Fantasy/sci-fi Author, book, and series recommendations

I decided to recommend some books to anyone who has a hobby of reading anything besides manga or gaming magazines...

Epic Fantasy Authors

Michelle Sagara West
Stephen Erikson
Anne Bishop
Holly Lisle
Jane Lindskold
Stephen Brust

Epic Fantasy Books/series
Malazan Book of the Fallen series, by Stephen Erikson
The Sun Sword Series by Michelle West
The Chronicles of Elantra by Michelle Sagara
The Firekeeper series by Jane Lindskold
The Matrin Novels by Holly Lisle
The Vlad Taltos books by Stephen Brust
The Black Jewels series by Anne Bishop


Urban Fantasy Authors
Jim Butcher
Jennifer Estep
Sergei Lukyanenko
F Paul wilson
CE Murphy

Urban Fantasy series
Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
The Elemental Assassin series by Jennifer Estep
The Night Watch series by Sergei Lukyanenko
The Repairman Jack series by F Paul Wilson
The Urban Shaman series by CE Murphy
The Negotiator series by CE Murphy

Sci-fi Authors
CJ Cherryh

Sci-fi series
The Foreigner series by CJ Cherryh


Special recommendations: I in particular recommend anything by CJ Cherryh and the Malazan Book of the Fallen, for those who want food for thought. Cherryh's gift for creating stories of interaction between races and her thoughts on the formation of language and the effect sentient beings have on it and vice-versa are really fascinating. With Stephen Erikson's Malazan Book of the Fallen, you have a series that shows all the best and worst of what people are capable of, inspiring you and throwing you down in the mud at various points, while reminding you constantly that the characters are in the end, flawed beings, no matter how powerful they might happen to be. Think of Glen Cook's dark military fantasy born from the tales of Vietnam vets combined with Eddings-style humor (at times) and Martin's tendency toward creating a world that is utterly merciless to even the most important characters in the story and you'll have a shadow of an idea of the complexity in those books...

Review: Coμ - Kuroi Ryuu to Yasashii Oukoku

Synopsis: This story centers around Mizuwa Akihito and his Comyu, a group of five people, a chibi-gangster, a wannabe defender of justice, a perverted maid, and a loli otaku. Together, they control the black dragon Babylon and are thrown into the confused situation of Takakura city's supernatural underground, where young people of all types have been given control of similar monsters by the mysterious Shoujo A but are given no accompanying purpose or direction for the use of the power they have been given. Further, the discovery that the destruction of an Avatar results in the deaths of all those connected to it, regardless of whether they are present when it is summoned or not, forces the rather rag-tag group into a closer association than would have been possible otherwise. Add to this Akihito's acid-tongued childhood friend, the 'black witch' Hinaori Kagome, and you have a recipe for a truly fascinating story.

Plot 10/10: The setting of this story is really well-done, and the themes, such as what happens when someone is given immense power without any purpose to use it or the maturity to not use it, are fascinating in and of itself. In addition, the psychology of the protagonist, Akihito, and his personal philosophy add even more flavor to an already interesting plot with powerful characters that leave a strong impression upon the player/reader. Kagome's and Hisoka's paths in particular leave a strong impression, with Kagome's being the climax of the entire game. The pacing for each of the paths is very well-done, with the plot-twists and developments feeling quite natural and the final (Kagome's) ending leaving the player with a definite sense of satisfaction.

Visual 9/10: As can be seen in the picture above, the character designs and cgs in this game are striking. The expressions for the character models also vary in a pleasant way from the generic types that usually end up pasted on character faces... in particular Kagome's sneer and Benio's deredere face are well-worth remembering. In addition, the designs of the avatars, especially ones like Babylon, Sting, and El-Elaila are quite detailed works of art.

Sound 9/10: The music in this game... to say that it is easy on the ears is an understatement. Shoujo A's/Sting's theme in particular stands out as reminding me heavily of Lilium from Elfen Lied for the choral refrain and the general atmosphere. The character voices are each well-suited to their characters, with Itsuki and Kagome standing out from the crowd to burn themselves into the player's memory.

Overall 9.5/10: Easily one of the best VNs I've ever played and a personal favorite, it holds true to the best of Akatsuki Works games, with an underlying philosophy of moral relativism and a rather harsh, cynical outlook on the world in general. With the addition of its rather brutally blunt portrayal of the extremes of human nature when it comes to the use of power beyond an individual's capacity added in, I don't think I'll ever forget just how much of an impact this had on me. The visual and audio aspects of the game serve to enhance the story greatly, living up the quality I've come to expect from this company, and I really am glad I went back and played this a second time.