Bitchery reader Anon asks, “Please don’t let the Good Shit section languish in obscurity! It’s been wonderfully helpful. Could I entreat the Bitchery to solicit Sage Advice on the subject of fantasy and sci-fi with interesting relationships between hero and heroine?
Here’s my shelf to get things started:
Lois McMaster Bujold, starting with Cordelia’s Honor and all the way
through the Miles Naismith series, also the Chalion series
Doris Egan, Ivory trilogy
R.A. MacAvoy, The Grey Horse and Book of the Kells
Sharon Miller and Steve Lee, Liaden books
Sharon Shinn, Archangel series
Megan Whalen Turner, Queen of Attolia
Caroline Stevermer, A College of Magics
Martha Wells, Wheel of the Infinite
The only problem with all of these books is that I’ve read them so very
many times, and I’d love new suggestions!”
So, you request, we respond! I’m going to open this up to SciFi & Fantasy romance – bring on your recommendations, and if that’s too broad a category, we can narrow it down when we post the final tally.
I think my favorite Of All Time has to be Tanith Lee’s THE SILVER METAL LOVER. I’ve written references to it in my books because of how much I adore it. I reread it at least once a year. And cry. Snot cry.
And what about Donna Boyd – THE PASSION and THE PROMISE? Dark and unusual…excellent stuff.
I must say – good lists Bitches.
Erm.. bit off topic, but if you’ve time. Watching the new “Doctor Who†(9th) series is a good idea. The chemistry between the Doctor and Rose is fantastic. Not overt romance, but understated throughout. The not-so-subtle subtext, if you like.
I second this. I was never a Doctor Who fan before, but Christopher Eccleston’s 9th Doctor hooked me. Yum!
Also echoing the recommendations for the Kushiel series, Bujold’s Chalion series, and Kate Elliott’s Jaran novels.
Shout Out – I heart Connie Willis! I started with Bellwether and moved on to Everything.
And I am eagerly awaiting the next installment of the adventures of Jasper Fforde’s Thursday Next (Sooo much fun!) Thanks to the folks who mentioned those.
I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Robin McKinley‘s The Blue Sword since I was 12.
One series I’ve never seen mentioned anywhere is Wilhelmina Baird‘s Crashcourse, Clipjoint & Psykosis (3 books). More Sci-fi/Adventure than Romance, but I was rooting for the MC and her two guys to get to HEA the whole time. There’s a quasi-related 4th book called Chaos Come Again which I don’t recommend.
Also not on this list yet is Kage Baker‘s Company series about immortal capitalist cyborgs who collect the lost treasures of the past for the people of the future. The history jokes are so fun, and the Mendoza books have a (star-crossed, so far) romance running through them.
Also, I believe others have mentioned Barbara Hambly – always a good read, even if she is over fond of the word “chiaroscuro” (sp?).
Mercedes Lackey embodies everything I hate about fantasy, but I have never put a single one of her books down.
Others have mentioned R.A. MacAvoy – I just want to pipe up for Tea with the Black Dragon which is great. It’s the non-Romancy version of the book every shape-shifter dragon-themed Romance novel secretly wants to be.
I just read Orphans of Chaos by John C. Wright, which was awesome. It’s the first in a trilogy, and just mind-bending stuff. There’s not that much romance but there’s the hint of romances to come and even a little bit of kink.
My all time favorite romantic fantasy series is The Spellkey Trilogy by Ann Downer. It was originally published as individual YA books, and then came out in an adult omnibus paperback. They’re all sadly out of print, but really worth the search. Just incredibly romantic, and great fantasy elements, too.
Firethorn by Sarah Micklem was very interesting fantasy, the heroine is a camp follower. I think it’s the first in a series too. It’s sexual, but not really sexy, and not really romantic, either. Good read, though.
Anything by Neil Gaiman is amazing. Stardust is the most romantic, I think, and American Gods is my personal fave.
My favorite Tanith Lee book, also out of print, is called The Heroine of the World. I loved it, it’s a very sweeping epic romance/fantasy that takes place in almost an alternate Russia.
Waking the Moon by Elizabeth Hand is great fantasy, and really romantic and sexy.
