Recommended Reading

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

6 minutes ago, SpartanBrigade said:

Yeah but there’s nothing to hold

Its just not there at all

oh

huh

um

EBOOK

[SpartanBrigade He/Him]

13 minutes ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

oh

huh

um

EBOOK

Same issue

[Treamayne]

9 hours ago, Honors ghost said:

Heh may I recommend the poppy war (warning this book is not for the faint of heart there’s a lot of drugs and dead people)

We need more information than that, please. From Post One:

On 5/16/2023 at 9:41 PM, Treamayne said:

If possible, I would like entries to have this information (you can copy this format, but info trumps bullets):

  Hide contents

• Book (or Series Name)
  • Name of first book if a series
  • Number of entries and "Complete" or "Ongoing"
• Author
• Genre (generic - doesn't have to be super specific - i.e. Hunger Games - Dystopian SF vs "Alt Earth Future Dystopian War Sci-Fan"
• Spoiler-free Summary (either for the series or book 1 - can be copied from a bookseller's synopsis or your own)

Optional (but preferred), some reason why you recommend this book to others. 

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

• Storm in a Teacup
  • Single Book, Complete

• Helen Czerski

• Non-Fiction Science
• Take a look up at the stars on a clear night and you get a sense that the universe is vast and untouchable, full of mysteries beyond comprehension. But did you know that the key to unveiling the secrets of the cosmos is as close as the nearest toaster?
  Our home here on Earth is messy, mutable, and full of humdrum things that we touch and modify without much thought every day. But these familiar surroundings are just the place to look if you’re interested in what makes the universe tick. In Storm in a Teacup, Helen Czerski provides the tools to alter the way we see everything around us by linking ordinary objects and occurrences, like popcorn popping, coffee stains, and fridge magnets, to big ideas like climate change, the energy crisis, or innovative medical testing. She guides us through the principles of gases (“Explosions in the kitchen are generally considered a bad idea. But just occasionally a small one can produce something delicious”); gravity (drop some raisins in a bottle of carbonated lemonade and watch the whoosh of bubbles and the dancing raisins at the bottom bumping into each other); size (Czerski explains the action of the water molecules that cause the crime-scene stain left by a puddle of dried coffee); and time (why it takes so long for ketchup to come out of a bottle).
  Along the way, she provides answers to vexing questions: How does water travel from the roots of a redwood tree to its crown? How do ducks keep their feet warm when walking on ice? Why does milk, when added to tea, look like billowing storm clouds? In an engaging voice at once warm and witty, Czerski shares her stunning breadth of knowledge to lift the veil of familiarity from the ordinary. You may never look at your toaster the same way.
  Copied from Amazon

[Treamayne]

3 hours ago, CoderDrag0n8 said:

Storm in a Teacup

Updated, Page 1

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

I don't know why it isn't on here already but

• Lightbringer Series
  • The Black Prism
  • 5 books (Complete)
• Brent Weeks
• Epic Fantasy
• Guile is the Prism, the most powerful man in the world. He is high priest and emperor, a man whose power, wit, and charm are all that preserves a tenuous peace. Yet Prisms never last, and Guile knows exactly how long he has left to live. When Guile discovers he has a son, born in a far kingdom after the war that put him in power, he must decide how much he's willing to pay to protect a secret that could tear his world apart. (Goodreads)

[Treamayne]

3 hours ago, Ookla the Tachyon said:

I don't know why it isn't on here already but

Because, as I said in the beginning, this was meant to be a community list of recommendations, not "Treamayne's list" and I only allow myself to add an entry after every five submitted entries (after the few that we started Page 1 with) I had not yet gotten to Lightbringer - but it's there now. Thank you. 

Edited November 26, 2025 by Treamayne
SPAG

[CoderDrag0n8 He/They]

In the ORV entry, for the links, it should be:

First Webcomic Episode, First Webnovel Chapter, Webnovel Download

[KaladinsSenseOfHumourSpren He/Him]

I read all of these books a while back, but I only thought of recommending 'em now.

