Good books thread

[Cloud_Nine]

anyone with any books they like/d post um here :)
(hey can someone make this a sticky?)

okay well heres clouds weird picks


The Redwall series, kinda for younger kids tho

The killer angels, about the battle of gettysburg in the civil war

the outsiders, short book and kinda funny but it has an old timey fonzie like gang in it

:scratch:

[LittleNoochie]

bah. screw books! Go with graphic novles!

Punisher ownz you all!

[MortalPlague]

Okay...time for MortalPlague's FANTASY NOVEL recommendations!

Firstly, the Lord of the Rings -- hard to get into, but well-worth the read. And in the same vein, the Hobbit, too.

The Wheel of Time -- MASSIVELY epic series, great writing, unfinished as of yet (book 10 just came out...w00t!)

The Saga of Recluce -- Another massive series, with a very intriguing world, and a rather unorthodox style of writing and continuity between books. I'm on the fourth of eleven books right now...

The Sword of Truth -- The first fantasy books I read outside the LoTR stuff, and my doorway to the world of fantasy fiction. Also of note, the Scions of Shannara series.

The Belgariad/Malloreon -- A very well-written series that while being fairly light and not especially realistic has a lot of charm and depth to its characters.

The Discworld Series -- Terry Pratchett spins wonders with these books. Comic fantasy, hilarious stuff there.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- The whole series is hilarious, and while not fantasy, they're still great books.

That's about it for now, I'll post more if I can think of them. All of the above are fairly large reads, btw. You have been warned.

[ShirleyFT]

Ring World by Larry Niven - The movie will be out in a couple years. They can actually do the effects for it now.

Neuromancer by William Gibson - The king of Cyberpunk. A lot of the ideas from this made it to Johnny Neumonic.

Try these by Harlan Ellison - Deathbird series, Strange Wine, Approaching Oblivian, Paingod and other Delusions. These are all short story collections. He wrote for the original Twilight Zone, Star trek, many others. You've seen his stuff and probably never realized it. He sued "The Terminator movie" and won - they ripped his story. "I have no mouth, but I must Scream".

Red Dreams, The Dark Country by Dennis Etchison. These are short story collections. If you like horror, this is the stuff to check. "The Machine Demands a Sacrifice".

WeaveWorld by Clive Barker. I interviewed him ten years ago. Very interesting guy. If you like spooky stuff, he's great.

Breakfast of Champions by Kurt Vonnegut. Weird and hilarious all at the same time.

[HortonsWho]

Heinlein- anything.

Pre-1950 if you like pulp-fiction.

Post 1960 for lengthier "taboo-busting" novels from the "Future History" series"

Try

Friday, Moon is A Harsh Mistress, The Cat who Walks Through Walls, To Sail Beyond the Sunset

just to name a few.

[Kingster]

Eon series - Greg Bear. Consists of Eon, Eterninty, and Legacy. Many people disliked them. I loved them.

Ender's Game and subsequent... There was a thread about this elsewhere in here. I can see where everyone is coming from when they say that none of the squels were as good as the first. However... Those are books of a different type, and though are related to Game, should not be truly compared to Game basedd on that vast difference.

I'll second the Ringworld series. Definitely worth the read.

I'll tack on some more books later... Just ain't got the time now.

[*HUMAN*]

Pretty much anything by C. S. Friedman. The Coldfire Trilogy is a must read -- and the cover art rocks too. :)
C. J. Cherry's Foreigner series. She does a very good job illustrating the alienness of alien minds and how to deal with it.
S. M. Stirling's Island on the Sea of Time and it's sequels. An interesting take on the practical matters of survival if an islandful of people ever happens to be thrown back in time about 2000 years. Also, his Draka novels are also interesting alternate-histories, but can be a little, um, blunt about some topics. Not for kids so everyone go out and read it.
Raymond Feist's Riftwar Series. Definitely a fun read -- much better than his recent books IMO. Also his books with Janny Wurtz (Daughter of the Empire, Servant of the Empire, Mistress of the Empire), but read the Riftwar books before these.
Orson Scott Card -- don't just stick with Ender's Game and its sequels (I hear a movie is in the works for Ender's Game). Check out his collections of short stories -- the first story in Flux is pretty cool.


Ok, once you read all of these I'll give you some more ideas... ;)

[Blackshado]

Well, since people won't read this if its too long, I'll just give you the title of a book I think most people here would like.

The Fionavar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay

Kay is a Canadian author who worked with Christrian Tolkien on J.R.R. Tolkien's The Silmarillion. Having read both The Lord of the Rings and The Fionavar Tapestry, I'd put them on even ground. Its that good. Its a trilogy, and the use of human characters from a modern-day world plunged into this fantasy realm makes it easy for the reader to see him/herself in one or several characters.

If you liked LOTR, you'll love this trilogy.

Edit: a few links

http://www.greenmanreview.com/fionavartapestry.htm
http://www.brightweavings.com/books/fionavar.htm

[radio667]

Wow- Cloud_9 .. KILLER ANGELS is my all time favorite :D -love that book !!!!

[Salyavin]

Originally posted by HortonsWho
Heinlein- anything.

Pre-1950 if you like pulp-fiction.

Post 1960 for lengthier "taboo-busting" novels from the "Future History" series"

Try

Friday, Moon is A Harsh Mistress, The Cat who Walks Through Walls, To Sail Beyond the Sunset

just to name a few. I love Heinlein too, but I'd really only recommend his earlier works (pre-1960). After the stroke he still had his excellent writing style but the plots became unfocused and the subject matter got very strange (some taboos are best left unbusted ;)). The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is my favorite and I love his juveniles and short stories, but stuff like Number of the Beast and I Will Fear No Evil is best left at the bookstore/library.

Others:
Terry Pratchett takes up the whole top shelf of my bookcase. Blends humor and a good story in every book (30+ and still going).

Neal Stephenson. Only has a few books out but they're all great. The Diamond Age and Snow Crash could be classified as SF while Zodiac and Cryptonomicon are more grounded in the real world. Also look for earlier works co-written with his uncle under the pen name Stephen Bury. Interface is great to read in a presidential election year.

Lois McMaster Bujold, best known for her Miles Vorkosigan series. Wonderful characters. Read the books in order though, there are spoilers between them and the best one, Memory, really only works if you already know the characters. She also has a recent fantasy novel Curse of Chalion that I found to be as good as Tolkien and George R. R. Martin.

George R. R. Martin, already mentioned on the Playground here (http://www.unrealplayground.com/forums/showthread.php?s=&threadid=8606).

Second Blackshado's recomendation of Guy Gavriel Kay. If you like Kay's work also try Iain M. Banks. SF, but gritty like Kay's fantasy.

And a nod to LittleNoochie: Neil Gaiman's Sandman is the pinnacle of graphic novels (normal people call them comic books :)). Gaiman also writes great novels; last year's American Gods won the Hugo. Good Omens, co-written with Terry Pratchett, is the funniest book I've ever read.

