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I Need Books

QuidQuid The Fifth HorsemanRegistered User regular
in Help / Advice Forum
I just picked up a Nook and now I need to start loading it up. Satire, fantasy, and sci fi are my overall preferred genres. Books China related are good too.

Books/Authors I like:

Christopher Buckley
Christopher Moore
Neil Gaiman, particularly Neverwhere
Everything by Pratchett
Almost everything by Iain M. Banks
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
Malazan series
Song of Ice and Fire
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Elephant and the Dragon

Thanks for any suggestions!

Quid on
spacekungfuman wrote: »
If that woman's cleavedge made one more person pick the game up off the shelf, it was a net positive for microprose. And to be blunt, if taking her top off could have increased sales enough to get a sequel, I'd endorse it 100000% because I like playing great games.
• Agree Awesome

Posts

  • NappuccinoNappuccino Registered User regular
    Maybe V. by Thomas Pynchon?

    Anything by Vonnegut.

    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.
    Spoiler:
    • Agree Awesome
  • Z0reZ0re Registered User regular
    You tried any of the Temeraire books by Naomi Novak? Alternate history Napoleanic wars, with Dragons.

    • Agree Awesome
  • noir_bloodnoir_blood Registered User regular
    Patrick Rothuss's Name of the Wind.

    The sequel- Wise Men's Fears comes out soon too.

    Spoiler:
    • Agree Awesome
  • sanstodosanstodo Registered User regular
    If you like sci-fi at all, you should read William Gibson and Philip K. Dick. Oh, and Ursula LeGuin.

    I also second the Vonnegut recommendations. Seems up your alley.

    The headquarters for my writing:
    hummusandkimchi.blogspot.com

    http://us.battle.net/d3/en/profile/FriedRice-1814/hero/11834264
    • Agree Awesome
  • NappuccinoNappuccino Registered User regular
    I highly recommend Gibson and PKD too. God, so many great books between the two of them.

    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.
    Spoiler:
    • Agree Awesome
  • LibrarianLibrarian Registered User regular
    Gene Wolfe.

    Everyone needs to read a lot more Gene Wolfe.

    friedegg wrote: »
    Lord of the Flies. Frightening. Especially if you are a fat kid with glasses.
    • Agree Awesome
  • November FifthNovember Fifth Registered User regular
    Bridge of Birds by Barry Hughart.

    Kind of like Pratchett set in China.

    steam_sig.png
    • Agree Awesome
  • Kate of LokysKate of Lokys Registered User
    If you can find them, check out the Acts of Caine by Matt Stover. There are three books in the series so far - Heroes Die, Blade of Tyshalle, and Caine Black Knife - and all of them are masterful combinations of gritty near-future sci-fi, rich fantasy, challenging social and philosophical commentary, and bone-cracking brutal violence.

    Guy Gavriel Kay is a little outside of your tastes, but if you feel like something a bit more lyrical, check out Tigana or The Lions of Al-Rassan.

    Spider Jerusalem wrote:
    I'm here to tell you about voting. Imagine you're locked in a huge underground nightclub filled with sinners, whores, freaks and unnameable things that rape pit bulls for fun. And you ain't allowed out until you all vote on what you're going to do tonight [. . .] So you vote for television, and everyone else, as far as your eye can see, votes to fuck you with switchblades. That's voting. You're welcome.
    • Agree Awesome
  • TheSuperWootTheSuperWoot Registered User
    Highly recommend the Hyperion Cantos and Illium/Olympos by Dan Simmons for some sci-fi!

    demomanonfire.jpg
    • Agree Awesome
  • BigbluefootBigbluefoot Registered User
    Well, I read Stephen King before I started reading the Song of Ice and Fire books, and I like both. Dean Koontz as well. Anything dog related by Koontz is great. Watchers, the Moonlight Bay books. Stephen King is pretty much a good bet, no matter what it is, but the Dark Tower series is amazing. 'Salem's Lot was great, so were The Stand, The Shining, It, Under the Dome, pretty much anything you can think of. I'm a pretty big King junky, but yeah, give him a shot.

