Originally published in the late 1970s Songmaster is a subtle exploration of relationships, pushing at uncomfortable boundaries and playing with some pretty outré notions. In short, Orson Scott Card is doing the job of any decent SF writer. I read this, Enders Game and Seventh Son in a headlong rush, as part of the (then) new wave of writers (Harlan Ellison, …
100 Top SF & F Books. Conan the Conqueror. Robert E. Howard
Conan: adventurer, mercenary, reaver, butcher of wizards and demons, in this short paperback we meet him late in life, as King of Aquilonia, his rule threatened by dark forces beyond the understanding of humankind. Howard delivers Conan’s trademark taciturnity, a warrior who doesn’t think or emote too much, but acts decisively and lustily. This was my first introduction to the gritty …
Top 100 SF & Fantasy Books. Dune by Frank Herbert.
Dune. Forget the movie and the mini-series, just read the book. It’s an epic sf read of Shakespearean proportions and delves into every crevice of life. Grander than Game of Thrones, more sweeping than Star Wars, as fundamental as a religious text Dune has the power to enthral, and that’s just what it did to me when I was young …
100 Top SF & F Books. Blackmark by Gil Kane.
Blackmark is the creation of masterful artist-storyteller, Gil Kane. It’s a rare beast, and you won’t find it in many top SF and Fantasy lists. However, for me it brings together so many genres (Sword and Sorcery, SF, Wild West), and expresses the mix with great power: in a post apocalyptic world, brought to its knees by the banished forces of science …