Cheers,
Salyavin

[Prismax]

Well I don't read much, but here's my list

The Oath
This Present Darkness
Piercing the Darkness
All by Frank Peretti

Blood of Heaven by Bill Myers

My latest read - All in One A+ Certification Exam Guide: Forth Edition by Michael Meyers

[The_Stranger]

Originally posted by radio667
Wow- Cloud_9 .. KILLER ANGELS is my all time favorite :D -love that book !!!!

Killer Angels rules...but not the books by the Author's son, Michael Shaara. They are pretty weak by comparison.

Other good historical fiction:

First Man in Rome series by Collen McCullough: Sex, violence, betrayal, greed, politics, and decadence at the end of the Roman Republic. You may learn a lot about ancient Rome, too, but you'll never notice until the blood dries.

Aubrey/Maturin series by Patrick O'Brian starting with Master and Commander. Engrossing and often very funny series set in British Navy during the later part of the Napoleonic wars

Richard Sharpe series by Bernard Cornwell. Cheesier than the other series, but lotsa fun nonetheless. A "square peg" character, who does not fit into the British army(also during the Napoleonic Wars), but manages to scheme and fight his way through all obstacles.

Fantasy/Sci Fi:

Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser series by Fritz Lieber. This is about the funniest fantasy series I have ever read, featuring two likeable, but basically amoral rogues who connive, fight and and thieve their way across the world of Newhon, which is one of the main sources (after Middle Earth, of course) influencing the fantasy Genre today.

Amber series by Roger Zelazny. Don't know what to say about this (it's a little complicated to explain in one line) but it's great.

EarthSea trilogy by Ursula K. Leguin. Sort of sociological fantasy. A very coherent focused world with interesting people and places.

Also, if you ever have the chance check out anything by Cordwainers Smith or Karle Edward Wagner. Both are hard to find since they are out of print, but are very much worth it.

Smith's books are kind of oddball sci-fi, with some very strange characters (many are genetically enhance animals).

Wagner's stories feature this dark, obsessed character named Kane, whose principal goal is to find the means to kill the Supreme Being in revenge for cursing Kane with immortality. That issue only crops up in the stories now and then, but colors all of them.

__________________
Outside of a dog, a book is man's best friend. Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read. -Groucho Marx

[CJHobbes]

The Vampire Chronicles by Anne Rice

:D

[LittleNoochie]

anybody read Lenerds?

[ShirleyFT]

OMG Stranger, thank you. Karl Edward Wagner must be read. MUST!!!

Karl died way before his time. He could have... should have been one of the biggest names in the business. The last time we hung out was 1992 at the World Horror Convention in Nashville. We did some heavy duty partying that night. Karl was the extreme, but as we all know the candle that burns twice as bright, burns half as long. Karl died in '94 at too young an age. I will miss him.



ShirleyFT - raises a glass for friends, long gone.

[The_Stranger]

Originally posted by ShirleyFT
OMG Stranger, thank you. Karl Edward Wagner must be read. MUST!!!...
ShirleyFT - raises a glass for friends, long gone.

Yeah, he's great. I have only read BloodStone and 4 or 5 short stories from anthologies, because of the unavailablity of his work. I am looking around for more in out of print sites.

/me clinks Shirley's glass

[HortonsWho]

Wagner's books-- which might you recommend?

LIST (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/104-9047842-3900717)

[ShirleyFT]

Originally posted by HortonsWho
Wagner's books-- which might you recommend?

LIST (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-form/104-9047842-3900717)

Try - Why not you and I? - for starters. This is collection of shorter works. You should be able to find it.

It's hard to find his stuff these days. You might find some at the library and at used book stores. They re-released the Kane series but it is very expensive.

His best stuff was the short stories, novelettes and novellas. You might find them in the library in larger collections. It might take a little looking, but it will be worth it.

Unfortunately, the SF/Fantasy/Horror book industry has been going down the tubes lately and they only do limited printings and even more limited re-printings. That's why I left the industry and took up programming. I still hang around the conventions now and then because I have a lot of friends there, but I only do one local show a year now.

[Cloud_Nine]

just finished the color of water

not excatly scifi or fantasy but i liked it :)

[radio667]

Shirley -you are a writer !!! -WOW -i didn't know --have you written any books-and can i buy them :D ??!!

[MadMikey]

Originally posted by Salyavin
but stuff like Number of the Beast and I Will Fear No Evil is best left at the bookstore/library. The only Heinlein book I've ever read was "Number of the Beast", and I've read it three times. :D I liked it.


My recommendations:

"Wheel of Time" series by Robert Jordan

"Sword of Truth" series by Terry Goodkind

Any of the "Shanarra" series by Terry Brooks

These are all pretty main-stream, I know. But hey, that's me. :D

also

"Battlefield Earth" by L. Ron Hubbard -- Not the movie, the book. Other than the names, there is no similarity.

[Unicorn]

The Wheel of Time -- MASSIVELY epic series, great writing, unfinished as of yet (book 10 just came out...w00t!)
"Wheel of Time" series by Robert Jordan

Oh YES!!! This is the best series I've ever read as far as fantasy reading goes... which I prefer to read ;)

Altho he keeps the action all the way through ALL the books (10 in english so far 18 in swedish (2 books per 1 english book, grrrr :( )) he really should finish it. It feels as if he only writes for money now :( altho the story still is very strong.

[The_Stranger]

Originally posted by Unicorn

Altho he keeps the action all the way through ALL the books (10 in english so far 18 in swedish (2 books per 1 english book, grrrr :( )) he really should finish it. It feels as if he only writes for money now :( altho the story still is very strong.

I was actually kind of pissed to find that, after reading 10 books, that the @#$% story still isn't finished. I liked it, but not that much.

[*HUMAN*]

I have to agree...my enthusiasm for the Wheel of Time series is definitely waning. It seems that precious little has been happening in the last few books to bring the story to a close. It feels like Jordan is just milking the series' popularity and extending the number of books in the series. Intellectually, I understand how difficult it is to plot out and write a series of books on this scale. But as a consumer, move it along for heaven's sake.

I have the latest book, but instead of tearing into it I'm putting it at the bottom of my stack of books to be read. It's been 2 years, so I guess I can wait a few more weeks to read it.

[SoBeiT]

Anyone mention Stephen Donaldson?

His first 3 books on the White Gold Welder (? its been a very long time since I read these books) are good. Its split between modern times and what takes him back to a special place.

[Salyavin]

Originally posted by SoBeiT
Anyone mention Stephen Donaldson?

His first 3 books on the White Gold Welder (? its been a very long time since I read these books) are good. Its split between modern times and what takes him back to a special place. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. There's also a second trilogy...The Second Chronicles of etc.

Donaldson is a very skillful writer but his characters are the most unsympathetic bunch I've ever run across. I couldn't identify with, or even like, a single one. Although I was quite taken with the setting (great world-building) and the plot, I have no desire to go back and re-read them (and I re-read almost everything).

Here's a hint to someone contemplating reading these books: read the first couple of chapters in Lord Foul's Bane (first book). If you can get past the part when Thomas first enters The Land, go ahead and enjoy the rest of the series. If not, put it down and try something more uplifting.

