Any Good Books I Should Be Reading?
Any good books I should be reading?
I am constantly reading, mainly fantasy books, but I read any good book really. Any good ones people have read and could recommend.
Legend of Drizzt by RA Salvator is worth checking out if you don't already read that, First book is Homeland.
If you like it then it's also worth checking out The Cleric Quintet by the same guy, then after the 9th book in the drizzt series, War of the Spider queen is a good read (different authers) and Lady penitent after that.
If you like it then it's also worth checking out The Cleric Quintet by the same guy, then after the 9th book in the drizzt series, War of the Spider queen is a good read (different authers) and Lady penitent after that.
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Lakshmi.Kolvar said:
I am constantly reading, mainly fantasy books, but I read any good book really. Any good ones people have read and could recommend.
Here's my 3 favorite book series I'd die for. I copied plot summaries from wiki / Amazon.
#1 The Dark Tower Series (7 books)
In the story, Roland Deschain is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers and the last of the line of "Arthur Eld", his world's analogue of King Arthur. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West but is also magical. Many of the magical aspects have vanished from Mid-World, but traces remain as do relics from a technologically advanced society. Roland's quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to be the nexus of all universes. Roland's world is said to have "moved on", and it appears to be coming apart at the seams. Mighty nations have been torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish without a trace and time does not flow in an orderly fashion. Sometimes, even the sun rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland's motives, goals and age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries.
For a detailed synopsis of the novels, see the relevant article for each book.
#2 The Hunger Games (3 books)
The Hunger Games takes place in an unidentified future time period after the destruction of North America, in a nation known as Panem. Panem consists of a wealthy Capitol and twelve surrounding, poorer districts. District 12, where the book begins, is located in the coal-rich region Appalachia.[7]
As punishment for a previous rebellion against the Capitol, every year one boy and one girl between the ages of 12 and 18 from each district are selected at random and forced to participate in the Hunger Games, a televised event in which the participants, or "tributes", must fight to the death in a dangerous outdoor arena until only one remains. The story follows fatherless 16-year-old Katniss Everdeen, a girl from District 12 who volunteers for the 74th Games in place of her younger sister, Primrose. Also participating from District 12 is Peeta Mellark, a boy whom Katniss knows from school and who once saved her life by giving her bread when her family was starving.
Katniss and Peeta are taken to the Capitol, where they meet the other tributes and are publicly displayed to the Capitol audience. During this time, Peeta reveals on-air his long-time unrequited love for Katniss. Katniss believes this to be a ploy to gain audience support for the Games, which can be crucial for survival, as audience members are permitted to send gifts to favored tributes during the Games. The Games begin with eleven of the 24 tributes dying in the first day, while Katniss relies on her well-practiced hunting and outdoor skills to survive. As the games continue, the tribute death toll increases, but both Katniss and Peeta are able to evade death.
Supposedly due to Katniss and Peeta's beloved image in the minds of the audience as "star-crossed lovers", a rule change is announced midway through the games, stating that two tributes from the same district can win the Hunger Games as a pair. Upon hearing this, Katniss searches for Peeta and finds him wounded. She nurses him back to health and acts the part of a young girl falling in love to gain more favor with the audience and, consequently, gifts from her sponsors. When the couple are finally the last two tributes, the Gamemakers suddenly reverse the rule change and try to force them into a dramatic finale where one must kill the other to win.
(rest of text removed due to massive spoilers)
#3 Across the Universe (1 of 3 books out atm)
Seventeen year old Amy was happy on earth but still decided to accompany her parents on a mission to a planet far away. Frozen and lying in cryo chambers they were supposed to travel to their new home. When someone wakes Amy up early out of her frozen sleep she has to adapt to life on the spaceship Godspeed. She is confronted with a society which is very different from what she is used to. A society that hates differences and that is sceptic about Amy.
One of the few friendly persons is a boy named Elder who will someday rule over Godspeed. Elder tries to make Amy's life easier and he wants her to be happy on the spaceship. However they soon stumble over dark secrets and have to deal with a person who tries to kill people by opening their cryo chambers.
