SubJeff on 18/2/2017 at 23:47
Reading "Nod" at the moment. Just started actually.
I gave up on Eon about 2/3 through. Nice idea but got a bit dull.
PigLick - if you haven't I recommend The Flashman Papers. Read them in the order they were written, not in chronological order. Top-lolly, what.
PigLick on 19/2/2017 at 16:16
Wow they are pretty old, first published in 1969? If i can find them will definitely give em a read.
Any if you havent read The Circle you really should, especially as the movie is coming out soon (Tom Hanks?) That way you can say you read the book before the movie "adjusts monocle"
McTaffer on 19/2/2017 at 20:56
I second The Lies of Locke Lamora and Ready Player One. I also really enjoyed the sequels of the former.
Off the top of my head, here are some others in no particular order (I hope this list doesn't steal everyone else's recommendations, sorry if it does):
Metro 2033 by Dmitri Glukhovsky- You may have heard of or played the video game adaptation. The book is different plotwise in a few different ways, and is very atmospheric.
Night Watch by Sergei Lukyanenko- Another Russian translation. Based on the idea of an underground society of magical people and creatures: vampires, wizards, etc. in the modern world, and the police who enforce them. The sequels are also good.
The Alchemy Wars trilogy by Ian Tregellis- Very steampunk. Clockwork people living alongside humanity as slaves. The Dutch rule the world.
Redshirts by John Scalzi- A Star Trek satire that shows life from the point of view of a redshirt.
On a Pale Horse by Piers Anthony- A normal man accidentally becomes the physical embodiment of Death. The sequels get weaker as they go on, but the first few books are good.
Three by Jay Posey- Journey across a cyber zombie filled wasteland. It's the first of a trilogy, but I personally didn't like the sequels as much.
The Rook by Daniel O'Malley- About a secret supernatural branch of the British secret service. Spies with super powers.
Anno Dracula by Kim Newman- A what if? scenario where Dracula survives the end of Dracula and ends up marrying Queen Victoria.
Most anything by Neil Gaiman- generally urban fantasy, but not always.
Most anything by Terry Pratchett- comedic fantasy.
Good Omens- co-authored by the previous two, and needs no introduction. It's that good.
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams- I don't think this needs an introduction either.
st.patrick on 19/2/2017 at 21:46
Speaking of Neil Gaiman, I'm eager to get my hands on Norse Mythology which I hear is an amazing take on one of my favorite ancient/medieval cultures.
Saw a mention of The Moor's Last Sigh earlier in the thread, definitely my favorite Rushdie book, a lot like expanded, magical realism-esque East, West turned into a massive saga.
Re: Harry Harrison's alt-history books, do check out Poul Anderson's Time Watch if you're a fan of the genre.
SubJeff on 20/2/2017 at 00:26
Good Omens was alright. Pratchett isn't a patch on Adams imho. In fact after about 5 books I was thoroughly bored. It's just the same thing, the same jokes, again and again.
Flashman isn't old! It's newer than LotR!!
Hesche on 20/2/2017 at 11:24
Quote Posted by demagogue
Honestly I've been reading a lot of hard science books, cognitive science most of all, because I'm upset with reality these days and want to finally understand how things tick. Or more like I want to get myself as far as possible away from this Truth vs. Alt-Facts game happening in pop culture and be a happy refugee from conventional wisdom.
I think I know what you mean. If you can overcome your skepticism towards esotericism I can recommend
Conversations with God by Neale Donald Walsch. It certainly gives you a new perspective on...well, everything.
If you want to enjoy an Alt-Facts classic I can recommend
The Great American Novel by Philip Roth. Did you know baseball in the US used to have three professional baseball leagues? And that the Patriot League fell victim to a Communist conspiracy? Somehow it seems hilariously and alarmingly fitting to the current situation.
Also I find myself rereading the
Leatherstocking Tales by James Fenimore Cooper every now and then. It´s a series of 5 books,
The Last of the Mohicans being the most familiar I guess, although not my favorite of the series. I´ve been reading the edited version when I was a kid and bought an unedited version a couple of years back. I was blown away by the poetic language and the beautiful nature descriptions.
Thirith on 22/2/2017 at 09:23
I'm currently reading my first Jeanette Winterson novel, The Gap of Time, which is a self-described "cover version" of Shakespeare's Winter's Tale. Some of the characters remain rather stereotypical, especially in their speech pattern, but on the whole this is a fun, smart read that does an interesting job of adapting the play in a modern setting.
I've also heard good things about the other Shakespeare adaptations that were commissioned at the same time, namely Margaret Atwood's Hag-Seed and Howard Jacobson's Shylock is my Name.
Naartjie on 23/2/2017 at 10:31
Quote Posted by Thirith
I've also heard good things about the other Shakespeare adaptations that were commissioned at the same time, namely Margaret Atwood's
Hag-Seed and Howard Jacobson's
Shylock is my Name.
Hag-Seed is good - I'd just seen a production of the
The Tempest when I read it, though, so I think that made it easier to pick up on the more subtle meanings and visualise the whole thing. But I'd still recommend it in any case.
Thirith on 23/2/2017 at 10:48
It's been ages since I've read any Margaret Atwood (15-20 years, I think), but I enjoyed her writing back then, so I'll definitely be checking out Hag-Seed at some point.