Donaldson's sci-fi series (The Gap into...) suffers from the same problem: an incredible universe populated almost entirely by complete and utter bastards. I enjoyed reading it but I'm not going back.

Cheers,
Salyavin

[HotSoup]

"The Demon Haunted World : Science as a candle in the dark"
Carl Sagan
"The Borderlands of Science"
Micheal Shermer
"Genome"
Matt Ridely
"Bad Astronomy"
Phil Plait
"Cards as Weapons"
Ricky Jay



Read these during the past 2 months. Amazing books.

[*HUMAN*]

Originally posted by Salyavin
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever. There's also a second trilogy...The Second Chronicles of etc.
Here's a hint to someone contemplating reading these books: read the first couple of chapters in Lord Foul's Bane (first book). If you can get past the part when Thomas first enters The Land, go ahead and enjoy the rest of the series. If not, put it down and try something more uplifting.


I guess I need something more uplifting, although I did read the entire first book. I just couldn't get past the main character's "I'm a leper" bit in every other paragraph.

[Inkswitch]

Stephen Donaldson ROCKS!

His newest sci-fi series, The Gap Cycle, kicks major ass.

HUMAN....... The first book of the Covenant trilogy is awfully slow. But, he really makes up for it in the rest of the series.

I think his characters are some of the most developed ever written. Granted, some arent very nice. But, they are totally interesting.

[ShirleyFT]

Originally posted by radio667
Shirley -you are a writer !!! -WOW -i didn't know --have you written any books-and can i buy them :D ??!!

Nope never published, but I did win an honorable mention in the L. Ron Hubbard Writers of the future Contest. lol I couldn't sell that story either. I sent it to SF mags and they told me it was Fantasy. I sent it to Fantasy mags and they (Marion Zimmer Bradley) told me it was occult. I have a stack of rejection slips. Larry Niven read my stuff and said he liked it. Fred Pohl read my stuff and told me he was going to rip one of my ideas for his next book. lol I haven't written anything since '92. I might start again one day.

During the Eighties and nineties I did SF art and went to a lot of conventions. That's how I know all these people.

Oh, which reminds me. Another guy the SF community lost just recently was Charles Sheffield. If you like hard Science Fiction, you'll love his work. He was always extremely interesting and could talk about almost everything. He was a regular contributor to Analog magazine. I recommend "Godspeed" which came out in 1993. A couple years before, I said, "You know I really loved that story Godspeed (Godspeed, Analog 1990), but I felt like I wanted to read more after I read it". He told me he was thinking about doing a novel and he did. Some great Hard SF. He died Nov. 2, 2002.

[Fnix.USA]

Originally posted by Cloud_Nine
anyone with any books they like/d post um here :)
(hey can someone make this a sticky?

the outsiders, short book and kinda funny but it has an old timey fonzie like gang in it

:scratch:

That book owned

[eX-one]

Outsiders ... wow. I haven't heard that name since grade 8 when it was compulsory reading.

I've read the Sword of Truth series, and I have to recommend it as well. Not very complicated plot, but it'll keep you turning pages. Course when I found out that the Wizards' First Rule is "People are Stupid", I was hooked.

Another series I've been trying to keep up with, but unable to, since it's taken 20 years to get the latest book out is the Dark Tower series by Stephen King. It's kind of a cowboy meets post apocalyptic world story, and that's oversimplifying it, but imho it's a good adventure book with dark overtones.

No one has mentioned this book yet, and it's not sci-fi/fantasy or whatnot, but I thought it deserved to be mentioned; Memoirs of a Geisha. Very touching.

[ShirleyFT]

"Stay Golden".

[blito3]

series
well worlds
lost regiment
harry turtledoves invasion series
starwars
ender (read enders shadow couple of weeks ago)
sten
mutineers moon
hmmmm...might of missed some..so many
favorites single book
battlefield earth (read that 3 times so far..every few years or so)

[Lord_Simeon]

I hate reading, but every 4 years or so i pick up a book.

Top book of all time for me.
"The Dosadi experiment"

About a intergalactic lawyer who goes to a planet which is inhabited by 2 races, one human, and one frog like.
The inhabitants dont know about any other life in the universe and the whole planet is set up as an experiment to see if 2 raves can interact.

VG book

[OshadowO]

Anything by stephen hawking is good if you like to read about space and time. Though I'm partial to the universe in a nutshell since it summarises a lot.

Slaughter house V by Kurt Vonnegut was awesome.


I've been visiting all the good ol classics as of late when time allows becuase I never got them assigned in school/couldn't appreciate them. Most of you probably read them all (ya know animal farm, 1984, to kill a mocking bird, lord of the flies etc.)


On a side note I've only read starship troopers by heinlein and that was awesome, he's kinda on my to read list which keeps growing faster then I can read a book off it:D

Plus memoirs of a geisha gets my vote too. Very good book imo, especially if you're as mystified with japanese culture and tradations as I am:)

[CJHobbes]

Apologies if these books have already been mentioned.
(definately will be a repeat of a few threads I started)

Ender's Game Series, Homebody, Lost Boys by: Orson Scott Card
Jurassic Park, Sphere, by: Michael Crichton
A Time to Kill, The Client, The Firm by: John Grisham
Hunt for Red October, The Sum of all Fears by: Tom Clancy
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galazy by: Doublas Adams
Cain by: James Byron Higgens
Messiah by: Boris Starling
Watchers, Lightning, Seize the Night by: Dean Koontz
The Banned and the Banished series by: James Clemens
The Vampire Chronicals by: Anne Rice
Calvin and Hobbes comics by: Bill Watterson (had to put this in here!)
Lord of the Rings trilogy + The Hobbit by: J. R. R. Tolkien
Various by: Dr. Seuss :D
My novel (once I get it done) by: Me :)

Think that's aboot it for now.

[MortalPlague]

I'm a writer too, but not quite at the publishable level yet. Anyways, I have to add a few to my list.

Battlefield Earth -- I can't believe I forgot it! Probably one of the best books I've ever read!

The Dark Tower by Stephen King is good, but I've only read the first two books. Also by him I recommend "The Stand".

And by Michael Crichton, "Jurassic Park" is excellent. Absolutely amazing reading there. MUCH, much better than the movie!

And Calvin and Hobbes, of course. They rock!!!

[eX-one]

MortalPlague, you really have to read at least book 3 (The Waste Lands) of the Dark Tower series.... WasteLands is where it starts to get more interesting. The group has been drawn and they're making their way along the path of the Beam to the Tower. book 4 was a little disappointing for me though, but I'll let you read it and decide yourself.

The Stand is a good book also, although I did feel that some parts were drawn out way too long. The movie/series version just sucked.

[MortalPlague]

You can only read so much Stephen King stuff without taking a break. I think it's because it's really hard literature which forces you to examine yourself and your own life and the world, and it's hard to swallow in large doses. Still, very good writing.

And I'll get back to the Dark Tower series...someday...

