I'm not sure I'd ever fully recommend Wheel of Time to anyone, unless I had the chance to explain to them that only the first 5 are good and it goes rapidly downhill from there.

But from the other on the list that I've read it looks pretty nice. Good idea too!

Posted by Tony on Monday July 16, 2007 at 9:56 AM at 9:56 AM

I think its Deathly Hallows. Oh, and it has already leaked, if anybody is interested. Somebody took pictures of it. So far only 469 or so pages.

Posted by General X on Monday July 16, 2007 at 2:07 PM at 2:07 PM

Two of your books, Footfall and The Mote in God's Eye were written by Jerry Pournelle and Larry Niven. You gave Larry all the credit.

And in adult fantasy, you missed Magician by Raymond Feist which is arguably the best in the genre.

Posted by Antinomic on Tuesday July 17, 2007 at 7:23 AM at 7:23 AM

Consider the following:-
Down to Sunless Sea by David Graham - US runs out of oil followed by WW111
The White Plague by Frank Herbert - Virus targets ethnic groups
anything by John Wyndham or William Gibson
What about Brian Lumley for fantasy?

Posted by Adrian Davies on Friday July 20, 2007 at 6:25 AM at 6:25 AM

You don't have one of the best on the list.
The Sword of Truth by Terry Goodkind
There are 12 books in the series so far and I have liked them all.
I have read 5 or 6 of the wheel of time and it does not come close to
The Sword of Truth.

Posted by Ben on Friday July 20, 2007 at 7:51 AM at 7:51 AM

Some books I'd add:
- The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind (yes, I'm echoing Bed, but they ARE that good)
- The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula K. LeGuin
- The Inheritor, The Fall of Atlantis, Firebrand, and The Forest House by Marion Zimmer Bradley
- The Dragon Prince, Dragon Star, and Exiles trilogies by Melanie Rawn
- The World at War series by Harry Turtledove
- Dune by Frank Herbert
- The Dark is Rising by Susan Cooper (I devoured these when I was 8 and still love them)
- The Indigo series, The Chaos Gate trilogy, Master, Initiate, and Outcast by Louise Cooper
- The Deverry series by Katharine Kerr
- The Farseer trilogy, the Liveship Traders trilogy, and the Tawny Man trilogy by Robin Hobb
- Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
- The Incarnations of Immortality series and the Geodyssey series by Piers Anthony

That's all I can think of right now.

Posted by Lypiphera on Friday July 20, 2007 at 9:17 AM at 9:17 AM

I'm surprised to see nothing by Jack Vance on your list -- either fantasy or science fiction. I would think, The Dying Earth and the Lyonesse series for fantasy. And Emphyrio, Araminta Station, the Demon Princes (series), Durdane (series), Planet of Adventure (series), and lots of others in the Sci Fi category. Emphyrio might be a good start for someone uninitiated to Vance.

It's true that some readers are challenged by Jack's style and word selection, but for others, his masterful wordplay is unique and addicting.

Posted by Mark on Friday July 20, 2007 at 9:53 AM at 9:53 AM

The list was never intended to be exhaustive. If it was, it'd never fit on this page! So please keep adding your suggestions here in the comments. Hopefully Harry Potter readers will find something they like.

Posted by jp on Friday July 20, 2007 at 10:11 AM at 10:11 AM

In Science Fiction - Adults, I would recommend The Stars My Destination & The Demolished Man, both by Alfred Bester.

In Fantasy - Adults, I would recommend Steven Erikson's Malazan series and Perdido Street Station by China Mieville.

Posted by RT on Monday July 23, 2007 at 4:21 PM at 4:21 PM

I'm reading and re-reading (depending on the volume) the "Honor Harrington" series by David Weber. I'd recommend that as young adult to adult. It has a lot of appeal that the HP tales do: series fiction, recurring characters, the main character grows, nasty villain types.

I'd also recommend the SF of Lois McMaster Bujold. "Falling Free", the Cordelia books and the Miles V. books all are set in one universe and have much to offer young adults/adults. Especially the Miles V. tales, you get to see Miles grow and face a lot of challenges--physical (due to his deformities), societal (again, due to his deformities), but also in battle, in running con games and more. And they're funny tales as well!

Elizabeth Moon: Lots of stuff there, especially her several linked series of space operas, all featuring strong female leads. Good to get young women interested in SF!

On the fantasy side, there's Pratchett, of course. But what about Glen Cook? His Garrett, P.I. series has been around for a number of years and should appeal to fans of Harry as well as mystery fans. Then there's that other Harry...you know, the Dresden fella.

Just a few more for the mix.

(And why is Arthur C. Clarke listed as Arthur C. Clarke and not Clarke, Arthur C.? Just curious...)

Posted by Fred Kiesche on Monday July 23, 2007 at 9:08 PM at 9:08 PM

If you go to the Baen Books site, they have a similar list up for young adults. I'd point out that more than a few of their suggestions are available as free downloads in the Free Library in the Webscriptions link. An even better way of hooking the HP fans: free books!

Posted by Fred Kiesche on Monday July 23, 2007 at 9:10 PM at 9:10 PM

The shannara series is a good suggestion for a fantasy book, but I found it was too long winded, and not well checked for errors, there are plenty more authors - such as Garth Nix - who deserve to be on this list (which i noticed is in adult, his other series (abhorsen etc.) are more adult fiction than the keys to the kingdom series.

Posted by Anonymous on Sunday August 19, 2007 at 8:44 AM at 8:44 AM

I know Asimov is a classic notable for his pioneer status with SF ideas. However, his prose is so bad I hate to recommend him to anyone as a way to turn them on to SF. Anyone who likes Potter probably is a little more sophisticated in the realm of character development and dialog.

Posted by Joe Bobo on Monday August 27, 2007 at 3:00 PM at 3:00 PM