@Tom

Yes. The characters are all great and dynamic. The plot is interesting. And, for reasons you'll learn, there's a lot of sword fights, which a fantasy person such as yourself is sure to enjoy.

Wait. You asked two questions with different yes/no answers.

No, you don't need to be a SF fan. Yes, you'll get sucked into it.

Both LotR and Dune have a richness unique in their respective genres and it is folly to try and say one is better than the other. It's like saying Blondes or Redheads. Big boobs or soft round asses (and I'm not talkign about the trolls here on WebDip). Each has it's positive and unique contribution to literature to make.

@smeck: really the correct answer is to continue reading both because they are both fantastic. The difference really is just the different between fantasy (which tends to focus on history) and scifi (which has history, but focuses on more current details). There's a shitload of war in both ;)

Damn, there are some gems on the forums today that are making my profile larger... I need to cut down on them, but you got one, Draug ;)

Hmmm. Maybe I will have to pick up the first book for the break between semesters.

Oh for sure Draug. I wasn't meaning to even discuss which was _better_, just which author (if either) created a more obsessively developed universe. For example, 1984 is a great work of literature, and it would not make sense to say it is better or worse than the other two, but you could unambiguously say that Airstrip One is not as highly developed a place as either the Dune universe or Middleearth. So it's a different thing.

That said, I did have a little bit of trouble just now thinking up an alternate-world that is both very good and not highly developed. I was going to use Narnia, e.g., but although it's not as developed as the others, I wanted something more ambiguous, because it is, at least, somewhat developed. Ditto for Ender.

I wonder if it's hard, once you've created a completely different world, to reign in your own curiosity about everything about it.

I was kinda hoiping you'd say that, knoxy!

@Tom: Honestly, most of us have gone FROM fantasy TO scifi. Dune is a great intro, as is Starship Troopers (which is really light reading). I enjoyed LotR, especially the battles... so most of my first novels revolved around war. Forever War, Chapter 1 was part of an anthology of wars in science fiction which I started with to crack into it. Then I got the novel and read it all... then Starship Troopers. Then Dune. Then I was hooked.

Since we are talking scifi, let me give out my shame:

I find Isaac Asimov boring as shit. I tried soooo many times, but halfway through most stories, I just get bored. Maybe I prefer action (WAR!!!)? Who knows. But there is one short story of his that I really love. What's better? He released it for free. It shouldn't take but 10-15minutes at most to read it. It is called "The Last Question" and it blew my mind the first time I read it.
For warning: this is pretty hard science fiction, so it may not appease to everyone (he starts talking about stuff that is pretty far out there in the future), but due try and finish it, as it'll all make sense in the end:

http://www.multivax.com/last_question.html

My first SciFi was Martian Chronicles in 5th grade. My first fantasy was the Hobbit in 4th grade. I've been hooked on quality versions of both ever since.

I found a lot of the LOTR universe history to be dry and boring, like a textbook while everything presented in the Dune books that I've gotten through so far, Dune, Messiah, and Children, felt much better interwoven with narrative. This made it easier to understand and tie in with the political aspects of the Dune universe than in Middle Earth.

Also, I really enjoyed Messiah; I felt the blind prophet thing was really interesting.

Has anyone read anything by Elizabeth Moon. I just learned about her a couple years ago and she is easily my favorite SF/Fantasy author. The way she can make convincing stories in both genres is amazing. I've connected to her main characters more than any other fictional characters.

My first SF was Ender's Game, and Fantasy was Harry Potter.
@fortknox I actually loved everything Asimov I've read so far, (Just the Foundation trilogy and a couple of the short story anthologies I found in my local library.) The depth of plot was crazy, especially when it spans thousands of year with multiple characters. It was a mental exercise to follow, but it was some of the most fun reading I've had.

Interesting, abge. I will definitely have to check her out (I actually think somebody's recommended her before). Certainly one of my gripes with Dune (the first) was that none of the characters was terribly interesting to me.

Asimov is great; I've never been disappointed by anything he's written (fiction or non-fiction).

I never really liked Harry Potter, even though I was the perfect age to read them when they were first published. Of course, my father read me all of LotR as a bedtime story when I was very young, so that pretty much meant I'd never accept anything less than the best Fantasy stories.

@semck

If you want Fantasy, read "The Dead of Paksenarrion", which combines the first three books of the double trilogy.

If you want SF, read Vatta's War. I'm sure Serrano Legacy is also amazing, but I haven't finished it, so I can't personally recommend it yet.

Has anyone read "The Last Question" yet that I put in my Asimov post?
http://www.multivax.com/last_question.html
??

The last line.... it blew me away at the genius of it.

Yup. Read that probably 10 years ago : )

not yet...

For great time travel (and some sex to boot) read James Tiptree, Jr's (the nom de plume of Alice B. Sheldon) 'Forever to a Hudson Bay Blanket'. You've all hear dthe paradox of "what if you went back in time and killed your father"? Well "what if you went back in time and became your father's father"?

Just read "The Last Question" now knox. Gotta love how Asimov can do things like that.

"The Last Question" is a classic of Science Fiction. The last line haunts me (and have you seen the film Dark Star?)

I can still remember the joy I had reading Asimov as a teenager - "I Robot", "The Gods Themselves", "Pebble in the Sky", "The Caves of Steel". But here, try the postcard-story "Quarantine" by Arthur C Clarke (a postcard-story is one small enough to write on a postcard):-
http://wargamerscott.tripod.com/swordandshield/id14.html

"Earth's flaming debris still filled half the sky ..."

Interesting, I am in a world game where I discuss Dune with Muad'Dib.

Did anyone here heard about DuneMUD? Played it?

Personally, Dune had a great impact on me, I grew up reading it, finishing it only in the army (the original 6 books). My most favorite are the last two, Chapterhouse: Dune and Heretics of Dune. Which makes you think - who are they Marty and Daniel?

The first SciFi movie I ever saw is still my favourite. My grandfather got me to watch Metropolis when I was young and fell in love with it. I also like the Lord of the Rings series.

Bask, I ran a mud when I was in college (and after) for 7 years. But never played dunemud.

I used to code at DuneMUD for about 5 years. It was a great place - still active, hosted by Servint.