The Recommendation Thread

Post by **Mr. Broken** » Wed Mar 19, 2008 6:34 pm

Elizabeth Moon , The Deed Of Paksennarion trilogy. My first woman hero you might say, if you dont count Red Sonja.

Post by **Skyweir** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 12:59 am

niiice!

Post by **Mr. Broken** » Thu Mar 20, 2008 5:21 pm

Also the original Conan the Barbarian stories by Robert E. Howard, or the Jonn Carter of Mars stories by Edgar Rice Burroughs.

Post by **Rocksister** » Fri May 16, 2008 4:32 pm

I am personally looking for SINGLE books to read, believe it or not. My library has intermittent books in its few series, and that drives me nuts. I won't buy a book until I've read it and know I'll read it again, so I need books that aren't in series. Any suggestions? I did read the Triel Baenre series (forgot the author, sorry) and they were able to borrow from other branches to get them (there were three). Not bad, I must say. Triel Baenre is the main character. She's a dark elf.

Post by **deer of the dawn** » Thu Jul 31, 2008 10:56 am

Even More Sex -> Watership Down by Richard Adams (rabbits ya know)

Years ago I read his Maia, which made me sick with wierd sex. The plot was lame anyway. I was off Adams after that.

Single book: Till We Have Faces by C.S. Lewis.

Post by **Mysteweave** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 1:19 am

So, I'm nearly done with A Feast for Crows, the fourth book in A Song of Ice and Fire series and I'm devastated! I have really enjoyed this series and am not looking forward to the wait for the next book.

Any suggestions for what to read next?

I need another epic fantasy series to get my teeth into. I've read and loved the Wheel of Time series and only managed to get a quarter of the way through Sword of Truth because of the writing style, if that gives you a better idea of my tastes.

Post by **Fist and Faith** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 3:18 am

Jut the eight main books that have come out so far in the Malazan series have more than 8,000 pages. There's also several side books. (Although the only one I've read seems far from incidental.)

Post by **wayfriend** » Mon Feb 23, 2009 4:34 pm

Here's a great book I'd recommend to everyone, especially Chronicle's fans.

Gojiro
by Mark Jacobson
1991

This is one of those rare stories that is both really intelligent and really funny, that is both a short novel and an amazing journey bursting with new ideas.

It's the story of a 500 foot tall lizard, and his own true friend, a Japanese survivor of Hiroshima. They live on Radioactive Island, making monster movies, discussing the Evoloo, and pondering the meaning of their strange friendship. Until they get a mysterious message which leads them on a journey to confront the man who shaped both their lives - Joseph Prometheus Brooks, inventor of the hydrogen bomb.

Gojiro is your selfish, reluctant hero in this piece. He wants nothing more than his fans to leave him alone so he can get high on hard-cutting 238. As the story begins, he's trying to do himself in - comically difficult for an indestructable monster. Covenant fans will recognize, and enjoy, this comi-tragic anti-hero - who of course, before the end, saves all of existence.

The story explores ideas about evolution and identity and the effects of the dawn of the nuclear age on society -- and how these things are related. The story creates its own near-alternate post-nuclear history, it's own slang and language, it's own mythology, in just a few short pages. Radioactive Island is like a radioactive Neverland, complete with mutant lost boys. It's filled with humor, from prat-falls to cosmic irony.

One thing its not, is it's not a Godzilla story. If you're not interested in exploring the mind of a giant monster, cut off by radiation from his rightful place in the Evoloo, tormented by fans of his movies, unable to understand the meaning of his existence, wanting his chance to exact revenge on the man who invented the Heater... don't get this book.

One other thing: I was totally stunned and floored when I read why Brooks wanted to make the hydrogen bomb. It's so diabolical, so simple, so plausible, so ... profound.

Go get it right now!

Post by **SoulBiter** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 8:45 pm

Glen Cook's first Black Company omnibus, Chronicles of the Black Company

www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0765319233/ref ... eader-link

Glen Cooks Books of the South

www.amazon.com/gp/reader/0765320665/ref ... eader-link

Both of these were very good books..although they are really multiple books in one. Below is the review on Amazon that I thought was on target.

The Black Company stands apart from other works in the genre. True, it's the story of an epic struggle, a rebellion against a dark sorceress, and a prophecy. But this story is told from a very human perspective. It's stripped of the grandeur and nobility found in other fantasy fiction. The characters are real in a way that most other fantasy characters aren't: you can't pin them down. In fact, it often seems as though Cook's overriding point in these novels is to keep reminding us that nobody is either purely good or purely evil.

