Recommended Books to Read?

[Lenny]

I'm running out of things to pick up and read at my library, and the thread about the Icewind Dale Trilogy shows that you guys really know your books.

I was wondering if you could maybe recommend me some to read?

I'm about to read the latest two books in Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series, I've got a great list of Robin Hobbs books (the 9 or so following Fitz), I automatically buy any new Terry Pratchett book, I quite liked L.E. Modesitt jnr.'s books (e.g. Towers of the Sunset), I think there was a Richeard Gemmel I read not too long ago that I likes, Dianna Wyne Jones' adult ones are pretty good, Susanna Clarkes Johnathan Strange and Mr. Norrell was superd (one I would recommend for you), Robert Silverberg's Lord Valentines Castle (the rest of the Majipoor things I have still to read), a great book about guys on a ship whilst some weapon (some kind of suit of armour) destroyed whole continents in rings of fire that became bigger every week or so (the name of which I've forgotten - the book was the first in a trilogy)...in fact, I will read any good fantasy book.

In the Icewind Dale Trilogy thread there's mention of R.A. Salvatore's other books following Drizzt, Weis and Hickman's Dragonlance thingies, the Tripod Trilogy, A Game of Thrones, A Calsh of Kings, and A Strom of Swords.

These will probably be enough to keep me going for 5, 6 months or so, but I would like a list of books to read in the future for when i've read these.

Of course, I don't only read things like these, I'm a fan of the Artemis Fowl, Alex Rider and Harry Potter series, and I'd quite like to get my hands on the sequel to Catch 22,but a few months of readin nothing but Graham Greene has put me off them for a time.

Any ideas??

[Medieval Bob]

Well, here's my incomplete book suggestion list:

Dragonlance
-------------------------
Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Dragons of Winter Night
Dragons of Spring Dawning
Soulforge
Brothers in Arms
Time of the Twins
War of the Twins
Test of the Twins
Dragons of Summer Flame
The Second Generation
Dragons of a Fallen Sun
Dragons of a Lost Star
Dragons of a Vanished Moon

I've got a couple handfulls more of good Dragonlance books to suggest, but these are the best ones (and mostly in series). If you finish all of these, I can reccomend some more good ones that sort of just jump around in the series or have new characters, but the general rule of thumb that I go by is that if it's not written or edited by Weis or Hickman, and it doesn't have any of the "original characters," (Raistlin, Caramon, Dalamar, Tasslehoff, Flint, Tannis, and Sturm (I don't care so much for Riverwind or Goldmoon) ) then I won't read it.

Douglas Adams
-----------------------------------
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Douglas Adams
Life, the Universe and Everything - Douglas Adams
So Long, and Thanks for All the Fish - Douglas Adams
Mostly Harmless - Douglas Adams
(You can get all 5 in The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy for $15.00)

Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Douglas Adams
Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul - Douglas Adams

Forgotten Realms
----------------------------------
Homeland - Salvatore
Exile - Salvatore
Soujorn - Salvatore
(The Dark Elf Trilogy)

The Crystal Shard - Salvatore
Streams of Silver - Salvatore
The Halfling's Gem - Salvatore
(The Icewind Dale Trilogy)



Also, I'd suggest the Lord of the Rings trilogy if you haven't read it, and The Hobbit (which I think is better than the trilogy).

Additionally, you might want to read Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. The book is infinitely better than the movie I think.



I contacted my Junior High librarian and asked if it would be possible for me to come in and leaf through the books to try and find that trilogy I was looking for. I'll post it up if I find it. It's a great read.

[Lenny]

I've got the Hitch-hikers series, and one Dirk Gently, the one he was writing before he died - Salmon of Doubt.

Yes I've read the LoTR series and the Hobbit...have you read the Silmarillion?? I'm wondering whether to read that.

[Medieval Bob]

Well, I haven't read the Silmarillion, but I did a report on Tolkien a while back. What I got about it at the time was that it's a really good book. The stories are great. It's a great world and setting and collection of events. The writing, however, is hard to get through. It's written, at least in the beginning, like it's a poor translation. Many people say it reads like the Bible.

So, it's a good book, if you can stand the writing.

I wouldn't reccomend it over any Dragonlance book.

