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General Discussion => Off-Topic => Topic started by: Angst on 2003-09-24, 17:56



Title: Books Thou Shalt Read (or other useless suggestions)
Post by: Angst on 2003-09-24, 17:56
Orson Scott Card - The Ender Saga
Orson Scott Card - The Call of Earth (and whatever follows that one)

Stephan R. Donaldson - The Covenant Sagas (yes, both of them)

Christopher Stasheff - The Wizard in Rhyme Series

Roger Zelazny - The Chronicles of Amber (something like 10 books here)

Terry Goodkind - The Sword of Truth Series

 :ph34r:


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Dicion on 2003-09-24, 18:21
Peter F Hamilton - The nights dawn trilogy.

Orson Scott Card - the 'shadow' saga
(not officially part of the ender saga, it's it's own saga)


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: ReBoOt on 2003-09-24, 19:23
Robert Jordan - The wheel of time.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Tabun on 2003-09-24, 22:58
William F. Shatner - '911's top-10 -The Book-'


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Demonwench on 2003-09-25, 02:29
Ooooooooo books...  Too many to choose from!!

The Sholan Alliance Series by Lisanne Norman

Deverry Series by Katherine Kerr

Redwall Series by Brian Jaques

Silver Wolf by Alice Borchardt

Night of the Wolf by same

Honor Harrington Series by David Weber

Rhapsody by Elizabeth Hayden

Dragonlord Series by....bugger can't remember name

I guess that's good for the time being!  Hehehe


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Woodsman on 2003-09-25, 02:51
letters to penthouse volume IV


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: ConfusedUs on 2003-09-25, 03:17
Woods, I heard that Penthouse is going bankrupt...is this true?

And about the Wheel of Time, reboot....

I was VERY happy with the series till the last three books. Crossroads at Twilight is a travesty. It doesn't even have a !@#$ climax! The book sucked. I've bought books 10 and 11 as they came out, in hardcover. I have no intention of buying book #11 till it hits paperback unless it gets some VERY favorable reviews.

If Robert Jordan hopes to finish the series within his lifetime, he needs to start bringing the different plotlines together. The plot hasn't closed a plotline since book 7! There must be at least 15 loose threads, 4 or 5 undercurrents, and about 8 unsolved mysteries. It's a very rich world, but he needs to FINISH something.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: dev/null on 2003-09-25, 03:26
Series wise, I would suggest Carlos Castaneda's Don Juan books:

The Teachings of Don Juan
A Seperate Reality
Journey to Ixtlan
Tales of Power
The Second Rings of Power
The Eagel's Gift
The Fire From Within
The Power of Silence
The Art of Dreaming

I think that is all of them... It is the only ones I have read at least *shrugs*

Others worth mentioning:

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson. Not his best work, but my favorite (if that makes any sense)

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K. Dick... perhaps his most well known piece of work, and certainly the easiest to follow (though his less coherent ones are just as nice, even if his writing style is odd at times)


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: ReBoOt on 2003-09-25, 19:49
Hehe yea dats true con he leaves alot of loose ends in his books.
Also  i find myself skipping several chapters there are lots of "boring" parts lots of talk and no action :) but still the books is quite nice.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Kain-Xavier on 2003-09-26, 03:33
Well I'm not much of a book reader, but a book that I recently enjoyed reading was Brain Droppings by George Carlin.  He expands on a lot of his classic comedy pieces and also makes several good points and observations about the human race as well.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: games keeper on 2003-09-27, 09:23
games keeper's book of descent english , a must read .


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Woodsman on 2003-09-27, 19:01
on a more serious not i would like to recomend "a glorious  way to die" by Russell Spurr. its about the kamikazi  mission of the most powerful battleship ever built.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: l4mby on 2005-12-04, 06:12
Has anybody read any good books lately ?

I've read Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. I highly recommend this one. I'm not much of a reader, but I couldn't put the dang thing down ! A London man thinking he knows his place in the world is thrown abruptly into an underworld he never knew existed. Desperate to find his way back to his old life, as he's now obsolete, he finds himself helping a girl from the underworld solve her own mystery. In a world he doesn't understand, he encounters many different things such as talking rats. The book has many twists, and each chapter keeps you wondering. Definetly a page turner !

I'm currently reading Angels and Demons by Dan Brown. So far I'm liking it. Mixes real history of the Illuminati w/ a fictional story dealing w/ an antimatter bomb. It's actually the prequel to the Da Vinci Code, however, I've not read it. I've been told by many who've read both that they liked this book better. I'll let you guys know what I think of it when I'm done.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Phoenix on 2005-12-04, 09:14
I've recently read The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis in its entirety, before that Firebringer by David Clement-Davies.  Before you think about things with feathers, it's about red deer in Scotland actually.  It's a fairly good story along the lines of Watership Down, though it does anthropomorphize the deer's thoughts quite a bit, it's a good read.  Prior to that I read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince.  (And this is why underlining book titles, while it is proper English, sucks competely when done on a web page, so I shall do it no more.)

I'd beware of the "real history" part regarding Dan Brown's writings.  The Da Vinci Code has caused a great deal of contention because it is a fictional novel, but it's based on a premise that people are regarding as fact that is actually historical speculation regarding Jesus.  I have not read either book myself, but I'd take the safe route with the "history" part.  It doesn't mean you can't enjoy the story if he writes a good novel, just be careful. ;)


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Tabun on 2005-12-04, 11:46
Quote
Peter F Hamilton - The nights dawn trilogy.

In contrast to the Ender saga by Card, this series was a total let-down for me. It started out brilliantly in the first book, then went on a tangent, grabbing at straws to keep things interesting. The pseudo-science was apalling, especially compared to other works by the author. If you want to read an absolutely brilliant book by Hamilton, I suggest you try Fallen Dragon first.