[Switch]

Okay, more kickass SF:

Arthur C. Clarke's Venus Prime Series by Paul Preuss: the original Tomb Raider was a badass blonde with implants. No, not those implants. :p
Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson
David Brin's Startide Rising, but just that one book in the series.

[[x_X]]

Originally posted by ShirleyFT
Neuromancer by William Gibson - The king of Cyberpunk. A lot of the ideas from this made it to Johnny Neumonic.


neuromancer is an essential read--this book is to cyberpunk as LOTR is to fantasy IMO. btw, ive seen johnny mnemonic at least 2wice, still dont like it.

hyperion - dan simmons. the first book of one of the best SF series (4 books) i have ever read, which im now reading thru again. the first 15-20 pages are just a *bit* dry, but gets very interesting quickly and carries its momentum thru the last book. the series is a twisted mix of art, technology, evolution, and religion...fascinating read.

on a pale horse - piers anthony. the first book in the "incarnations of immortality" series. instant-gratification read. ive tried several others in the series, but none were as appealing as this one. the premise of the series is that every immortal "force" in the universe (death, fate, time, war, god, lucifer, etc.) are merely job descriptions. the 'hero' of this story acquires the position of death at the moment he attempts to kill himself.

[Salyavin]

Originally posted by MadMikey
The only Heinlein book I've ever read was "Number of the Beast", and I've read it three times. :D I liked it.I had to go back and re-read it to remember why I disliked it so much. I think it's because it starts out as a very fun read, with a great premise and lots of potential. How can you go wrong traveling the axes of space-time and visiting fictional worlds?

This is how: by bringing along the four most annoying ultra-competent do-no-wrong Heinlein-ian stereotypes I've had to endure. I like most of Heinlein's smartass characters, especially the "author's voice" ones (Bernardo De La Paz, Jubal Harshaw, the Boss in Friday) but those four were unbearable...I'd've spaced the lot of 'em.

The ending was also terrible. You may not know this if you haven't read other Heinlein books, but it mainly involves bringing in characters from his earlier works. It's one thing to pay homage to other authors, but when you do it for yourself it's just wanking. :)

Try his earlier stuff: Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Glory Road, Starship Troopers, The Past Through Tomorrow (short stories and one novella). They probably have everything you enjoyed in Number of the Beast but I daresay you'll like them better.

Cheers,
Salyavin

[The_Stranger]

Some random SF novels most would enjoy:

"Forever War" by Joe Haldeman.
It's about a war between humanity and an engimatic alien species carried out at sub-light speed, i.e. more or less according to the laws of physics as they are currently understood. It makes interesting use of time distortion effects to tell a fascinating story about the members of oine of the first combat teams sent out.

"Inherit the Stars" by James P. Hogan
Kind of an archeological mystery in space -- an undentified dead astronaut is found on the moon in the near future, whom carbon dating reveals to have died over 10,000 years ago. There are two sequels, but the first novel is the best

"The Anubis Gates" by Tim Powers.
A really weird story that takes place in early 19th century England involving a really original combination of history, pseudohistory, and just plain b.s. I constantly found myself wondering which parts were based on real people and situations (definitely some of it) and which had been made up by Powers(a lot more). "Last Call" and "Earthquake weather," which take place in the present day, are also good, and are equally strange mixtures of real and imaginary characters and events.

"Forever War" and "Inherit the Stars" might be hard to find in stores, so look online(they are old titles), but Powers' work hould be avaialble in any store wit a well-stocked Fantasy/SF section.

[SloththeShovel]

"Skinny Legs And All", "Jitterbug Perfume", "Another Roadside Attraction", "Still Life With Woodpecker" and "Even Cowgirls Get The Blues" by Tom Robbins are wonderful reads.

[Sludge_McBain]

The "Nights Dawn" Trilogy by Peter F Hamilton

Includes:

[list=1]
The Reality Dysfunction
The Naked God
The Neutronium Alchemist
[/list=1]

This is serious sci-fi, similar to Ian M Banks type of technology but a lot, lot, lot darker.

The ending is a little bit light but does provide a feel good effect after some very heavy scenes throughout the book.

[Switch]

Originally posted by ShirleyFT
....
Oh, which reminds me. Another guy the SF community lost just recently was Charles Sheffield. If you like hard Science Fiction, you'll love his work. He was always extremely interesting and could talk about almost everything. He was a regular contributor to Analog magazine. I recommend "Godspeed" which came out in 1993. A couple years before, I said, "You know I really loved that story Godspeed (Godspeed, Analog 1990), but I felt like I wanted to read more after I read it". He told me he was thinking about doing a novel and he did. Some great Hard SF. He died Nov. 2, 2002.

Wow, I didn't know Charles Sheffield died. 'Cold As Ice' is one of my favrites. I'm reading 'Ganymede Club' right now.

Great writer. He'll be missed.

[blito3]

this series is solid all the way thru

[Lorien]

Ah, my first post and on my favorite subject too.
Here`s some of my fave books ever:-
The Magic Cottage-Stephen King?
The entire Wilbur Smith collection especially Birds of Prey and Monsoon.
Duncton Wood-William Horwood (LOTR featuring small woodland creatures,amazing). I`d love to hear what others think of this one
:rolleyes: especially female readers.
Culture series by IainM.Banks. Cracking sci-fi.
The Wasp Factory-IainM.Banks. Not for the faint hearted :evil:
Pern series by Anne McCaffrey
Ahem, Harry Potter.
I`m gonna kick myself later about the books I forgot to mention so expect another post from me.:hammer:

[Salyavin]

Originally posted by Lorien
Culture series by IainM.Banks. Cracking sci-fi.
The Wasp Factory-IainM.Banks. Not for the faint heartedBanks is indeed an excellent writer, both SF and non-fiction. I really enjoyed The Player of Games and Use of Weapons, both in the Culture setting. One thing to note about Banks, esp. when searching for his books online; he doesn't use the middle initial (M) for his non-fiction works like The Wasp Factory and The Bridge.

Another great SF writer I've recently (re-)discovered is Vernor Vinge. I read A Fire Upon the Deep a few years ago but only after reading it again last year did I go out and find the rest his works. Really great stuff...especially for a computer geek like me. He used to be a comp sci professor in San Diego and some of that shows up in his books (although you really don't have to be a computer geek to enjoy them :)).

And welcome to UP Lorien.

Cheers,
Salyavin

[Q-La]

Originally posted by Salyavin
...The Player of Games... <<me reading this


Very sexy style, compared to what's called hard SF I used to read a lot by Ben Bova.

[{DK}Cyberwife]

I think I read too much.... Most of the authors I like have already been mentioned.. Tolkien, Jordan, Brooks, Eddings... So I'll just mention a few of the others..

Tamora Pierce ( juvenile books.. but I love em)
Piers Anthony ( Xanth is too funny, and I like the others as well)
Robin Hobb
S L Viehl (Stardoc series VERY good)
Diane Duane - young magician series

And this one just hooked me.. I read it in one day...
Steve Alten - Domain
http://www.amazon.ca/exec/obidos/ASIN/0312874766/qid=1049775569/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1_1/702-3093445-5400805

Had to put a link to it!!