Can Amy accept her new life on Godspeed? And will they manage to reveal what's behind all the secrets?
After reading an awesome review of "Across the Universe" on Jennifer's blog An Abundance of Books I decided to get a copy of the book. I normally don't read dystopia but thought that Beth Revis's book could still work for me. And I'm happy to say that it worked perfectly for me.
"Across the Universe" was not a book I read in one sitting but one that I read in smaller pieces and was always excited to go back to. The dystopian world and the SciFi elements were fascinating to read about and made me excited for more. I don't think that you have to be a big fan of Science Fiction to enjoy the book because it's not overloaded with scientific details. I enjoyed that the book gives the reader the chance to slowly get used to the society on Godspeed. I didn't felt like developments were rushed and I could get a good sense about why people acted the way they did.
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Shogun by James Clavell - seriously has to be my favourite book of all time, it's a massive read but it's truly amazing.
A quote from Wikipedia:
"Sh?gun is a 1975 novel by James Clavell. It is the first novel (by internal chronology) of the author's Asian Saga. Beginning in 1600 in feudal Japan, some months before the critical battle of Sekigahara, it gives an account of the rise of the daimyo "Toranaga" (based upon the actual Tokugawa Ieyasu) of the Shogunate, seen through the eyes of an English sailor whose fictional heroics are loosely based on William Adams's exploits."
I wouldn't recommend reading the wiki page though as it contains spoilers. The best part is that it's loosely based on real events during the Edo period of Japan.
A quote from Wikipedia:
"Sh?gun is a 1975 novel by James Clavell. It is the first novel (by internal chronology) of the author's Asian Saga. Beginning in 1600 in feudal Japan, some months before the critical battle of Sekigahara, it gives an account of the rise of the daimyo "Toranaga" (based upon the actual Tokugawa Ieyasu) of the Shogunate, seen through the eyes of an English sailor whose fictional heroics are loosely based on William Adams's exploits."
I wouldn't recommend reading the wiki page though as it contains spoilers. The best part is that it's loosely based on real events during the Edo period of Japan.
Kudos on the Dark Tower books, as well as anything and everything that is Bruce Campbell.
My contributions to the discussion are both books that have video games based on them.
1) "Three Kingdoms" The Dynasty Warriors series was based on this... Three Kingdoms which is considered one of the 4 classics of Chinese Literature... is amazing. I have a 1978 hardback translation and it is enormous... and i couldnt put it down... (and i could barely pick it up)
2) "Outlaws of The Marsh" otherwise known as "Water Margin." Mine is a 4 volume book set. This is what the RPG series known as "Suikoden" is based off of. This is also one of the 4 classics of Chinese literature.
Both of these stories have a special place in my heart.
My contributions to the discussion are both books that have video games based on them.
1) "Three Kingdoms" The Dynasty Warriors series was based on this... Three Kingdoms which is considered one of the 4 classics of Chinese Literature... is amazing. I have a 1978 hardback translation and it is enormous... and i couldnt put it down... (and i could barely pick it up)
2) "Outlaws of The Marsh" otherwise known as "Water Margin." Mine is a 4 volume book set. This is what the RPG series known as "Suikoden" is based off of. This is also one of the 4 classics of Chinese literature.
Both of these stories have a special place in my heart.
Zerr said:
Shogun by James Clavell - seriously has to be my favourite book of all time, it's a massive read but it's truly amazing. A quote from Wikipedia: "Sh?gun is a 1975 novel by James Clavell. It is the first novel (by internal chronology) of the author's Asian Saga. Beginning in 1600 in feudal Japan, some months before the critical battle of Sekigahara, it gives an account of the rise of the daimyo "Toranaga" (based upon the actual Tokugawa Ieyasu) of the Shogunate, seen through the eyes of an English sailor whose fictional heroics are loosely based on William Adams's exploits." I wouldn't recommend reading the wiki page though as it contains spoilers. The best part is that it's loosely based on real events during the Edo period of Japan.
