The best science fiction and fantasy books for adults with no sparkling vampires (or characters consumed by teenage angst)

Why am I passionate about this?

My expertise in things adult stems from my 65 years of life on this earth. I have a passion for adult-level writing (not “adult” as in “erotica”) because I was a junior high teacher during the Twilight craze. It didn’t take long to get my fill of sparkling vampires. I had to retire from teaching because of a disability, which left me with time on my hands. I turned to writing, something I had wanted to do since I was a high school student. I now do freelance non-fiction writing (gotta pay the bills) and writing novels. One is never too old to chase a dream.


I wrote...

Lady Silver: Warlock Chronicles, Book I

By Bobbie R. Byrd,

Book cover of Lady Silver: Warlock Chronicles, Book I

What is my book about?

A warlock’s bond to the Flow, the source of all magic, is both a gift and a curse. For Bryanna D’Isaac, hiding her magic is her protection against an emperor waging genocide — until she crosses paths with Admiral Devon Bastion.

The Admiral is a fierce soldier determined to end the emperor’s reign of terror. When investigating Bryanna’s anomalous silver magic reveals a millennia-old mystery, the search for answers leads toward a dark, forbidden place — a place of festering evil and dark magic from ages past. Religious zealots, enthralled to an alien creature masquerading as a god, want to harness the silver warlock’s magic for themselves. But Bryanna — Lady Silver — is not what they think she is.

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The books I picked & why

Book cover of A Game of Thrones

Bobbie R. Byrd Why did I love this book?

This book is the first in Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire series. (I actually recommend the entire series.)

Most of us have seen the TV series A Game of Thrones that’s based on the books. Trust me, the book is better. Martin’s world is alive, vibrant, and believable. The characters are complex, varied, and either likable or hate-able, depending on your point of view.

To me, the character of Tyrion Lannister is the single most outstanding fictional character I’ve ever read. Having been the kid that everyone bullied and ostracized because of my physical appearance (fat girl with bad teeth), relating to Tyrion’s experiences was almost too easy. The intricate weaving of the story arcs is masterful, and the character development is superb. But the main reason I recommend this book is it’s that damn good!

By George R. R. Martin,

Why should I read it?

15 authors picked A Game of Thrones as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

HBO's hit series A GAME OF THRONES is based on George R R Martin's internationally bestselling series A SONG OF ICE AND FIRE, the greatest fantasy epic of the modern age. A GAME OF THRONES is the first volume in the series.

'Completely immersive' Guardian

'When you play the game of thrones, you win or you die. There is no middle ground'

Summers span decades. Winter can last a lifetime. And the struggle for the Iron Throne has begun.

From the fertile south, where heat breeds conspiracy, to the vast and savage eastern lands, all the way to the frozen…


Book cover of Dune

Bobbie R. Byrd Why did I love this book?

Dune is a difficult book to read but well worth the effort. The blend of sci-fi and mysticism is engrossing and when you throw in civil strife and political intrigue, you have a perfect storm.

This was one of the main influences on my choice to meld elements of sci-fi and fantasy in my own writing. I read the entire Dune series but the first in the series is the best, in my opinion. That’s not to say you shouldn’t read the rest of the series. You have to read them all to get the full impact of just how good this classic is.

By Frank Herbert,

Why should I read it?

52 authors picked Dune as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Before The Matrix, before Star Wars, before Ender's Game and Neuromancer, there was Dune: winner of the prestigious Hugo and Nebula awards, and widely considered one of the greatest science fiction novels ever written.

Melange, or 'spice', is the most valuable - and rarest - element in the universe; a drug that does everything from increasing a person's lifespan to making interstellar travel possible. And it can only be found on a single planet: the inhospitable desert world of Arrakis.

Whoever controls Arrakis controls the spice. And whoever controls the spice controls the universe.

When the Emperor transfers stewardship of…


Book cover of Murderfuckers at the End of Internet

Bobbie R. Byrd Why did I love this book?

If you’re looking for cyberpunk sci-fi on steroids, this is the book for you. The depth of imagination that went into the world-building here is phenomenal.

Not only are you treated to a well-fleshed-out futuristic cyberpunk setting, there’s also some serious tech in play. Once you look past the norms of the social structure of the day – which is nothing short of brilliant – you realize this is also a good, old-fashioned police crime drama. Entertaining, mesmerizing, surprising, shocking.

This book has it all. I really loved the quirks of the language that the characters use. Not only has society changed drastically in Dae D. Shields’ world, but so has the English language. You have to read it to fully appreciate the talent of the author behind it.

By Dae D. Shields,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Murderfuckers at the End of Internet as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

What if the Internet went down forever?

Old Seattle 2069.

The Internet has been dead for thirty-one years.

North America is an ecological hellscape.

The USA is a patchwork of hyper-political city-states and rogue nations.

The police have disbanded.

