this post was submitted on 27 Dec 2023

121 points (97.6% liked)

Books

12291 readers

2 users here now

Book reader community.

founded 5 years ago

MODERATORS

gary_host_laptop@lemmy.ml

wraptile@lemmy.ml

121

Looking for something new to read after The Expanse (lemmy.world)

submitted 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago) by qualifier982@lemmy.world to c/books@lemmy.ml

114 comments fedilink hide all child comments

Any fiction suggestions for a somewhat picky reader? The Expanse lasted me a long while but I'm finishing up the novellas now and need to start looking for something new. Not necessarily in the same genre.

I don't have a lot of books under my belt as an adult, but some of my favorites have been Stoner by John Williams, Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts, East of Eden, Catch 22, Flowers for Algernon, and Harry Potter. Kind of all over the place I guess. 😅

I've also enjoyed John Williams' other novels, Piranesi, The Things They Carried, House of Leaves, and Ender's Game and the sequel.

Some books I didn't really care for include Hitchhiker's Guide (although I loved the first half), Lolita, Sharp Objects, Turtles All the Way Down, The Stand, The Road, 1984, and Fahrenheit 451.

I'm always overwhelmed trying to find something new, so thanks for any suggestions!

EDIT: Thank you all! It'll be a bit daunting exploring all these new books but not nearly as daunting as if I had no guidance, so I really appreciate it!

(page 2) 50 comments

sorted by: hot top controversial new old

[–] Mr_Blott@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

The best book I've ever read is The One Hundred Year Old Man Who Climbed Out Of A Window And Disappeared

[–] hungover_pilot@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

Mix old school yakuza family drama with a hint of mystical powers that grant the characters certain physical/mental enhancements and you get The Green Bone Saga Trilogy. Very good series I couldn't put down.

[–] code@lemmy.zip 3 points 2 years ago

Look at expeditionary force series. Pretty fun series.

[–] walter_wiggles@lemmy.nz 3 points 2 years ago

Deepgate Codex by Alan Campbell.

It's 3 books: Scar Night, Iron Angel, and God of Clocks.

[–] Grumpydaddy@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

The Traitor Baru Cormorant https://g.co/kgs/WTj68n

[–] flambonkscious@sh.itjust.works 3 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You could finish the rest of the enders game universe, it's a really interesting read

[–] reddig33@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

The author is problematic if that sort of thing bothers you.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] Grumpydaddy@lemmy.world 3 points 2 years ago

The Empress of Salt and Fortune https://g.co/kgs/dFcR5h

[–] Nomad@infosec.pub 2 points 2 years ago

If you enjoyed the mystery part of the expanse I recommend Beacon 23.

[–] w3dd1e@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

You like many of the same books that I like. Try the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown. I just read it recently and now it’s one of my favorites.

load more comments (1 replies)

[–] Chakravanti@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

The Stone and the Flute by Hans Bemmann

One of the most profound set of allegories I've ever read.

[–] a_mac_and_con@kbin.social 2 points 2 years ago (1 children)

Sounds like you have a lot in common with my father's reading tastes. In which case, I will recommend the Thursday Next series by Jasper Fforde.

[–] muse@kbin.social 2 points 2 years ago

Seconded, for the nefarious villain Jack Schitt

[–] tabularasa@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

If you like DnD type stuff, He Who Fights With Monsters is about a dude who wakes up in an alternate universe where magic is real. It's pretty great, and 10 books deep.

[–] RememberTheApollo_@lemmy.world 2 points 2 years ago

Spiral Wars series by Joel Shepherd.

Bit more action-adventure based, but good fun read with good characters and worldbuilding.

[–] ebc@lemmy.ca 2 points 2 years ago

Neal Stephenson has a few good SF books (seveneves comes to mind) and some good alt history (cryptonomicon).

I just finished re-reading the three body problem series and it's still good too.

[–] calculuschild@lemm.ee 2 points 2 years ago

For sci-fi, one I haven't seen mentioned here yet is Red Rising.

Kind of an Enders Game meets Hunger Games in the first book, but quickly expands into a solar-system wide war with lots of intrigue, star-wars-like tech, and amazing characters.

[–] rustydrd@sh.itjust.works 2 points 2 years ago* (last edited 2 years ago)

The Long Way to a Small, Angry Planet by Becky Chambers, if you want another addition to the Sci-Fi theme.

Can also second some books others have mentioned, like Dune (one of my all-time favorites) and Three Body Problem (for a recent one I liked, although it was a bit "rough" in terms of style and storytelling).

load more comments