I got that book in a bargain bin. I still have to re-read it. It sort of reminded me of the Rurouni Kenshin Anime because it's during a transition of feudal japan culture and modern themes at the end of an era.
I am not too big on fantasy books, so I can't help you there, but I can recommend a few thrillers?
1) Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
2) Ring - Koji Suzuki
3) King of Swords - Nick Stone
1) Darkly Dreaming Dexter - Jeff Lindsay
2) Ring - Koji Suzuki
3) King of Swords - Nick Stone
Ragnarok.Ashman said:
Zerr said:
Shogun by James Clavell - seriously has to be my favourite book of all time, it's a massive read but it's truly amazing. A quote from Wikipedia: "Sh?gun is a 1975 novel by James Clavell. It is the first novel (by internal chronology) of the author's Asian Saga. Beginning in 1600 in feudal Japan, some months before the critical battle of Sekigahara, it gives an account of the rise of the daimyo "Toranaga" (based upon the actual Tokugawa Ieyasu) of the Shogunate, seen through the eyes of an English sailor whose fictional heroics are loosely based on William Adams's exploits." I wouldn't recommend reading the wiki page though as it contains spoilers. The best part is that it's loosely based on real events during the Edo period of Japan.
I got that book in a bargain bin. I still have to re-read it. It sort of reminded me of the Rurouni Kenshin Anime because it's during a transition of feudal japan culture and modern themes at the end of an era.
Ah yea i can definitely see that; in the book the Portuguese had been in Japan for some time pushing Catholicism onto the shinto/bhuddist population. Then for a Dutch/GB ship to make it to Japan at that time - definitely a great background for many different conflicts within the book from racism to religious clashes and struggles for power.
With the possibility of trading firearms at that point was a major attraction to the Shogun - despite it being seen as a cowardly way to fight!
Ragnarok.Ashman said:
How did I know?
If you like history at all, I suggest 'Royal Babylon'.
I just finished reading (Amoung Thieves-A Tale Of The Kin), Amazing book i got it on my iphone on the kindle ap
Drothe has been a member of the Kin for years, rubbing elbows with thieves and murderers in the employ of a crime lord while smuggling relics on the side. But when an ancient book falls into his hands, Drothe finds himself in possession of a relic capable of bringing down emperors-a relic everyone in the underworld would kill to obtain.
Douglas Hulicks debut fantasy novel. torture, Magic, Gang wars, sword fights i couldnt put it down.
Drothe has been a member of the Kin for years, rubbing elbows with thieves and murderers in the employ of a crime lord while smuggling relics on the side. But when an ancient book falls into his hands, Drothe finds himself in possession of a relic capable of bringing down emperors-a relic everyone in the underworld would kill to obtain.
Douglas Hulicks debut fantasy novel. torture, Magic, Gang wars, sword fights i couldnt put it down.
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Oryx and Crake, and The Year of the Flood.
Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. Classic series and very fun. Someone else mentioned Night Angel trilogy, I second that. Also, Mistbon series is worth checking out.
Currently readin the Dark Tower series and i can recommend it too so far.
Night angel trilogy is also pretty fun.
Some of my favourites follow:
For great characterisations and world building i can recommend Guy Gavriel Kay (especially Tigana) and David Mitchell. They probably wouldn't classify themselves as Fantasy, but both have some fantasy themes in their stories. Also great in that regard are Charles Stross and Richard Morgan, though they definitely tend more towards the SF end of the spectrum.
For a classic fantasy read i can reommend Raymond E. Feist (Riftwar Saga, Empire Saga together with Janny Wurts) and Tad Williams (Memory, Sorrow and Thorn).
Night angel trilogy is also pretty fun.
Some of my favourites follow:
For great characterisations and world building i can recommend Guy Gavriel Kay (especially Tigana) and David Mitchell. They probably wouldn't classify themselves as Fantasy, but both have some fantasy themes in their stories. Also great in that regard are Charles Stross and Richard Morgan, though they definitely tend more towards the SF end of the spectrum.