Spoiler

• The Case for Space: How the Revolution in Spaceflight Opens Up a Future of Limitless Possibility
  • It's technically the second in a series, with the prequel being The Case for Mars, but I haven't read the prequel and it definitely isn't necessary
• Robert Zubrin
• Non-fiction (Astronomy)
• A noted space expert explains the current revolution in spaceflight, where it leads, and why we need it. A new space race has begun. But the rivals in this case are not superpowers but competing entrepreneurs. These daring pioneers are creating a revolution in spaceflight that promises to transform the near future. Astronautical engineer Robert Zubrin spells out the potential of these new developments in an engrossing narrative that is visionary yet grounded by a deep understanding of the practical challenges. Fueled by the combined expertise of the old aerospace industry and the talents of Silicon Valley entrepreneurs, spaceflight is becoming cheaper. The new generation of space explorers has already achieved a major breakthrough by creating reusable rockets. Zubrin foresees more rapid innovation, including global travel from any point on Earth to another in an hour or less; orbital hotels; moon bases with incredible space observatories; human settlements on Mars, the asteroids, and the moons of the outer planets; and then, breaking all limits, pushing onward to the stars. Zubrin shows how projects that sound like science fiction can actually become reality. But beyond the how, he makes an even more compelling case for why we need to do this--to increase our knowledge of the universe, to make unforeseen discoveries on new frontiers, to harness the natural resources of other planets, to safeguard Earth from stray asteroids, to ensure the future of humanity by expanding beyond its home base, and to protect us from being catastrophically set against each other by the false belief that there isn't enough for all. (Goodreads)

 

Spoiler

• Sapiens: A Brief History of Humankind
• Yuval Noah Harari
• Non-fiction (Anthropology)
• One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us? Most books about the history of humanity pursue either a historical or a biological approach, but Dr. Yuval Noah Harari breaks the mold with this highly original book that begins about 70,000 years ago with the appearance of modern cognition. From examining the role evolving humans have played in the global ecosystem to charting the rise of empires, Sapiens integrates history and science to reconsider accepted narratives, connect past developments with contemporary concerns, and examine specific events within the context of larger ideas. Dr. Harari also compels us to look ahead, because over the last few decades humans have begun to bend laws of natural selection that have governed life for the past four billion years. We are acquiring the ability to design not only the world around us, but also ourselves. Where is this leading us, and what do we want to become? (Goodreads)

 

Spoiler

• Immune: A Journey Into the Mysterious System That Keeps You Alive
• Philipp Dettmer
• Non-fiction (Immunology)

• You wake up and feel a tickle in your throat. Your head hurts. You're mildly annoyed as you get the kids ready for school and dress for work yourself. Meanwhile, an epic war is being fought, just below your skin. Millions are fighting and dying for you to be able to complain as you head out the door.

  So what, exactly, is your immune system?

  Second only to the human brain in its complexity, it is one of the oldest and most critical facets of life on Earth. Without it, you would die within days. In Immune, Philipp Dettmer, the brains behind the most popular science channel on YouTube, takes readers on a journey through the fortress of the human body and its defenses. There is a constant battle of staggering scale raging within us, full of stories of invasion, strategy, defeat, and noble self-sacrifice. In fact, in the time you've been reading this, your immune system has probably identified and eradicated a cancer cell that started to grow in your body.

  Each chapter delves into an element of the immune system, including defenses like antibodies and inflammation as well as threats like bacteria, allergies, and cancer, as Dettmer reveals why boosting your immune system is actually nonsense, how parasites sneak their way past your body's defenses, how viruses work, and what goes on in your wounds when you cut yourself.

  Enlivened by engaging graphics and immersive descriptions, Immune turns one of the most intricate, interconnected, and confusing subjects—immunology—into a gripping adventure through an astonishing alien landscape. Immune is a vital and remarkably fun crash course in what is arguably, and increasingly, the most important system in the body. (Goodreads)

[Treamayne]

7 hours ago, Ookla the Tachyon said:

I read all of these books a while back, but I only thought of recommending 'em now.

Added, thank you.

[Schizoposting]

I would recommend the Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb. It's like the Cosmere in that it's a shared world of high fantasy that contains several different series (5 in total, with 16 different books) that are more or less independent of each other but share an overarching narrative.

