Woven
New Member
The Plot.
Required reading?
- Thread starter Tek7
- Start date
Phaide Tu Blacke
New Member
Raymond Feist: Rift War saga. Great fantasy reading with no language or sex, IIRC.
Usagi Yojimbo trades paper backs. Awesome story telling all the way around with fun art.
Terry Goodkind, I had to put down, made me to uncomfortable.
Phaide Tu Blacke
Usagi Yojimbo trades paper backs. Awesome story telling all the way around with fun art.
Terry Goodkind, I had to put down, made me to uncomfortable.
Phaide Tu Blacke
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[toj.cc]phantom
Tribe of Judah Membership Administrator
Terry Pratchet's Discworld series!
I'm reading Wizard's First Rule right now, but I don't plan on reading the second book or any others in the series. I'm enjoying reading the first book, but I view the book more as essential modern fantasy than the start of series I absolutely must read.
I also bought a used copy of The Sword of Shannara for the same reason. I plan to read it next.
Neirai the Forgiven
Christian Guilds List Manager
I really liked WFR, but when I started on the second book I got the feeling that I was reading WFR again...
I think you're right on sticking to WFR.
True, there are redundancies in Goodkind's novels, but the story is fantastic and the saga has a good ending. I would recommend giving it a try.
Well, I read what I could of Wizard's First Rule, but then I got to the part where...
...and I skipped that part and read ahead to the ending. I'm just not a fan of reading about...
...Richard is abducted and subjected to torture at the hands of a Mord-Sith...
...people being tortured. Not my thing.
There are so many great series that I have read since I started reading fiction and fantasy in about 4th grade.
The Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist which has already been mentioned is one of the best.
If you want something a little lighter hearted and kind of funny try the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster. This is my favorite series of books.
There is also the Myth series by Robert Aspirin which is very funny.
I would recommend most sets by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. I couldn't really get into their darksword series though but they have written some of the best TSR novels.
R.A. Salvatore is a great author but his Drizzt books have become a little cliche in the later novels. The earlier books are amazing.
Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber is a great classic fiction set.
The Riftwar Saga by Raymond Feist which has already been mentioned is one of the best.
If you want something a little lighter hearted and kind of funny try the Spellsinger series by Alan Dean Foster. This is my favorite series of books.
There is also the Myth series by Robert Aspirin which is very funny.
I would recommend most sets by Margaret Weiss and Tracy Hickman. I couldn't really get into their darksword series though but they have written some of the best TSR novels.
R.A. Salvatore is a great author but his Drizzt books have become a little cliche in the later novels. The earlier books are amazing.
Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber is a great classic fiction set.
Neirai the Forgiven
Christian Guilds List Manager
Darksword and the Death Gate Cycle are Weiss and Hickman's best (in my opinion.) Also, stick the first three Darksword books. She wrote an after-book, but it's not worth it.
Definitely read Discworld.
Edit: I should mention that Tobias Wolff doesn't write like a Christian at all, until you start filling in the blanks. So, content warning: While he is truly a Christian author, Wolff's stories may contain profanity, violence, and even sex -- but I promise you that none of these is gratuitous.
Definitely read Discworld.
Edit: I should mention that Tobias Wolff doesn't write like a Christian at all, until you start filling in the blanks. So, content warning: While he is truly a Christian author, Wolff's stories may contain profanity, violence, and even sex -- but I promise you that none of these is gratuitous.
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I read the Darksword trilogy and I can't say I was impressed. Everyone has their own tastes, but I never really cared about the characters like I did in other series.
I may still check out the Death Gate Cycle, though.
Aye, that's another famous series I'll check out if I can find a copy of the first book in the series used and cheap.
Sounds most intriguing. Any of his books in particular you'd recommend?
Duly noted.
ajmucha
New Member
Just a question for y'all here. On a martial arts forum I frequent, there has lately been a few references to the book Atlas Shrugged. Can anyone tell me anything about it, if it's good/bad/just your general opinion?
Neirai the Forgiven
Christian Guilds List Manager
Lol, AJ, I'd suggest you read through a copy of Tobias Wolff's Old School. It has an (albeit fictionalized, but very true to reality*) encounter in it with Ayn Rand, the author of Atlas Shrugged.
Ayn Rand's views of reality are largely that of Ubermench, the betterment of the individual through self-will and self-discipline, and through overcoming one's own weaknesses, such as sympathy for others, duty to others, and pretty much anything ending it "others."
It's a philosophy that appeals to a lot of people who are involved in martial arts, weights, and other forms of "bodily upgrades."
And to the Nazis.
I'm not kidding.
I am not lumping exercise fanatics in with the Nazis. Really, I'm not. But I am lumping Ayn Rand's philosophy in with Nazi philosophy.
That also doesn't mean that you shouldn't read Atlas Shrugged. I'm just saying that you should read it very, very carefully -- her idealism seems very good, it's just based on a fundamentally flawed worldview.
Tobias Wolff's Old School goes through both the main character's fascination with Ayn Rand's works and worldview, his meeting with her, and his subsequent disillusionment.
*The primary biographer for Ayn Rand once met Wolff after he had written Old School. She told him that his portrayal of Ayn Rand was "spookily accurate."
