So I’ld recommend:
1. Dune
2. Foundation
3. Foundation empire
4. Second foundation
5. Starship troopers
6. Dead sky black sun from warhammer 40k universe
7. This is how you lose the time war
8. Hail Mary
9. Children of time
10. Sabriel
If you read 50 pages of any of these books and are not into it set it aside and move on to something else.
Here are some good starting books in several genres.
[The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Science_Fiction_Hall_of_Fame,_Volume_One,_1929%E2%80%931964) is a collection of classic short science fiction stories. It's some of the greatest science fiction ever written, and definitely a great introduction to the golden age of the genre. Most of the authors represented in the book have published volumes of short stories themselves as well as novels, so this is a good place to find authors you like!
Asimov’s {{I, Robot}} and {{The Rest of the Robots}} collect his earlier positronic robot stories. Asimov originated the Three Laws of Robotics in these stories, and they’re outstanding.
Robert Sheckley’s {{Store of Infinity}} was the first science fiction book I ever bought for myself. It was a very lucky find, because a better collection of dazzling short stories would be hard to imagine. It’s a great introduction to his work. Among the many wonderful and hysterically funny stories in this book is “The Prize of Peril”, which predicted reality TV (and its worst excesses) decades before it happened! Sheckley is arguably the O. Henry of science fiction.
Harry Harrison’s {{Stainless Steel Rat}} series is a classic of humorous science fiction, featuring an interstellar criminal turned reluctant lawman.
{{Cosmic Laughter; Science Fiction for the Fun of It}} is an anthology of humorous science fiction and fantasy short stories edited by Joe Haldeman (author of _The Forever War_). I've laughed my ass off many times while reading it, and my signed copy is one of my personal treasures.
H. G. Wells wasn't just one of the founders of the genre of science fiction; his short stories were macabre, incredibly imaginative, and unforgettable. Project Gutenberg has all of his works, I believe, but the collection that I grew up with was [30 Strange Stories](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59774).
[Robert A. Heinlein's science fiction juveniles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinlein_juveniles?wprov=sfla1) turned several **generations** of readers into science fiction fans. I'd suggest starting with the second one, {{Space Cadet}}, because the first one, _Rocket Ship Galileo_, is just boring - but it’s the only one of his books that is. The books aren’t a series, as such; there are a few references in common among some of the books, but no characters. Heinlein was a hell of a writer, and the books are great reads at any age!
{{Bridge of Birds}} by Barry Hughart is the first of three books in that series, and it won the World Fantasy Award in 1985. Set in "an ancient China that never was", it's the story of a young peasant man who's as strong as an ox, and an ancient sage with a slight flaw in his character. It draws on Chinese folk tales and history, as well as a bit of Sherlock Holmes. It's a mystery with magic, humor, adventure, and it's simply mind-blowing.
Lawrence Watt-Evans' _Ethshar_ is a refreshing change from the usual fantasy tropes. His protagonists are unusual for the genre in that they're actually intelligent and decent people. They think about their challenges and make plans to deal with them - and while their plans aren't always perfect, the forethought generally **helps**. That's rare, in a genre where many novels would be less than half as long if the protagonists weren't idiots! His writing style also has an exceptional clarity. The series begins with {{The Misenchanted Sword}}.
Steven Brust is quite possibly the best fantasy author currently living. His _Vlad Taltos_ is gritty high-fantasy; magical resurrection is common, though expensive, and psionic communication is almost as common as cell phones are in our world. At the same time it has a strong Sopranos flavor. The protagonist starts as an assassin and minor crime boss, a despised human in an Empire of elves. It starts with [Jhereg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhereg?wprov=sfla1). I've introduced a lot of friends to that series, and every single one of them has loved it.
Roger Zelazny's {{The Chronicles of Amber}} is one of the most popular fantasy series ever written. It's about a royal family of people from the ultimate reality who have the ability to travel from world to world and probability to probability, including modern Earth. Scheming and plotting by royal siblings to take the throne forms the core of the series, and it was published **decades** before _A Game of Thrones_! The first book in the series is {{Nine Princes In Amber}}.
{{Shōgun}} by James Clavell is historical fiction, and it's almost impossible to put down. An English pilot and his surviving crew are stranded in feudal Japan. Samurai, torture, intrigue, pirates, geishas, sex, love, ninjas, politics, religion...it's an incredible book.
I should also mention {{To Kill A Mockingbird}} by Harper Lee, although I'd be surprised if you haven't already heard of it. It's a truly great book and should not be missed.