For a classic fantasy read i can reommend Raymond E. Feist (Riftwar Saga, Empire Saga together with Janny Wurts) and Tad Williams (Memory, Sorrow and Thorn).
zahrah said:
Ragnarok.Ashman said:
I read everything. I figured if i posted "twilight saga, hunger games, and the mortal instrument series (I would recommend all those btw if you can rise above it being cool to hate what society tells you to)" I'd get called a pedofile (not to mention his avatar has a scary black man rape-facing cedric diggory)
a few others that I enjoy:
"Cloud of Sparrows","Autumn Bridge" both by Takashi Matsuoka following the tale of Genji.
"The Dice Man" by Luke Rhinehart
I could probably name off several other such as much of the Chuck Pahlaniuk novels as well as a few others but I shall abstain by posting my more prolific favorites.
Here's some random book suggestions:
Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Waterson - Calvin & Hobbes
Cervantes - Don Quixote
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Wong - John Dies at the End (I'm waiting to borrow this. I hear it's fantastic!)
Douglas Adams - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Notes from Underground (also The Brothers Karamazov, but it's long. Still one of the best books I've ever read.)
Hermann Hesse - Siddhartha
Bill Bryson - A Short History of Nearly Everything
Bill Waterson - Calvin & Hobbes
Cervantes - Don Quixote
David Sedaris - Me Talk Pretty One Day
David Wong - John Dies at the End (I'm waiting to borrow this. I hear it's fantastic!)
Douglas Adams - Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
Fyodor Dostoyevsky - Notes from Underground (also The Brothers Karamazov, but it's long. Still one of the best books I've ever read.)
Hermann Hesse - Siddhartha
hmm some fantasy books i really loved ~
Robin Hobb - The Farseer trilogy
Michael Moorcock - Elric of Melniboné
Ursula Le Guin - Earthsea Saga
Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis - The Death Gate Cycle
Robin Hobb - The Farseer trilogy
Michael Moorcock - Elric of Melniboné
Ursula Le Guin - Earthsea Saga
Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis - The Death Gate Cycle
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I just finished one called Gardens of the Moon that was pritty good, can't remember who it was by though.
Twilight series duh... /sarcasm
monkeysocks said:
I just finished reading (Amoung Thieves-A Tale Of The Kin), Amazing book i got it on my iphone on the kindle ap
Drothe has been a member of the Kin for years, rubbing elbows with thieves and murderers in the employ of a crime lord while smuggling relics on the side. But when an ancient book falls into his hands, Drothe finds himself in possession of a relic capable of bringing down emperors-a relic everyone in the underworld would kill to obtain.
Douglas Hulicks debut fantasy novel. torture, Magic, Gang wars, sword fights i couldnt put it down.
Drothe has been a member of the Kin for years, rubbing elbows with thieves and murderers in the employ of a crime lord while smuggling relics on the side. But when an ancient book falls into his hands, Drothe finds himself in possession of a relic capable of bringing down emperors-a relic everyone in the underworld would kill to obtain.
Douglas Hulicks debut fantasy novel. torture, Magic, Gang wars, sword fights i couldnt put it down.
i just read this one over the weekend, excellent book. looking forward to more books by him. I think he can easily get 3 books from Kin.
Odin.Headstrong said:
hmm some fantasy books i really loved ~
Robin Hobb - The Farseer trilogy
Michael Moorcock - Elric of Melniboné
Ursula Le Guin - Earthsea Saga
Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis - The Death Gate Cycle
Robin Hobb - The Farseer trilogy
Michael Moorcock - Elric of Melniboné
Ursula Le Guin - Earthsea Saga
Tracy Hickman and Margaret Weis - The Death Gate Cycle
I love Robin Hobb work. I have read all her stuff, great read. Death Gates is a SLOW process for me. Each book feels like starting the whole series over again sometimes.
Oryx and Crake
The Turn of The Screw
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
His Dark Materials series (trilogy including The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass)
Edit: His Dark Materials series is probably my favorite set of books ever, by any author. Good stuff.
The Turn of The Screw
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
His Dark Materials series (trilogy including The Golden Compass, The Subtle Knife, and The Amber Spyglass)
Edit: His Dark Materials series is probably my favorite set of books ever, by any author. Good stuff.
