What are some of your favorite, must-read sci-fi and fantasy novels that transported you to other worlds? I want to get lost in a story and world.
The Three Body Problem trilogy really made my visual imagination go wild with its sci-fi concepts within the books’ world. The story spans a huge timeframe, and thus you get to see many wildly different ways of living with a story full of twists. Each book got crazier conpared to the previous one!
Yes, I second 3BP!
I’ve been really enjoying The Wayfarer series by Becky Chambers. A little on the lighter side, but great world building imo
I’ll second that. Firefly meets mass effect minus all that distracting gun fighting mularkey. World building and character development all the way. A solidly enjoyable read.
If you like space pirates, the Revenger series by Alastair Reynolds is a good trilogy.
Disclaimer: I’m a huge fan of multipart series. My current favourites are:
Fantasy: “The Realm of the Elderlings” by Robin Hobb
SF: “Manifold” Trilogy by Stephen Baxter
Both works are epic beyond measure, full of incredible ideas, and a joy to read (at least for me that is).
Neal Asher is a sci-fi favourite of mine.
The Revelation Space series by Alastair Reynolds is imaginative, entertaining, well paced, and immersive.
Edit: House of Suns is also a very good one by him.
Hyperion!
The cry of the Icemark - maybe a bit young, but the story is fun, the pace is quick and the description of battles is brilliant
The Stormlight Archives series by Brandon Sanderson
The Waking Fire by Anthony Ryan is pretty great, or the Black Prism by Brent Weeks.
Anything by Brandon Sanderson is great (The Stormlight Archives or Mistborn is probably the best starting point).
Behind the Throne by K. B. Wagers I really like all of her books. This is the first in a series. Lots of fun and very fast-paced
Greatwinter trilogy by Sue McMullen
https://www.goodreads.com/book/show/250361.Souls_in_the_Great_Machine
Especially with the Orcas now getting pissed off it kinda peaks my interest to read it agin.
Easy to miss but great characters & a very unique world.
Of course Dune is a true classic that should be read by everybody, but on the more obscure side of things, I found the best immersion experience with Ian McDonald’s Luna trilogy. A true masterpiece in my opinion.
I’m obsessed with Mercedes Lackey’s Heralds of Valdemar - they are so nice and cozy for me, but exciting at the same time. I’ve also been reading R. A. Salvatore’s Drizzt Do’Urden books, which are also pretty fun. Lynn Flewelling’s Nightrunner series is probably my 2nd favorite fantasy series, and the Tamir trilogy.
The Locked Tomb series by Tamsyn Muir. However, note that the fourth book is still pending. Also, The Johannes Cabal Novels by Johnathan L. Howard.
