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☖ Forums → Discussion Forum → Recommend me some reading
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Recommend me some reading
2005-10-04, 6:09 PM #41
[QUOTE=Connection Problem]Ah, see I was already engrossed in FR from playing BG and stuff. That definitly makes me enjoy Salvatore's FR books alot more. I haven't read any Dragonlance yet, maybe once I am free of the bonds of schoolwork I'll check it out.[/QUOTE]

Start out with War of the Twins, if you do. It's really hard to find a starting place in the series, but that's about as good as any.
D E A T H
2005-10-04, 8:16 PM #42
I'd go with A Clockwork Orange (exponentialy better than the movie)

and for some more fun and light reading, The Pagan's Crusade books (4 in the series)
Flipsides crackers are the best crackers to have ever existed
2005-10-04, 9:26 PM #43
Originally posted by Arkon11:
I'd go with A Clockwork Orange (exponentialy better than the movie)

and for some more fun and light reading, The Pagan's Crusade books (4 in the series)


If you like taking hours to translate the book. Honestly, the man made up so many words. :\
D E A T H
2005-10-04, 9:41 PM #44
The Odessa File by Frederick Forsyth.

Seriously, I didnt put it down.
"Those ****ing amateurs... You left your dog, you idiots!"
2005-10-04, 9:43 PM #45
The Seafort Saga - David Feintuch

starting with "Midshipman's Hope"
If you choose not to decide, you still have made a choice.

Lassev: I guess there was something captivating in savagery, because I liked it.
2005-10-04, 9:44 PM #46
Originally posted by Ictus:
Everything by Ray Bradbury or Neal Stephenson is very good.
Word.

I would highly recomend pretty much anything by H.P. Lovecraft. Even if you're not into the whole "horror" genre, he still has a lot of other really great short stories. I'd say The Shadow over Innsmouth, Herbert West: Reanimator, The Case of Charles Dexter Ward, and The Call of Cthulhu are probably some of his best works.
2005-10-04, 10:05 PM #47
I just finsihed reading Ender's Game and an working on Speaker For The Dead.

Ender's game is one of the best books I've read in a long time, a really really great book.
The tired anthem of a loser and a hypocrite.
2005-10-04, 10:34 PM #48
Dan Brown's books are formulaic and predictable. Sure, they're fun reads, but he's not an amazing author by any stretch of the imagination.

Read "Freakonomics" by Steven D. Levitt. There's a book that will change the way you look at the world, and unlike a lot of nonfiction, it's actually enjoyable to read.
If you think the waiters are rude, you should see the manager.
2005-10-05, 2:56 AM #49
Old school Sci-Fi, biznatches. Fairly warned be ye.

Anything by E. E. "Doc" Smith, Poul Anderson, Ursula K. LeGuin, James Blish, Brian Aldiss, Edmund Cooper, Robert Heinlein, Frank Herbert.

In particular,

By Ursula K. LeGuin
The Lathe of Heaven

By Edmund Cooper
Five to Twelve
Transit
Kronk

By James Blish
And All The Stars A Stage
Jack of Eagles
Cities in Flight series

By Doc Smith
Lensman Series (Triplanetary, First Lensman, Galactic Patrol, Grey Lensman, Second Stage Lensman, Children of the Lens, and Master of the Vortex (Vortex Blaster))
Skylark Series (The Skylark of Space, Skylark Three, Skylark of Valeron, and Skylark DuQuesne (Never figured out how to pronounce that, but its probably like DuFresne from Shawshank)
The Family d'Alembert series (I've only been able to get hold of a few of these so far, but theyre great stories)

By Isaac Asimov
Foundation Trilogy

By Robert Heinlein
Rocketship Galileo

Guess who's a big fan of Doc Smith.
"Whats that for?" "Thats the machine that goes 'ping'" PING!
Q. How many testers does it take to change a light bulb?
A. We just noticed the room was dark; we don't actually fix the problems.
MCMF forever.
2005-10-05, 3:26 AM #50
Good to see Catch 22 has already got a few mentions. I read it earlier this year and thought it was brilliant.
Rock is dead - but I believe in necrophilia.
2005-10-05, 3:33 AM #51
[http://www.teenreads.com/art/covers/140w/0553571338.jpg]
Think while it's still legal.
2005-10-05, 10:41 AM #52
Seriously, Lovecraft is awesome. Just don't see the Re-animator movies, they're pretty much ****.
"Those ****ing amateurs... You left your dog, you idiots!"
2005-10-05, 10:48 AM #53
i'm currently reading The Godfather by Mario Puzo, i'm sure you've heard of/seen the film of the same name....

well, the book is miles better, lot more interesting, much better developed characters and a deeper sense of plot.
2005-10-05, 11:32 AM #54
I might have missed it, but why hasn't anyone mentioned "The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy"?
nope.
2005-10-05, 12:08 PM #55
The ' A song of ice and fire ' series by George Martin is awsome.
2005-10-05, 12:42 PM #56
Originally posted by Boco:
I might have missed it, but why hasn't anyone mentioned "The Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy"?