I’ll probably think of more later, lol.
Long-time lurker popping up.
“I’ve had a soft spot in my heart for Robin McKinley‘s The Blue Sword since I was 12.”
I’ve always prefered “The Hero and the Crown”, for some reason; I think I connect better with Aerin than Harry. It’s one of my comfort books. I love all of McKinley’s books, but THatC is still my favorite of hers.
I also like Diana Wynne Jones. In particular, Fire and Hemlock, Hexwood, the Chestromanci series, and Howl’s Moving Castle, which is pretty much all the ones of hers I’ve read so far.
Some of the other authors I like have already been mentioned, too: Kim Harrison, Kelley Armstrong, Sharon Shinn, Annette Curtis Klause, Vorkosigan series, Jaran…
“The Darkangel trilogy by Meredith Ann Pierce is technically YA SF/F, but it’s really, really good and the central love story will grab your heart. The first book is by far the best and in some ways I wished I’d stopped there, but the next two books explain a lot more about the world.”
I feel the same way about that trilogy. I really liked the first book and hated the last one. My copy of the middle book had many blank pages in it and I never got around to filling them in. I had the same reaction to Patricia Wrede’s Enchanted Forest series. I liked first two books, but didn’t care for the last two, although I did finish reading them).
Authors who I don’t think have been mentioned yet:
Amelia Atwater-Rhodes – vampires, demons, etc (YA)
O.R. Melling – Irish/Canadian author. Faeries and magic and most, if not all, of her books have romance in them (YA). I think she has one adult book, but I haven’t read it.
Vivian Van Velde – “Companions of the Night” (vampires)
I seem to have a thing for Tam Lin stories, so aside from “Fire and Hemlock”, I also quite liked “Tam Lin” by Pamela Dean, “The Perilous Gard” by Elizabeth Marie Pope (but I don’t think that one has any fantasy in it) and “An Earthly Knight” by Janet McNaughton. Oh, and also “Thomas the Rhymer” by Ellen Kushner and “Snow White and Rose Red” by Patricia Wrede, which are only very slightly related to Tam Lin.
I’ll second (third, fourth, whathaveyou) the recommendations for Anne Bishop, the Dresden files, Rachel Caine, Robin D. Owens, P. C. Cast, Tanya Huff, Kim Harrison, Steven Brust, Emma Bull, Gaiman, & Pratchett, and probably a few others, and I’m taking notes on the ones I didn’t recognize.
A couple I didn’t see mentioned yet:
Jim Butcher‘s Alera series (Furies of Calderon, Academ’s Fury, & Cursor’s Fury)—high fantasy rather than urban fantasy like the Dresden Files, but there are several romantic relationships and they’re well done.
Carol Berg. Anything, really, but particularly Transformation, Revelation, & Restoration. Heart-wrenching, some of it, but GOOD.
Grace, Virginia Kantra did an excellent Tam Lin short story last year.
“Midsummer Night’s Magic†in the Anthology MAN OF MY DREAMS, Jove, November 2004 , ISBN 0515137936
Take a look,
Robin (who went through a Tam Lin phase of her own and still adores the guts of whatever heroine takes THAT on…maybe someday I’ll recall the story along those lines that I told myself before I went to sleep. I know it involved a dungeon…)
Robin McKinley’s “Sunshine.” Not so much with the romance, but just the best damn vampire book I’ve read in a long time.
These are older ones but very, very good:
The White Raven by Diana L. Paxson. Beautiful retelling of the Tristan/Isolde story. The twist is that Isolde’s handmaiden, Branwen, is the lead female protagonist. Two romances take center-stage here, and they are fantastic. One of my all-time favorite fantasy/romance books.
The Damiano series by R.A. McAvoy. Damiano and Damiano’s Lute are more pure fantasy but still very appealing to the romance reader. The third book in the series, Raphael, is brilliant and can stand alone. The romance involves the arc-angel Raphael and an enslaved Berber woman. Very unique, excellent story.
Anything and everything by the author Louise Cooper.
Really surprised at the almost non-existent mention of Catherine Asaro. She is good. Anyway – great lists.