I think that it's best read chronologically, starting with the Farseer Trilogy, which a about a royal bastard, with a despised form of magic called the "Wit", who trains to become an assassin, and must protect his kingdom against threats, both internal and external.     

I will note however, that the Robin Hobb's style is a lot more character focused than plot focused, so don't necessarily expect a Sanderson style climax at the end. 

Also, AFAIK, the whole sequence is complete, but it's not impossible that Robin Hobb may decide to add more.

[Treamayne]

6 hours ago, Schizoposting said:

I would recommend the Realm of the Elderlings by Robin Hobb.

Added to Epic Fantasy

[Usseewa ✾ She♡Her ✾]

I didn't see these in the index, so:

The Lunar Chronicles, a four-book series by Marissa Meyer. I place it as Sci-fi and Romance. The first book is called Cinder. I'm not really the best with summaries, but it's basically set a couple hundred years in the future and the main character is a cyborg. All the books are sort of "retellings" of classic fairy tales (Cinderella, Red Riding Hood, Rapunzel, and Snow White I believe). They share some similarities that are fun when you pick them out.

System Divine, a sci-fi and dystopian trilogy by Jessica Brody and Joanne Rendell. I honestly found TLC to be similar to this, meaning if you like one you may like the other. The first book is called Sky Without Stars. I think it's based on Les Mis, but I haven't seen/read that yet. Basically it's set in a dystopian place that's in a whole different solar system, since people left (Earth?) a while back. It's basically set in a futuristic old France kinda. They have the three estates. Also, (almost) every person has like a computer thing embedded in their arms or something. I haven't read this one in a bit, so I don't remember everything. I think one of the main POV characters was also a cyborg, though it was a little different if I recall.

His Dark Materials, which I believe is more well-known (and older) than the other two, is a trilogy (with more books outside it but related) by Philip Pullman. It's fantasy. First book is The Golden Compass. Basically there are different worlds (more dimensions/alternate realities than planets, though it has some similarities to the Cosmere). In the one we start in, it's basically England I guess from like the 1700s or something. But there's magic. Kind off. It's really good. The MC is an orphaned (I think, something like that) girl of maybe 10-12 idk that basically lives with the professors of a university.

Armada by Ernest Cline (of Ready Player 1) is a sci-fi book about this guy who basically plays this videogame (I believe it was VR) about fighting aliens in flying vehicles (ship? Planes? Jets?) It turns out, and I can't remember how much of a spoiler this is, that:

Spoiler

The government made those games to train people for an actual alien invasion, basing it on real info (e.g., the alien attack patterns in the game were the same as the actual aliens').

Also, it turns out the gov had been doing this for decades, even back with stuff like Space Invaders (from the '70s I think).

It also has some pop culture stuff like RP1.

It's kinda similar to Ender's Game (I've watched the movie, but haven't read the book.)

 

Edit: looks like you aren't following this thread? So I'll ping you: @Treamayne

Edited January 5 by Theory
Made edit.

[Treamayne]

On 1/3/2026 at 5:55 PM, Theory said:

The Lunar Chronicles (YA SF)

System Divine, (YA SF)

His Dark Materials, (Adventure Fantasy)

Armada (Sci-Fan)

Added

On 1/3/2026 at 5:55 PM, Theory said:

Edit: looks like you aren't following this thread?

I check this thread at least once per day

On 1/3/2026 at 5:55 PM, Theory said:

It's kinda similar to Ender's Game (I've watched the movie, but haven't read the book.)

This hurts my heart (both the comparison and the fact that you have not read the books - Chronology post)

[Usseewa ✾ She♡Her ✾]

8 hours ago, Treamayne said:

This hurts my heart (both the comparison and the fact that you have not read the books - Chronology post)

Ok, wow. Sorry about that I guess. I haven't read Armada in many years and at the time I enjoyed it. There are many books I've been meaning to read, but have been too busy with Sanderson or simply don't feel like starting right now.

Edit: thanks for adding the books. I saw that you added Dungeon Crawler Carl. I was actually thinking of suggesting it but didn't realize you'd added it already. Also, I don't see His Dark Materials anywhere.

Edited January 5 by Theory

[Treamayne]

1 hour ago, Theory said:

Also, I don't see His Dark Materials anywhere.