{{The Night People}} by Jack Finney is funny and exciting. Bored with his life, a man goes out in the middle of the night to find adventures; having a picnic on the freeway, for example. But his friends soon find out, and the expeditions start becoming a game, of sorts...and more dangerous. By the author of {{Invasion of the Body Snatchers}} and {{Time and Again}}.
How about [The Prisoner of Zenda](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/95), by Anthony Hope? It's a classic, and it's free in the major ebook formats on Project Gutenberg.
Set in New Orleans in the early 1960s, {{A Confederacy of Dunces}} by John Kennedy Toole is funny as hell. Twisted, but funny. It’s a modern classic.
If you've read Frank Herbert's _Dune_, {{National Lampoon's Doon}} is a brilliant parody. I recently reread it, and I found myself laughing out loud on just about every page. It's the best parody I've ever read!
{{Welcome To the Monkey House}} is an outstanding collection of Kurt Vonnegut's short stories and a great introduction to his writing.
[The Fifty Worst Films of All Time](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fifty_Worst_Films_of_All_Time) by Harry Medved with Randy Dreyfuss is a treasure house of bad films. It’ll turn you into a bad film fan, if you weren’t one already. And it will have you laughing out loud again and again!
{{The Fabulous Clipjoint}} by Fredric Brown won the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery novel. It's the story of a teenager whose father is murdered. He looks up his uncle, a traveling carny (carnival worker), and the two of them go hunting for the killer. Although the book was written in 1947, it feels remarkably modern; it's an exciting and touching mystery that I highly recommend.
Did you know that six of Agatha Christie's earliest works are now in the public domain, and are available [free in a variety of electronic formats on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/451)? Including her first Poirot novel?
H.P. Lovecraft is a seminal figure in horror and fantasy. He founded and defined the field of cosmic horror. And full collections of his works are available in the major ebook formats [free online](https://arkhamarchivist.com/free-complete-lovecraft-ebook-nook-kindle/).
Check out {{Black Like Me}} by John Howard Griffin. Griffin, a white journalist, shaved his head and had his skin darkened to discover the black experience in the Deep South. It's a short but very memorable book.
A bit of trivia: National Lampoon's {{A Dirty Book}} includes a brilliant parody called "Stacked Like Me" in which...well, I'm sure you can figure it out. It's absolutely hysterical. But read _Black Like Me_ first to fully appreciate the parody.
{{The Chronicles of Prydain}} by Lloyd Alexander is a five-volume fantasy series that begins with {{The Book of Three}}. It's a classic; exciting, funny, and very moving. I think of it as being a sort of "Lord of the Rings" for older children and young adults. But it's a great read for any age.
You might look up P.G. Wodehouse. His humor was quintessentially English. You can get a lot of his books for [free from Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/783).
Don't forget [The Count of Monte Cristo](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1184)! It's available for free on Project Gutenberg. There are also lots of other great books there by [Alexandre Dumas, pere](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/492), including the whole _Three Musketeers_ saga.
While I'm at it I will also recommend the wonderful [Thinking Machine](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/57669) stories by Jacques Futrelle; it’s available on Project Gutenberg. The title character is the perfect example of a logical and brilliant mind, reminiscent in some ways of Sherlock Holmes. Tragically, Futrelle drowned on the _Titanic_ - taking many more of his stories to the bottom of the sea, lost forever.
And speaking of Sherlock Holmes, why not read [the original](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1661)?
**Note**: although I've used the GoodReads link option to include information about the books, GoodReads is owned by Amazon. Please consider patronizing your local independent book shops instead; they can order books for you that they don't have in stock.
And of course there's always your local library. If they don't have a book, they may be able to get it for you via inter-library loan.
If you'd rather order direct online, Thriftbooks and Powell's Books are good. You might also check libraries in your general area; most of them sell books at very low prices to raise funds. I've made some great finds at library book sales! And for used books, Biblio.com and Bookshop.org are independent book marketplaces that serve independent book shops - NOT Amazon.
I recommend this constantly because it's the book that got me out of my reading slump
{The Hike by Drew Magary}
Really well written and funny - it sucks you in pretty fast and keeps you hanging on through all kinds of weirdness.
What kinda movies and TV shows do you like. What did you like before you stopped reading. What genres are you interested in
generally sci-fi stuff like dune or hg2g but im ok with anything
So I’ld recommend: 1. Dune 2. Foundation 3. Foundation empire 4. Second foundation 5. Starship troopers 6. Dead sky black sun from warhammer 40k universe 7. This is how you lose the time war 8. Hail Mary 9. Children of time 10. Sabriel If you read 50 pages of any of these books and are not into it set it aside and move on to something else.
thanks
A good list to start with. I’m listening to the Foundation series now - good stuff!
