Best Books you've read

Lord_Davinator · December 27, 2002, 18:00

Just wanted to develop an extensive list of books so I can start collecting an readin...

here are mine(not in ranked):
1. Hitchhikers Guide of the Galazy-Douglas Adams
2. Lord of the Rings-Tolkien
3. Catch 22-Joseph Heller
4. Magician-Raymond Fiest
5. Sophies World - Gardner
6. Dragon Strike - forgot the auther, bout a china vs us war.

now let the polis speak

Jac de Molay · December 27, 2002, 18:06

Lord of the Rings
Umberto Eco - Name of the Rose and Foucault's Pendulum.
Dune by Frank Herbert.
American Psycho- Bret easton ellis.
Fight Club - chuck palahniuk.
High Fidelity by Nick Hornby.

there's a new book call Emperor of something Street by stephen carter I want to read

Zero · December 27, 2002, 18:16

All quiet on the western front - Enrich Maria Remarque
Ender's game - Orson scott card
Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
Johnny Got his gun - (forgot)

Jac de Molay · December 27, 2002, 18:20

I think Dalton Trumbo wrote Johnny got this gun

jdd2007 · December 27, 2002, 21:35

science fiction isnt really my thing, but the enders series and Dune are pretty damn good.

hitchikers guide to the galaxy is the worst book i have read. such crap is not fit to be published, much less sucked up by millions of fans.

Gibsie · December 27, 2002, 21:36

Ffangs the Vampire Bat and the Kiss of Truth.

Makes me wanna have children, just so I can buy it shame-free.

Sarxis · December 27, 2002, 22:12

Shardik and its prequel Maia by Richard Adams.

Graag · December 27, 2002, 22:48

Just for the record, my favourite book is Naked Lunch (though I'm sure I posted similar in another thread).

other books I have enjoyed

Crome Yellow by Aldous Huxley
Anything by George Orwell
Most things by James Ellroy
Dune (et al) by Frank Herbet
A number of others I cannot remember
And HHGTTG by Douglas Adams, which is in fact amazing.

But Naked Lunch is by far the most influencial and significant book I've ever read. Read Burroughs. Now.

Lord_Davinator · December 27, 2002, 23:23

Quote:

Originally posted by jdd2007

hitchikers guide to the galaxy is the worst book i have read. such crap is not fit to be published, much less sucked up by millions of fans.

how in gods name can you claim hitchikers guide to be the worst book you're ever read? I mean seriously... its amazing...

Zkribbler · December 27, 2002, 23:45

James Clavell
... esp. Tai-Pan and Shogun
George Orwell
... [see, Graag's recommendation of anything

]
C.S. Forester
... esp. Hornblower and the Hotspur
Bernard Cornwell
... esp. the "Sharpe" series and the "Warlord" trilogy.
Dewey Lambdin
... The King's Coat & other Alan Lewrie novels.
Walter Mosley
... esp. his Easy Rawlins novels: Devil in a Blue Dress etc.
Terry Prachett
... [why has no one mentioned him yet??]
Harriet Beacher Stowe
... Uncle Tom's Cabin

DRoseDARs · December 27, 2002, 23:47

Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy (plus a prequel AND a sequel: Antarctica -> Red Mars -> Green Mars -> Blue Mars -> The Martians) is excellent IMO;

Arther C. Clarke's Raman Series (Rendevous with Rama -> Rama II -> Garden of Rama -> Rama Revealed) is good as well;

Carl Sagan's Contact (book AND movie are both great, which is a rare thing) is good reading.

Lord_Davinator · December 27, 2002, 23:48

oh I gotta add Arther C Clarks Childhood lost is also a swell book.

And the Wheel of time series by robert jordan is also pretty amazing

Quote:

Originally posted by Zkribbler
Terry Prachett
... [why has no one mentioned him yet??]

who is Terry Prachett? never heard of him... and you don't mention any of his books

Thrawn05 · December 27, 2002, 23:53

I liked (in no particular order)

AL|ENS: Labyrinth - [Can't Remeber Who]
This book is SICK in every sense of the word. If you thought you could stomach the movies, try reading this book for 5 minutes straight.

A Brief History of Time - Steven Hawkings
Excellent book on some of the basics in space. Some chapters he loses me completely but that's alright.

