PlaneShift
Fan Area => The Hydlaa Plaza => Topic started by: Kiern on July 31, 2006, 07:28:02 am
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I'm interested in what people think is a good book to read. One that actually makes you think. The only thing is, I don't want fantasy books. But why, you ask, this is a forum for a fantasy game after all! Because, everyone is just going to recommend someone like whoever writes that Wheel of Time series or every other tired and cliche book in the genre. They're all the same.
Well ok, I take that back, if someone can offer me something genre-bending or revolutionary in the fantasy genre I wouldn't be opposed to that. Just be sure to recommend something else.
As for myself, I'd like to recommend An Enemy of The State (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0976654423/sr=8-14/qid=1154322681/ref=sr_1_14/104-3275565-1923131?ie=UTF8) by F. Paul Wilson which is a Science Fiction/Philosophical book about a "bloodless" revolution that, even if you don't share its ideologies, is very interesting.
That's about it really, I haven't read a book that I'd seriously recommend in ages, which is the purpose of actually creating this topic. Not that I expect to get any/much replies. Planeshift is a fantasy game after all...
I think I've rambled on enough.
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I'm very fond of Virgin Suicides by Jeffrey Eugenides. It's a sea of symbolism and metaphors, where you really have to read between the lines. There's a movie, but the movie is a candle and this book is the sun. Contemporary fiction, worth every second of your time, no point in posting a summary as amazon.com can do a much better job in that department.
Come to think of it, I need more thinking-books myself.
(I have this strange feeling I've recommended that book here before.)
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Well, it certainly isn't fantasy, but I doubt you'll find it interresting.
Technical mumble jumble (http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0735622906/sr=1-2/qid=1154334470/ref=sr_1_2/102-0584592-0465734?ie=UTF8&s=books)
It does make you think, or at least you learn something from it. I, for one , learned that they aren't paying me enough at work to learn all this crap.
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How The Mind Works by Steven Pinker
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I recommend;
Time and Again by Jack Finney
Okay okay, it involves a bit of time travel but, it's well written having beautiful descriptions of New York City around 1880 with old photos so you get a real history lesson along with the fiction.
:thumbup:
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This is actually quite a tough one thinking about it. The last non fantasy book i remember reading (prolly because it was so damn good) is "Da Gospel According to Ali G" but my dad preaches diversity and has been trying to get me to read some books he recently read by a guy called Michael Connelly... first book is called The Black Echo, apparently they are crime/murder/detective types to quote my dad they are "very good and clever".
Haven't started yet as im currently reading robin hobb's books, which are very good though he does like things to end up 'wrong'. will take one on holiday with me though.
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last book i ever read was "citizen kane" based on the movie with the same title by orson welles and that was a long long long... time ago
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I forget the author's name. He wrote a book called "The Sticklepath Strangler". They are murder mysteries set in the middle-ages, shortly after the fall of the Templars. The main character was adjudicator or something at the Templars trial, and it suffers his consciousness. There is a whole series...
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"Books that make you think", eh? hm...
On the "more work than entertainment" side, I'd recommend
- "The Inmates are Running the Asylum" -- it's a great read about technology usability.
On the "entertainment side", I'd recommend
- "Stiff", a respectful yet surprisingly humorous book about cadavers.
- "The Elegant Universe", a book about quantum mechanics, theory of relativity, and string theory which tries to pull the two together.
- anything by Philip K. Dick -- books about paranoia and things not being as they seem
- anything by China Mieville -- dark poetic narrative style (alright, you might say that it's fantasy <perhaps sci-fi?>, but it it's still very enjoyable, and certainly not typical of the fantasy genre).
Enjoy!
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Imperial Earth by Arthur C Clarke is pretty good. I like most of his stuff actually.
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Anything by Olaf Stapledon as well!
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Goerge Johansson's fictional series!
The end in the last book actually made me cry :'(
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the reality dysfunction
the naked god
the neutronium alchemist
sci-fi trillogy by peter f hamilton which kicks @ss
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Might I suggest for two "genre-bending" Fantasy authors, the authors Anne McCaffrey and Terry Pratchet and Orson Scott Card.
Anne McCaffrey is actually almost science fiction. The Dragonriders of Pern series is good. Highly recommended. It is NOT you rtypical fantasy or sci-fi book. She also writes "pure" sci-fi, which is also good. Terry Pratchet is a fantasy author, but his books are entirely satire. Not only do they make fun of the fantasy genre but pretty much everything else. It's hard to describe. Just read one. Orson Scoot Card's Ender's Game/Ender's Shadow (not sequels of each other, parralels--but they both have sequels) series are very good sci-fi. He goes a little wacko with his other series, but the Ender series is very good. I'm sure I don't need to mention Dune and Lord of the Rings.
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I recommend Daniel Quinn. He is best known for his trilogy with the following books: Ishmael (1992), The Story of B (1996) , and My Ishmael (1997). It's thought provoking ....
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I'll recommend Dean Koontz... maybe James Patterson, Dan Brown's Deception Point was quite a good read lately as well.
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I agree with drey Robin Hobbs books leave me feeling empty or cheated with the very negative endings.
The best non Fantasy book I've read recently is Labyrinth by Kate Mosse an intriguing "Grail" based book with a lot of factual historical action
edit: typo
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A Scanner Darkly by phillip k. dick is a good one
But if you really want to have to think, read the classics. Brave New World, Lord of the Flies, Anthem, Cry the Beloved Country, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, Animal Farm, 1984, Catch 22, Slaughterhouse Five, One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest, Cats Cradle, Breakfast of Champions......The list goes on and on but these are some of the ones Ive read. Not only are these books terribly enjoyable, but they offer an expanded view on the world, social behavior, human nature, and power, and they will surely help you to become a more open minded, and analytical person. They make you ask questions about yourself and the world you live in and for that they are the best books and why they are considederd classic.
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Fiction:
The Fountainhead - Ayn Rand. While Anthem was a discussion on the soul of society, the Fountainhead is an observation of the souls of men.
The Dirk Gently Series by Douglas Adams, woefully underated due to the success of HitchHiker's guide
East of Eden - favourite Steinbech
The Dark Tower Series - Stephen King. If you dont care for the style he has been typecast into (supernatural horror and gross outs) this is the series that almost his entire library is sourced from. An epic tale devoid of Stephen King's fame making nastiness.
I heartily recommend you avoid Dan Brown.
Non-Fiction
The Hiram Key, Second Messiah, and Uriel's Machine - Christopher Knight and Robert Lomas's lifelong work's research into Freemasonry's origins and history.
Earth Chronicles Series - Zacharia Sitchin, one of the original "Aliens created Man" theorists. His attention to detail and depth of research and reference material is what gives this read the meat to finish its wordy trek through his theories.
All Over but the Shoutin' - Rick Bragg - the only "grew up the poorest of the poor in the deep stinky hot south with no pappy and a mama that never stopped working to keep us in clothes but i still managed to get out and make something of myself" that really ever touched me. He had me at the opening paragraph of the prologue, and i never shed so many tears reading a book before, or since.
Swing Low - Miriam Toews - The sad story of a father with undiagnosed depression as a vessel to illuminate the secretive, protectionist nature of Mennonite culture and lifestyle.
Again i have to recommend that you never read a Dan Brown book, since he refuses to officially declare his work as fiction, and as a bastard child of his imagination and opinion, i felt i must place this warning, in the non-fiction setting as well.