This book shouldn't be mentioned, if someone is looking for material to read. They should either:

Have already read it.

Know about it.

Listen to the radio show instead.
"Jayne, this is something the Captain has to do for himself"

"N-No it's not!"

"Oh."
2005-10-05, 2:10 PM #57
What about the movie you mediaist heathen?!?
Holy soap opera Batman. - FGR
DARWIN WILL PREVENT THE DOWNFALL OF OUR RACE. - Rob
Free Jin!
2005-10-05, 2:43 PM #58
The movie was ok. For me it goes

Radio
TV series
Book
Movie

in order of amazingness.
"Jayne, this is something the Captain has to do for himself"

"N-No it's not!"

"Oh."
2005-10-05, 3:13 PM #59
If you are into science fiction, you should definately check out Phillip K. Dick. He is one of my favorite authors:

Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep? (basis for the Bladerunner movie starring Harrison Ford)
The World Jones Made
The Man in the High Castle (won the Hugo Award)


I also really enjoy his non sci-fi novels:

Mary and the Giant
The Broken Bubble

His short story collections are excellent as well if you like that sort of thing.
2005-10-05, 10:01 PM #60
If you're looking for nonfiction, Mediated is the best book I've read in a long time, or possibly ever. It was the end cap to a couple months of article-reading and documentary-watching (a few highlights: 1 2 3 4; try to find the theme) that destroyed my life philosophy. It's that damn good.
2005-10-06, 11:39 AM #61
Anyone read the classic Confederacy of the Dunces? It's by John Kennedy Toole. I found it humorous.
SnailIracing:n(500tpostshpereline)pants
-----------------------------@%
2005-10-06, 12:22 PM #62
Thanks for all the suggestions, guys.

If you're interested as to what books I ended up choosing:
Catch-22 by Joseph Heller
Lullaby by Chuck Palahniuk
American Gods by Neil Gaiman
Cryptonomicon by Neal Stephenson
Thud! (Discworld book 30) by Terry Pratchett

I can only read so many at once... but I'll keep all the other suggestions in mind for when I'm done with these.
I bet you think that's funny, don't you.
2005-10-06, 12:35 PM #63
Discworld and Pratchett in general has already been mentioned. Don't forget either Douglas Adams or Robert Rankin, the former we all know and love, the latter writes bizarre books about the strangest things.
Hey, Blue? I'm loving the things you do. From the very first time, the fight you fight for will always be mine.
2005-10-06, 12:54 PM #64
I've already read the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams, it's one of my favorite books. I know he has a couple others, I'll have to read those sometime.

I looked up some of Robert Rankin's books, they sound pretty interesting.
I bet you think that's funny, don't you.
2005-10-06, 12:57 PM #65
Hugo award winning Hyperion series (4 books) by Dan Simmons. Truly remarkable novels. Reading them felt like reading the books of the old grand masters like Asimov and Clarke. I admit there was one element towards the end of the series I didn't much like, but it's not like it would have had such a visible role or would have bothered me too much. I do list these books quite near the top of my list of scifi novels.
Frozen in the past by ICARUS
2005-10-06, 12:57 PM #66
Originally posted by Jepman:
"The Fionavar Tapestry" if you like Fantasy. This is better than the Lord of the Rings, in my opinion.


Definitely my all-time favourite fantasy of all time! Hmm, I should read it again.

So, yeah, here's my list of recommends:

    The Fionavar Tapestry (I don't remember the author, which is sad, seeing as it's my favourite)

    The Dark Tower, by Steven King. It's a series of seven books: The Gunslinger, The Drawing of the Three, The Wasteland, Wizard and Glass, Wolves of the Calla, Song of Susannah, and The Dark Tower. I'm pretty sure the books are in that order. As if to sweeten the deal, they are all quite long (with the exception of The Gunslinger). In fact, I'm reading the last one in the series right now, and am about halfway through. This is a series that you must read from start to finish in order to understand anything, but it's worth it. I know I said The Fionavar Tapestry was my favourite, but it's actually tied for first with this series.

    Ender's Game. Haven't read it, but a lot of my friends have and they think it's great. And, of course, there are obviously a few Massassians who agree.

    Do Robots Dream of Electric Sheep. Classic. Read it.

    The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy trilogy. Well, there's actually five books, plus a bunch of other things (including The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Universe and Young Zaphod Plays It Safe). The five books are: 1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, 2. The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, 3. Life, the Universe, and Everything, 4. So Long and Thanks For All The Fish, and 5. Mostly Harmless. They're all good reads, and Book 1 is better than the movie, in my opinion. They're really only funny the first time you red them, though.
"Time is an illusion. Lunchtime doubly so."
2005-10-06, 3:25 PM #67
The Lathe of Heaven movie is terrible :D
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