Gaiman's works are amazing, btw. I'm currently about to begin in Stephen Fry's The Liar, which is said to be great. Ofcourse, I'll first have to finish the last 100 pages of Rousseau's The Confessions (Eng. Translation) ..
Funny thing is, even though I have tons more (philosophical) reading to do, I actually read more novels (and less audiobooks :)).


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Lopson on 2005-12-04, 12:26
Well, I just read From the Earth to the Moon by Jules Verne and it was quite pleasing, specially the ending. I will be reading more Jules Verne books. My next one is going to be Five weeks on baloon. Besides that, I also read Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince a few days ago, quite amusing too.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: l4mby on 2005-12-04, 18:56
Quote from: Phoenix
I'd beware of the "real history" part regarding Dan Brown's writings.
Yeah, sorry. I meant that it's based on true history.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Tabun on 2005-12-04, 20:21
Once you've read Brown's Digital Fortress, and you know a wee bit about how computers and software operate, you will probably realize Dan isn't the kind of guy that cares a whole lot about releasing work that is veritable (as much as it is vendible).


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: shambler on 2005-12-05, 14:24
Call me old (I am) but I liked almost all of the Gene Wolfe novels, probubly the 'long sun' set the most. I can't discribe how good they are. you just have to try them.

Anybody else read any of his stuff?


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Angst on 2005-12-06, 07:12
C.S. Friedman - the Coldfire trilogy (Black Sun Rising, etc)
Dorothy Dunnett - the Lymond chronicles (the Game of Kings, etc)


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: games keeper on 2005-12-11, 14:57
wel , my school forced me to read
cisco networking academy program CCNA1 and 2 Compagnion Guide
1000+ pages about networking stuff.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: l4mby on 2005-12-11, 16:46
I finished Angels and Demons the other day, and I just finished The Da Vinci Code. I must say that I rather enjoyed both of them. Angels and Demons, to me, was a better read, but that's b/c there was more action and the character had more to lose. Good books.

I'm now going to read The Dante Club by Matthew Pearl. We'll see how that one goes.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: l4mby on 2005-12-24, 22:44
Ok, so I couldn't get into The Dante Club, so I passed it and read Splintered Icon by Bill Napier. Not the best book I've read, but it wasn't too bad. The action didn't start happening towards the end. *snickers*

I'm now reading The Descent by Jeff Long (http://www.ereader.com/product/detail/1729?book=The_Descent). So far, this book is f'ed up ! It's like there's a real hell on earth w/ real "demons" which are actually hominid like. I can't explain it, but this book so far is awesome. I like his style of writing, and it's very gruesome at times.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Woodsman on 2006-01-04, 18:46
I recently finished a booked called "Mao the unknown story" about Chinese communist dictator Mao Tse-tung (if you couldn't figure that out from the title). It paints a very different picture of the late Chairman than is typically present in many circles. Mao is typically depicted as a Heroic champion of the down trodden masses who through cunning guerrilla tactics defeated the nationalist army of Chiang Kai Shek and struggled against the occupying army of the Japanese empire is revealed as a cruel sadistic tyrant who barely had a hand in fighting the Japanese and rather than being a liberator of the poor and underprivileged drove China to even deeper depths of poverty. I'm inclined to believe that generally Mao is viewed as a tyrant by most people and only admired by EXTREME radicals so i really don't see the need for ?unknown story? subtitle but the book is so detailed and meticulously researched anyone interested in Mao will likely find it interesting. On a resent search i discovered that there is a severe lack of books written on the subject of Mao and a google search usually  turns up little more than quotations from his Little red book and various other of his writings so i was extremely pleased to read this book. The interview list was very impressive including virtually every person who knew Mao who is still alive outside of china as well as an impressive host of international figures. ( The Dali Lama, Henry Kissinger, and so on). Fans of the chairman will not likely enjoy the book and might even declare it to be propaganda (though i have yet to encounter one who is able to counter the facts presented in the book ) as it disputes many of the central ideas  of Mao's image ( He spend the long march on a bamboo litter reading books while his men died from exhaustion ) but i think most people with an interest in history will enjoy this book.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Phoenix on 2006-01-05, 00:12
I'm not surprised one bit.  "By their fruits ye shall know them."  Well, one just has to look at modern China's government policies to get some idea of how Mao was.  I've always assumed he was exactly as you just described - like any other tin-pot dictator, shallow, petty, cruel, and himself a very weak individual.  I'm glad someone researched this and brought it forth.

I think your book there should be required reading.  It might help to dash some of these foolish dreams of a "Communist Utopia" that a lot of misguided children are getting in their heads courtesy of the leftist campuses.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: Lopson on 2006-01-08, 10:44
A book that everyone should read : Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury. It's about a world where reading is FORBIDDEN! Nice book.


Title: Re: Books Thou Shalt Read
Post by: shambler on 2006-02-04, 23:21
Read that, and enjoyed it Kruz, I'm currently reading
http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/05750...01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg (http://images-eu.amazon.com/images/P/0575077107.01.LZZZZZZZ.jpg)

I've read just about everything by this guy, and found it to be the best I've ever read. if you want to try some, start with 'the shadow of the torturer' about a world that could be ours, near the end of its life, following the mission of an apprentice torturer when he is thrown out of his college. as it progresses you realize a lot of things ain't right, but I can't say what with out spoiling it big time.
I started off reading Burroughs, Dick and Aaimov during the 60's, and been reading SiFi and fantacy ever since. nothing has moved me like Wolfe, except maybe John Crowley.
 :thumb:

God, I sound too much like a teacher.