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[Siquo]

Joining in, as I read mostly in English, although right now I'm reading Dutch books.
A science-fiction story, written in 1910, about 2010 (very cool, some things are unnervingly right, others are way off mark, such as the inevitable flying cars )
And I'm working my way through Simon Vestdijk, arguably one of the best writers we ever had.

[Lordinquisitor]

I guess what I'm asking is if the violence is as extreme as it sounds.

It is.  As for niche appeal... dunno.  I know a number of people who liked it, and it isn't really that much worse than Lord of the Flies.

You know, comparing it to Lord of the Flies is fitting.. But wrong, somehow. Personally i disliked Lord of the Flies; Little children doing such stuff? It was a bit too weird in my opinion.

@Acanthus no mention of American Gods?

[ChairmanPoo]

I found Ender's Game kind of lame. I began to read the sequel with the piggybacs or whatever they were called, but it was even worse...

[Rose]

@Acanthus no mention of American Gods?

That's because it's implied that everybody here has read it, and enjoyed it, and that there's really nothing else to it.

[Heron TSG]

I found Ender's Game kind of lame. I began to read the sequel with the piggybacs or whatever they were called, but it was even worse...

I didn't like any of the sequels, but Ender's Shadow was pretty good.

[warhammer651]

@Acanthus no mention of American Gods?

That's because it's implied that everybody here has read it, and enjoyed it, and that there's really nothing else to it.

never heard of it

[Renault]

Clockwork Orange I actually did enjoy.  It was clear a lot of thought and consideration went into writing it,

Amusingly, the author actually states with some distaste that it was "knocked off for money in three weeks" and regrets ever writing it.

[ChairmanPoo]

I am loving the Prince of Nothing series. It has a storyline that is far more cynical than that of ASoIaF. And really interesting elements which are altogether unusual in fantasy novels (such as space aliens, who waged a war in times past, using laser guns and biotech against the not-quite-elves' medieval technology and sorcery)

[MetalSlimeHunt]

My psychology teacher lent me Freakonomics. My god. I think I actually understand economic theory now, and that every public perception of economics is wrong in the extreme.

[Renault]

My psychology teacher lent me Freakonomics. My god. I think I actually understand economic theory now, and that every public perception of economics is wrong in the extreme.

Thats probably one of my favorite books ever. It's absolutely brilliant how Dubner and Levitt apply economic methods to issues most people--including economists--would never consider; and their results are consistently both intriguing and very difficult to assail.

[Lord Shonus]

Ah. The Tommyknockers. A good book unless you've had four years of engineering school, a horrible one if you have. (Details spoilered)

Spoiler (click to show/hide)

I get the idea that the aliens are stupid, but it goes far beyond stupid for someone who knows as much about nuclear power plants as the two protagonists do NOT to realize that the miniature sun water heater is free energy. Wouldn't be that big a deal if power shortage wasn't such a big deal in the books.

I've read about 90% of the non-Prachett books mentioned here. I refuse to read Prachett because everyone tells me his books are "just like The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, but with fantasy." I hated The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy in all three forms.

[Heron TSG]

The only Stephen King book I've actually read all the way through is Insomnia. That was actually some pretty good reading, as there were pauses in the horror, unlike 'It'.

Spoiler: What 'It' is like. (click to show/hide)

LEPERS! SEX! LEPER SEX! WINGED LEECHES! ALIENS! ALIEN CLOWN SEX! SPIDERS! THE HORROR!

[Lord Shonus]

How far did you GET in IT? There's large chunks of it that are just kids being kids.

[Heron TSG]

I read the beginning, and my friend kept showing me random parts of it that he thought were 'interesting'. Most of them were sexual. I just filled in the rest with knowledge of the movie, so maybe I shouldn't judge.

[Lord Shonus]

Like most King movies based on the novels, the Movie of It is pretty bad. Much of the book (not most, and there's a good deal of horror in it) is simply the cast going about their business in the fifties. There's actually very little sex in the book.