Too much going on in the writing world. I can’t necessarily process it all. Saddened but not necessarily surprised.

Maybe that is what actually should surprise me—that I wasn’t surprised but just disheartened.

People in a place of power and privilege using that power and privilege against those who have no power/privilege or a very little. Seeing consent or believing that there is consent when one has all the power and privilege is quite different than actual, full, equal consent. Can there even be true consent when the parties aren’t anywhere close to being equal?

I don’t know.

I agree that I wasn’t there and so I can never know what actually happened behind closed doors between other people. I also know that what’s true and what’s perceived as truth can be two different things. Especially, again, when one had all the power and privilege, one had none, and one was somewhere in the middle with maybe some power and likely more privilege than power.

Like many readers and fans, I have a lot of mixed emotions right now. I read the article. I also read his response on his blog. And I spent waaaaay too much time on social media reading other people’s responses, mostly in an attempt to sort through what I’m feeling including who knew what and who else might have been complicit or might have been another victim.

As an attorney, I believe in innocent until proven guilty. But the journalism seemed thorough and balanced, which makes the evidence seem damning. I also realize the justice system fails, especially in dealing with sexual harassment, sexual abuse, and sexual assault. So where do we go from here? Who can we believe? Who can we trust and support?

I don’t know that either.

What I do know is that there are many, many wonderful authors who create amazing and incredible worlds full of nuanced and complex characters. Here are a few of my faves fantasy and SciFi authors.

Robin Hobb

Robin Hobb, who also writes as Megan Lindholm, has written incredible worlds full of complex characters. Bonus, her series are only 3 or 4 books long. So no waiting and waiting for the nth book!

There’s no wrong answer as to which series to start with, but if you’re like me, you like to start at the beginning. So I recommend starting with Assassin’s Apprentice, book 1 in the Farseer Trilogy.

Ms. Hobb also has a great graphic on her website with a link to an article that discusses reading order.

Martha Wells

It should not be a surprise that right after Robin Hobb, I list Martha Wells. Ms. Wells writes both fantasy and SciFi, something for everyone. And I say her Murderbot series is a masterclass in writing.

As I have many times before, I recommend starting with All Systems Red. First, because Murderbot. Second, because it’s a novella—only 150 or so pages long.

Douglas Adams

Sadly, Douglas Adams is no longer with us, having left earth, presumably with the dolphins. But his legacy remains in some of the most fun and classic science fiction.

I recommend starting with The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy.

Becky Chambers

From self-published to Hugo Award-winner, Becky Chambers writes fantastic character-driven stories with brilliant worldbuilding. She is considered a pioneer of the hopepunk subgenre of SciFi. (Hopepunk is a subgenre of speculative fiction, conceived of as the opposite of grimdark, where characters fight for positive change, radical kindness, and communal responses to challenges.)

While her Wayfarers series is amazing, I recommend starting with A Psalm for the Wild-Built.

Ilona Andrews

Another no-brainer on my list is the wife-husband duo Ilona Andrews. They remain an auto-buy author for me. I not only have paperbacks of all their books, I also have them on audio too. I love their stories that much.

Her Kate Daniels series is a must read, but my favorite book (and that’s by a very close margin) is Iron and Magic. Love me some bad boy Hugh!

Patricia Briggs

If I mentioned Ilona Andrews, you know I’m going to immediately talk about Patricia Briggs. I also have all of her books.

Her Mercy Thompson series is one of my all-time favorite urban fantasies. Set in the Tri-Cities, Washington State, this series features a half-native American, Volkswagon mechanic coyote shifter named Mercy. I recommend starting at the beginning with Moon Called.

Kevin Hearne

I’ve been a fan of Kevin Hearne since his first Iron Druid book was released in 2011. He also has a fun newsletter where he talks about all sorts of things, including birding, writing, sausages, drinks, and, of course, books.

I recommend starting with Hounded.

John Scalzi

I got to meet John at the 2023 National Book Festival in D.C., where he signed one of my books. His books all have a sense of humor about them and don’t take themselves too seriously. I like to think that’s because he’s like that. While he has a couple of trilogies, he also has a lot of stand alone books.

I recommend starting with Starter Villain.

Great Fantasy/SciFi Reads

Beyond my list of favorite authors, I’ve read so many wonderful fantasy and scifi books. As I was compiling this list, I realized that some of these I need to go back to and then finish their series!

Here are some fantasy and SciFi reads I have enjoyed and recommend:

• Hell’s Library Trilogy by A.J. Hackwith
• The Warded Man, book 1 of the Demon Cycle by Peter V. Brett
• Daggerspell, book 1 of Deverry by Katherine Kerr
• Stolen Things by Stephen Parolini
• The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne
• The Ones We’re Meant to Find by Joan He
• Recursion by Blake Crouch
• Star Splitter by Matthew J. Kirby
• The Time Machine by H.G. Wells
• Divine Rivals by Rebecca Ross

Final Thoughts

Sadly, we can expect that there will be more articles and allegations against other authors and writers in the future like the article that came out yesterday. Which is really sad because for me, allegations like this taint the books/shows/movies of that author/writer, but it is exactly these stories and worlds that provide escape for us when the real world becomes too much. Ironic? Maybe.

But Fantasy and Science Fiction genres have so many incredible authors and an immense amount of stories. There are subgenres and sub-subgenres. There are always new-to-me authors to discover and new worlds to escape into. And if all else fails, I can always return to an old (untainted) fave.

What fantasy/scifi authors or books do you recommend? Share your faves in the comments.

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