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Reccomend: Sci-Fi Books with Surprise or stunning endings
Shoe-Eater
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
The title covers it but i'll elaborate...
I've recently got back into reading i've read a few books and some were good some not so much.
Rather than pick something up at random and hope it's good, i figured there has to be other readers on here who might have read a book that blew them away, or left them in awe.
Though i mentioned a surprise ending im not stuck on that, im just looking for a good read with at the very least a gratifying ending. but a book that leaves me speechless or thinking for days is even better.
I'm partial to sci-fi but i'll try any good book.
Recommend away.
I've recently got back into reading i've read a few books and some were good some not so much.
Rather than pick something up at random and hope it's good, i figured there has to be other readers on here who might have read a book that blew them away, or left them in awe.
Though i mentioned a surprise ending im not stuck on that, im just looking for a good read with at the very least a gratifying ending. but a book that leaves me speechless or thinking for days is even better.
I'm partial to sci-fi but i'll try any good book.
Recommend away.
Shoe-Eater on
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Posts
I remember several things I wasn't expecting at all
But you might be able to call the twist, even if it slides into a pretty badass moment.
Why I fear the ocean.
I had been looking at that one, should i read the previous book "hyperion" or are you recommending i jump straight to the sequel?
Edit: oh wait i just realize that Cantos has both books in them, Sweet i never realized they were packaged together
I would also recommend Look to Windward by Banks as well. It's a much slower start than Use of Weapons but the last third of the book is almost impossible to put down, and keeps throwing twists at you.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Against a Dark Background by Banks works in a pretty similar way as well. Honestly I haven't read any of his Culture books that wouldn't fall in that frame.
It's actually FOUR books:
Hyperion
The Fall of Hyperion
Endymion
The Rise of Endymion
The enemy's gate is always down!
Excession popped into my mind upon hearing the question thought I agree look to Windward also fits the criteria.
YES! I actually read Enders Game as a teen and remember loving it. that's exactly the type of read im looking for.:^:
Honestly those books surprised the hell out of me.
Excession is a strong book throughout, but I don't think the ending is as "oh man didn't see THAT coming" as Use of Weapons or Look to Windward.
Rock Band DLC | GW:OttW - arrcd | WLD - Thortar
Yeah Excession's twist was... not predictble, but not as strong as Windward.
Most PKD books have somewhat of a surprise ending, since they're mostly conspiracy fiction. A lot of people call Man in the High Castle is best, but you should definitely check out Radio Free Albemuth, Counter Clock World, VALIS (really similar to Radio Free Albemuth, but a LOT crazier) and The Divine Invasion (VALIS sequel)
Otherwise, if you really like surprise endings, you should look into short story collections, anthologies, and so forth. With anthologies, you get a lot more variety, you get to sample many different writers and styles, and you often get mind-blowing science fiction in more bite-sized chunks. Then, once you find some writers whose short stories you like best, you can look up their novels, and go from there.
Check out my new blog: http://50wordstories.ca
Also check out my old game design blog: http://stealmygamedesigns.blogspot.com
PS. It was written by David Wong, the guy behind pointlesswasteoftime.com, a comedy site that got folded into cracked.com when David Wong was brought in as an editor at Cracked. The book was originally a halloween bonus for his readers that grew into an outright novel.
Short stories are fantastic for this sort of thing: they're quick, punchy, and usually pretty pointed. If you can find a used copy, The Nine Billion Names of God by Arthur C. Clarke is absolute perfection. "The Star" still gives me goddamned goosebumps every time I read it. Brief summary:
yes!
I came in to suggest this and am happy to be beaten to the punch.
I think most of his books (particularly the Revelation Space series, or whatever it is called) have this. One where you may see the twist coming, but perhaps not the full extent of it.
I can in to recommend this, i read it last week. Goddamn amazing.
by Neil Stephenson
I re-read a lot of my books, and this is one of my favorites. Off-topic but there's one page in the middle that I actually folded entirely in half because I never, ever want to re-read what happens on that page again.