Looking for a new book to read
POSTED BY: amygdala
UPDATED: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 04:52
VIEWED: 27073
PAGE 2 of 8
The Rama Series ("Rendezvous with Rama", "Rama II", "Garden of Rama", and "Rama Revealed") by Arthur C. Clarke. Best Sci-Fi Ever.
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Decisions, Decisions...
Right, I've just picked up "The Algebraist" by Iain Banks.
Otherwise, if you like P.K. Dick try any of the cyberpunk genre from William Gibson or Bruce Sterling. They all twist you around, you never know if there's a silicon character involved or not.
Also, "The Difference Engine" a collaboration by both of them about an alternate reality with 19th century steam-driven mechanical computers. A really outstanding story worth a couple of reads.
And now for something completely different -
"The Etched City" by K.J. Bishop. Very Surrealistic not-quite-fantasy that's worth SEVERAL reads.
Stay shiny !!
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How about The Sword Of Truth series by Terry Goodkind. The first book, Wizards First Rule, is a great read (I loved them all, and it still has two books remaining).
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The only sovereign you can allow to rule you is reason!
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i really rate ursula leguin and pk dick - so just on those grounds the two series that really grabbed me recently
- as emma said dark materials - a good bedtime book keeps you hooked but not too taxing
China Mieville's Triology - Perdido Street Station, The Scar and Iron Council - dark, brooding and full of good monsters - have to say it got me back into sci-fi after a good few years absence
smile pretty and watch your back
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I'm glas someone gave props to Philip Pullman's fantasy trilogy, although I think here in Canada, it's not called the Norhtern Lights (is that an American thing) trilogy, but the HIS DARK MATERIALS trilogy (which still consists of THE GOLDEN COMPASS, THE SUBTLE KNIFE and THE AMBER SPYGLASS).
One sci-fi book I read two summers ago that I really dug was UP THE LINE by Robert Silverberg. It's about a guy who becomes like a time traveling tour guide, and the whole book deals a lot with time travel, paradoxes and such. And it's such a complex book that you don't have to worry about anyone trying to turn it into a movie, because it's basically unadaptable.
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And wow! Hey! What's this thing suddenly coming towards me very fast? Very very fast. So big and flat and round, it needs a big wide sounding name like ... ow ... ound ... round ... ground! That's it! That's a good name - ground! I wonder if it will be friends with me?
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I'm more of a sci-fi rather than fantasy reader so these recs reflect that.
I'd second (along with Fremdfirma) the David Drake, With the Lightnings, rec. Another Drake series (along with Eric Flint) is the Belisarius series. Manipulation from the future pits a Byzantine/Ethiopian alliance against Malwa India. The first book is An Oblique Approach.
My favorie Elizabeth Moon book so far is Trading in Danger.
The Rama series (as ColdFusion noted) is excellent as well. The latter books didn't do as much for me but the first book, Rendezvous with Rama, is classic.
If you like parallel universe/time travel type stuff (along the lines of whole towns getting transported like in S. M. Stirling's Islands in the Sea of Time series) then I'd recommend Eric Flint's 1632. Small West Virginia mining town transported to 30 Years War Germany. Union miners beating some sense into European nobles and trying to recreate American Democracy in the middle of hellacious religious conflict.
For more humerous light sci-fi I've enjoyed the Phule's Company series of books by Robert Asprin.
Not sure if your tastes run to epic universe wide interspecies fight for survival type fare but, if so, you might enjoy two books by David Weber, In Death Ground and The Shiva Option. They're the second and third volumes of a larger four part series but can be read on their own.
If you find you like Weber's style there's always Honor Harrington. Plenty of books in that series to keep you occupied (In Enemy Hands and Echoes of Honor are pretty high on my yearly re-reading list). It's one of my favorite series and I'm eagerly looking forward to the next installment later this year.
Baen's also been re-releasing a number of short story collections from classic sci-fi authors. The James Schmitz series is pretty good. Probably my favorite so far has been Murray Leinster's Med Ship which is funny because I absolutely hated Planets of Adventure. The book collects all of Leinster's stories concerning the adventures of the galaxy wide Med Service as they travel from planet to planet combatting disease and those criminals who would profit from an epidemic.
* editted to add: I totally forgot to mention that Baen books has a really cool free library section where you can download some of the older books gratis. I'll just throw in links to free books for some of the authors I've mentioned. (The free library index of authors is here: http://www.baen.com/library/ ). And they also have the first handful of chapters of all their books available to browse online (usually months before release).
David Drake books (including With the Lightnings and An Oblique Approach): http://www.baen.com/library/ddrake.htm
Eric Flint books (including 1632): http://www.baen.com/library/eflint.htm
David Weber books (including On Basilisk Station, the first Honor Harrington book): http://www.baen.com/library/dweber.htm
Murray Leinster books (including Med Ship): http://www.baen.com/library/mleinster.htm
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Alfred Bester's Demolished Man
Richard Matheson's I am Legend
You can't go wrong with either of these books!
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Wow. Good response. Thanks, I love you guys.
Off to start reading. See you in a few months 
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"She was naked, and all ... articulate."
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If you're really looking for something to read, try the wrapper of a creme egg like this one, very interesting if you ask me! This comes to you courtesy of serenity squared initiation challenges.
Pog
We may experience some slight turbulence and then explode...
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If you like George R. R. Martin, you might like:
The Book of Words trilogy by J. V. Jones.
Many people on Amazon seem to like both Jones and Martin. Jones has a newer trilogy out (except for the last book which might come out this December) called The Sword of Shadows. However, it goes into the minute details of things (almost like The Lord of the Rings, except shorter).
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