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Recommend me a book!
Kate of Lokys
Registered User regular
Registered User regular
All of my beloved old books are packed in boxes in my parents' garage, and I am sick and goddamned tired of re-reading the half-dozen books I brought to my apartment with me. So, now that I'm done with my winter classes, I have decided to treat myself to a new book or two.
But I don't know what to get. I have pretty picky taste in literature, so when I find an author I like, I tend to read everything they've ever written, then I get stuck until someone I trust recommends a new author. The good people of PA seem to be pretty classy folks, though, so I am hoping you will come up with some good things for me.
Things I Like
Well-written fantasy, ie: George R.R. Martin, Guy Gavriel Kay, Patrick Rothfuss, Steven Erikson, R.E. Howard. I like the nicely crafted stuff, with the detailed worlds and intelligent plots and interesting characters and systems of magic that actually follow sensible rules. I'm not wild on the schlocky, Dragonlance-style swords-and-sorcery junk like Wheel of Time or Wizard's First Rule.
Thought-provoking science fiction, ie: Richard Morgan, Robert Sawyer, Vernor Vinge, Frank Herbert, Dan Simmons, Neil Stephenson. Not the most literary stuff in the world, but I like the concepts behind some of this stuff - science fiction is, for me, at its best when it follows the formula of "what would the world be like if... X?" Again, not really a fan of space operas which just substitute !FUTURE! things for modern things (spaceships instead of cars, destructo-rays instead of guns, etc).
Reasonably authentic historical fiction, ie: Rosemary Sutcliff, Patrick O'Brien. I love the Jack Aubrey series, and I would really enjoy picking up something else in that vein, but it's a kind of murky field - for every detailed depiction of Napoleonic warfare, there's a horribly-written piece of dreck putatively set in the ancient Greek empire, yet featuring characters who talk and think and swear exactly like modern-day American high school jocks.
So, tl;dr: recommend me good fantasy, sci-fi, or historical fiction. If I've mentioned an author by name, it's safe to assume I've read all their stuff already.
But I don't know what to get. I have pretty picky taste in literature, so when I find an author I like, I tend to read everything they've ever written, then I get stuck until someone I trust recommends a new author. The good people of PA seem to be pretty classy folks, though, so I am hoping you will come up with some good things for me.
Things I Like
Well-written fantasy, ie: George R.R. Martin, Guy Gavriel Kay, Patrick Rothfuss, Steven Erikson, R.E. Howard. I like the nicely crafted stuff, with the detailed worlds and intelligent plots and interesting characters and systems of magic that actually follow sensible rules. I'm not wild on the schlocky, Dragonlance-style swords-and-sorcery junk like Wheel of Time or Wizard's First Rule.
Thought-provoking science fiction, ie: Richard Morgan, Robert Sawyer, Vernor Vinge, Frank Herbert, Dan Simmons, Neil Stephenson. Not the most literary stuff in the world, but I like the concepts behind some of this stuff - science fiction is, for me, at its best when it follows the formula of "what would the world be like if... X?" Again, not really a fan of space operas which just substitute !FUTURE! things for modern things (spaceships instead of cars, destructo-rays instead of guns, etc).
Reasonably authentic historical fiction, ie: Rosemary Sutcliff, Patrick O'Brien. I love the Jack Aubrey series, and I would really enjoy picking up something else in that vein, but it's a kind of murky field - for every detailed depiction of Napoleonic warfare, there's a horribly-written piece of dreck putatively set in the ancient Greek empire, yet featuring characters who talk and think and swear exactly like modern-day American high school jocks.
So, tl;dr: recommend me good fantasy, sci-fi, or historical fiction. If I've mentioned an author by name, it's safe to assume I've read all their stuff already.
Kate of Lokys on
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edit: also as nerdy as this probably sounds... the magic the gathering series was really good as far as fantasy goes. there were a few not so great books, but most of them are pretty amazing
An author I'd highly recommend for the setting is Terry Pratchett. The Discworld series is a wonderful collection. Pick up Small Gods or Monstrous Regiment to see if it's something you'd enjoy since they're good standalones.
Ringworld series by Larry Niven. (Hard sci-fi)
Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle. (comet apocalypse fiction)
I will never understand how people enjoyed this book. I put up with the first 100 pages or so, and my god is it boring. It's written in a very particular style, harkening to victorian/british lit, so if you dig that, you might enjoy it.
I'd also recomend the Caine books by Stover, but I'm fairly certain you've read them already, at least I seem to recall you recomending them in similar threads in the past. Course, my memory is crap, so I could be wrong. If you haven't read them, pick up Heroes Die, Blade of Tyshalle and Caine Black Knife.
That's a really good book.
China Mieville is good for fantasy. Wacky steampunk stuff.
Richard Morgan has a fantasy book out now, but I don't know if it's any good.
The Temeraire series by Naomi Novik is quality. Basically its what if the colonial wars were fought with dragon aerial corps
Its just an amazing book, period, but make sure you read the full version instead of a lobotomized abridged copy.
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Also Vonnegut and for realsies, Isaac Asimov and H.G.Wells. You have to get some of that going on.
How about "The Bull from the Sea" and the other Alexander books (Mary Renault, I think).
The Ramage series and the Hornblower novels are very Aubrey-esque (although darker in tone).
