Looking for a new book to read

POSTED BY: amygdala
UPDATED: Wednesday, November 30, 2005 04:52
VIEWED: 27073
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YT

Monday, August 8, 2005 8:20 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by Giles:
Mary Stewart's Merlin books: "The Crystal Cave", "The Hollow Hills" and "The Last Enchantment"; this is my favourite interpretation of the Arthurian legends

This is the third thread to mention Mary Stewart's Merlin Trilogy. Thing that amazes me is that all the folks who mention it rank it highly, yet none seem to know she had (twenty years ago) written a fourth book, "the Wicked Day", about Arthur & Mordred. Giles, go get the fourth book, and use it as an excuse to read the first three again. The rest of you, this is fabulous stuff.

Keep the Shiny Side Up . . . (wutzon) James Brown, "Try Me", 45

FNORDCHAN

Tuesday, August 9, 2005 9:11 PM

Mousie wrote:

Quote:
Lois McMaster Bujold
Young Miles (SF)

I'd like to second the plug for Lois Bujold, particularly her series writing starring Miles Naismith Vorkosigan: secret agent, nobleman, space pirate, Imperial Auditor, and perhaps more than a little bit crazy. Start with The Warrior's Apprentice if your library has it or the omnibus Young Miles if you decide to look at your local bookstore; the latter has truly god-awful cover art but, trust me, it's one helluva ride. For a sample of Bujold's writing, read "The Mountains of Mourning", a short story set early in Miles's storied career:

http://www.baen.com/library/1011250002/1011250002.htm

It's low key compared to his later adventures, but is still a fine read and offers insight into what makes Miles such a great character.

The Vorkosigan books have a lot to appeal to Firefly fans: a future setting without aliens, with low tech brushing shoulders with the fancy new stuff the rich planets get, quirky crews raising hell in battered old starships, and wonderful, wonderful characterization. I should also mention that they're addictive as all hell, and once you get hooked you can look forward to tearing the rest of the series in short order. I realize that there are enough books listed in this thread to choke a horse, but give Young Miles a go.

FnordChan, who also adores Vernor Vinge

"I do have a cause, though. It's obscenity. I'm for it." - Tom Lehrer

BECSTHEBEAST

Tuesday, August 9, 2005 9:21 PM

just wanna say thanks to amygdala for starting this thread- its gonna keepme going a long time

smile pretty and watch your back

AMYGDALA

Thursday, August 25, 2005 12:05 PM

HUGE thanks to the two people who suggested Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series.

Two books down, heaps to go, and absolutely loving it .

----
"She was naked, and all ... articulate."

FNORDCHAN

Thursday, August 25, 2005 9:52 PM

Quote:
Originally posted by amygdala:
HUGE thanks to the two people who suggested Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series.

I'm happy to do my part to spread the Bujold love and glad to hear you're digging on 'em!

A quick note on what order to read the books in - it really doesn't matter all that much. Normally I'm a huge advocate of reading in publication order rather than internal chronology, but in this case I don't think it makes much difference either way. That said, you'll want to read some of the later books in chronological sequence - Mirror Dance, Memory, Komarr, and A Civil Campaign - and then after you've gone through the rest of the series to date. Which ain't to say someone couldn't just grab one of those books and dig on 'em, but you'll get more out of it if you've been digging on the characters for a while.

For anyone who is already a Bujold fan and wanting more in a similar vein, check out Sharon Lee and Steve Miller's Liaden books, which combine space opera with plenty of mannered romance. They're vastly fluffier than Bujold (and, frankly, not as good) but are tremendous fun and have all sorts of great characters. I'm quite sure Firefly fans would dig on 'em, especially as our heroes spend a lot of time later in the series on the lam from a sinister government conspiracy. And, if you're going to have aliens in yer SF, you may as well have completely awesome turtle-based aliens. Start with Conflict of Honors or Agent of Change and go wild from there. The series was recently reprinted in paperback by Ace and should be readily available. You can find all the details at Lee and Miller's Liaden website: http://www.korval.com/liad.htm