    Oh, and the Ender series, by Orson Scott Card. His Alvin Maker is really good, too.

    • Agree Awesome
  • schussschuss Registered User regular
    Pick up the HP Lovecraft compilation too, it's like 3 bucks and has a ton of great stories.

    • Agree Awesome
  • SniperGuySniperGuy Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Seconding King, especially the Dark Tower. He has some meh stuff, but he has pure gold as well. The Dark Tower is almost all gold.

    Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson too!

    • Agree Awesome
  • ceresceres not beautiful like you Pennsylvania, USASuper Moderator, Moderator mod
    TheSuperWoot wrote: »
    Highly recommend the Hyperion Cantos and Illium/Olympos by Dan Simmons for some sci-fi!

    Thissssss, especially the Hyperion Cantos. Four books, all awesome.

    The avalanche has already started; it is too late for the pebbles to vote.
    • Agree Awesome
  • Kitten SwarmKitten Swarm Registered User
    On the fantasy side of things, "Cavern of Black Ice" by JV Jones, the Dresden Files by Jim Butcher, Thomas Covenant Chronicles by Stephen R. Donaldson, and the Vlad Taltos books by Steven Brust might be up your alley.

    Also second/thirding Hyperion Cantos and PKD short stories.

    If you like GRRM, you might want to pick up the two volume Dreamsongs collection of his short stories. I really loved them, especially some of the sci-fi ones.

    You may learn that one day to your sorrow.
    [SIGPIC][/SIGPIC]
    • Agree Awesome
  • kaliyamakaliyama Registered User regular
    Quid wrote: »
    I just picked up a Nook and now I need to start loading it up. Satire, fantasy, and sci fi are my overall preferred genres. Books China related are good too.

    Books/Authors I like:

    Christopher Buckley
    Christopher Moore
    Neil Gaiman, particularly Neverwhere
    Everything by Pratchett
    Almost everything by Iain M. Banks
    Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell
    Malazan series
    Song of Ice and Fire
    Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
    The Elephant and the Dragon

    Thanks for any suggestions!

    Especially given your line of work, I think you would really enjoy Charles Stross' Laundry series. You'd probably like everything he wrote, but start with those.

    fwKS7.png?1
    BattleTech campaign at: http://forums.penny-arcade.com/discussion/169696/battletechmegamek-fight-for-gan-singh#latest
    • Agree Awesome
  • QuidQuid The Fifth Horseman Registered User regular
    I should have mentioned, but most older science fiction just isn't for me. That said I've combed B&N for most of the recommendations and am looking forward to tearing through these on my next trip.

    spacekungfuman wrote: »
    If that woman's cleavedge made one more person pick the game up off the shelf, it was a net positive for microprose. And to be blunt, if taking her top off could have increased sales enough to get a sequel, I'd endorse it 100000% because I like playing great games.
    • Agree Awesome
  • CorvusCorvus Caw? VancouverRegistered User regular
    Quid, have you tried Glen Cook's Black Company series? It is pretty good, and one of Steven Erikison's inspirations for the Malazan series.

    Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn is good. Though I've only read the first book so far.

    • Agree Awesome
  • schussschuss Registered User regular
    Quid wrote: »
    I should have mentioned, but most older science fiction just isn't for me. That said I've combed B&N for most of the recommendations and am looking forward to tearing through these on my next trip.

    Define "Older". Are you referring to Frank Herbert/Asimov/Heinlein?
    I heartily recommend everything Neal Stephenson up to Cryptominocon (system of the world series is lackluster IMO)
    William Gibson is good, but after Neuromancer his books all have mostly the same formula (still entertaining though)
    I just started Pillars of the Earth, and it's excellent so far.

    • Agree Awesome
  • SpawnbrokerSpawnbroker Registered User regular
    Corvus wrote: »
    Quid, have you tried Glen Cook's Black Company series? It is pretty good, and one of Steven Erikison's inspirations for the Malazan series.

    Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn is fucking fantastic and I can't believe it took you guys this long to recommend it. Though I've only read the first book so far.

    Fixed that one.

    • Agree Awesome
  • BigbluefootBigbluefoot Registered User
    Another writer, even though a lot of his stuff would be more teen oriented, is Brian Jacques. I really enjoyed reading his Redwall books, and the Castaways of the Flying Dutchman books are pretty good, too.

    • Agree Awesome
  • NappuccinoNappuccino Registered User regular
    Jeff Vandermeer's stuff might be a good read

    I've only just started reading one of the two books i've got from him, but i think it might appeal to your neverwhere sensibility.

    Rorus Raz wrote: »
    There's also the possibility you just can't really grow a bear like other guys.
    Spoiler:
    • Agree Awesome
  • zilozilo Registered User
    ceres wrote: »
    TheSuperWoot wrote: »
    Highly recommend the Hyperion Cantos and Illium/Olympos by Dan Simmons for some sci-fi!

    Thissssss, especially the Hyperion Cantos. Four books, all awesome.

    These finally came out in digital form, at least on the Kindle. I'm assuming they either are available on the Nook as well or will be soon. Buy them and do your part to convince publishers that there is a large intersection of people who love hard scifi and people who own e-readers.

    On a similar note Vernor Vinge's books are on there too. A Fire Upon the Deep, Deepness in the Sky, The Peace War, and Marooned in Realtime- all quite good.

    If you like Pratchett you might also like Scott Lynch- Lies of Locke Lamora and Red Seas Under Red Skies are out now, with a third one out this month.

    • Agree Awesome
  • Cedar BrownCedar Brown Registered User
    Battle Royale - Koshun Takami
    The Girl Next Door - Jack Ketchum
    Blood Meridian - Cormac McCarthy


    I've read parts of the Temeraire series and though the premise is pretty good I can't recommend it.

    • Agree Awesome
  • SniperGuySniperGuy Registered User, ClubPA regular
    Oh! The Dresden Files! Start with Storm Front. It's excellent. Described as semiautomagica. It's got magic, it's got PI Detective work, it's got humor, it's great.

    • Agree Awesome
  • QuidQuid The Fifth Horseman Registered User regular
    schuss wrote: »
    Quid wrote: »
    I should have mentioned, but most older science fiction just isn't for me. That said I've combed B&N for most of the recommendations and am looking forward to tearing through these on my next trip.

    Define "Older". Are you referring to Frank Herbert/Asimov/Heinlein?
    I heartily recommend everything Neal Stephenson up to Cryptominocon (system of the world series is lackluster IMO)
    William Gibson is good, but after Neuromancer his books all have mostly the same formula (still entertaining though)
    I just started Pillars of the Earth, and it's excellent so far.

    Golden Age era and a few decades after, yeah. Which isn't to say I don't like any of it, but that tends to be the exception rather than the rule, so I prefer to leave those books to trips to the library.

    spacekungfuman wrote: »
    If that woman's cleavedge made one more person pick the game up off the shelf, it was a net positive for microprose. And to be blunt, if taking her top off could have increased sales enough to get a sequel, I'd endorse it 100000% because I like playing great games.
    • Agree Awesome
  • CorvusCorvus Caw? VancouverRegistered User regular
    Hmm. Have you read Dracula or Frankenstein? If not, head over to Project Gutenberg and download them for free.

    Different genre, but you could do the same with all the Sherlock Holmes stuff.

    • Agree Awesome
  • FoodAddictFoodAddict Registered User
    If you liked Hitchhiker's Guide, check out Red Dwarf. Both have a lot in common as both are humorous sci fi and started out as BBC programs.

    It's been a few years since I've read it but, Sir Apropos of Nothing was a hilarious twist on fantasy. The 1st book is superior by far, though.

    • Agree Awesome
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