Mythology - Edith Hamilton
A good book on the overview of the greek gods and the major stories.

Heir to the Empire
Dark Force Rising
Last Command - Timothy Zahn
Really the only good Star Wars books out there. Even the Dark Hourse comic versions are great. Worthy to be considered SW Ep. 7, 8, and 9.

The Dig - Alan Dean Foster
Most people think this book came from the game, but it's the other way around. I think it's perhaps the best Sci-Fi books out there thus far.

That's about it.

Static Universe · December 27, 2002, 23:58

Kurt Vonnegut - Slaughterhouse Five, Breakfast of Champions, Player Piano
Philip K. Di ck - A Scanner Darkly, Ubik, Man in The High Castle, Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, VALIS + Radio Free Albemuth
Thomas Bernhard - Gargoyles, The Lime Works
William Burroughs - Naked Lunch, Interzone, Cities of The Read Night, Place of Dead Road, Western Lands
James Ellroy - LA Confidential, Black Dahlia, Big Nowhere, White Jazz
Alisdair Grey - Lanark
Anthony Burgess - Clockwork Orange
Arthur Nersessian - The F*ck-Up
Marcel Proust - In Search of Lost Time
Name slips my mind - The Death of Virgil
Hogg - Confessions of a Justified Sinner
Leautremont - Maldoror
Frederick Pohl's HeeChee Books
Douglas Adams - Last Chance to See
The Alpha Centauri Instruction Manual

DRoseDARs · December 28, 2002, 00:01

Quote:

Originally posted by Thrawn05
...
A Brief History of Time - Steven Hawkings
Excellent book on some of the basics in space. Some chapters he loses me completely but that's alright.
...

Well, if you're gonna through in some non-fiction, I'll add one too, one I think complements Hawkings book:

Fritjof Capra's (sp?) The Tao of Physics. He goes over the similarities between Taoist philosophical thought and what modern science understands or theorizes about quantum physics. Don't worry, there's very little in the way of advanced mathmatics presented, just like in Hawkings' book.

alva · December 28, 2002, 09:13

Quote:

The Alpha Centauri Instruction Manual

didn't we just have a similar thread? ah well

See if I can ad one or two that arn't mentioned yet

Sharpe Tom - Wilt (series)
Cruz-Smith - Gorky park (and follow ups)
Ben elton - Stark (and others)
? - one flew over the cuckoo's nest
Vonnegut - Gallapagos
Colin Wilson - parasites of the mind (and others)

Zero-Tau · December 28, 2002, 09:20

Quote:

Originally posted by jdd2007
hitchikers guide to the galaxy is the worst book i have read. such crap is not fit to be published, much less sucked up by millions of fans.

Could you please explain one thing to me?

If the book is pure crap, how did it get millions of fans in the first place?

Eli · December 28, 2002, 09:25

Quote:

Originally posted by DRoseDARs
Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy (plus a prequel AND a sequel: Antarctica -> Red Mars -> Green Mars -> Blue Mars -> The Martians) is excellent IMO;

There is a prequel and a sequel?
/me throws away Heinlein and starts looking for Antarctica.

Clear Skies · December 28, 2002, 09:41

Quote:

Originally posted by Lord_Davinator
who is Terry Pratchett? never heard of him... and you don't mention any of his books

Pratchett is Britain's best-selling living author. His Discworld series are some of the best books on the face of the Earth. The Colour of Magic is the first one, but you don't have to start there. Interesting Times, Thief of Time, Feet of Clay, they're all fantastic.

Asimov's Foundation series rocks, as well as anything by Mercedes Lackey or Stephen Lawhead. Michael Ely's Alpha Centauri trilogy are hard to get hold of but well worth a read.

Lord_Davinator · December 28, 2002, 17:40

Quote:

Originally posted by Thrawn05

Heir to the Empire
Dark Force Rising
Last Command - Timothy Zahn
Really the only good Star Wars books out there. Even the Dark Hourse comic versions are great. Worthy to be considered SW Ep. 7, 8, and 9.

