Books (No Fantasy!)

[Kiern]

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 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.

[Karyuu]

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.)

[neko kyouran]

Well, it certainly isn't fantasy, but I doubt you'll find it interresting.

Technical mumble jumble

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.

[Anne Ominous]

How The Mind Works by Steven Pinker

[Xylaal]

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.

 

[Drey]

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.

[minetus]

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

[althos_tarante]

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...

[Learch]

"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!

[Xordan]

Imperial Earth by Arthur C Clarke is pretty good. I like most of his stuff actually.

[althos_tarante]

Anything by Olaf Stapledon as well!

[Baldur]

Goerge Johansson's fictional series!
The end in the last book actually made me cry

[Mindari]

the reality dysfunction
the naked god
the neutronium alchemist

sci-fi trillogy by peter f hamilton which kicks @ss

[Mykentros]

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.

[zorbels]

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 ....