What are you reading now?

[tstone (deleted)]

Scifi/fantasy-wise, I'm making my way through "Lightpaths", a neo-cyberpunk novel about an experiment in utopia and "The Nexus", a strange tale about a disgraced TV journalist and a girl who can perform miracles.

[nyssa_PREV (deleted)]

Just started reading "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson again. Fantastic book, though a few years old now.

[starfarerbill_PREV (deleted)]

I've just started a novel titled America 2014: An Orwellian Tale by Dawn Blair. It's a satirical work about the new fascism instituted by the Bus---ler regime, written in the style of Orwell's Nineteen-Eighty-Four.

[tyrion]

I AM A HUGE FANTASY FAN. ALSO INTO ALTERNATE HISTORY-REALITY BOOKS AND POST APOLIPTIC BOOKS. I LOVE SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES BUT HAVE NOT READ ANY PURE SCI FI SERIOUSLY. MY FAVORITE AUTHOURS ARE GEORGE RR MARTIN AND SM STIRLING(NOT HIS TERMINATOR OR IS PENSHWAR BOOKS). DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHICH BOOKS I SHOULD START READING? I HAVE READ THE DOUGLAS ADAMS BOOKS WHICH I FOUND INTERESTING BUT NOT PROVACATIVE.

[tstone (deleted)]

I have plenty of recommendations, but gimme an idea of just what sort of thing you are looking for.


tyrion wrote: I AM A HUGE FANTASY FAN. ALSO INTO ALTERNATE HISTORY-REALITY BOOKS AND POST APOLIPTIC BOOKS. I LOVE SCIENCE FICTION MOVIES BUT HAVE NOT READ ANY PURE SCI FI SERIOUSLY. MY FAVORITE AUTHOURS ARE GEORGE RR MARTIN AND SM STIRLING(NOT HIS TERMINATOR OR IS PENSHWAR BOOKS). DOES ANYONE HAVE ANY SUGGESTIONS ON WHICH BOOKS I SHOULD START READING? I HAVE READ THE DOUGLAS ADAMS BOOKS WHICH I FOUND INTERESTING BUT NOT PROVACATIVE.

[tstone (deleted)]

nyssa wrote: Just started reading "Snow Crash" by Neal Stephenson again. Fantastic book, though a few years old now.


That's definitely one on my waiting to read stack.

[tyrion]

NOT REAL SURE. I LIKE HEAVY CHARACTER DRIVEN NOVELS. WITH COMPLICATED BUT WILL WRITTEN CHARACTERS WHO LIVE IN SHADES OF GRAY. I WOULD LIKE TO WORK UP TO HEAVY SCI FI. SO NOTHING TOO FAR OUT THERE. I LIKE AUTHORS WHO GIVE THE READER WHAT THEY NEED NOT WHAT THEY WANT. I LIKE STORIES WITH UPREDICTABLE ENDINGS. SO THEY ALL DONT HAVE TO END HAPPY.

[tstone (deleted)]

I'll suggest some this weekend, with more time.

[brianwebber (deleted)]

Desperation by Stephen King, in anticipation of the sure-to-suck miniseries coming later this month.

[tstone (deleted)]

Hey Brian, here's my first couple of suggestions for you.

Try the works of Peter F. Hamilton, especially his Reality Dysfunction series. It takes place in a far future human civilization, where humanity has taken to the stars and we have FTL travel. Humanity has split into two distinct societies. You have the Adamists, who use machinery for their technology, and the Edenists, who use sentient biotech for alot of their stuff, including starships and starbases. We have established diplomatic ties with two other alien races. One is considerably more advanced than we are, both tech and culture. The other is a little backwards, and a bit uncomfortable in the alliance.

Then one day, something strange happens. The souls of the human dead begin to return, taking possession of living human beings. It rapidly becomes a crisis, as they returned begin rapidly taking over populations and worlds. They have the power to posess rapidly, and when their numbers reach a critical mass, they gain a certain control over "reality".

This story is about the individuals, both among the living and the returned caught up in this, and how human society is utterly changed in the aftermath.



For fantasy, check out Sean Russel's work, especially his River Into Darkness duology. Magick is fading from the world, and the last remaining wizard is determined to see it's end. Yet there are others who are just as determined to see it go on. This is what happens when they clash...

[twincarb]

For those of you into sword and socerery, yeah I know we all secretly enjoy the Conan style books try the two series by David Eddings.
Series one is The Belgariad in which a young man assumes his manhood and the adventures that follow and the second series is Ths Malloiain, won't spoil it for you good beings. Both are a thouroughly good read and loads of fun, well written and worthy of your time

[dugger1968]

I must say that I agree with twincarb...the David Eddings books are a FANTASTIC read. Although at five books in each series they are a bit long, they are wonderful and fairly easy to read. To be honest with you, and some might call me a heretic for this, I enjoyed reading Eddings books more than J.R.R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings.

[belanna4_PREV (deleted)]

Okay for Science Fiction reads:

I have read and own all of the books in the Star Trek Voyager series.

Gravity by Tess Gerritsen is really good

The Enders series by Orson Scott Card

The Time Travlers Wife by Audrey Niffenegger

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams

The Physics of Star Trek (non-fiction) by Stephen Hawking and Lawrence M. Krauss

Oryx and Crake by Margaret Atwood

[wintermute]

Currently rereading a scanner darkly to prep myself for the movie

[ninjabear]

should you read the book before you see the movie, or see the flick first?

I have always wondered which is best, but I'd rather see the film first.
If it's a good movie, reading the book can often spoil it for you (the book is almost always so much better) and so on...