FnordChan

"I do have a cause, though. It's obscenity. I'm for it." - Tom Lehrer

SFFAZ

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 4:30 PM

IMHO, Stephen R Donaldson's Gap series, five books complete story, is the closest thing in written science fiction to Firefly TV series. It has depraved and underbelly worse or as horrible as the Reavers and doesn't shy from showing it and yet it has heroes and moral icons like Simon or mal willing to sacrifice evrything they value for the the sake of the good of all. Not for everybody's taste if they know Donaldson's Covenant series (fantasy set in the Land) as it has scenes of harrowing disconfort just as in Covenant series. but no other series i've read or even heard rumors of has anything remotely like the reavers or the so far unseen underground of civilisation, and i dont mean theouback worlds. i mean earth cities or the countryside, im sure ther are criminal gangs on earth in the cities and countryside, plus the planet or Medical centre that the crew visited when Simon ran tests on River, right. Anyway the story is good, too. But be warned: the depravity may be rated X for extreme sexual content. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant is good, too. Two previous series in the 70s and 80s and a third series called the Last Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, 1st book just out. read it, still waiting to decide if it's worth the wait or just a selling-out. Altho just based on the 1st book, i dont think so.

JESIAHBLACK

Wednesday, September 14, 2005 5:23 PM

Well, since Martin and the phenomenal A Song of Ice and Fire series is already mentioned, i have a few others up my sleeve.

I'm currently reading Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun, which i've become quite taken with. From what i understand, it's the first person account of the apprentice torturer Severian, who is both "blessed and cursed with photographic memory".

As far as straight-up sci-fi goes, i like to recommend the Exordium series by Sherwood Smith and Dave Trowbridge. I've heard it described as "A Song of Ice and Fire in space", but i'll leave it to you to decide whether it's true or not.

"Oh, I was born 6-gun in my hand, behind a gun I'll make my final stand."

TERRYO

Thursday, September 15, 2005 3:26 AM

As much as I love Miles Vorkosigan and his alter egos, I hope you also read Shards of Honor/Barrayar or the combined reprint Cordelia's Honor. I fell head over heels for Miles' dad first. The books make more sense if you know who Miles is trying to live up to.

Also second Honor Harrington series and the whole Liaden universe - although I wasn't really crazy about the first one which is very fantasy. The second and third featuring Val Con and Miri were great fun.

Terry

Quote:
Originally posted by amygdala:
HUGE thanks to the two people who suggested Lois McMaster Bujold's Vorkosigan series.

Two books down, heaps to go, and absolutely loving it .

----
"She was naked, and all ... articulate."

JUKO

Thursday, September 15, 2005 3:58 AM

Roger Zelazny and Neil Stephenson are a couple that bear checking out. Also, if you have a *lot* of time and patience, anything by Umberto Eco is well worth the trouble to read (you'll need to spend a lot of time reading his books, since they are a bit of a difficult read, but they're some of the most fascinating and compelling books I've come across). That's just off the top of my head, I guess I'll actually have to raid my bookcases.

Does Blue Sun sponser the Blue Man Group?

AMYGDALA

Thursday, September 15, 2005 9:12 AM

A few things:

- Did read Cordelia's Honour (combination of Shards of Honour and Barrayar) first in the Vorkosigan series. Highly recommend doing things this way - have noticed there are a few people who aren't fans of the pre-Miles books, but I loved them. Wonder if they become a bit dull only in comparison to the frenetic pace of the Miles books if these have been read first? And as mentioned before: Aral Vorkosigan, totally crushable. Still making my way through this series, still loving it, but cursing Amazon for a month's delay which may mean I lose self control and read some of them out of order.

- Note that Harrington series is mentioned a lot in this thread. Read the first one and (she cringes in anticipation of horrified replies) not totally convinced. Anyone else feel this way then get converted later on? I'm really not a pure adventure and space-battley reader - need a large proportion of human interest. Maybe I should just give up?

- Would love feedback from anyone else who's read books on recommendations from this thread. So get reading, people .

----
"She was naked, and all ... articulate."

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