This edition collects the first three novels of the Black Company, what the stories refer to as the Books of the North. All three are told from the perspective Croaker, the physician/narrator whose selective storytelling shows us the realism of a mystical war. He admits to -- and glosses over -- the shortcomings of his brethren, and shows us his own limitations as a narrator. It feels as though Croaker is a war correspondent, intent on telling the truth, but unable and unwilling to share everything he sees and feels. The limitations Cook places on Croaker can frustrate; at times, plot twists appear out of nowhere, due to events that took place outside of Croaker's presence. But by sticking to this narrative form, Cook provides the reader with an easy way in. Before you know it, you'll have accepted Croaker's world, and you'll want more.

Despite the size of this edition, the Black Company novels are a quick read. Cook doesn't waste words with frilly descriptions, and he pares his sentences down to their most basic elements. The spare writing style keeps the story moving along at a rapid clip. There isn't a phrase or sentence you can get away with skipping.

I highly recommend this collection to anyone looking for something a little different from their fantasy fiction.

Post by **Brinn** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 9:23 pm

Forget what everyone else has said and get yourself "The Darkness that Comes Before" by R. Scott Bakker. It's part of a three book (completed) trilogy called "The Prince of Nothing". I won't provide a summary as you can find plenty of info on the net. I'll even offer you my patented "Brinn Quality Guaranty". If you get the book and don't like it I'll personally mail you a check to reimburse you for the cost!

Post by **Mysteweave** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 10:33 pm

Brinn wrote:I'll even offer you my patented "Brinn Quality Guaranty". If you get the book and don't like it I'll personally mail you a check to reimburse you for the cost!

Haha! Now there's an offer I can't refuse!

Post by **lucimay** » Fri Feb 27, 2009 10:56 pm

pft. not that great an offer.

i liked the first book too. it was the
second in the series that bored the bejebus outa me. so much so that
even tho i had high hopes for the third in the series and went out and
bought it immediately upon release...i never could make myself open
it and start in reading on that whole deal again.

i'd rather read martin, donaldson, gabaldon, and erikson/esslemont over and over again. heh.

ps...i got a brand new hardback copy of Thousandfold Thought never read Brinn if you wanna reimburse me for THAT!!

Post by **stonemaybe** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:53 am

Best single fantasy book ever: Tim Power's "Anubis Gates". Time travel done CLEVER! (But into the past, def fantasy not sci-fi)

Post by **Vraith** » Sat Feb 28, 2009 10:55 pm

Stonemaybe wrote:Best single fantasy book ever: Tim Power's "Anubis Gates". Time travel done CLEVER! (But into the past, def fantasy not sci-fi)

Is this the one that has a lot to do with the Coleridge poem? If so, I remember liking it a lot [though I was much younger then]

Post by **Endymion9** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:22 am

I'm going to stay away from the books on popular lists like Hyperion or any of Dan Simmons works and list books I don't hear much buzz about.

1. Irrational Fears by William Browning Spenser (Cthulu mythos inspired story)
2. Indigo by Graham Joyce (following in the steps of someone else trying to find eternal life type story)
3. Stargate by Paula Gedge (creation of the universe mythology)
4. From the Teeth of Angels by Jonathan Carroll (Meet Joe Black/Death Takes a Holiday type story)
5. Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg (Psychic mind reading type tale)

Post by **Endymion9** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:24 am

Stonemaybe wrote:Best single fantasy book ever: Tim Power's "Anubis Gates". Time travel done CLEVER! (But into the past, def fantasy not sci-fi)

I just recommended this one to a friend. The first Powers I ever read is also awesome, The Stress of Her Regard.

Post by **aliantha** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:30 am

Endymion9 wrote:2. Indigo by Graham Joyce (following in the steps of someone else trying to find eternal life type story)

Yay, Graham Joyce! I've read most of his stuff. Haven't found one yet that I didn't like. I think "The Tooth Fairy" is my favorite. And there's one set in Jerusalem that was pretty amazing, too...

Post by **Endymion9** » Fri Apr 10, 2009 12:58 am

aliantha wrote:
Endymion9 wrote:2. Indigo by Graham Joyce (following in the steps of someone else trying to find eternal life type story)
Yay, Graham Joyce! I've read most of his stuff. Haven't found one yet that I didn't like. I think "The Tooth Fairy" is my favorite. And there's one set in Jerusalem that was pretty amazing, too...

I thought the movie The Tooth Fairy was going to be based on this story. Was dissappointed it wasn't. Joyce claims Darkness Falls was based more on his story than the one with the same name, but DF was still a far cry from the great novel. Wish they would film that one also!

Kevin's Watch

Kevin's Watch

The Recommendation Thread