I’ve seen most of the books I love in this list and quite a few I now want to get. How great!
I’d like to add Lisanne Norman’s Sholan series. The first book is a pretty standard “mousy human woman meets psychic cat alien man and they Connect in more ways than one” book, of which there are astonishingly more than one would expect. But it’s still good. And then, Ms. Norman takes that very standard opening and explodes it into some fascinating pieces—begins with Turning Point, then Fortune’s Wheel, Fire Margins and about 3 more big fat stories.
All of Robin Owens’ books are great. My keepers also include Eileen Wilks (werewolves, but the 2nd one expanded in a totally unexpected direction) and Evelyn Vaughn with her Bombshell books about the chalice guardians. I think they’re getting more magical with each one.
Also on my shelves: Sharon Lee and Stan Miller, Laurell K. Hamilton, Lois McMaster Bujold (and not just because my husband’s name is Myles and he has a brother named Mark…), Sharon Shinn, Kim Harrison, Kelley Armstrong, and those are just the ones I can see when I turn round and look. I have Kushiel’s Dart, but I’ve been afraid to read it. It’s such a fat book, and I tend not to put books down once I pick them up… I can’t afford an all night reading binge right now…
I do think that anyone who liked the Kushiel books or any of the Hamiltons or Lisanne Norman’s books would like my One Rose books (thanks for the nice words Robin and E’D’Trix). Yep, The Barbed Rose hits the shelves next month.
These are old—around 1980-81, but there was a short sci-fi series by Francine Mezo that I remember devouring.
The Fall of the Worlds, Unless She Burn, No Earthly Shore
Anything by Nina Kiriki Hoffman. Her latest stand-alone novel is A Fistful of Sky.
Tales of the Wolves series by Tara K. Harper. Should start with the first, Wolfwalker.
Wolverine’s Daughter by Doranna Durgin. Sadly no sequel.
And One Foot in the Grave by Wm. Mark Simmons. The sequel Dead on my Feet came out.
Long time lurker, but I couldn’t resist this topic.
Let’s see, here are my repeats with above:
Robin McKinley (especially Deerskin)
Lois McMaster Bujold
Terry Prachett
Jacqueline Carey (Kushiel series)
Mercedes Lackey (Valdemar books especially)
Anne Bishop
Guy Gavriel Kay
Catherine Asaro
George RR Martin
Robin Hobb (Liveship Traders)
Lloyd Alexander, particularly the Westmark series
Wen Spencer
Sharon Shinn
David Eddings (I like him, but his characters are too repetative after a while)
Also:
Melanie Rawn her Dragon series is very good, bloody and characters aren’t safe, I couldn’t put it down once I started. It is very good. Her other series is incomplete, and I don’t know if it will ever be finished.
Janny Wurts and Raymond Fiest trilogy, that start with Daughter of Empire. Not exactly a romance, although there is romance there.
Terry Brooks’ original Shanara series is good. Tolkienesque.
I’ve given up on Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind
Now I have to write down all the new to me authors, what a great list.
I can’t wait to check some of these out. I don’t have any new authors to add, just some comments on what others have written:
Guy Gavriel Kay: I’d argue that Lions of Al-Rassan has the best romantic elements and the most unusual. I cry my eyes out every time I read it.
Mercedes Lackey: The Vanyel and Talia trilogies are good, and the former is the best romance, I think. Her later books—Valdemaran or otherwise, I find to be increasingly sloppy.
Anne Bishop: oh, yes!
David Eddings: After working my way through about 3 series, I finally realized that I was reading the same thing over and over again. Enjoyable for the most part, but having just read The Redemption of Althalus, I’m having twinges of unease about the way he treats his female characters and his male-female dynamics. Too much gamesmanship, perhaps, and not enough real intimacy.
Janny Wurtz’s Mistwraithe series is primarily a romance, but does have some nice elements. But it’s really, really, really long.
Hmm…sci-fi and fantasy. I’ll mix some romance with it. Angela Verdenius has a pretty good sci-fi series. Oh, and Judy Mays’ Brianna and Sheala is excellent. The star series by Morgan Hawke is extreme but a keeper in my list.
