Good novels

BaronTx · Post by **BaronTx** » Mon Sep 16, 2002 6:31 pm

Has anyone read a good book, lately, that they would like to recommend? Preferably Sci-Fi or Fantasy?

My recommendation would be the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.

Also, has anyone become disenchanted with Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series?

HighLordDave · Post by **HighLordDave** » Mon Sep 16, 2002 6:41 pm

If you're into R. A. Salvatore, check out Dissolution, the first book in a new series featuring the drow elves of Menzoberranzan. He didn't write it, but rather five authors are each going to write one book in the series that's one big story arc. It's pretty good.

My wife was reading The Wheel of Time but she's quit. She says it's too long, too slow and he needs to wrap it up. I think he's just trying to beat L. Ron Hubbard's Mission Earth dekalogy.

I'm a Heinlein fan; Starship Troopers and Stranger in a Strange Land are my favourites.

BaronTx · Post by **BaronTx** » Mon Sep 16, 2002 6:50 pm

Jordan has drawn out the story a bit too far. Starship Troopers was an excellent book, more so when you consider when it was written. The movie did the book justice when you consider the semper phidelis (sp?) and gung ho attitude it portrayed. But I never did finish Stranger in a Strange Land. Maybe I'll have to pick this one up again.

A couple of other series I enjoyed were:
The Elric Saga by Michael Moor****
The Earthclan series by David Brin

edit: Michael Moorc0ck

Aegis · Post by **Aegis** » Mon Sep 16, 2002 8:09 pm

I loved Starship Troopers. I read it once after borrowing it from a friend. Haven't been able to find a copy for myself though

humanflyz · Post by **humanflyz** » Mon Sep 16, 2002 9:29 pm

After the fifth Wheel Of Time book, I felt that the books are just repetitions of each other with some amount of variety thrown in, but the plot never seems to go any further. I'll read the last book when it comes out.

The Z · Post by **The Z** » Mon Sep 16, 2002 9:53 pm

The Day of the Triffids....I love John Wyndham's novels
Any Dragonlance book
Any Star Wars book

Beldin · Post by **Beldin** » Tue Sep 17, 2002 3:40 am

The Linkmaster strikes again !

If you're into Fantasy - I strongly recommend "The Belgariad and The Malloreon" by David & Leigh Eddings.

If you can't decide on what to read you might also try out this link.

No worries,

Beldin

Nippy · Post by **Nippy** » Tue Sep 17, 2002 5:55 am

@ Aegis, if you can't get hold of Starship Troopers, try amazon.co.uk. You can get it there.

dragon wench · Post by **dragon wench** » Tue Sep 17, 2002 9:24 am

Iain Bank's "Culture Series" is an interesting and different approach to science fiction.... examples of his work are:

Walking on Glass
Wasp Factory
Complicity
Player of Games
Use of Weapons
State of the Art
The Bridge

I really like his stuff because he takes a very unconventional approach to the genre, and he also writes well.

Here is a lnk to some reviews of his work:
http://www.onwardelsewhere.com/reviews.html

Mr Sleep · Post by **Mr Sleep** » Tue Sep 17, 2002 12:55 pm

Originally posted by dragon wench
Iain Bank's "Culture Series" is an interesting and different approach to science fiction.... examples of his work are:

Walking on Glass
Wasp Factory
Complicity
Player of Games
Use of Weapons
State of the Art
The Bridge

I really like his stuff because he takes a very unconventional approach to the genre, and he also writes well.

Here is a lnk to some reviews of his work:
http://www.onwardelsewhere.com/reviews.html

My personal favourites are Use of Weapons and Inversions, he is my personal favourite author. I can't recommend him highly enough

You could read some of his mainstream stuff, like Song of Stone, Crow Road, in fact i can't think of a single novel apart from Feersum Enjin tha I didn't like.

/-\lastor · Post by **/-\lastor** » Tue Sep 17, 2002 3:41 pm

Anything from Terry Pratchett, David Gerrold, David Adams, Arthur C Clarck, Harry Mulisch (Dutch writer, but his book "The Discovery of Heaven" was translated to almost every major language), Tolkien (although "The Simalirion"or however you spell it, was quite boring).

