Here's my recommended list of fantasy and science fiction. There are references down the left side.
Key:
F: Fantasy
SF: Science Fiction
*: Unqualified positive recommendation (purple
titles)
/H: It's funny too/humorous
#: Series position, if it matters
+: Five stars
| Brin, David | |
| *SF | Earth |
| +*SF | Postman, The |
| *SF | Startide Rising |
| *SF | Uplift War, The |
| Bujold, Lois McMaster | |
| +*SF/H | Warrior's Apprentice |
| +*SF/H | Vor Game, The |
| *SF/H | Borders Of Infinity |
| *SF/H | Brothers In Arms |
| *SF/H | Cetaganda |
| *SF/H | Komarr |
| *SF/H | Memory |
| *SF/H | A Civil Campaign |
| Bull, Emma | |
| +*F | War for the Oaks |
| Card, Orson Scott | |
| *SF | Ender's Game |
| Chalker, Jack L. | |
| F | And the Devil Will Drag You Under |
| Cook, Glen | |
| *F | Sweet Silver Blues |
| *F | Old Tin Sorrows |
| F | Bitter Gold Hearts |
| F | Cold Copper Tears |
| F | Dread Brass Shadows |
| F | Red Iron Nights |
| Crichton, Michael | |
| *SF | Jurassic Park |
| Dean, Pamela | |
| *F | Tam Lin |
| DeLint, Charles | |
| F | Jack the Giant Killer |
| *F | Moonheart |
| *F | Greenmantle |
| F | Mulengro |
| *SF | Svaha |
| Dickson, Gordon R. | |
| SF | Tactics of Mistake |
| SF | Dorsai |
| Drake, David | |
| F | Old Nathan |
| Eddings, David | |
| *F1 | Pawn of Prophecy |
| *F2 | Queen of Sorcery |
| *F3 | Magician's Gambit |
| *F4 | Castle of Wizardry |
| *F5 | Enchanter's End Game |
| Effinger, George Alec | |
| SF | When Gravity Fails |
| Feist, Raymond E. | |
| +*F | Faerie Tale |
| Forward, Robert L. | |
| +*SF1 | Dragon's Egg |
| *SF2 | Starquake |
| Foster, Alan Dean | |
| SF | Tar-Aiym Krang, The |
| *SF | Orphan Star |
| SF | End of the Matter |
| SF | Bloodhype |
| SF | Flinx in Flux |
| Freisner, Esther | |
| F | Druid's Blood |
| Gaiman, Neil | |
| *F | Neverwhere |
| F | Stardust |
| Gibson, William | |
| SF | Neuromancer |
| Goldman, William | |
| *F | Princess Bride, The |
| Harrison, Harry | |
| SF | Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat, The |
| Hinz, Christopher | |
| SF | Liege Killer |
| Hoffman, Nina Kiriki | |
| +*F | Thread That Binds the Bones, The |
| Hughart, Barry | |
| +*F/H | Bridge of Birds |
| *F/H | Story of the Stone, The |
| *F/H | Eight Skilled Gentlemen |
| Kurtz, Katherine | |
| F1 | Deryni Rising |
| F2 | Deryni Checkmate |
| F3 | High Deryni |
| F | The Adept Book 1 (with D. T. Harris) |
| Lackey, Mercedes | |
| *F | Children of the Night |
| F | Burning Water |
| F | Jinx High |
| *F1 | Magic's Pawn |
| *F2 | Magic's Promise |
| *F3 | Magic's Price |
| F1 | Arrows of the Queen |
| F2 | Arrow's Flight |
| F3 | Arrow's Fall |
| F | Fire Rose, The |
| F | Firebird, The |
| Lisle, Holly | |
| *F | Minerva Wakes |
| LeGuin, Ursula | |
| *F | A Wizard of Earthsea |
| McCaffrey, Anne | |
| F1 | Dragonflight |
| F2 | Dragonquest |
| *F | White Dragon, The |
| McCrumb, Sharyn | (mysteries set in SF community) |
| *F | Bimbos of the Death Sun |
| F | Zombies of the Gene Pool |
| McKillip, Patricia | |
| *F1 | Riddle Master of Hed, The |
| F2 | Heir of Sea and Fire |
| F3 | Harpist in the Wind |
| McKinley, Robin | |
| *F | Hero and the Crown, The |