[HortonsWho]

He was recommended a while back so I finally bought one of his books: Terry Goodkind, The Pillars of Creation Pretty good read so far.

[bohica799]

I'm one book shy of completing my Rogue Warrior collection hehe. used to go crazy for those.:D

[SoBeiT]

Horton...isn't that one of a series?

Terry Goodkind books are pretty good. Something for everyone.

[Salyavin]

Originally posted by SoBeiT
Horton...isn't that one of a series? It is a series called the Sword of Truth. Pillars is the seventh in the series.

Terry Goodkind books are pretty good. Something for everyone. Well, the last third of Wizard's First Rule (1st book of the series) certainly isn't for everyone. Although it was...different. :)

Cheers,
Salyavin

[SloththeShovel]

Just finished "Things Fall Apart" by Chinua Achebe. Very powerful book. I'm sure many of you read it in college.

[Q-La]

Michael Crichton's Travel is a very very fiction like non-fiction. I have just read two of Rich Dad Poor Dad series. Makes me think more financially. What do anyone think of them? Any good economics book recommendation?

[Freakish]

I finally got around to Fast Food Nation; very interesting but I'm still gonna enjoy my fast food. :D

I'm going to re-read My Year in Meats next just to see how much it jives with FFN.


I think I'll grab the michael crichton latest; he's always an easy fun read.

[ShirleyFT]

I remember a really cold winter in 1981, we burned the ping pong table, the furniture, the fence. We didn't burn the books 'til last. I still miss that book on Greek mythology.

[Midnite Warrior]

A great book...

Snake Pit by Mary Jane Ward

Hard to read at first, kinda confusing but then again it does make a lot of sense. If you ever have the time, you should read it. :) I'd have to say it's one of my favorite books that I've read.

[Switch]

Ahh yes... Michael Chrighton.

'Sphere' and 'Jurassic Park' were good movies, but let me tell you, they are GREAT books. But, probably only if you haven't seen the movies, which is highly unlikely....

And I just finished 'Destination Gold' in the Rogue Warrior series... gonna read the one that takes place in Portland next. They get cheesier as they go I think. The first few were pretty darn original. Love the vocabulary!

"Doom on Dickie time..." :)

[MortalPlague]

Originally posted by Switch
Ahh yes... Michael Chrighton.

'Sphere' and 'Jurassic Park' were good movies, but let me tell you, they are GREAT books. But, probably only if you haven't seen the movies, which is highly unlikely....


I read Jurassic Park after seeing the movie and enjoyed it immensely. Much better than the movie. :D

[Nabsta]

Yea yea.. I didn't flip thru the ohter 3 pages so someone may have said it 8)... Ender's Game and all the others that followed, oh and Ender's Shadow and the Shadow of the Hegemon, now reading the 3rd part to it (ender's shadow is w/ enders game, the other 2 take place between game and speaker for the dead). It's good stuff if you like Sci fi.

Nastba / Nabstard / who knows what next

[TraciLords69]

I took a class called Families in Poverty this summer, and we read two books about people living in poverty. I know I know, but they were REALLY good, honestly.
One is There are No Children Here by Alex Kotlowitz which details the lives of two young boys growing up in a Chicago housing project. The other is Nickle and Dimed: On (Not) Getting By in America by Barbara Ehrenreich. This one in particular is interesting because she is a journalist who willingly tries to live in poverty for two months. She does a great job of describing the hardships faced by just finding a months rent and a days meal.
They are both National Best Sellers, and extremely easy/quick reading. Next time you're in your local used book store pick one up, I think you'll enjoy them. They really changed some of my thinking about poverty, as did the whole class.
I've been trying to change my reading habits from just fiction to more non-fiction educational type stuff.

:)

[King Mango]

I hold in my hands at this moment, Idoru by William Gibson. I haven't read him since 85 when I had Burning Chrome and Neuromancer. That was got me hooked on Sci-Fi.
Heinlein: Friday, Stranger in a Strange Land,
Aurthur C. Clarke: The "Rama" series is pretty cool. Some installments co-written with Gentry Lee, a NASA scientist. The only thing I have actually read by him, though we all know Space:2001 etc...
Anne McAfferey's Pern series is tops.
James Clavell's Noble House related novels and Shogun.
I must have missed the previous thousand mentions of Frank Herbert's Dune series?
Michael Crichton: About 10? years ago my uncle brought Jurrasic Park camping and I stole it. Went out and read everything he had published up to that point and liked it.
Almost twenty years ago, I read what I remember was a series of a half magic, half mundane world where there was like a fairy or elf town, something like that. I liked it. The lead character was a hot runaway chick.
Speaking of mundane, Piers Antony's "A Spell for Chameleon" series was all I read for a year in High School.
Marion Zimmer Bradley's "The Mists of Avalon" was great.
Of course The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings.
Tom Clancy's Hunt for Red October, and Red Storm Rising
PHILLIP K. DICK Seen any killer sci-fi movies lately. Bet you every time it's based on a Dick novel or novella.

Minority Report
Blade Runner
Total Recall
Impostor
that's just a quick run down. I know there is more if I actually took time to think.

Douglas Adams Guides of course.
Ray Bradbury's Martian Chronicles and other various stories.
Madelin L'engle's "A Wrinkle in Time" takes me back to the third grade.
Clive Barker:Weaveworld, In the Flesh, Lord of Illusions (which came out as a novella originally and had a few short stories bundled with it?),
Steven King gets honorable mention for The Stand. His only book I ever liked and I have read about a dozen at the insistance of friends.
My soon to be published short story, "The Body Brokers" If I can ever resolve the concept/message...
The Skin Trade:A collection of short stories including one or two of King's but it has a great Novella as the last read of the book. Called, the skin trade. If you like lycanthropy, it's a must read.
There was also a series about a secret military branch of the Catholic Church that is really good. The Fraterninty of the Stone or some such.
So much more that escape me at the moment. I read all the time. My used book store lady will be happy I discovered this thread.

[1_LoSt_TaLiBaN]

mmm didnt read the rest of the thread and considering Im just getting back into reading I offer up the last 2 books I read

The Celetine Prophecy

and

Ishmael

[tr@xtandn]

i read both of those but that was
after reading a few by Castaneda..

so I found those two were kinda a lil duller

I just finished The Strongest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie
he wrote the screenplay for Smoke Signals

a bunch of short stories, good read

[RJGexplode]

hmm, a few good books i've read are:

The Everworld series by Applegate
Tithe by Holly Black
Any book or series by Tamora Pierce

[j.lu]

well i'm too lazy to read this whole thread so if this was mentioned before i apologize, but for anyone that wants to take a trip through a drug addled cyberpunk classic, you really need to pick up Vurt by Jeff Noon.

[SloththeShovel]

well i'm too lazy to read this whole thread so if this was mentioned before i apologize, but for anyone that wants to take a trip through a drug addled cyberpunk classic, you really need to pick up Vurt by Jeff Noon.