BaronTx · Post by **BaronTx** » Tue Sep 17, 2002 6:02 pm

@ Beldin: The Belgariad and the Mallorean were great! The interplay between the characters kept me smiling through most of the series. Although the Belgarath novel was a bit redundant, haven't picked up the Polgara novel because of that

Tamerlane · Post by **Tamerlane** » Wed Sep 18, 2002 4:26 am

For a sci-fi book/s which doesn't involve intergalactic wars and other stupid ideas. Read the Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke.

Nippy · Post by **Nippy** » Wed Sep 18, 2002 9:27 am

I forgot to post my favourites...

Well, I enjoy;

Feist's books, particularly the Krondor series.
Bernard Cornwell's Grail Quest (or the first book of ) Harlequin is awesome.
Michael Moorc0ck's The Scarlet Prince is also very good.
Terry Pratchett books are als classics.
Raymond Bradbury
Arthur C Clarke
Tom Clancy

Beowulf · Post by **Beowulf** » Wed Sep 18, 2002 9:43 am

Have you read Ursula Le Guin's Earthsea books? Excellent stuff, well worth a read.

Two new Earthsea books have just come out (The Other Wind and Tales from Earthsea), and they're easily as good as the books in the first trilogy, IMHO.

Ned Flanders · Post by **Ned Flanders** » Wed Sep 18, 2002 10:36 am

Check out the eye of the hunter by dennis mckiernen. I really enjoyed it.

Gruntboy · Post by **Gruntboy** » Wed Sep 18, 2002 12:31 pm

I am enjoying Tery Pratchett at the moment.

Pahlaniuk's (how do you pronounce that?) Fight Club, Survivor, Invisible Monsters and Choke have been the best books I have read recently.

Craig · Post by **Craig** » Wed Sep 18, 2002 2:05 pm

Wild magic, A good read, I forget the author.
Damn another I forget, I think it is by Jessica palmer(For any of you that remember my story writing days it is put in the "From a gaming senssion" style)
Northen lights is good, very, very good.
Harry potter is good also.

Tybaltus · Post by **Tybaltus** » Wed Sep 18, 2002 6:31 pm

Well I tend not to read many books....
And those books that I read and enjoy are usually historical books like: First They Killed My Father by Loung Ung and it dictates personal events that happened in this girl's life when she was a kid living in Cambodia and the change of Cambodia and the evacuation of Penom Penh (sp? -Sorry! I forgot how to spell the city!

) to the fleeing of Cambodian work camps set up by Pol Pot. This really did demonstrate the horrors that happened there, and it was so beautifully told by Loung Ung. The images were so strong and the wording was nearly perfect. I suggest that anyone interested in reading about Pol Pot or Cambodia, or even if they like history, read this book! It is the best book I have read thus far.

But if you want novels-a good novel is:
The Fall by Albert Camus. This book is about a man (The narrator) in a bar that meets a traveller. And the narrator talks about how he was once high in society and how he fell. The novel's narrator has such strange views you either like him or hate him. I hated him, but that passionate hate I had for him caused me to like the book. Any book that makes an emotional impact on you, is a good book. The narrator's personallity is pompous and self-centered, which made me derive hatred towards him, but it was all in the well written style of the book that prompted the emotional feelings the reader had. But what really makes this book unique is that you can only hear one half of a conversation. You can only hear what the narrator says, even if the traveller is speaking or someone else talks to the narrator. You can only read the narrator's dialogue. It kind of makes you feel like YOURE the traveller. Kind of cool.

Beldin · Post by **Beldin** » Thu Sep 19, 2002 4:29 am

..and don't forget Robert Asprin (The "Myth" series was quite amusing, but the "Phule's Company" and its sequels had me ROFLPTC) and Robert Rankin (The "Armageddon" trilogy - weird but amusing..) ...

No worries,

Beldin