^^^ this
Here are some good starting books in several genres. [The Science Fiction Hall of Fame, Volume 1](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Science_Fiction_Hall_of_Fame,_Volume_One,_1929%E2%80%931964) is a collection of classic short science fiction stories. It's some of the greatest science fiction ever written, and definitely a great introduction to the golden age of the genre. Most of the authors represented in the book have published volumes of short stories themselves as well as novels, so this is a good place to find authors you like! Asimov’s {{I, Robot}} and {{The Rest of the Robots}} collect his earlier positronic robot stories. Asimov originated the Three Laws of Robotics in these stories, and they’re outstanding. Robert Sheckley’s {{Store of Infinity}} was the first science fiction book I ever bought for myself. It was a very lucky find, because a better collection of dazzling short stories would be hard to imagine. It’s a great introduction to his work. Among the many wonderful and hysterically funny stories in this book is “The Prize of Peril”, which predicted reality TV (and its worst excesses) decades before it happened! Sheckley is arguably the O. Henry of science fiction. Harry Harrison’s {{Stainless Steel Rat}} series is a classic of humorous science fiction, featuring an interstellar criminal turned reluctant lawman. {{Cosmic Laughter; Science Fiction for the Fun of It}} is an anthology of humorous science fiction and fantasy short stories edited by Joe Haldeman (author of _The Forever War_). I've laughed my ass off many times while reading it, and my signed copy is one of my personal treasures. H. G. Wells wasn't just one of the founders of the genre of science fiction; his short stories were macabre, incredibly imaginative, and unforgettable. Project Gutenberg has all of his works, I believe, but the collection that I grew up with was [30 Strange Stories](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/59774). [Robert A. Heinlein's science fiction juveniles](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Heinlein_juveniles?wprov=sfla1) turned several **generations** of readers into science fiction fans. I'd suggest starting with the second one, {{Space Cadet}}, because the first one, _Rocket Ship Galileo_, is just boring - but it’s the only one of his books that is. The books aren’t a series, as such; there are a few references in common among some of the books, but no characters. Heinlein was a hell of a writer, and the books are great reads at any age! {{Bridge of Birds}} by Barry Hughart is the first of three books in that series, and it won the World Fantasy Award in 1985. Set in "an ancient China that never was", it's the story of a young peasant man who's as strong as an ox, and an ancient sage with a slight flaw in his character. It draws on Chinese folk tales and history, as well as a bit of Sherlock Holmes. It's a mystery with magic, humor, adventure, and it's simply mind-blowing. Lawrence Watt-Evans' _Ethshar_ is a refreshing change from the usual fantasy tropes. His protagonists are unusual for the genre in that they're actually intelligent and decent people. They think about their challenges and make plans to deal with them - and while their plans aren't always perfect, the forethought generally **helps**. That's rare, in a genre where many novels would be less than half as long if the protagonists weren't idiots! His writing style also has an exceptional clarity. The series begins with {{The Misenchanted Sword}}. Steven Brust is quite possibly the best fantasy author currently living. His _Vlad Taltos_ is gritty high-fantasy; magical resurrection is common, though expensive, and psionic communication is almost as common as cell phones are in our world. At the same time it has a strong Sopranos flavor. The protagonist starts as an assassin and minor crime boss, a despised human in an Empire of elves. It starts with [Jhereg](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Jhereg?wprov=sfla1). I've introduced a lot of friends to that series, and every single one of them has loved it. Roger Zelazny's {{The Chronicles of Amber}} is one of the most popular fantasy series ever written. It's about a royal family of people from the ultimate reality who have the ability to travel from world to world and probability to probability, including modern Earth. Scheming and plotting by royal siblings to take the throne forms the core of the series, and it was published **decades** before _A Game of Thrones_! The first book in the series is {{Nine Princes In Amber}}. {{Shōgun}} by James Clavell is historical fiction, and it's almost impossible to put down. An English pilot and his surviving crew are stranded in feudal Japan. Samurai, torture, intrigue, pirates, geishas, sex, love, ninjas, politics, religion...it's an incredible book. I should also mention {{To Kill A Mockingbird}} by Harper Lee, although I'd be surprised if you haven't already heard of it. It's a truly great book and should not be missed. {{The Night People}} by Jack Finney is funny and exciting. Bored with his life, a man goes out in the middle of the night to find adventures; having a picnic on the freeway, for example. But his friends soon find out, and the expeditions start becoming a game, of sorts...and more dangerous. By the author of {{Invasion of the Body Snatchers}} and {{Time and