It is in adventure fantasy. Somehow it got removed when I hit save (I was having problems pasting it into the spoiler box because the blank line was missing) - so I have restored it. 

1 hour ago, Theory said:

Ok, wow. Sorry about that I guess.

No worries. Just keep in mind that the movie has almost nothing in common with the book other than the title and most character names. The Book begins when Ender is six years old and ends with him a teenager. Since Asa Butterfield could not play that range of ages, they decided against having multiple actors and just ran the plot through a trash compactor - then changed the ending (because, why not?) . . . 
Granted, the epilogue of the novel version (itself a re-written version of the original Novella) was already non-canon since it was later given it's own book (because it skimmed a lot of detail) - which is why I have that previously-linked flowchart-style Chronology to help make sense of short stories, novellas and novels. 

[Usseewa ✾ She♡Her ✾]

18 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

It is in adventure fantasy. Somehow it got removed when I hit save (I was having problems pasting it into the spoiler box because the blank line was missing) - so I have restored it. 

No worries. Just keep in mind that the movie has almost nothing in common with the book other than the title and most character names. The Book begins when Ender is six years old and ends with him a teenager. Since Asa Butterfield could not play that range of ages, they decided against having multiple actors and just ran the plot through a trash compactor - then changed the ending (because, why not?) . . . 
Granted, the epilogue of the novel version (itself a re-written version of the original Novella) was already non-canon since it was later given it's own book (because it skimmed a lot of detail) - which is why I have that previously-linked flowchart-style Chronology to help make sense of short stories, novellas and novels. 

Was the movie really that bad? I guess I don't have anything to compare it - having not read the book(s). Honestly, sometimes it depends on who's watching the movie (or reading a book). Maybe it is bad (I don't doubt what you are saying), but some people can still enjoy it. Especially the "non-critic" type, who are just there to get some entertainment. But anyway, I suppose I would not enjoy something similar with a Cosmere adaption.

Edit: not trying to be offensive or anything. 

Side note: what's your opinion on using "--" for an em dash when it is not easily typeable? I see that most people (yourself included) use the hyphen with space around it, which honestly looks better and I have now began using that version as well.

Edited January 5 by Theory

[Treamayne]

25 minutes ago, Theory said:

Was the movie really that bad? I guess I don't have anything to compare it - having not read the book(s). Honestly, sometimes it depends on who's watching the movie (or reading a book).

i did not say it was bad.
It's just very different.

I did not enjoy it - but that is due to me and expectations, not due to the movie or acting quality. Sometimes different can be fine - I like both the Book and Movie of Jurassic Park (like Highlander, there should have been only one) and recognize they are different but both good for different reasons.
To me, Ender's Game was not that. 

25 minutes ago, Theory said:

Side note: what's your opinion on using "--" for an em dash when it is not easily typeable? I see that most people (yourself included) use the hyphen with space around it, which honestly looks better and I have now began using that version as well.

I think that is a word processor function from the 80s and 90s, back when devices knew that it should auto-change a typed double-hyphen into a single em-dash. It was never meant to be displayed as two hyphens in human-readable product and looks horrible (to me). I use an actual en-dash or em-dash when necessary and the space-offset hyphen when expediency trumps accuracy. 

Edited January 5 by Treamayne
SPAG

[Usseewa ✾ She♡Her ✾]

2 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

i did not say it was bad.

I see. That thought came from:

30 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

Since Asa Butterfield could not play that range of ages, they decided against having multiple actors and just ran the plot through a trash compactor - then changed the ending (because, why not?) . . . 

Now, I believe you were talking about how they compressed the plot, right? I guess I didn't think too hard on it, and thought of "trash compactor" as basically meaning "turn into trash."

5 minutes ago, Treamayne said:

I think that is a word processor function from the 80s and 90s, back when devices knew that it should auto-change a typed double-hyphen into a single em-dash. It was never meant to be displayed as two hyphens in human-readable product and looks horrible (to me). I use an actual en-dash or em-dash when necessary and the space-offset hyphen when expediency trumps accuracy. 

Speaking of...I may not ever read the White Sand prose (from the newsletter), but in case I do, I noticed that it has -- rather than em-dashes. Is this dependent on how I open the file? Can I convert them? The same is true for underlined text, which I believe should be italicized. Sample:

(Using MS Word):

Spoiler

Also, if you recall, we already discussed White Sand some.