| *F | Blue Sword, The |
| *F | Outlaws of Sherwood, The |
| F | Deerskin |
| F | Spindle's End |
| F | Beauty |
| F | Rose Daughter |
| Myers Myers, John | |
| +*F | Silverlock |
| Niven, Larry | |
| *SF | Ringworld |
| +*SF | Protector |
| SF | Tales of Known Space |
| SF | All the Myriad Ways |
| SF | Neutron Star |
| SF | A Hole in Space |
| *SF | A Gift from Earth |
| Norton, Andre | |
| SF | Beast Master, The |
| SF | Lord of Thunder |
| Piper, H. Beam | |
| SF | Empire |
| SF | Federation |
| *SF | First Cycle |
| *SF | Four Day Planet and Lone Star Planet |
| SF | Paratime |
| SF | Lord Kalvin of Otherwhen |
| SF | Space Viking |
| *SF | Uller Uprising |
| Powers, Tim | |
| +*F | Stress of Her Regard, The |
| *F | Drawing of the Dark, The |
| *F | On Stranger Tides |
| *F | Anubis Gates, The |
| +*F | Last Call |
| *F | Expiration Date |
| Pratchett, Terry | |
| *F/H | Colour of Magic, The |
| +*F/H | Light Fantastic, The |
| F/H | Sourcery |
| F/H | Guards! Guards! |
| F/H | Pyramids |
| +*F/H | Good Omens (with Neil Gaiman) |
| +*F/H | Small Gods |
| *F/H | Feet of Clay |
| F/H | Johnny and the Dead |
| Rowley, Christopher | |
| F | Bazil Broketail |
| Rowling, J. K. | |
| *F | Harry Potter and the Philosopher's Stone |
| *F | Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets |
| *F | Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban |
| *F | Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire |
| Saberhagen, Fred | |
| F | The Dracula Tape |
| *F | An Old Friend of the Family |
| F | Thorn |
| Sawyer, Robert J. | |
| +*SF | Far-Seer |
| *SF | Fossil Hunter |
| Shelley, Rick | |
| F | Varayan Memoir,1: Son of the Hero |
| Stephenson, Neal | |
| +*SF/H | Snowcrash |
| +*SF/H | Zodiac |
| SF | Interface (writing as Stephen Bury) |
| Stevermer, Caroline | |
| F | A College of Magics |
| Stirling, S. M. | |
| SF | Marching through Georgia |
| Tolkein, J. R. R. | |
| *F | Hobbit, The |
| F | Fellowship of the Ring, The |
| F | Two Towers, The |
| F | Return of the King |
| Vinge, Vernor | |
| +*SF | A Fire Upon the Deep |
| Watt-Evans, Lawrence | |
| *F | Misenchanted Sword, The |
| Weber, David | |
| +*SF1 | On Basilisk Station |
| +*SF2 | Honor of the Queen |
| +*SF3 | Short Victorious War, The |
| *SF4 | Field of Dishonor |
| *SF5 | Flag in Exile |
| *SF6 | Honor Among Enemies |
| SF | Mutineer's Moon |
| F | Oath of Swords |
| Willey, Elizabeth | |
| *F | Well Favored Man, The |
| Wells, Martha | |
| +*F | Element of Fire, The |
| +*F | Death of the Necromancer (sort of sequel) |
| Wrede, Patricia | |
| *F1 | Mairelon the Magician |
| *F2 | Magician's Ward |
| F1 | Dealing with Dragons |
| F2 | Searching for Dragons |
| F3 | Calling on Dragons |
| F4 | Talking to Dragons |
| Yolen, Jane | |
| *F | Briar Rose |
| F | White Jenna |
| Zelazny, Roger | |
| F1 | Nine Princes in Amber |
| F2 | Guns of Avalon, The |
| F3 | Sign of the Unicorn |
| F4 | Hand of Oberon, The |
| F5 | Courts of Chaos, The |
| *F | Madwand |
| F | Dilvish the Damned |
| F | Changing Land, The (Dilvish sequel) |
| *F | Doorways in the Sand |
| *F | Last Defender of Camelot, The |
| F | This Immortal |