Oh, and if you like Douglas Adams, which it seems you might by having his books, get Tea Time. It's great.

[Lenny]

Can't get away from Douglas Adam's...people have even told him my writing style is slightly like his...

As for Tolkien being a hard read, I'll get through it. I managed to read LoTR in a weekend, which I'm quite proud of...:D...I'll eventually get through the Silmarillion...

Any other books you'd recommend??

[Medieval Bob]

Mmm.... not at the moment.

I could give you a list of the other Dragonlance books that I've read and liked, but I'd have to go by my apartment (read: not house) to get them, and I don't really see a need for a rush on that. I gave you a baker's dozen to read already.

I say just get started on those Dragonlance books so I can have someone to talk to about them. They're such fun books--great drama, awesome character development, good comedy. Be careful about reading in class, though. I caught myself laughing out loud a couple of times in the middle of a 150-person lecture hall.

[Sum Yung Guy]

Sword of Shannara and its many sequels.
Enders Game and its many follow ups espicially the last 2.

[RoboticSilence]

Samurai Cat series by Mark E. Rogers.

Good luck finding them though, I think all of them are out of print and rare.

[Demosthenes]

I reccomend either reading Ender's Game, or a book that is a parallel book to it (for the lack of a better term) called Ender's Shadow. Both are great books. In my opinion, Ender's Game is the better book, but Ender's Shadow grips you pretty much as soon as it starts, while Ender's Game may take a bit longer. After reading Ender's Game, read Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind in that order. The way I did it was read Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, Children of the Mind, and I'm currently almost done with Ender's Shadow. They're all great books. Or, of course, you could wait for the new Harry Potter book. And no, I'm not joking, I'm honestly looking forward to that book.

[Sum Yung Guy]

yea the ender series was awesome

[Lenny]

I'm looking forward to it too...the only problem is, the day it comes out is the day of my school trip to Alton Towers...so I can't stay home and read it!! :mad:

I can read it on the coach at least.

Right, so so far the recommeded books are:


Dragonlance Series
Forgotten Realms
Jurassic Park
Douglas Adams' Dirk Gently books
The Silmarillion
Sword of Shannara and it's many sequels
The Enders Series
Samurai Cat series
and, of course,

Harry Potter and The Half-Blood Prince.
I'm also waiting for the new Sorcerers of the Nightwing book...Demon Witch I think its called, or was that the second one...

[Adrenachrome]

Honestly I would put Interview With A Vampire somewhere near the top of that list. If you havent read it.

[Lenny]

That's by...Anna Rice right??

[Jamesadin]

1984 - George Orwell

[-=Rico-GP=-]

Anything by Hugh Heffner.

[Raziel]

You're obviously into nerdier shit, so why not expand beyond the fantasy genre? Here's some great sci-fi stuff for you.

Neuromancer - William Gibson
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
A Scanner Darkly - Phillip K. Dick


The Shadowrun novels are also a great read. Recommended titles would be:

Night's Pawn - Tom Dowd
Technobabel - Stephen Kenson
Psychotrope - Lisa Smedman


And then some Stephen King is always a good read. If you're looking for adventure, I would highly recommend the Dark Tower series. Seven books long, easily my favorite series ever. Other high priority titles would be:

The Stand (The longest thing he's ever written, but probably the best single work of his.)

IT (You've most likely seen the shitty movie. The book blew my mind.)

The Green Mile (The movie is actually a near-perfect presentation of the book. You might just want to watch the film instead.)

The Talisman (A tangent-story to the Dark Tower series. Absolutely crucial to read if you decide to tackle the DT books.)

Black House (The sequel to The Talisman, and even more important to read than its predecessor.)

Desperation (Disturbing and vile. My kind of story.)

The Regulators (A companion piece to Desperation. Not quite as good a story, but I'd say it's actually more disturbing than the other.)

The Eyes of the Dragon (A traditional fantasy-epic. Pretty damned good, and it ties into the Dark Tower.)

The Long Walk (One of the most fucked up stories I've ever read.)

The Running Man (Don't let that awful Schwarzeneggar movie fool you. The book was genius.)

Everything's Eventual (A collection of short stories, most of which are awesome, one of which is a prequel story to the Dark Tower series.)