Jack Whyte's "Dream of Eagles" series (set in Arthurian Britain as it could actually have been -- maybe) is wonderful.
Interesting. Amazon keeps recommending those books to me based upon my ASoIaF purchases, but I have a serious distrust of most fantasy so I just assumed it was likely crap. Looks like I have something to look forward to after I finish reading the "last" two ASoIaF books (on A Storm of Swords right now).
Edit: It's not exactly intellectual reading, but Michael Crichton's books tend to be interesting science fiction. Jurassic Park, The Lost World, Andromeda Strain and some others are fun reads and much better than the movies based upon them. Some of his mystery/thriller works aren't half-bad either, Rising Sun, Airframe and A Case of Need. And he does base his works on some portion of reality, at least on his later books he includes a fairly detailed bibliography.
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Definitely check out A Scanner Darkly or Do Androids Dream of Electric sheep.
Also, have you read the great dystopian novels? 1984, Brave New World, Fahrenheit 451...They're all worth it if you haven't read them.
I'd also suggest V., Gravities Rainbow, and Against the Day by Pynchon. They are all incredibly epic (and, it has to be said, often confusing) but ultimately rewarding reads. He's seriously one of the greatest writers around, you just need to invest some time in his work before you get to reap the benefits (but reap them you will)
Everyone should read those last three. I fourth or fifth the recommendation of Phillip K. Dick, especially Valis, my favorite. Maybe because I read it first, but I really love it. H.G. Wells is a solid recommendation as well, and I'll raise you a Jules Verne. The man imagined submarines and scuba gear so long before they existed it's amazing. Da Vinci style shit here.
You said you didn't like shlock stuff like Dragonlance, but man I love some of the Star Wars novels. If you turn toward lighter reading like this I would recommend Tales of the Bounty Hunters as a nice start. Amazing short story collection as long as you're a Star Wars fan.
Recluse is a good series. It is fairly mediocre fantasy that is well crafted and does an excellent job of dealing with moral issues from the "good" and "evil" points of view, illustrating tons of shades of gray. Also, each book depicts a different era in the world, so you get a nice touch of history there.
Jim Butcher's Codex Alera is some great fantasy, and will be complete once book 6 comes out around Thanksgiving.
Now, though, now you need to go read Heroes Die by Matthew Woodring Stover. Its one of the best damn books I've read next to ASoIaF and its not your typical fantasy.
See how many books I've read so far in 2010
I haven't read a single post in this thread, but if you enjoy thought-provoking fiction, I would definitely check out some of Phillip K. Dick's books. This man has more than a few crazy interesting books out there. Try Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? and A Scanner Darkly.
Already Read and Liked
Stover (everything, even the Star Wars books), Card (Ender's Game, Alvin Maker, standalones), Heinlein (everything), Mieville (Perdido Street Station, The Scar), Neil Gaiman (everything), Bradbury, Asimov, Welles, Verne, Crichton (early stuff was great, more recent stuff is not), Orwell, Huxley, pretty much anything else post-apocalyptic/dystopian
Already Read and Didn't Really Like Very Much
Gibson (Neuromancer), Pratchett (Small Gods, Mort), Novik (the first one in the series), Brin (some of his earlier stuff)
Already Read and Didn't Like at All
Clarke (Strange & Norrell), Vonnegut (Cat's Cradle, Galapagos)
Haven't Read
Sterling, Niven, Esslemont, Campbell, Banks, Dick, Modesitt, Butcher, Renault, Whyte, Abercrombie, Pynchon, Cornwell, Forester
Looks like I have a few new things to try, at least. Any other recommendations?
Have you tried Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel series? They're very well written but can be a turn-off for some people because the heroine is a courtesan spy, but at a guess I think you'd enjoy them. They also are based on a semi-separate historical timeline so there are often a lot of references to catch. The first one is Kushiel's Dart.
Off the beaten path are Judith Tarr's books which I really love but aren't for everyone. The first trilogy is, well, here's a quote: "...Tarr's 'The Hound and the Falcon' trilogy is a work of alternate history, taking place in England during the reign of Richard I. Alf, a monk at St. Ruan's Abbey, is an elfin changeling left there as a baby, and despite his fair looks and that he never seems to age, only a few are aware of or suspect his true nature. When an injured rider arrives at the abbey one evening, it becomes Alf's turn to play the part of messenger and ambassador to Richard I in order to prevent war among neighboring lands." This trilogy is: The Isle of Glass, The Golden Horn, and The Hounds Of God. The other two books follow characters that are only mentioned in this trilogy (but in some ways they're more fun): Alamut, The Dagger and the Cross.
Also, the Xanth books by Piers Anthony are pretty entertaining fantasy if you enjoy simple humor and tons of puns. There are like a zillion books in the series, so they are generally very easy to find at a used bookstore.
It isn't terribly complex (or even well written 1/2 the time) but it is stunningly emotional and dark. Its worth a flip through at your local bookstore to see if you like it.
See how many books I've read so far in 2010
He has really created a truly unique world and the premise behind the whole thing is very, very neat. It's one of my favorite book series.
And C.S. Friedman's Coldfire Trilogy is very well done, with exceptionally intelligent villians and a very interesting system of magic and religion.
See how many books I've read so far in 2010