Bay 12 Games Forum

Please login or register.

Login with username, password and session length
Advanced search  
Pages: 1 [2] 3

Author Topic: Good reads  (Read 2541 times)

kilakan

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #15 on: May 01, 2011, 06:31:36 pm »

Gotta double up on  1984 by George Orwell, It's a excellent book, but not exciting by todays standards, but way deeper and it will really move you.
Also The Time Machine, and The invisible man by H. G. Wells both short, kind of tied together since they have the same slant, but excellent classics.  MORLOCKS!!!
Logged
Nom nom nom

Nivim

  • Bay Watcher
  • Has the asylum forgotten? Are they still the same?
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #16 on: May 01, 2011, 11:26:18 pm »

The Count of Monte Cristo

Fantastic book, and you'll probably still be reading it in a month.  Great value for your dollar there.  It's the finest revenge story ever written and the count is a total scheming badass.
I must second this; the whole series, actually. I was originally directed to it by a fantasy book series (The Khaavren Romances by Steven Brust) that made homage to its greatness.
Logged
Imagine a cool peice of sky-blue and milk-white marble about 3cm by 2cm and by 0.5cm, containing a tiny 2mm malacolite crystal. Now imagine the miles of metamorphic rock it's embedded in that no pick or chisel will ever touch. Then, imagine that those miles will melt back into their mantle long before any telescope even refracts an image of their planet. The watchers will be so excited to have that image too.

Vector

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #17 on: May 01, 2011, 11:30:12 pm »

. . .

There's a series?
Logged
"The question of the usefulness of poetry arises only in periods of its decline, while in periods of its flowering, no one doubts its total uselessness." - Boris Pasternak

nonbinary/genderfluid/genderqueer renegade mathematician and mafia subforum limpet. please avoid quoting me.

pronouns: prefer neutral ones, others are fine. height: 5'3".

Enzo

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #18 on: May 02, 2011, 01:23:01 am »

"Fantasy/Sci fi/Action/Adventure/Comedy" eh? I'll recommend two of my favourites which happen to fall nicely into those catagories:

American Gods by Neil Gaiman. Modern-day fantasy adventure, concerning gods and such. It's hard to express how much I loved this book. I had to put it down several times while reading because I was angry at how clever it was.

Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson. Cyberpunk classic, but a lighter tone and more humour than most cyberpunk. The only book I want to reread immediately after finishing it, every time I read it.
Logged

Vector

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #19 on: May 02, 2011, 01:24:08 am »

Snowcrash by Neal Stephenson. Cyberpunk classic, but a lighter tone and more humour than most cyberpunk. The only book I want to reread immediately after finishing it, every time I read it.

I'll add Cryptonomicon and Diamond Age to that list.

One of my math professors highly recommended the former, and the latter is just extremely good.  I own and love both of them.
Logged
"The question of the usefulness of poetry arises only in periods of its decline, while in periods of its flowering, no one doubts its total uselessness." - Boris Pasternak

nonbinary/genderfluid/genderqueer renegade mathematician and mafia subforum limpet. please avoid quoting me.

pronouns: prefer neutral ones, others are fine. height: 5'3".

Nivim

  • Bay Watcher
  • Has the asylum forgotten? Are they still the same?
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #20 on: May 02, 2011, 02:27:38 am »

. . .

There's a series?
[Asks the internet.] Apparently not. It looks like my memory combined The Count of Monte Cristo and d'Artagnan into one contiguous plot tree, which the wikipage contradicts heavily. This hasn't happened in a long time, and I didn't think it would happen again. I'm sorry to have gotten your hopes up.
Logged
Imagine a cool peice of sky-blue and milk-white marble about 3cm by 2cm and by 0.5cm, containing a tiny 2mm malacolite crystal. Now imagine the miles of metamorphic rock it's embedded in that no pick or chisel will ever touch. Then, imagine that those miles will melt back into their mantle long before any telescope even refracts an image of their planet. The watchers will be so excited to have that image too.

Vector

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #21 on: May 02, 2011, 02:30:07 am »

. . .

There's a series?
[Asks the internet.] Apparently not. It looks like my memory combined The Count of Monte Cristo and d'Artagnan into one contiguous plot tree, which the wikipage contradicts heavily. This hasn't happened in a long time, and I didn't think it would happen again. I'm sorry to have gotten your hopes up.

Mah D:

Well, that's okay.  Thanks for fact-checking yourself, and for reminding me about d'Artagnan.
Logged
"The question of the usefulness of poetry arises only in periods of its decline, while in periods of its flowering, no one doubts its total uselessness." - Boris Pasternak

nonbinary/genderfluid/genderqueer renegade mathematician and mafia subforum limpet. please avoid quoting me.

pronouns: prefer neutral ones, others are fine. height: 5'3".

lemon10

  • Bay Watcher
  • Citrus Master
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #22 on: May 02, 2011, 02:41:38 am »

