What book do you think every teenager should read?
I think the best thing a teenager can do is read a lot and look for what specifically interests them. I hesitate to say that there is “one” novel that every teenager should read, as I feel that books are a lot like shoes. Not every pair of shoes will fit you, and not every book will be right for everyone. this is the importance of having good teachers and librarians. a teenager should find the books that are right for him, fall in love with reading, and then see where it takes him.
You are reading: Brandon sanderson recommended books
I’ve mentioned dragonsbane elsewhere. It’s interesting, because this is a book that shouldn’t have worked for me. everyone likes to give teenagers books about teenagers, but this book is about a middle-aged woman. so it’s not a book that would normally have been given to someone like me. but I had a smart teacher who knew that he needed something more than what others had been giving me: he was bored with stories about people like me and wanted one about someone different from me.
Current “brandon suggests” list: (September 25, 2012):
terry pratchett (going zip is my favorite pratchett at the moment). (if you read him, don’t start with the first book. (he starts with the books in the middle of his career, like guards guards, not the beginning because his books get better as he goes. his last books are sheer awesomeness!)
anything from daniel abraham under any of his various pseudonyms.
the hundred thousand kingdoms by n.k. jemisin (mild content warning).
The Dragon Prince by Melanie Rawn is one of my favorite books of all time.
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anne mcaffery (if you haven’t read her books, i don’t know why you’re reading mine. you need to go and read hers immediately!)
guy gavriel kay (tigana is a wonderful job). mild content warning.
melanie rawn (I especially like her epic fantasy, I haven’t read her urban fantasy but the dragon prince is one of my favorite books of all time).
and of course pat rothfuss who is a genius. (I loved the name of the wind)
barbara hambly (dragonsbane was one of the books that got me into fantasy)
anything from robin hobb, but especially the fitz books.
brent weeks (black prism in particular).
To keep track of what the field is doing today, I’d recommend at least one book from each of the following: Steven Erikson, George R. r. martin and jim butcher.
last year i read uglies by scott westerfeld and i enjoyed it.
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what are some clean fantasy books you would recommend?
garth nix is wonderful. if you haven’t tried sabriel, I suggest it.
mary robinette kowal writes fantasy novels in the regency style. I find them different, intelligent and funny.
vernor vinge’s fire in the deep is one of my favorite science fiction books of all time. I don’t remember if there are content problems. I’m on a reread right now, and it’s as lovely as I remember it. but something might come up that I couldn’t remember being there from a reading in the last decade.
tad williams is wonderful, but very long. (I happen to like how long it is, but I must warn that this is his style. Very little usually happens at the beginning of one of his novels, since everything is already prepared.)
l.e.modessit jr. write epic fantasy in the old style: slower, with lots of description. I think his books are pretty good, but they’re not for everyone. however, they tend to be very clean.
The same goes for Terry Brooks, who has a strong personal rule that he will never write, or cover propaganda, anything that is not clean. however, his books feel a bit dated these days.
other authors friends of mine who write clean ya sf/f: shannon hale, james dasnher, jessica day george. all very good writers.
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