Thank you! I've been trying to remember the name of that book and the author! :loopy:

[Switch]

i read both of those but that was
after reading a few by Castaneda..

so I found those two were kinda a lil duller

I just finished The Strongest Indian in the World by Sherman Alexie
he wrote the screenplay for Smoke Signals

a bunch of short stories, good read

Sherman Alexie is great--"Lone Ranger and Tonto Fist-fight in Heaven" or something like that :p was really good and the origin of "Smoke Signals"

[Switch]

All the stuff I loved reading in High School:

Ursula K. Leguin's Earthsea series
Catcher (I buy a copy every time I enter a bookstore. Did I mention that?)
GARP
Camus' 'Stranger'

Some book called "A Sudden Darkness" or something like that with a tree in it... lol THAT was a major downer....

And I only got a 3 on my AP test :(

[SloththeShovel]

this is a fun read- "The tenacity of the cockroach" by the Onion a.v. club.
interviews with off beat smart types like Henry Rollins, Martha Plimpton, George Carlin, Michael McKeon, Mr. T, Douglas Adams, etc...http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/ASIN/0609809911/qid=1077047519/sr=2-1/ref=sr_2_1/102-7131087-0475303

[Q-La]

Just picked up another Ben Bova's book - Jupiter. Last ones I read were Return to Mars / Moonwar some two years ago. Probably will do the grand tour over years.

[teppic]

latest book i'm reading:

To Kill A Mocking Bird by Harper Lee.

naturally everyone except me has already read it:p
i'm doing it because i got told to by my english teacher, but it really is a good book. i plan on reading it at every available moment :)

[Q-La]

I've started on JRR Tolkien's The Similarion, the first few chapters are about the events and history before middle earth is formed, i.e. the Genesis in Tolkien's words. Very cool so far!

[King Mango]

I've really been meaning to get around to that book. As soon as I finish "Up Country" by DeMille I'll get on it. Thanks for the reminder Q.

[NOS]

On The Road, by Jack Kerouak

[Count Nosferatu]

"Khrushchev" By William Taubman... very good book about the man and his times... breaks down and analyses sources very well and gives us a good impression of Soviet society from his level and experiences. To be read in conjunction with Sheila Fitzpatrick's "Everyday Stalinism".

[1_LoSt_TaLiBaN]

Imperial Hubris - Anonymous

The Age of Spiritual Machines - Ray Kurzweil

[tr@xtandn]

The Age of Spiritual Machines - Ray Kurzweil


you finally start readin that? I do want that shiz back at some point


Kurzweil is insane...but interesting read fo sho

Are We Spiritual Machines is another good one from him

[King Mango]

Age is one book I've tried to read twice and is sitting on my nightstand, but I don't think I'm ever going to actually get around to it. It's beneath a DeMille and a Hillerman lolz...

[MortalPlague]

I never could finish "To Kill a Mockingbird"... it was, to me, such an insanely boring book that I never read the whole thing. And I'm an avid reader, too. I just really dislike those books that the entire plot is about growing up. :sour:

[Lunarbunny]

Arrg...To Kill a Mockingbird was a double ouch for me. I don't like that sort of plot either, and to get it as a school reading assignment...well, you get the picture.
In fact, almost every single one of the school reading assignments I've gotten have gone along that plot. I never finished any of them (Thank god for SparkNotes!)

[teppic]

to kill a mockingbird is alright...i found it inspiring. Atticus is a hero.

anyway, i read Animal Farm the other week...messed up book that is. at only 90-odd pages long its well worth the read.

[DeathWizard]

The Darren Shan Trilogy is cool 12books long:cool:

[SloththeShovel]

"Moneyball- The Art Of Winning An Unfair Game" by Michael Lewis

[King Mango]

Sloth shouldn't you be reading, "Hairball, the art of finding a courageous barber?"
and wtf is Utzonian? grrrrr I just can't remember and the web is lacking believe it or not.

[SloththeShovel]

Sloth shouldn't you be reading, "Hairball, the art of finding a courageous barber?"
and wtf is Utzonian? grrrrr I just can't remember and the web is lacking believe it or not.





Lmao.

[gregsargent]

quote mortal pluage
The Wheel of Time -- MASSIVELY epic series, great writing, unfinished as of yet (book 10 just came out...w00t!)
these are good but kinda slow at first i live tthem though.

[gregsargent]

Alright here we go:
Wheel of Time- Robert Jordan
Seals operation endurtance
Rainbow six
divers down
and others that i dont feel like typing :dunno:

[krazy_darcy]

*David Brin - Earth
*L Ron Hubbard - Battlefield Earth
*Enders Game

Although not sci-fi:
Dale brown (he mixes tech and action)
Robert Westal - The Machine Gunners (a good sort read)

[Q-La]

I am about to finish Time of the Twins(Drangonlance). I am starting to feel a bit of childishness in the fantasy genre (but not as much in Tolkien's Similarion which I just finished). May be I am getting old :blah: .

[Blitz]

Childishness in Time of the Twins? What do you mean?

[{DK}Cyberwife]

Just finished reading Harry potter and the Half Blood Prince....


LOVED IT!!


Cant wait until the next one!!! :)

[Q-La]

I just have that feeling, may be not particular to all fantasy novels, that the much predetermined nature of evil/good in characters, admiration towards dragons, simplification of evil, etc. starts to feel a bit well, cheesy to me. BTW, I used to be a DM and love that universe too.

[j.lu]

i read the dragonlance novels when i was in high school, and i still own them, many many many years later. and still read them. i'm mostly a cyberpunk fiend, but i will always go back and reread the first trilogy, as well as some of the later ones. cheese or not. ;)

[a1ex]

Finished John Grishham - The last juror few weeks ago, nice book.

Daniel Silva writes great thrillers. The one playing in 2nd World War is said to be the best, but I think they're all ok, exept that they get a litte bit too exagurated sometimes.

[elwood]

Ok, here goes. I don't know how many of these have been mentioned before already, but if so, I second them.

Farenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
Illustrated Man by Ray Bradbury
Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
1984 by George Orwell
Cats Cradle by Kurt Vonnegut
God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater by Kurt Vonnegut
Player Piano by Kurt Vonnegut

Kurt Vonnegut has written tons more books, but these are the ones that I've read, although based on his style and what I've heard, all of his books are great. Also, I second all of the old standbys, The Hobbit, LotR, Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, and Chronicles of Narnia.

[Spiffness]

The new Wheel of Time is supposed to be out, i cant wait to find a store that has it :rockon:

[{RA}SKYFURNACE]

the first Brion Gysin bio just came out. Picking that up tomorrow.

"Nothing Is True - Everything Is Permitted : The Life of Brion Gysin (Hardcover)"

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/1932857125/qid=1129178689/sr=2-1/ref=pd_bbs_b_2_1/102-2593154-5682500?v=glance&s=books

Hes a huge influence and icon for me.


The multimedia artist, poet and novelist Brion Gysin may be the most influential cultural figure of the twentieth century that most people have never heard of.

