[Obsidianbbw]

I love to read, but mostly sci-fi fantasy, horror kinda stuff. My favorite series is the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter series by Laurell K. Hamilton. I am kinda finished with that one, wondering if anyone has any recommendations.

[NotTheCheat]

I love Sci-Fi/fantasy, although I actually haven’t read the Anita Blake series yet. I have been meaning to, and just haven’t gotten around to it. It is always a little scary to start a new series that has so many books in it, because if you get hooked that is a lot of time reading!

If you are looking for something else dark and sexy, I would recommend the Black Jewels Trilogy by Anne Bishop. I also love fantasy series where women are the dominant gender. It is interesting to imagine how different things might have evolved in a culture that is female centric.

Two of my all time favorite series are the Farseer / Liveship Traders/ Tawny Man Trilogies (each set is a trilogy) by Robin Hobb and The Death Gate Cycle (series of 7 books) by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.

I just finished book one (Storm Front) of the Dresden files, which the Sci-Fi channel is making into a new series, which I really enjoyed. I also just read Dead Until Dark, a Southern Vampire Mystery, which was really cute. I would recommend either of them.

[NurseMichelle]

Put me down for NO not generally, but my husband and I are RABID RABID diehard Star Wars Fans. We even have a room set aside for our SW memorabilia. He quotes the movies in everyday conversation. Even our kids get into Star Wars and the movies! There, I admitted it! But I really don't know much about anything else mentioned in this thread. LOL

[Kilmeny]

I'd second the suggestion of the Dresden File books. Personally I like them better than the Anita Blake books.

Jen

[lizziness]

I haven't tried those. I do love fantasy a little more than Sci-Fi. but i enjoy both. My favorite is probably Orson Scott Card. I like Juliette Marillier best, for historical/fantasy/romance.. but all her stories are kind of the same.
Right now I'm reading the Riftwar saga by Raymond Feist.

[Obsidianbbw]

Thanks for the suggestions. i think in my old age I tend to like any book wear a "real woman" is the main charcter. If anyone is interested the women of Otherworld by Kelly Armstrong is pretty good. Another one is the undead and....series by MaryJanice Davidson. It isn't deadly serious, but its funny and sci fi/fantasy.

The anita books were good till about book 10-13 and not I leave them alone. too much sex for me.

Also read the Orson Scott Card books. I think enders game was the best of the those. I read the Dresden books curious how they do the TV series.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions.

[Glory87]

Loved the early Anita Blake stuff, I think it's descended into a sex-parody of itself. What I find most irritating about Laurell K. Hamilton is that she obviously bases Anita on HER - both are petite, dark curly hair, yadda yadda. Just seems disgustingly masturbatory to hear her go on and on about how every gorgeous man wants to have sex with her. Ugh. First three books were pretty awesome though.

For strong female fantasy, I would recommend Melanie Rawn's Dragon Prince. For more vampire fun stuff, I would recommend Charlaine Harris' Southern Vampire Mysteries (Dead until Dark, etc) and Tanya Huff's Blood books (Blood Price, Blood Pact, etc). For female sci fi - anything by Sheri S. Tepper (the Awakeners was good, Gate to Women's Country). You also can't go wrong with early Anne McCaffery - Dragon Flight, Dragon Singer, Crystal Singer, Ship Who Sang.

[Sakai]

OMG I LOVE Anita Vampire Hunter books. Though, they've been getting iffy now..

Anyways. I have a feeling that you would really love the Dark Series by Christen Feehan. (also known as the Carpathian series) She has many other books out but I've only read those. Take a look at her web site Christenfeehan.com

[mauvaisroux]

NurseMichelle - I worked at two of the Star Wars Celebration Events - you basically ate, slept and breathed Star Wars for 4 days , it was exhausting but fun!

I like Laurel K. Hamilton too, though I have only read 3 of her books so far.

My favorite SF/Fantasy author is Ray Bradbury. I also like Spider Robinson, Frank Hebert, Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Tanith Lee, Isaac Asimov, Anne McAffrey. . .ah, too many to mention!

For Horror I enjoy anthologies and authors like Ramsey Campbell, Joe R. Lansdale and Michael Slade (He writes horror/mystery/crime novels) which involve the RCMP. Poppy Z. Brite is pretty good too.

I read a lot of old school stuff like H.P. Lovecraft, Ambrose Bierce, etc. too.

I'm currently on a crime novel bender involving Patricia Cornwell and Kathy Reichs.

[GreatBigMonsterMomma]

You know, Danse Macabe wasn't *too* bad, because thank GOD she started segregating the sex off into distinct chapters so I could just skip over the squicky stuff. (Did make the mistake of reading the MMF menage a tois, though.) I'm in the "husband number two is now writing the books" camp. Anyone else notice how they took an abrupt nosedive in Incubus Dreams, the fjirst book that was dedicated to "J"? Marry a fanboy and suddenly the whole thing starts reading like bad fanfic. But I digress...

Now, as for really good female-oriented urban fantasy...Mercedes Lackey's Diana Tregarde novels still can't be beaten, and they're being reissued now. They're Children of the Night, Burning Water, & Jinx High. The last is the only one I haven't seen reissued yet. Of course, if you want to talk about LKH ripping anyone off, you've got to have Ms Tregarde involved in the discussion. Read Burning Water and then go over Obsidian Butterfly in your mind.

Other goodies...I love the Sookie Stackhouse novels. Very good, and though there's sex it's not the sole focus of the novels. I forget the author's name offhand. You've already mentioned Kelley Armstrong's Women of the Otherworld series, but I'll mention it again for anyone who hasn't read it. It's great; I LOVE what she's done with werewolves. Just wish she'd get into vampires more. At the same time as Ms Armstrong's work I discovered Kim Harrison, her novels with Rachel Morgan are great, though A Fistful of Charms isn't quite as good as the first three (Dead Witch Walking is the very first). I also like C E Murphy's Urban Shaman & am eagerly looking for its sequel. Carrie Vaughn's Kitty and the Midnight Hour is pretty good, though there is a twist at the end that might be upsetting. It's still worth reading, and I'm buying Kitty Goes to Washington when I get a chance.

That's all I can think of off the top of my head as far as female-oriented urban fantasy goes. One last LKH note, if you haven't read Strange Candy yet, it is well worth it. Only one story in the book is of post-Incubus Dreams vintage, and it's set between that novel & Obsidian Butterfly, so there's plot instead of sex. I sincerely wish Ms Hamilton herself would read that book, and realize how good she used to be.