I'm not sure what i will read when i finish the dark tower. My dad wants to me read cormac mccarthy. I read The Road and let him borrow it. He likes it. For Christmas, I buy him No Country for Old Men. He says the ending is weird(I still haven't read it). Next thing you know, he buys every Cormac McCarthy book he can find. Devours them.
I was home without a book a few months ago, looking for something to read. He has a book on the nightstand in my old room. Its McCarthy, I liked The Road, figure I will give it a shot. Read a chapter or two, have a taste. Man, it was weird and creepy. It was the one about the nutso redneck squatting in his old house after he got out of jail. I read a few chapters and put it down.
Something about the language and structure of things was grating on me, and the subject matter was not really my thing. I would like to read his Western-ish stuff some time, but I think I need a break after I finish the Dark Tower.
I'm thinking of getting a pulp book-- the sequel to Death's Head. I forget the name of it, something completely ridiculous like Maximum Killpower or something. The first was completely balls-out macho cyborg badass ridiculousness. The protagonist is basically a Commissar from WH40k crossed with Judge Dredd on PCP.
And I am thinking of getting another book. Maybe Catch-22, maybe A Clockwork Orange, maybe Forever War, maybe Old Man's War(I think that is the title). I eventually want all of those, I think. Not sure which one I will buy first though.
Herbert is like Tolkien in that the dialogue can be tough to swallow, laying out all of these parameters for certain responses. However, he has a beautifully crafted universe full of complexities and historical references, everything has its cause and its effect. Herbert dives head first into the questions of religion, myth, godhood, human nature, mathematical sciences, and everything in between. It can be a bit daunting at first, but its a very satisfying read.
He wisely knew that fantasy readers were morons, so, in his own prescient ways, decided to punish all of them with a twelve-hundred page book about nothing.
I think I will get Forever War. There seems to be some thematic canon in the various subgenres of military SF, in the same way as cyberpunk. It boils down to read things in the order they were published if there any similarities in setting or theme.
He wisely knew that fantasy readers were morons, so, in his own prescient ways, decided to punish all of them with a twelve-hundred page book about nothing.
So after finals are over this week, I'm going to take some time and read up on my literature.
So far on my list I have:
Dracula
From the Earth to the Moon
Moby Dick (read it back in middle school, wanna read it again)
The Old Man and the Sea
The Great Gatsby (started it, but never finished it)
Othello
I like social dystopia. A lot of it sucks, though. Here's a list of it that doesn't:
1984, Orwell- quintessential Brave New World, Huxley- probably just as defining, at least as good, but woefully under-read Anthem, Rand- not as bad as you'd think, given the author Fahrenheit 451, Bradbury- a little lighter, some of the science fiction elements come across a little cheesy, but still quite good, heavy focus on education as a means of control The Giver, Lowry- this is what started it for me. young adult fiction, I haven't read the sequels A Clockwork Orange, Burgess- the focus is much more on the individual than is typical, real horrorshow if you don't mind a bit of the ultra-violent. I like invented languages. V for Vendetta, Moore/Loyd- you should all be familiar with this already The Time Machine, Wells- screw industrialism, fear the lower class
"The Lottery", Jackson- I think pretty much everyone read this in Middle School. I haven't read it since. I should find it again, I remember it being very good. herd mentality stuff
Honorable Mention That Hideous Strength, Lewis- great book, but dystopic themes are tertiary, focus is on space angels, wizards, and a creepy old guy Equilibrium- It's not a book, but it's a better movie adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 than the adaptation of Fahrenheit 451 was Napoleon of Notting Hill, Chesterton- I'm told it's an early example of the genre, some suggest that it inspired a lot of 1984, and anything Chesterton has to be at least decent, but I haven't read it myself so I'm sticking it down here Utopia, More- It's the exact opposite of dystopic fiction, but it was vital to the development of the genre.
Please add to this. There are lists, but they all seem to include everything, regardless of quality, as well as a lot of stuff that doesn't really fit the genre.
It seems to be becoming more popular. There's lots of new writers writing new things, but a lot of it is very poor.
Are we talking about the Faulkner who writes the most hilariously awkward sex scenes thus ruining books that are supposed to give a grim, serious message about war or whatever?
So after finals are over this week, I'm going to take some time and read up on my literature.