Gysin (1916–1986) was an English-born, Canadian-raised, naturalized American of Swiss descent, who lived most of his life in Morocco and France. He went everywhere when the going was good. He dabbled with surrealism in Paris in the 1930s, lived in the "interzone" of Tangier in the 1950s and traveled the Algerian Sahara with Sheltering Sky author Paul Bowles before moving into the legendary Beat Hotel in Paris.

Gysin's ideas influenced generations of artists, musicians and writers, among them David Bowie, Keith Haring, Patti Smith, Michael Stipe, Genesis P-Orridge, John Giorno and Brian Jones of the Rolling Stones. None was touched more profoundly than William S. Burroughs, who said admiringly of Gysin: "There was something dangerous about what he was doing."


for those that dont know who he is, here is more info (wiki to the rescue):

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Brion_Gysin

[Emperor Lol]

Ok I didn't read all the books that people have said so excuse me if its been mentioned already but:

Check out 'The Algebraist' and 'The player of games' by Iain M. Banks. They are truly awesome books. (sci fi)

'The Big Bad Wolf' by James Patterson

'Angels and Demons', 'Deception Point', 'The Da Vinci Code' and 'Digital Fortress' all by Dan Brown. Mixed reviews by people but seriously, I loved them.

'The Northern Lights', 'The Subtle Knife' and 'Amber Spyglass' all by Philip Pullman. First is slow to get going but well worth the read once into it.

I'm sure there are more... I'll post em when I think of them.

[King Mango]

Just finished my first Patterson read, Along Came a Spider.
Great book and am glad I didn't see the movie now. Gonna have to check out more from him.
Now I've just given up on The Chronicles of PERN: First Fall for the fifth or sixth time so it's time to donate it.
My buddy just recently introduced me to Starfire by Charles Sheffield. I was not happy at all with the way he resolved the mystery but the rest of the book was really engaging.
I'm currently into my backup supply and have a few Hillerman novels stacked up on my bed stand. I'm settling down with Coyote Waits most likely.

[Freakish]

I just finished Mark Z. Danielewski's House of Leaves (at amazon (http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/tg/detail/-/0375420525/)). WOW, what a crazy, trippy read. The basic story deals with a famous photographer who, after being away so much, decides to try to settle down with his family. They buy a house and he sets up video cameras throughout so that he can make a documentary about family life. But the house is odd - its inner dimensions exceed its outer dimensions, its structure changes, and a bunch of unbelievable stuff happens as the photographer tries to understand it. Outside this is a chronicle of the documentary he made from the footage recorded and outside of that are notes from the guy who came across the film's chronicle and pulled it into a cohesive? book. Throw in copious footnotes, encoded messages, huge questions about who wrote what and how much of it is true, and a load of supplementary information in the appendices, and you've got a book that'll suck you in, sometimes frustrate you, and keep you reading and thinking long after you've finished it.

From one of the more difficult sections... a page from the book (http://www.english.ucsb.edu/faculty/rraley/courses/engl165/readings/Danielewski.gif).

The book's not light reading, but it's not Faulkner either. You can read through it and get the two major storylines easily. Picking up on the subtleties is something you can do later by re-reading or scanning the book's forums (as I've just started to do).

Don't read the wikipedia page on the book as it's got spoilers. >:[ The Amazon reviews seemed safe though.

[King Mango]

wow I can't make anything out of that lol

[Carcosa]

hmmm, let's see . . . .

r.a. salvatore's the two swords, hunters blade trilogy.
also his somewhat sidebook, war of the spider queen, book V - can't wait for the final. i like dark elves

bag of bones by stephen king, interesting ghost story.

anyone ever read tailchaser's song? sort of like watership down w/cats. good book btw. uhh . . . it's written by tad williams :D

[Mickey Blue]

dunno if it's been said but I read the Da vinci code recently...I read some naff reviews and some raving reviews...imo the book was outstanding.

[radio667]

So ........... Did the Templars Do it ;) ?

[Mickey Blue]

So ........... Did the Templars Do it ;) ?
LOL - Would have been cool to have been a Knight Templar....well....right up until they all got killed :/

[radio667]

I Agree a 100 % with You :D Sir Mickey of Blue !!!

[Mickey Blue]

Nice!! :D

[Q-La]

Paulo Coelho's The Fifth Mounain. Finally reading again.

[Spiffness]

BTW, I know everyone (besides me) is psyched about 'walk the line'. I love johnny cash's music, and just finished reading his books about his life. I HIGHLY recommend it. If you've ever been a fan its the only way you'll get inside and fully experience the amazing person John R. Cash was.

[radio667]

Johnny Cash is the Man ( in Black ) ;) !!!!!

[cooloola]

This has probably been said before but my favorite book is Patrick Suskind's "the perfume" (the title may be wrong because I raid the book in french)

[kyrian]

The Cuckoo's Egg - Clifford Stoll (early computer espionage classic)
Dragonlance Chronicles and Legends trilogies were good fantasy stuff even if they weren't on par with Tolkien; some of the non canon DL stuff is good too
America (the Book) - Jon Stewart/Daily Show; omg this was f'ing hilarious regardless of where you stand politically, it takes cheap shots at everything, i still open it up when i just need to laugh...kinda like southpark, an equal opportunity offender - want proof, look at the page about new zealand and the ratio of sheep to orcs :P
Heinlien
Jack Williamson
Bradbury
Douglas Adams
just about anything by C.S. Lewis
i'm loving Harry Potter even at my age--not ashamed to admit it
Ceremony by Silko - great book about identity
Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (unabridged) much better than the musical
Don Quixote - Miguel De Cervantes (read this in spanish) so what if he fences w/ windmills, lol actually got a lot from it
Well I don't read much, but here's my list
The Oath
This Present Darkness
Piercing the Darkness
All by Frank Peretti
... These were amazing, spiritual warfare/fantasy well observed. Don't have to be a judgemental conservative bible thumper to enjoy them.

...
Well, the last third of Wizard's First Rule (1st book of the series) certainly isn't for everyone. Although it was...different.
I had such high hopes for this book when I started it, even with my perverted sense of humor and open mind to other people's lifestyles the S&M stuff just seemed too much and unnecessary, I managed to get through it, and I have the rest of the series but I'm gunshy now.

kyr

[gregsargent]

R.A. Salvatore is Awesome, he lives like a state away from me i think.

Wheel of Time is probably my favorite tho

right now i'm reading/doing work on my friend's book. its like fantasy/scifi. Maybe i'll put a thread up when it comes out

[Mathlete]

woah good to see this thread getting posts. "the pocket guide to the empire" or something, it comes with oblivion special edition. good backround info!

[gregsargent]

I'm reading a book alled "The Hero" thefuturistic special ops reconassiance (totally wrong spelling) team found an alien artifact and the retarded annoying characer sniper wants it. he just threw a grenade at the rest of the team.

[King Mango]

Just read Nightfall by Nelson DeMille. Well a few weeks ago I read it.
Best book I've ever read.
Do NOT research or read reviews on this book before reading. Pick it up cold.
Maybe read Plum Island or Lion's Game for an introduction to the main character and his relationships. Plum Island was great all but for the ridiculous boat chase at the end. But small consideration with the rest of the mystery.
All his books are optioned for film, but hopefully Willis gets the nod for Corey.

