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[Flying Dice]

Eh, personally I think that Huxley did it in a more interesting way than Orwell. For one thing, Strange New World doesn't turn the authoritarian government into a Disneyesque villain. I seem to recall a rather interesting comparison between the author tract/infodump in the middle of 1984 and a similar one in Ayn Rand's (shudder) works, though it has been a while since I reread the former so it might be less accurate than I remember.

[fqllve]

Yeah, I always preferred Orwell's Down and Out in London and Paris to any of his more heavy-handed allegorical works. While I wouldn't necessarily go as far as to call them Randian they were pretty tracty.

[Lectorog]

Eh, personally I think that Huxley did it in a more interesting way than Orwell. For one thing, Strange New World doesn't turn the authoritarian government into a Disneyesque villain. I seem to recall a rather interesting comparison between the author tract/infodump in the middle of 1984 and a similar one in Ayn Rand's (shudder) works, though it has been a while since I reread the former so it might be less accurate than I remember.

Huxley's world is more Brave then Strange, I believe. I read that and 1984 very close together, and it was interesting to compare the two. Each has its own merits; I think overall Brave New World was in total a bit better than 1984, but each one is very unique.

I recently finished A Clockwork Orange. The book is quite excellent, fairly short, and it's very interesting to watch the movie afterward; this isn't the movie recommendation thread, but it's one of the best I've seen in a while.

And I can't believe it hasn't been mentioned yet (I checked the thread) : House of Leaves. Abnormal to an extreme. I'm on my second read now, and it's just about as good at the first. Definitely my favorite book currently.

[varnish]

Yeah, I always preferred Orwell's Down and Out in London and Paris to any of his more heavy-handed allegorical works. While I wouldn't necessarily go as far as to call them Randian they were pretty tracty.

I'd also recommend Down and Out, along with Homage to Catalonia. I think I've mentioned the second one here or somewhere around here. It's one of my favorite books, so I'm sure I have. I do think that Orwell was a far better essayist then he was a novelist, though I think Winston Smith is one of the few characters that Orwell wrote that wasn't very obviously a version of Orwell himself.

[Flying Dice]

Eh, personally I think that Huxley did it in a more interesting way than Orwell. For one thing, Strange New World doesn't turn the authoritarian government into a Disneyesque villain. I seem to recall a rather interesting comparison between the author tract/infodump in the middle of 1984 and a similar one in Ayn Rand's (shudder) works, though it has been a while since I reread the former so it might be less accurate than I remember.

Huxley's world is more Brave then Strange, I believe. I read that and 1984 very close together, and it was interesting to compare the two. Each has its own merits; I think overall Brave New World was in total a bit better than 1984, but each one is very unique.

I recently finished A Clockwork Orange. The book is quite excellent, fairly short, and it's very interesting to watch the movie afterward; this isn't the movie recommendation thread, but it's one of the best I've seen in a while.

And I can't believe it hasn't been mentioned yet (I checked the thread) : House of Leaves. Abnormal to an extreme. I'm on my second read now, and it's just about as good at the first. Definitely my favorite book currently.

Hahah, my mistake. That's what I get for trying to think about anything after a 75 minute economics seminar. 

But yes, A Clockwork Orange is one of my favorite works. Still bugs me how it was butchered for the first U.S. release of the novel.

[Skyrunner]

KILL DEM! KILL ALL THE BOOKS!



Don't forget all the classics!

[Lectorog]

A Clockwork Orange is one of my favorite works. Still bugs me how it was butchered for the first U.S. release of the novel.

The version I picked up from the library was the first US release entire, with explanation of what had happened, so I got lucky. I took a short break from reading it (a day) before reading the last chapter; that last chapter really improves the writing as a whole. The ending without it isn't very original, and kind of just stupid IMO. Its omission works better for the feel the movie was going for, though.

[mcclay]

I would serisouly recomend the Chronciles of The Black Company series. Its author was a soldier in Vietnam I belive so his works deal with war from a very unidelogacial standpoint. Be forewarned though, it can get pretty fucking grimdark at some points

[Willfor]

The Black Company, according to Willfor.
1: 4/5
2: 3/5
3: 4/5
4: 4/5 (I'm counting The Silver Spike as this one)
5: 2/5
6: 3/5
7: 3/5
8: 2/5 (I may be mixing the scores of 7 and 8 up, it's been a while)
9: 4/5
10: 4/5

Of course, I read every single one of them over a period of a month. Even the ones that scored lower compelled me along just to find out what happened.

[kaijyuu]

I keep hearing about something called Hunger Games, and it's apparently a book series.


Any good?

[Lord Dullard]

The Dies the Fire series is really, really good. Well, at least until the last couple of books that have been released (I think Stirling is petering out a bit and drawing the series too far). But the first several are gold. The premise of the series is that combustion engines/electricity stop working (the reason is never really given explicitly, which is just as well). Cue huge global meltdown, the death of 90% of the population, etc etc. The series starts there and details how various societies rebuild and form neo-feudal settlements among the wreckage of the old world.

[Willfor]

I keep hearing about something called Hunger Games, and it's apparently a book series.


Any good?

The movie is about 3/5, in my opinion. People have been saying the themes come out a lot more in the books though. I've never read them, personally, but it would be rather similar to Battle Royale but from a different approach.

[FuzzyZergling]

I keep hearing about something called Hunger Games, and it's apparently a book series.


Any good?

I've only read the first one, but I'd say it was pretty good.

[Enzo]

I keep hearing about something called Hunger Games, and it's apparently a book series.


Any good?

I've read them. They're pretty good. It's not deep literature, but it has like, characterization and themes and all that good shit writers seem to often forget about way too often. Especially YA writers. And each book will take you about a day or two to read, it's not a huge time investment.

[Fiskav]

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