So far on my list I have:
Dracula
From the Earth to the Moon
Moby Dick (read it back in middle school, wanna read it again)
The Old Man and the Sea
The Great Gatsby (started it, but never finished it)
Othello
Any other recommendations?
You've probably read it, and although its a book targeted to young adults, its one of my favorite books of all time. The Giver. Its a fantastic story and a quick read, you should be able to clock it out in a couple days even at a leisurely pace.
I'm currently reading the new David Sedaris, the Amy Sedaris book, 1000 Beards, leafing through this cook book, and about to start This Book Will Change Your Life with the new year.
Posts
I was home without a book a few months ago, looking for something to read. He has a book on the nightstand in my old room. Its McCarthy, I liked The Road, figure I will give it a shot. Read a chapter or two, have a taste. Man, it was weird and creepy. It was the one about the nutso redneck squatting in his old house after he got out of jail. I read a few chapters and put it down.
Something about the language and structure of things was grating on me, and the subject matter was not really my thing. I would like to read his Western-ish stuff some time, but I think I need a break after I finish the Dark Tower.
I'm thinking of getting a pulp book-- the sequel to Death's Head. I forget the name of it, something completely ridiculous like Maximum Killpower or something. The first was completely balls-out macho cyborg badass ridiculousness. The protagonist is basically a Commissar from WH40k crossed with Judge Dredd on PCP.
And I am thinking of getting another book. Maybe Catch-22, maybe A Clockwork Orange, maybe Forever War, maybe Old Man's War(I think that is the title). I eventually want all of those, I think. Not sure which one I will buy first though.
* I was talking about Lonesome Dove
* And WWZ is for re-re's.
* Cormac McCarthy is God.
unless that dies down after the first bit, I can't remember
And again: 800 pages. If this was anyone else, it'd be 300 and I'd be done by now.
Herbert is like Tolkien in that the dialogue can be tough to swallow, laying out all of these parameters for certain responses. However, he has a beautifully crafted universe full of complexities and historical references, everything has its cause and its effect. Herbert dives head first into the questions of religion, myth, godhood, human nature, mathematical sciences, and everything in between. It can be a bit daunting at first, but its a very satisfying read.
He was also highly committed to finding out how fucking dryly he could write a story while still having it slavishly consumed.
So he was prescient?
So far on my list I have:
Dracula
From the Earth to the Moon
Moby Dick (read it back in middle school, wanna read it again)
The Old Man and the Sea
The Great Gatsby (started it, but never finished it)
Othello
Any other recommendations?
Maaan I could recite the entire book for like three years.
Please add to this. There are lists, but they all seem to include everything, regardless of quality, as well as a lot of stuff that doesn't really fit the genre.
It seems to be becoming more popular. There's lots of new writers writing new things, but a lot of it is very poor.
Now we're talkin
Yes, this is the book thread.
You've probably read it, and although its a book targeted to young adults, its one of my favorite books of all time. The Giver. Its a fantastic story and a quick read, you should be able to clock it out in a couple days even at a leisurely pace.
it's a good book
also 'The Man in the High Castle'
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as opposed to Moby Dick?
Check out Fitzgerald's Benjamin Button. Read it, forget about the upcoming film...
I'm pretty sure the complete Dickens is on Project Gutenberg if that's your thing
what a tragic dude
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dickens is so damn wordy though
true
uh
tell you what I'll have a quick page through the Gutenberg archives and see what I can see
There's plenty of Doyle on Project Gutenberg. I don't know if it's complete, but there's a lot of it.
let's see
they do have Sherlock Holmes
Alice's Adventures in Wonderland by Carol which is actually very good for what it is
Metamorphosis by Kafka (!)
The Adventures of Tom Sawyer by Mark fucking Twain
Count of Monte Cristo but you should probably see if it's abridged because fuuucckkk
not a book but A Doll's House by Ibsen is a shithot play and definitely worth reading
so that's a start I guess
I dunno how well written some his novels are but it's fucking Wilde
I used to read The Importance of Being Earnest as a novel and just laugh and laugh
my sexy, dashing hero.
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Zoolander
they have all sorts of Edgar Rice Burroughs
fucking Tarzan and Lord of Mars
I already have Metamorphosis, but I grabbed The Trial.