BTW Demille is the author of The General's Daughter which I thought was good but not quite as good as the Corey character.

[Ignignot420]

I just finnished PREDATOR: Forever Midnight by John Shirley. It's a good read.

[Kirreak]

Uh, never saw this thread, anyway.

Ringworld's Children by Larry Niven
I read this book aboot a month ago. Good reading for Sci-fi, I think this was a sequel to something. I suggest reading the first book or get some Advil.

[gregsargent]

even if you read the first ringworld, get some advil

[Q-La]

Finished Ben Bova's Mercury earlier. Good as always.

[Berjj]

Warhammer 40 000: Fire Warrior. I borrowed this from a mate and read quite some time ago and I'd recomend it to anyone who likes action and sci-fi. This book is based on the first person shooter game with the same title (but I assure you, the book is sooooooo much better than the game!).

Please excuse me, but names and locations have left my memory. I'll try to retell the story as good as I can.

The story starts out with the Tau (An alien race with technology far superiour to the human race) having one of their religious leaders kidnapped by a Space Marine strike force (The space marines and imperial guard make up an alliance called the imperium. The space marines are bio-engineered elite warriors while the imperial guard are regular human marine forces.). The Tau send one of their fleets after the the imperial forces in an attempt to rescue and bring back their leader. The story is told from many different perspectives in many different enviroments raging from starships and drop-pods to dug-out trenches and underground tunnels.
Some chapters tells the background story of a single soldier, sometimes it's someone from the enemy ranks and sometimes it's from the Tau. In that chapter, you learn more about that characters background, his thoughts, actions and future etc. The main character in the story however is Kais who is a rookie fire warrior (standard infantry soldier) of the Tau forces. The book is mainly about Kais as a person, his worries for himself and his comrades as well as his fears that spring to life on the battlefields. After a while Kais finds out just how frightningly good he is at killing and his fear of death is soon to be replaced by the fear of the evil and darkness he slowly succumbs to as the killing goes on.

I think this book pictures the minds of people extremely well. I remember a chapter that described the thought process of a tech-priest, a human having had half his brain or more replaced by a mechanical one. It was described so well it felt almost real.

The plot takes on quite a few twists and turns after a while as betrayal enters the scene. Alliances are forged and broken, and in the end everyone are fighting just to live another day.

[NINE-BREAKER]

Well, I'm a big fan of the Classic Battletech Novel Series. If your into future sci/fi Mech thrillers, any of these novels would be an awesome read.

Battletech: Storms of Fate
Battletech: Twilight of The Clans Series
Battletech: End Game

Those are some of my favorites :)

[Blitz]

I finally read the now classic Catch-22 by Joseph Heller.

It was fairly entertaining, an anti-war satire set in WWII. It was a bit hard to follow because of jumping around between characters and timelines, but if you keep a running catalog of all the odd references, they do all get explained eventually.

[wro00]

i like Nineteen Eighty-Four anf Brave New World. (I have to write coursework on them). Im also reading Shakespeare's Measure for Measure, which is certainly quite odd.

Anything by Darren Shan is good, its annoying that he is automatically classified as a kids writer because the main character is usually a kid.

On a side, yet related, note, Anthony Horowitz visited our school about a week ago, nice bloke, really good public speaker. He asked if i was coming to lunch with him (cause we got chatting a little) and unfortunately my name wasnt on the list... <.<
annoying cause im the one in the school writing a book, yet other people went to the lunch :P bugger


also, if your looking for a book that with the following criteria:
is overly perverted
overly feminist
involved incest
involves geriatric incest
or is narrated by one half of a female pair of twins both of which are a little forgetful and a little too descriptive...

then i recommend "Wise Children" by Angela Carter.

[Q-La]

I am reading Moore's Stupid White Men, it's kind of saddening.

[Kirreak]

I just started reading Mass Effect, its a small paper back novel, i guess its the games story line... idk

but i got it yesterday and haven't put it down since :rockon:

[JoystickMonkey]

Recently, good books I've read are:

The Kite Runner
Water for Elephants
Ender's Shadow

I would recommend any of them, but read Ender's Game before Ender's Shadow.

[Q-La]

Finished Weapon X - Wolverine. It's a bit claustrophobic, you'll see what I mean if you read it. At least I know now what those fangs are.

[Lmhr]

The most recent book i have read is the Fall of Reach in the Halo universe. I enjoyed reading Ender's Game and the battletech series of books. I will look for some of the other books recommended.

[Swanky]

To be honest, I didn't find the first book very convincing... very quick to read and lots of missing stuff. You hear the names of everything, the Wartog for example, but if you haven't seen such a thing, you will ask yourself what the hell it could be. Either way, the ending was well written, though. :)

I finished Karl Olsberg `s "The System". It's good, very technical but he explains everything well enough to make even a rookie understand.
It's about some Manager of a computer programming company who finds two of his employees murdered in his office one day, and while everyone suspects him (due to indices in his own office), he has different thoughts in mind about it - could have cyberterrorists or even DINA, the program which they worked on recently, something to do with it?

[henrio]

I read mostly a Sci-Fi books and I would recommend the following authors and books:

1) Peter F. Hamilton:
-The Night Dawn triology (The Reality Disfunction, The Neutronium Alchemist, The Naked God)
- Pandora's Star and Judas Unchained
- The Greg Mandel trilogy (Mindstar Rising, A Quantum Murder, The Nano Flower)

2) Neal Asher (Brass Man, Polity Agent, Voyage of the Sable Keech)

3) Dan Simmons:
- Hyperion, Fall of Hyperion, Endymion, Rise of Endymion
- Ilium, Olympos

4) Ian M. Banks (The Algebraist, Against the Dark, Excession)

5) David Brin:
- The Uplift Saga (Sundiver, Startide Rising, The Uplift war)
- The Uplift triology (Brightness Reef, Infinity's Shore, Heaven's Reach)

[henrio]

I have some more in my mind but I can't remember them currently .

[blito3]

the destoryermen series by taylor anderson......how could you go wrong with world war 2 americans and japanese tranported to a paralel universe with dinosoraus (griks, humans yum)....the spanish inquisition....a small british empire...advanced lemurs(known as cats) and chapters that keep jumping across differpoints of action around the world as the books continue....after everybook you need more....7 in total so far.

[King Mango]

When I was a kid I was into electronics but drifted away. I've decided to learn how to build/repair/mod tube amps so I'm brushing up on my electronics knowledge. I got this book about two years ago:

There are no Electrons: Electronics for Earthlings

I'd say it's a great primer for anyone interested in electronics. I also got a copy of Grob's Electronics which is pretty damn thorough. Supposedly it's the industry standard electronics textbook. I'm very happy with them.

[Manticore]

Any of Gore Vidal's novels............

[Hawkwind]

hermann hesse -knulp is a book everyone should read

[Manticore]

I just picked up copies of two of the latest Iain M Banks Culture novels which I will be reading some time soon.

I've read most of his other sci-fi stuff over the years.