The Art of War.
-Sun Tzu
The Vampire Chronicles
-Anne Rice
When Jeuno Fell
<~ This guy.
-Sun Tzu
The Vampire Chronicles
-Anne Rice
When Jeuno Fell
<~ This guy.
Gonna toss a few ideas out for people as well
The Chronicles of the Necromancer- Gail Z. Martin (Great ongoing series)
Noble Dead series- Barb & JC Hendee (A great vampire series without the teen drama)
Mistborn- Brandon Sanderson (Only issues I have with any of his works is that he rushes the endings.)
The Swans' War- Sean Russell (Great Great series that is out of print now but worth the find)
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn- Tad Williams (Tad Williams is one of the best fantasy writers ever and this is a great series)
The Runelords- David Farland (Excellent series till last few books where it feels like Farland stopped caring)
and Twilight series of course!
The Chronicles of the Necromancer- Gail Z. Martin (Great ongoing series)
Noble Dead series- Barb & JC Hendee (A great vampire series without the teen drama)
Mistborn- Brandon Sanderson (Only issues I have with any of his works is that he rushes the endings.)
The Swans' War- Sean Russell (Great Great series that is out of print now but worth the find)
Memory, Sorrow and Thorn- Tad Williams (Tad Williams is one of the best fantasy writers ever and this is a great series)
The Runelords- David Farland (Excellent series till last few books where it feels like Farland stopped caring)
and Twilight series of course!
Kolvar-- is that Chronicles of the Necromancer the one that has the book The Drowning City? I LOVED that book. If that's the same series, I need to get the rest of them. I can't just grab the book and check because I packed all my books for the move. ;;
The emberverse series by S.M. Stirling.
The morningstar strain by Z.A. Recht (RIP)
Infected and Contagious by Scott Sigler
Cell by Stephen King
Day by Day Armageddon and Beyond Exile by JL bourne.
Few more but most of you probably don't have the same taste in books as I do.
The morningstar strain by Z.A. Recht (RIP)
Infected and Contagious by Scott Sigler
Cell by Stephen King
Day by Day Armageddon and Beyond Exile by JL bourne.
Few more but most of you probably don't have the same taste in books as I do.
Odin.Liela said:
Kolvar-- is that Chronicles of the Necromancer the one that has the book The Drowning City? I LOVED that book. If that's the same series, I need to get the rest of them. I can't just grab the book and check because I packed all my books for the move. ;;
The Summoner
the Blood King
Dark Haven
The Dark Lady's Chosen
Those are the books so far, so probably not the same thing. still get them!
Hrm, you might like the Anita Blake series by Laurell K. Hamilton or even the Merry Gentry books. Seems similar to the Noble Dead series, which I will probably read now, thanks! :D
Oh also, the Cassandra Palmer series by Karen Chance are a good read as well.
Oh also, the Cassandra Palmer series by Karen Chance are a good read as well.
Asura.Katniss said:
Lakshmi.Kolvar said:
I am constantly reading, mainly fantasy books, but I read any good book really. Any good ones people have read and could recommend.
Here's my 3 favorite book series I'd die for. I copied plot summaries from wiki / Amazon.
#1 The Dark Tower Series (7 books)
In the story, Roland Deschain is the last living member of a knightly order known as gunslingers and the last of the line of "Arthur Eld", his world's analogue of King Arthur. Politically organized along the lines of a feudal society, it shares technological and social characteristics with the American Old West but is also magical. Many of the magical aspects have vanished from Mid-World, but traces remain as do relics from a technologically advanced society. Roland's quest is to find the Dark Tower, a fabled building said to be the nexus of all universes. Roland's world is said to have "moved on", and it appears to be coming apart at the seams. Mighty nations have been torn apart by war, entire cities and regions vanish without a trace and time does not flow in an orderly fashion. Sometimes, even the sun rises in the north and sets in the east. As the series opens, Roland's motives, goals and age are unclear, though later installments shed light on these mysteries.
For a detailed synopsis of the novels, see the relevant article for each book.
Awesome Series.
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