Perdido street station (good gritty bizzare steampunk world), and everything else by china mievelle (although i would recommend reading perdido street station first).
The year of our war (good bizzare fantasy, british though so it might be a bit hard to get in a bookstore)
The Lies of Locke Lamora (about a group of con artists in a medieval Venice like city, fantasy, excellent).
The Malazan Book of the Fallen, first book in the series is The Gardens of the Moon.
Wheel of time, first book in the series is The Eye of the World.
Name of the wind (excellent fantasy)
The Blade Itself
The Darkness That Comes Before
Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell (excellent and British)
Dresden Files (urban fantasy, love it, but lower quality (even if it is slightly more enjoyable) then most of the others on the list)
The Magicians
The Warded Man

Hm... looks like quite a list. Enjoyed all of them very much, and would recommend them to anyone that likes fantasy/high fantasy/steampunk.
Logged
And with a mighty leap, the evil Conservative flies through the window, escaping our heroes once again!
Because the solution to not being able to control your dakka is MOAR DAKKA.

That's it. We've finally crossed over and become the nation of Da Orky Boyz.

Kashyyk

  • Bay Watcher
  • One letter short of a wookie
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #23 on: May 02, 2011, 03:40:37 am »

Looks like I'm sorted then! Thanks a lot, all of you :)
Logged

Pandarsenic

  • Bay Watcher
  • FABULOUS Gunslinger
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #24 on: May 02, 2011, 05:44:52 am »

NO

YOU'RE FINISHED WHEN WE SAY YOU ARE

Another for Dresden Files, Perdido Street Station (and its sequels), and Snow Crash.

My unique contribution shall be House of Leaves and Neuromancer.
Logged
KARATE CHOP TO THE SOUL
Your bone is the best Pandar honey. The best.
YOUR BONE IS THE BEST PANDAR
[Cheeetar] Pandar doesn't have issues, he has style.
Fuck off, you fucking fucker-fuck :I

Elim

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #25 on: May 02, 2011, 11:51:47 am »

Quote from: Pandarsenic
NO
YOU'RE FINISHED WHEN WE SAY YOU ARE
Yeah!

As for Sci-Fi,again...

Forever War
its great...really.
Book written by a Vietnam Vet, received many Awards, its from '75 i think.
You follow Mandella, through many Years of his Life, its mostly about Psychology and Change, and Time.
Imagine space traveling for a year, coming back to earth and you were 150 years away. Everyone you liked dead, but you are only a little bit older.

There will be a Movie, i think.
I hope someone stops it.

And sorry for my bad English, i hope its halfway understandable. *g*
Logged

Willfor

  • Bay Watcher
  • The great magmaman adventurer. I do it for hugs.
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #26 on: May 02, 2011, 12:23:57 pm »

The Lies of Locke Lamora (about a group of con artists in a medieval Venice like city, fantasy, excellent).
I have to second this one. There is quite a lot magic, but it's done more in the conan-esque manner where the "hero" is often not the one using magic to his advantage. A good deal of magic anyone would come in contact with is alchemy -- which isn't perfect by any means -- and bondmages -- who have cornered the market on all non-alchemy magic by hunting down all other mages and making them offers they can't refuse.

It has some of the best dialogue I've come across in a fantasy book, and the characters have to overcome legitimate challenges over the course of the book. (and the series)
Logged
In the wells of livestock vans with shells and garden sands /
Iron mixed with oxygen as per the laws of chemistry and chance /
A shape was roughly human, it was only roughly human /
Apparition eyes / Apparition eyes / Knock, apparition, knock / Eyes, apparition eyes /

Gorjo MacGrymm

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #27 on: May 02, 2011, 03:26:48 pm »

Fantasy - Stephen Ericson.  You will be blown away.  Elizabeth Moon - Deeds of Paksenarion, must read.

Sci-fi - I will always be a Ringo and Weber fan.  But for pure fun, Elizabeth Moon has some good fun fiction (two different series), or the "Starfist" series or "Orphans" series or "Clone" series....sorry, we find the authors next time, no time now.
Logged
"You should stop cutting down all these herr trees, or, MAN is my Queen going to be Aaaaa-aang-Re-ee with you guys!" flipping his hand and batting his eyelashes."
"Oh my god guys, wood, is like, totally murder."

Sir Finkus

  • Bay Watcher
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #28 on: May 02, 2011, 05:32:21 pm »

. . .

There's a series?
[Asks the internet.] Apparently not. It looks like my memory combined The Count of Monte Cristo and d'Artagnan into one contiguous plot tree, which the wikipage contradicts heavily. This hasn't happened in a long time, and I didn't think it would happen again. I'm sorry to have gotten your hopes up.
Which reminds me that I really should get to reading that series.  I've read The Three Musketeers before, but I don't remember enjoying it as much as Monte Cristo.

And is it just me, or is every adaptation of Monte Cristo completely different from the book?  The only one that was even close to accurate was the anime of all things, and that had mech battles.

Zrk2

  • Bay Watcher
  • Emperor of the Damned
    • View Profile
Re: Good reads
« Reply #29 on: May 02, 2011, 08:12:18 pm »

The Malazan Book of the Fallen
A Song of Ice and Fire

The sci fi LE Modesitt Jr writes is in my opinion better than The Saga of Recluce.
Logged
He's just keeping up with the Cardassians.
Pages: 1 [2] 3