And somebody's killing Nobodies.

In a searing cyberpunk vision of the future, the sinister Black Devilfish walks the endless rainy streets of an overpopulated megalopolis searching for his own soul.

The bizarre Devilfish power suit belies a hard-pressed insomniac struggling to find meaning in his aimless existence. He spends his nights drowning his sorrows in Lysol sponges, calling a wife he…


Book cover of Colombian Betrayal

Bobbie R. Byrd Why did I love this book?

Sci-fi, fantasy, and horror are my genres of choice but every now and then I venture into other genres for a change of scenery. That’s how I found this book.

An author friend actually suggested it and I was not disappointed. If you’re into action thrillers with an undercoating of real-life, this is a good book for you. It demonstrates well the underworkings of drug cartels and those who fight against them.

What I found most intriguing was the way family is treated among the drug cartel members. They say blood is thicker than water, but it obviously isn’t thicker than money. Human greed is well and truly on display in this book, which makes it easy to root for the good guys.

By Randall Krzak,

Why should I read it?

1 author picked Colombian Betrayal as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

Colombian Betrayal tears the cover off the drug trade and exposes the death, and violence behind the twisted connections between governments, revolutionaries, terrorists, and drug lords.Watch as an unholy alliance is formed when the profits of a Columbian drug lord Olivia Moreno, begin disappearing and deadly new international competitors appear on the horizon.Moreno, head of the Barranquilla Cartel, strikes a deal with the Revolutionary Armed Forces of Colombia (FARC). Little does she know she is signing her own death warrant! FARC has a group wanting a foothold in South America—the Islamic State, and she is in the way.On the run,…


Book cover of It

Bobbie R. Byrd Why did I love this book?

I could not put this book down. It was 1,100 pages and I finished it in two days. Then I had nightmares about it for two months. I still can’t look at clowns as a good thing.

King is a genius, there’s no disputing that. But this book goes above and beyond. The child version of the main characters is spot on in the portrayal of kids faced with something beyond belief, at least beyond what the adults are willing to believe. The adult version of the main characters is a brilliant portrayal of people who know what they must do but are resisting their fate with everything they have.

In the end, they learn you can’t beat destiny. King is the master and this is his masterpiece.

By Stephen King,

Why should I read it?

13 authors picked It as one of their favorite books, and they share why you should read it.

What is this book about?

This tie-in edition will be available from 16 July

TIE IN TO A NEW MAJOR MOTION PICTURE, IT: CHAPTER 2, ADAPTED FROM KING'S TERRIFYING CLASSIC

27 years later, the Losers Club have grown up and moved away, until a devastating phone call brings them back...

Derry, Maine was just an ordinary town: familiar, well-ordered for the most part, a good place to live.

It was a group of children who saw- and felt- what made Derry so horribly different. In the storm drains, in the sewers, IT lurked, taking on the shape of every nightmare, each one's deepest dread. Sometimes…


You might also like...

Legacy of the Witch

By Kirsten Weiss,

Book cover of Legacy of the Witch

Kirsten Weiss Author Of The Mysteries of Tarot: A Work of the Imagination

New book alert!

Why am I passionate about this?

When I joined the Peace Corps in the early nineties, I wasn’t allowed to take much luggage. I decided to bring a Tarot deck, figuring I’d finally have time to learn it while parked in an Estonian forest. That Tarot deck opened up a world of Renaissance mysticism and magic, and I’ve been hooked ever since. Tarot cards and readings feature prominently in many of my cozy mystery novels, not the least of which are the Tea and Tarot mysteries. Now my imaginary Tarot reader from that series, Hyperion Night, has recently written his own Tarot guidebook, The Mysteries of Tarot.

Kirsten's book list on how to read Tarot

What is my book about?

Seeker: As societies grow increasingly fragmented, hopelessness, nihilism, division, and despair are on the rise. But there is another way—a way of mystery and magic, of wholeness and transformation. Do you dare take the first step? Our path is not for the faint-hearted, but for seekers of ancient truths...

Legacy of the Witch is a spellbinding, interactive tale of a woman’s midlife quest to understand the complexities of her own heart. A paranormal women’s fiction murder mystery for anyone who’s wondered if there might be more to their own life than meets the eye…

Legacy of the Witch

By Kirsten Weiss,

What is this book about?

Seeker: As societies grow increasingly fragmented, hopelessness, nihilism, division and despair are on the rise. But there is another way—a way of mystery and magic, of wholeness and transformation. Do you dare take the first step? Our path is not for the faint-hearted, but for seekers of ancient truths.

All April wants is to start over after her husband’s sudden death. She’s conjuring a new path—finally getting her degree and planning her new business in bucolic Pennsylvania Dutch country. Joining an online mystery school seems like harmless fun.

But when a murdered man leaves her a cryptic message, she catches…


5 book lists we think you will like!

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