I second the David Eddings, Tamora Pierce, Piers Anthony, Juliet Marrillier (I loved the Sevenwaters series) and Mercedes Lackey mentions. I read the Songs of the Lioness Quartet by Pierce in a manner of days.
I add another series by Jennifer Roberson titled The Chronicles of the Cheysuli. Eight in number, I’ve re-read them each about three times. A wonderful series.
I just found PC Cast and love her and just read an anthology titled Moon Magic with Mercedes Lackey, Tanith Lee, and CE Murphy who I want to read more of.
Lori Handleland does a nice werewolves series and I just read Book One of Ronda Thompson’s Wild Wulfs of London and enjoyed it. Teresa Medeiros just entered the vampire realm with her latest story and it was a good read.
Fantasty and romance are my top favorite genres, so my list can go on, but those are my faves for now.
My apologies, that anthology’s title is Winter Moon, not Moon Magic. I have no idea where that came from
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro’s Saint-Germain series is well researched historical with a humanitarian vampire protagonist. Blood Games (ancient rome) or Hotel Transylvania (france) would be a good place to start.
I haven’t seen mention of M.K. Wren. She wrote a series called “The Phoenix Legacy” that is very much a science fiction romance. The books are the SWORD OF THE LAMB, SHADOW OF THE SWAN, and HOUSE OF WOLF. Although I’ll admit to skimming the sociological “reports” between the narrative chapters, the romance interwoven with the story of a secret political organization just works for me. I wish M.K. Wren was more prolific.
I’ll second or third Robin McKinley’s SUNSHINE. I don’t even like vampire books, and I liked this one, but then I enjoy her writing in general. There’s not a lot of romance, but there is certainly an underlying current of something going on there.
I enjoyed C.J. Cherryh’s ANGEL WITH THE SWORD, which is the first book in her Merovingen Nights world. To my knowledge it’s the only book in the series for which she is the sole author. The other books are written with guest authors each contributing a chapter. A style that doesn’t work so well for me, because I prefer one point-of-view character.
I saw so many authors that I love in this list plus some I want to check out. A couple of authors who I have found just recently and I really enjoy: Leigh Wyndfield (mostly in ebooks, but starting to get published in the Secrets anthologies). I loved In Heat and In Ice both (scifi). Laura J Underwood who I found through a indpendent publisher, I really enjoy (fantasy). The JD Robb series (Nora Roberts pseudonym) is great. Her future NYC feels very realistic to me. An author who might be harder to find but I think worth the effort: Roby James who wrote Commitment and Commencement.
Just found this site; a listserv I’m on linked to this thread. Three months and counting before I can get the kids in summer camp and start reading 8-5. I want to add my two cents even though the thread is just in archives now.
In the YA category, all my faves are here and I’d especially like to second Perilous Gard, Megan Whalen Turner’s trilogy, Sherwood Smith (who also posts terrific unpublished stuff on the athanarel livejournal community), DWJ’s Fire and Hemlock and Hexwood, and Vande Velde’s Companions of the Night.
Not mentioned specifically by anyone, I don’t think, are these (in order from earlier YA to later):
Margaret Mahy’s The Changeover
Kate Constable’s Tremaris trilogy
Tamora Pierce’s Tricksters (two books, now often bound as one)
Sharon Shinn’s new Thirteenth House series, starting with Mystic and Rider
Out of the YA category, I didn’t see one of my absolute favorite, most re-read series, Lynn Flewelling’s Nightrunner trilogy (Luck in the Shadows, Stalking Darkness, and Traitor’s Moon), with an incredibly satisfying buildup to the central same-sex relationship. Caroline Stevemer’s first fantasy, The Serpent’s Egg is a bit hard to find but worth it. And I have to second Dean’s Tam Lin and Bull’s War for the Oaks.