I always thought the Star wars books on Hans Solo were really good... I know A.C.Crispen(hope I got the spelling) wrote a series on his early days which were rather nice... The title of the books slip my mind

Hobbes · December 28, 2002, 17:59

"On the Road" by Jack Kerouac
"My Name is Asher Lev" and "the Gift of Asher Lev" by Chaim Potok
"Lord o' the Rings" by Tolkien
"Great Expectations" by Dickens
"Lord of the Flies" by William Golding
"The Last of the Just" by Andre Schwarz-Bart

Jethro83 · December 28, 2002, 18:57

The Hobbit - J.R.R Tolkein
Lord of the Rings: The Two Towers - J.R.R Tolkein
Lord of the Rings: Return of the King - J.R.R Tolkein

Heir to the Empire - Timothy Zahn
Dark Force Rising - Timothy Zahn
Last Command - Timothy Zahn

Tomorrow When the War Began - John Marsden
Third Day the Frost - John Marsden
Burning for Revenge - John Marsden

The Time Machine - H.G Wells
War of the Worlds - H.G Wells

Zkribbler · December 28, 2002, 20:22

Quote:

Originally posted by Clear Skies
Pratchett is Britain's best-selling living author. His Discworld series are some of the best books on the face of the Earth. The Colour of Magic is the first one, but you don't have to start there. Interesting Times, Thief of Time, Feet of Clay, they're all fantastic.

...or Moving Pictures or Hogfather [my favorite]--

The Hogfather goes missing on Hogswatch Eve and his place is taken by DEATH (you'd better be good

) There's one scene when DEATH discovers there's a fake Hogfather down at the mall, getting Hogswatch wishes from the children, so DEATH ousts him and takes his place.

DEATH: AND WHAT DO YOU WANT?
10-year-old: A sword.
DEATH: AND WHAT DO YOU SAY?
10-year-old: A really big sword!
DEATH: THAT'S RIGHT. HERE YOU GO.
Mother: Wait a minute! You can't give a sword to a 10-year-old!
DEATH: WHY NOT?? IT'S EDUCATIONAL.
Mother: But she'll cut herself.
DEATH: YES. THAT'S THE EDUCATIONAL PART.

Demerzel · December 28, 2002, 20:33

Just a few off the top of my head that no-one has mentioned yet

Iain M Banks Sci-fi stuff is all good but especially "Excession" ( his fiction under Iain Banks is great too ).

Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series

William Gibson's "Neuromancer" amongst others

Robert Rankin for his completely bonkers but extremely funny surreal comic fiction.

More pure fiction based,

Alexander Kent's "Bolitho" series

Dick Francis for his plethora of quality mystery books

I'll leave out my classic recommendations like Dumas or Dostoyevsky or peeps will think I'm being pretentious

alva · December 28, 2002, 20:40

Quote:

I'll leave out my classic recommendations like Dumas or Dostoyevsky or peeps will think I'm being pretentious

Nah, we know you are, without mentioning these

Demerzel · December 28, 2002, 20:43

heh, then I'll mention them then - Dumas & Dostoyevsky

Odin · December 28, 2002, 22:38

Fiction

1. Lord of the Rings trilogy- Tolkein
2. 2001: a Space Odessey- A. C. Clarke
3. Dragonriders of Pern series- Anne Mcaffrey
4. 2010: Odessey Two- A. C. Clarke
5. Julius Caesar- Shakespeare

Nonfiction

1. The Variety of Life- Colin Tudge, an excelent book for biology buffs. Changed my view of living things and and the way they should be classified.

2. Dnosaur Heresies- Robert Bakker, ATTACK OF THE WARM BLOODS!

3. Desent of Man- Darwin

4. Origin of Species- Darwin

5. A Brief History of Time- Stephen Hawking

Anodyne · December 28, 2002, 22:46

Salman Rushdie - The Satanic Verses

Yuvan Shestalov - Ugorskaja kolybel (the cradle of the ugrians... don't know if it's translated in English

Timo K. Mukka - Maa on syntinen laulu
Timo K. Mukka - Laulu Sipirjan lapsista
Alas, his works haven't been translated either.

Gabriel García Márquez - Cien años de soledad (one hundred years of loneliness)

Graag · December 28, 2002, 23:19

Oh, and Diary of a Madman by Gogol,
The Idiot by Dostoyevsky
Lolita by Nabokov (sp?)
Pratchett rules

Joseph · December 28, 2002, 23:25

Tom Clancy
Most of his books not all.

Dale brown
Most of his also

plus others