So I've just finished the releasted portion of Red Rising and have been on the hunt for my next series. I tend to enjoy long series and haven't read a single release book in a long time. I'm open to sci-fi, dystopian, fantasy/dark fantasy, or even something entirely different. It must hit emotionally and tell a great story. And I prefer if the books in the series are related, not different plots that happen to be in the same world.
Here's some of my favorites and why they worked for me:
- Red Rising – fast paced, emotionally intense, never bleak. Good character evolution, clear stakes.
- Old Man's War – Clear motivations, diverse PoVs, easy to read but still brought the classic-sci-fi vibe.
- Gentleman Bastards – Loved how clever it was, the witty dialogue, the humor, evolving friendships, the mystery/heist field spiced with just enough magic in the right spots.
- Hyperion Cantos – My new favorite. Massive scope, emotional weight, smart structure.
- Dark Tower – Former favorite, great adventure, deep and unique world
- Muderbot Diaries – Who doesn't love a little snark, it had good heart and introspection without losing the core sci-fi feel.
- Silo Trilogy – Great dystopian mystery. The characters had decent depth, the world building was tight and well thought out.
Here's what I'm looking for:
- Emotional weight but still grounded – tension, loss, growth, etc but not endless despair if the juice isn't worth the squeeze.
- Deep world-building – It has to feel purposeful and immersive, not overly complex for the sake of it.
- Clear narrative w/ some momentum – It doesn't have to be light-speed but I like multiple PoVs, nonlinear plots, and a decent pace to things.
Not everything has to be sci-fi, political, militaristic, etc. I just want something that's going to pull me in and not let go for a while and right now, StoryGraph and GoodReads are failing me.
Help a guy out!
by diydorkster
3 Comments
The number of times I’ve heard “if you liked *Dune* you should try *Hyperion*,” is now too many to remember.
So to you I say the reverse order! If you liked *Hyperion* that much, perhaps give *Dune* a shot.
The Black Sun trilogy.
The Sun Eater series by Christopher Ruocchio is incredible in all these categories. Very fun read with intense depth and world building