Spoiler

 

 

[Treamayne]

3 minutes ago, Theory said:

Now, I believe you were talking about how they compressed the plot, right? I guess I didn't think too hard on it, and thought of "trash compactor" as basically meaning "turn into trash."

Correct - compressed plot omitting the scenes that gave context to the plot, and only retaining some plot points sans context. I can never knoiw if I might have liked it without a book comparison because I can never un-read the book to see it clean. But I found it confusing because I spent th ewhole time thinking "why cut this, why change that."

Nornmally, I don't have a problem with adaptation changes when those changes make sense for the medium (like The Martian - nearly all of the changes made sense because it was a movie, not a book. It was the stupid change at the end (presumably for the comedic value) that ruined the ending of an otherwise fine movie adaptation. 

if they had changed Ender's age to have a single actor, but not tried to compress a 6 year story into six months - and still kept the defining contextual plot points; I could have liked the movie as much as I had hoped to like the movie. 

9 minutes ago, Theory said:

I noticed that it has -- rather than em-dashes.

it does, that was the third thing I fixed in my personal copy. That is a requirement of the publication industry (which still does use tools that correctly interpret an em-dash from "--." 

Do you plan to convert the story to epub, or read as a Word or PDF document?

[Usseewa ✾ She♡Her ✾]

1 minute ago, Treamayne said:

Do you plan to convert the story to epub, or read as a Word or PDF document?

If I read it, I don't have an e-book reader (which I assume you need to make use of epubs?) Otherwise, I'm fine reading a PDF. I already read a chapter or two past the AU excerpt in a PDF a few months back, but didn't continue.

[Treamayne]

19 minutes ago, Theory said:

If I read it, I don't have an e-book reader (which I assume you need to make use of epubs?) Otherwise, I'm fine reading a PDF. I already read a chapter or two past the AU excerpt in a PDF a few months back, but didn't continue.

You can use CTRL+H to find and replace text in word. Changing each -- to — should be fairly straight forward. Changing each underline to italics is not too hard, but not too obvious unless you have had practice. See below:

Spoiler

You click in Find and set that to "underline" format using the Format button on the bottom, then click in Replace and set that to "no underline, Italics" also using the format button on the bottom. Click "Replace all" and voila - all changed. 

Edited January 5 by Treamayne
SPAG

[Usseewa ✾ She♡Her ✾]

1 minute ago, Treamayne said:

You can use CTRL+H to find and replace text in word. Chainging each -- to — should be fairly straight forward. Changing each underline to italics is nto too hard, but not too obvious unless you have had practice. See below:

  Hide contents

You click in Find and set that to "underline" format using the Format button on the bottom, then click in Replace and set that to "no underline, Italics" also using teh format button on the bottom. Replace all and voila - all changed. 

Wow, I never new that feature existed! Thanks!

[Schizoposting]

I would like to make a few more recommendations:

The first would be The Black Company by Glen Cook which is a dark/military fantasy series that follows, a more or less, amoral elite mercenary group that is hired out by a dark lord to put down a rebellion. This series actually inspired the Night Brigade, so if you are interested in it, I would strongly recommend The Black Company. The original plotline has been completed, but there are sequels planned, apparently.

My second recommendation would be A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge, which combines science fiction with elements of epic fantasy. It takes place in a universe where the laws of physics and technological progress are dependent on one's location in the Milky Way, with the story being set in an area called the Beyond, where true AI and FTL travel is possible, but superintelligence is prohibited. The plot revolves around stopping a virus like entity that can take control of and enslave all forms of intelligence. The book is a standalone, but there's a loose prequel and a direct sequel.

Finally, I would like to recommend the science fiction novel Speed of Dark by Elizabeth Moon; it is based on a simple premise: what if there was a cure for autism? The novel explores the various implications of said premise, and it makes for a very interesting character study.

Edit: @Theory, on Windows you can use Alt + 0151 to type an em dash.

Edited January 8 by Schizoposting

[Treamayne]

3 hours ago, Schizoposting said:

I would like to make a few more recommendations:

Added