Some Favorites: Part 1
Today, I'd like to share some of my favorite books, games, movies and music. All of these recommendations have been an inspiration one way or another in my writing and stories.
As you go through the list, feel free to let me know if you've enjoyed any of these recommendations or even better, send me your own favorites. You can either post a reply below or if you've received this by email, you can simply reply to the email and your words will come to me directly. I'm looking forward to hearing from you.
Some Books
I could recommend hundreds of books, but here are a few that really stood out to me. For more of my favorite books, you can visit and follow me on Goodreads.
Brandon Sanderson is fun and easy to read. 'Elantris' is an impressive standalone that shows how epic fantasy can fit in a single book.
'Talion: Revenant' also stands on its own and is an absolute gem.
'Perdido Street Station' is dark and unique as only China Miéville can deliver. It is the first in a series, but each book can be read individually. The second, The Scar, is just as good and impressive as the first.
'Stardust' is Gaiman at his best. It is short, charming and funny.
'The City and the Stars' is one of Clarke's best, although less known than 2001: A Space Odyssey or Rendez-vous with Rama (also two of my favorites).
'Red Mars' by Kim Stanley Robinson is a heavy read, but impressive in its details. It contains a warning about the colonisation of Mars and has one of the most impressive scenes I've ever read in any given book.
Some Movies
Although there are literally thousands of amazing fantasy and science fiction books, the same cannot be said about movies. The main reason, as I see it, is quite simple. Directors and producers spend too much time on special effects when in fact, good fantasy and good science fiction is all about the story and the characters. I don't understand why movie creators keep getting this wrong.
If you haven't, you have to watch The Lord of the Rings trilogy, which is a masterpiece from start to finish. This is how fantasy should be done (sadly, even its director Peter Jackson didn't follow the same formula for the prequel series The Hobbit, which came out later). The first of the series, 'Fellowship of the Rings', remains my favorite.
'Interstellar' is directed by Christopher Nolan (The Dark Knight trilogy, Inception, Memento) and is a lesson on how to present science and science fiction on the big screen.
'Pan's Labyrinth' is simply magical and like nothing else out there, seamlessly blending historical and fantasy elements.
Some Games
Because they let you experience and travel fantastical or futuristic worlds, video games are quite unique and a great source of inspiration for me. In the end, though, the best games all have one thing in common: a strong story and great characters (same as movies, really, but games had more success).
'Final Fantasy IV' blew me away when it came out. Its story is haunting, with a few unpredictable twists.
'Mass Effect' is simply the best series of games I've played and its story rivals the best of books.
'The Banner Saga' is a series of short games that combines turn-based fights (which I love) with breathtaking art and a touching (although bleak) story.
Some Music
I write better with music playing in the background. Typically, I prefer instrumental music, because singing distracts me. For Deficiency, I listened solely to The Adjustment Bureau soundtrack, which is hard to believe since I went over the story more than fifteen times.
'Seventh Son of a Seventh Son' is a concept album by Iron Maiden and the title song (same name) is one of my favorite songs of all time. It's simply grandiose.
The 'Oblivion soundtrack' is great to listen to and I used it a few times while writing (I'm also a big fan of the movie!).
The song 'To Zanarkand' from the Final Fantasy X video game is an amazing piece of piano that will haunt you for days (or months if you play to the game).
That's all folks! It's a long list, but it could have been much longer, believe me. I hope you've found something to your liking.
Have a great day!
Keywords: Favorites , Inspiration , Life , Reading
Also in the Series: Some Favorites
- Some Favorites: Part 1 (April 15, 2023)
- Some Favorites: Part 2 (June 5, 2023)
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