Those would be my highest-recommended titles to check out. Have a blast.

[Lenny]

I've read 1984...

----------

What would you say Hugh Heffner's best book is Rico?

----------

Stephen King eh...it's something that my library has in abundance, so I may as well.

Neuromancer - William Gibson
Snow Crash - Neal Stephenson
A Scanner Darkly - Phillip K. Dick


The Shadowrun novels are also a great read. Recommended titles would be:

Night's Pawn - Tom Dowd
Technobabel - Stephen Kenson
Psychotrope - Lisa Smedman

I'm guessing the last three are all in the Sadowrun series?? I'm also guessing that they are all written by different authors??

[Raziel]

Stephen King is a great author. Plus, aside from The Stand, IT and the last few DT books, his work isn't all that long. 400 to 600 pages with most of his stuff. If you're looking to tear into The Stand or IT, however, you're looking at barely over 1,000.

Yes, those last three are all part of the Shadowrun series, and all are written by different authors. The backstory and mythology behind the entire Shadowrun universe is just mind-boggling. Reading the actual rulebooks can be as entertaining as reading the novels in some cases.

[Adrenachrome]

That's by...Anna Rice right??


Damn I really dont know.. but that sounds familiar.

[Lenny]

Pages don't bother me. As long as it's got a storyline that you can follow (if only to some small degree) then I'll read it.


What do you mean by the Shadowrun rulebooks??

[Medieval Bob]

Shadowrun is a pencil and paper RPG. It's like D&D.

And Anne Rice (not Anna) does the vampire books.

[Raziel]

Shadowrun is a P&P RPG, like Dungeons & Dragons. Only it's sci-fi, and about ten-thousand times cooler.

[Lenny]

Ah...okie dokie then.

This is some list I've got...should be some fun reading.

Thanks guys.

[Medieval Bob]

I just started reading The Dark Tower series by Stephen King. It's pretty good so far.

[Lenny]

What are the Dark Tower books about??

[Raziel]

Here's the jist of it:

Roland is the last Gunslinger in the world. The Gunslingers of Roland's world were, in the past, seen as both the lawmen and rulers of the kingdoms they served. When a gunslinger sires a child, the child is trained from birth in the ways of killing and survival. They are honed into perfect physical vessels, made into superhuman combatants, strategists and leaders through decades of rigorous conditioning.

Since Roland was a teenager, he has been on a quest to find the Dark Tower, an unfathomably large structure that serves as the linchpin that holds all reality together. He seeks the Tower because, for the last several hundred years, it has been dying. The Tower's strength has been fading, causing the boundaries between all reality to warp and thin. Should the Tower fall, all creation falls with it.

Since beginning his quest, Roland has witnessed the demise of the entire Gunslinger order, so that at this point, he is the only one left. Now, decades after his search began, he has found his first major trail towards the Tower. He is hunting The Man In Black, and upon capturing him, will do whatever it takes to learn the path to the Tower and the path to the salvation of all reality.

Basically, it's Lord of the Rings meets The Good, The Bad and The Ugly. It's a really cool mishmash of medieval fantasy and bloody western themes, with a lot of philosophical flavoring spread over it. The first book won't knock you on your ass, most likely. However, give it until you finish the second book before you decide whether to continue the series or not. The first book, The Gunslinger, is pretty short (only about 200 pages), but it's a pretty entertaining read. The second book, The Drawing of the Three, is where the story really begins to pick up. Read at least that far before you make a judgment.

To pimp the books as much as possible, I can say it's undeniably my favorite series ever. I've read through the first four books probably three times each, which is more than any other collection of works I've ever read. Rarely do I ever read anything more than once.

[Wiccan][V][asta]

If you're a fan of anything like theoretical physics, I'd reccomend picking up Hyperspace by Michio Kaku, the book is a real trip. It explains about the 12 (yes, 12) dimensions, Superstring theory, among other things. The best part is it's explained in terms that even my little cousin could understand. Interesting stuff!

[Lenny]

I know about the 12 dimensions kinda...sounds interesting. I'll have to pick it up sometime.


Anyone got/read the new HP yet?? I managed to get it for £10 cheaper than the price it should be, first edition as well...:D

Lots of surprises in it.