long-running Shannara series, which is like Lord of the Rings but somewhat darker and… well, not as good. The books are kind of hit or miss IMO, but the first one, The Sword of Shannara, is worth the read. If you like it, there’s a lot more. His Landover series, starting with Magic Kingdom For Sale — Sold, is a lighter, more humorous fantasy, along the lines of Pratchett. But not as outright funny.
Guy Gavriel Kay has a lot of independent novels and short series set in worlds inspired by historical settings. If you like his style, you’ll probably like all of his books.
Classic sci-fi though? Look into Robert Heinlein, Philip K. Dick, Ursula K. LeGuin, Larry Niven, Frederick Pohl, Alfred Bester, A.E. van Vogt, Lois McMaster Bujold. And if you’re including stuff from the 80s, you really should read William Gibson’s Neuromancer, the book that popularized the cyberpunk subgenre.
Gordon Dickson the dragon and the George and sequels