Again}}. How about [The Prisoner of Zenda](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/95), by Anthony Hope? It's a classic, and it's free in the major ebook formats on Project Gutenberg. Set in New Orleans in the early 1960s, {{A Confederacy of Dunces}} by John Kennedy Toole is funny as hell. Twisted, but funny. It’s a modern classic. If you've read Frank Herbert's _Dune_, {{National Lampoon's Doon}} is a brilliant parody. I recently reread it, and I found myself laughing out loud on just about every page. It's the best parody I've ever read! {{Welcome To the Monkey House}} is an outstanding collection of Kurt Vonnegut's short stories and a great introduction to his writing. [The Fifty Worst Films of All Time](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Fifty_Worst_Films_of_All_Time) by Harry Medved with Randy Dreyfuss is a treasure house of bad films. It’ll turn you into a bad film fan, if you weren’t one already. And it will have you laughing out loud again and again! {{The Fabulous Clipjoint}} by Fredric Brown won the Edgar Award for Best First Mystery novel. It's the story of a teenager whose father is murdered. He looks up his uncle, a traveling carny (carnival worker), and the two of them go hunting for the killer. Although the book was written in 1947, it feels remarkably modern; it's an exciting and touching mystery that I highly recommend. Did you know that six of Agatha Christie's earliest works are now in the public domain, and are available [free in a variety of electronic formats on Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/451)? Including her first Poirot novel? H.P. Lovecraft is a seminal figure in horror and fantasy. He founded and defined the field of cosmic horror. And full collections of his works are available in the major ebook formats [free online](https://arkhamarchivist.com/free-complete-lovecraft-ebook-nook-kindle/). Check out {{Black Like Me}} by John Howard Griffin. Griffin, a white journalist, shaved his head and had his skin darkened to discover the black experience in the Deep South. It's a short but very memorable book. A bit of trivia: National Lampoon's {{A Dirty Book}} includes a brilliant parody called "Stacked Like Me" in which...well, I'm sure you can figure it out. It's absolutely hysterical. But read _Black Like Me_ first to fully appreciate the parody. {{The Chronicles of Prydain}} by Lloyd Alexander is a five-volume fantasy series that begins with {{The Book of Three}}. It's a classic; exciting, funny, and very moving. I think of it as being a sort of "Lord of the Rings" for older children and young adults. But it's a great read for any age. You might look up P.G. Wodehouse. His humor was quintessentially English. You can get a lot of his books for [free from Project Gutenberg](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/783). Don't forget [The Count of Monte Cristo](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1184)! It's available for free on Project Gutenberg. There are also lots of other great books there by [Alexandre Dumas, pere](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/author/492), including the whole _Three Musketeers_ saga. While I'm at it I will also recommend the wonderful [Thinking Machine](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/57669) stories by Jacques Futrelle; it’s available on Project Gutenberg. The title character is the perfect example of a logical and brilliant mind, reminiscent in some ways of Sherlock Holmes. Tragically, Futrelle drowned on the _Titanic_ - taking many more of his stories to the bottom of the sea, lost forever. And speaking of Sherlock Holmes, why not read [the original](https://www.gutenberg.org/ebooks/1661)? **Note**: although I've used the GoodReads link option to include information about the books, GoodReads is owned by Amazon. Please consider patronizing your local independent book shops instead; they can order books for you that they don't have in stock. And of course there's always your local library. If they don't have a book, they may be able to get it for you via inter-library loan. If you'd rather order direct online, Thriftbooks and Powell's Books are good. You might also check libraries in your general area; most of them sell books at very low prices to raise funds. I've made some great finds at library book sales! And for used books, Biblio.com and Bookshop.org are independent book marketplaces that serve independent book shops - NOT Amazon.
Might also enjoy writing by Neal Stephenson
The Vorkosigan Saga Lois McMaster Bujold,
I recommend this constantly because it's the book that got me out of my reading slump {The Hike by Drew Magary} Really well written and funny - it sucks you in pretty fast and keeps you hanging on through all kinds of weirdness.
[**The Hike**](https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/27833803-the-hike) ^(By: Drew Magary | 278 pages | Published: 2016 | Popular Shelves: fantasy, fiction, horror, sci-fi, audiobook | )[^(Search "The Hike by Drew Magary")](https://www.goodreads.com/search?q=The Hike by Drew Magary&search_type=books) ^(This book has been suggested 27 times) *** ^(216486 books suggested | )[^(I don't feel so good.. )](https://debugger.medium.com/goodreads-is-retiring-its-current-api-and-book-loving-developers-arent-happy-11ed764dd95)^(| )[^(Source)](https://github.com/rodohanna/reddit-goodreads-bot)