Which science fantasy novels would you recommend?

[leon]

When I was a young lad, my grandfather used to tell me fairy tales of silver knights riding dragons and carrying laser pistols pitting against evil wizards who had some destructive death ray device on their castles and things like that. It was a peculiar melange of fantasy and science fiction. Now, I don't know if he had read any such stories or he simply made them up but I sure was enthralled.

So now, nostalgia kicking in I guess, I'm interested in reading tales where science and magic collide. Obviously Blackmoor played a role in my preference for such stories as well. I'll read Edgar Rice Burroughs' Barsoom series of course, but what else would you recommend?

[Falconer]

Not quite what you’re talking about (it sounds like comic books more than anything I know of, but my experience in the genre is limited), but the Leigh Brackett collection Sea-Kings of Mars is pretty good—I liked the Mars stories but didn’t care as much for the Venus stories, and eventually you begin to see the plot of each story is kind of similar, but overall very imaginative stuff.

[makofan]

Zelazny does a lot of mixing

[terje]

Jack Vance's Dying Earth stories certainly fits the bill and the Warlord comic from DC combines sword n sorcery with weird science (in the hollow earth!).

I second Leigh Bracket's sword n planet stories, many of them have a very 'fantasy-ish' feel even though its technically SF.

[leon]

Leigh Bracket is most definitely in my reading list, right after Burroughs' Mars series. So's Zelazny, I gather you mean the Amber series, makofan. And Warlord sounds like good fun so I'll grab it. I can't believe I haven't read that before.

[terje]

I think Marion Zimmer Bradley's Darkover stories are kind of science fantasy as well, though I havent read them so I could be wrong.

[makofan]

Zelazny's Amber, Jack of Shadows, Lord of Light

[tavis]

I'm really enjoying Lin Carter's _Warrior of World's End_ and will seek out the other books in the World's End series, despite previously not having been impressed by Carter's writing. It's a pleasingly baroque & phantasmagorical tale, very akin to Vance's Dying Earth tales plus a fondness for bronze ornithopters that recalls Moorcock's Hawkmoon.

[stonetoflesh]

Oct 12, 2010 8:30:56 GMT -6 tavis said:

I'm really enjoying Lin Carter's _Warrior of World's End_ and will seek out the other books in the World's End series, despite previously not having been impressed by Carter's writing. It's a pleasingly baroque & phantasmagorical tale, very akin to Vance's Dying Earth tales plus a fondness for bronze ornithopters that recalls Moorcock's Hawkmoon.

I read the first two World's End books, they were pretty fun. Hawkmoon is another science-fantasy not to be overlooked...

I'll add to the suggestion list M. John Harrison's Viriconium stories, especially The Pastel City and A Storm of Wings.

[Deleted]

Definitely Alan Burt Akers, Dray Prescot Series: www.fantasticfiction.co.uk/a/alan-burt-akers/

[vladtolenkov]

Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun is the high water mark of the genre as far as I'm concerned. The four books have been republished in two volumes as Shadow & Claw and Sword & Citadel.

I'll also third the recommendation for Hawkmoon. Tor is in the process of republishing the Hawkmoon books with great illustrations.

Actually, I'll say that you can't go far wrong with ANY of the books that have been mentioned so far. I've got the first seven Dray Prescot books waiting to be read. . .

[kesher]

I'll second just about everything on the list, with an especial "HECK yeah!" given out for M. John Harrison's Viriconium stuff.

[bert]

What about MAR Barkers Flamesong and Man of Gold?

[terje]

I enjoyed reading Barkers novels. He's an ok author, and a master fantasy world creator. The Tekumel source books are fascinating to read, but the novels really make the world come alive. I recommend all five novels.