Not sure where to blog this, but I would think it would come under good shit, rather than shit to avoid, particularly for readers who would like to make some $$, possibly, and are still in high school and like to read all kinds of stuff:
Free High School Essay Scholarship Contest—
Avar Press is now accepting submissions for cash awards, publication of the best high school essays analyzing D. J. Solomon’s “Xen: Ancient English Edition.” The contest is free and open to all rising US juniors & seniors. “Xen†is the tale of misanthropic scientist, Pawkey Seneschal, his struggle to overcome his—and all of mankind’s—innate xenophobia. With eugenics in paradox, this is a story to be embraced by humanitarians, pacifists, libertarians, feminists, utopians, anti-racists, animal rights activists, and the counter culture science fiction community. The essays may cover any analysis. There will be a first, second,and third prize. Winners announced by September 1, 2006. No longer than 1500 words. Cash prizes total $1700.00. Deadline: June 30, 2006
I think I saw one mention of Sara Douglass. Her Battleaxe and Wayfarer Redemption series are among my favourites.And her alternate history series based around the time of the Wars of the Roses. Jacqueline Carey of course and Garth Nix.
I may have missed it, but I don’t think that anyone’s yet mentioned “The Wood Wife” by Terri Windling. Excellent book.
George R.R. Martin’s A Song of Ice and Fire series, without question:
A Game of Thrones
A Clash of Kings
A Storm of Swords
A Feast for Crows
The fifth book (in a projected seven-book series), A Dance With Dragons, isn’t out yet.
Hmmm. Probably too late but-
David Eddings is great, but the characters are “stock” ie the wise magician, the witty thief, the snarky lady. Funny and some political humor.
Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman definitely- If you only read one from each- Pratchett’s Hogfather, Gaiman’s Neverwhere, and their joint project you cannot miss- Good Omens.
Not sure if anyone mentioned Wrede’s other books (besides dragons). They’re out of print, but worth searching for. Raven Ring is probably the best. Magician’s ward is great too.
Robin Mckinley’s Spindle’s end, Rose Daughter, and the Hero series. I’d avoid Deerskin. Seconding Sunshine.
CJ Cherryh’s Finity’s end (not so perfect coming of age). Great book.
Mccaffrey is hit and miss- mostly miss. But the first books of the dragon series are decent, and the last books of the Talent series are terrific- as well as one of the very early Talent books. The Selkie book is terrific- but the sequel should never have been written. Acorna’s kind of annoying.
Some of Lackey’s Valdemar series are great- the problem is, you must wade through the crap to get to the good stuff.
Blood and chocolate.Best werewolf book, hands down. Atwater-Rhodes
Hmmm. To Avoid: quite a few of Mccaffrey’s books. The Courtship of Princess Leia (awful, even for Star Wars spin offs). Tamora Pierce’s immortal series. Jordan’s Wheel of Time. Jane Linksold (probably not the way to spell that) Wolf series.
The only author that I’d recommend boycotting totally would be Laurell K. Hamilton. At least, if you want fantasy. If you’re after the porn, well, then, go for it!
People Of The Sky by Claire Bell
I picked up this book not really knowing what it’s about, but I loved the author’s other books (Ratha’s Creature, Clan Ground, and The Jaguar Princess) which are geared towards young adults, but I still enjoy them.
This one is a little more adult and the “romantic†relationship is actually between a woman, Kesbe, and a non-human. A flying creature called an aronan. Kesbe, an accomplished pilot, is delivering an antique aircraft to a collector when she becomes trapped in a storm. Forced to land in a remote canyon she discovers a long-lost offshoot of her tribe, who may be descendents of a lost Pueblo Indian colony that left Earth hundreds of years ago to preserve what was left of their culture. They’ve formed a symbiotic relationship with the dragonfly-like lifeforms of the planet; Kesbe finds herself pushed into a situation where she must come to grips with the nature of that relationship, herself, and her history.
I moved between shock and fascination while reading this book, and it tackles one of my favorite themes: culture shock. Kesbe must confront her assumptions and Bell uses the story to illustrate her struggle beautifully. I highly recommend it.
Terry Goodkind – I confess I really liked this series when it first came out. But now it’s gotta rather long and I haven’t read many of the latest ones. It’s one I’ll probably wait until the whole series is done and then get at the library. It was interesting.
Ugh, don’t bother. I liked the first three books, too, but Goodkind lost his mind and forgot that he was supposed to be writing stories—
not six-hundred-page manifestos.