Tek:
As Wolff writes mainly short stories and not a huge amount of novels, he has collections as opposed to individual books, generally. If you want to read based on collections, I would start with In the Garden of the North American Martyrs.
If you want individual stories, I would read:
"Hunters in the Snow"
"An Episode in the Life of Professor Brooke"
"In the Garden of the North American Martyrs"
"The Rich Brother"
"The Other Miller" (imho one of his finest)
"Coming Attractions"
He's also written an excellent memoir of the Vietnam War called In Pharaoh's Army: Memories of the Lost War.
Ayn Rand's views of reality are largely that of Ubermench, the betterment of the individual through self-will and self-discipline, and through overcoming one's own weaknesses, such as sympathy for others, duty to others, and pretty much anything ending it "others."
It's a philosophy that appeals to a lot of people who are involved in martial arts, weights, and other forms of "bodily upgrades."
And to the Nazis.
I'm not kidding.
I am not lumping exercise fanatics in with the Nazis. Really, I'm not. But I am lumping Ayn Rand's philosophy in with Nazi philosophy.
That also doesn't mean that you shouldn't read Atlas Shrugged. I'm just saying that you should read it very, very carefully -- her idealism seems very good, it's just based on a fundamentally flawed worldview.
Tobias Wolff's Old School goes through both the main character's fascination with Ayn Rand's works and worldview, his meeting with her, and his subsequent disillusionment.
*The primary biographer for Ayn Rand once met Wolff after he had written Old School. She told him that his portrayal of Ayn Rand was "spookily accurate."
Tek:
As Wolff writes mainly short stories and not a huge amount of novels, he has collections as opposed to individual books, generally. If you want to read based on collections, I would start with In the Garden of the North American Martyrs.
If you want individual stories, I would read:
"Hunters in the Snow"
"An Episode in the Life of Professor Brooke"
"In the Garden of the North American Martyrs"
"The Rich Brother"
"The Other Miller" (imho one of his finest)
"Coming Attractions"
He's also written an excellent memoir of the Vietnam War called In Pharaoh's Army: Memories of the Lost War.
Atlas Shrugged is on my to-do list. It's a book about a guy who gets sick of all the crap and regulations in the economy, the BS from the government, and the wars in the world. So he picks up all his stuff and leaves. He starts gathering all the smart people in the world, the scientists and engineers, then they bury themselves in some mountain somewhere and just have a fun time doing research. This was a brief synopsis given to me by a buddy at work. I don't know because I haven't read it myself. I do want to read it though because I'm a capitalist.
Exo-Slayer
Moderator
I like to bump old posts.
I'd recommend Kurt Vonnegut, great satire and behind it is some really meaningful incite on American life. Most of his works have some kind of sci-fi element but it really is only used to get interesting characters to interact with one another. I’m nearly through his collection but his best is probably Slaughter-House Five, Cat’s Cradle and my personal favorite The Siren’s of Titan.
You’ve probably read Dune by Frank Herbert but did you know he wrote a bunch of other works? He has two other series the WorShip novels dealing with a starship that gains sentiency and believes that it is God and the ramifications, and the ConSentient novels dealing with the Bureau of Sabotage who has the sole purpose of slowing down a galactic democracy that is moving out of control.
Isaac Asimov is great as well, the Robot stories, the Foundation series, and the Elijah Baley detective novels. The Dark Tower was interesting but I think the series drags a bit toward the end. Robert Heinlein was amazing until he lost his mind in his later years but his early stuff is great, The moon is a Harsh Mistress, Stranger in a Strange Land and Starship Troopers. I just read through The Road by Cormac Mccarthy and it was amazing and makes me want to check out more of his stuff.
I'd recommend Kurt Vonnegut, great satire and behind it is some really meaningful incite on American life. Most of his works have some kind of sci-fi element but it really is only used to get interesting characters to interact with one another. I’m nearly through his collection but his best is probably Slaughter-House Five, Cat’s Cradle and my personal favorite The Siren’s of Titan.
You’ve probably read Dune by Frank Herbert but did you know he wrote a bunch of other works? He has two other series the WorShip novels dealing with a starship that gains sentiency and believes that it is God and the ramifications, and the ConSentient novels dealing with the Bureau of Sabotage who has the sole purpose of slowing down a galactic democracy that is moving out of control.
Isaac Asimov is great as well, the Robot stories, the Foundation series, and the Elijah Baley detective novels. The Dark Tower was interesting but I think the series drags a bit toward the end. Robert Heinlein was amazing until he lost his mind in his later years but his early stuff is great, The moon is a Harsh Mistress, Stranger in a Strange Land and Starship Troopers. I just read through The Road by Cormac Mccarthy and it was amazing and makes me want to check out more of his stuff.
dorkelf
Active Member
Those are fantastic suggestions Exo, you are obviously very well read. I agree wholeheartedly about Vonnegut, would also recommend Damon Knight for short stories with a little more sarcasm and humor. Asimov was phenomenal. For those who have never encountered this writer, I recommend you listen to the short Escape Pod Episode 100 podcast, a very nice narration of his famous short story "Nightfall":
http://media.rawvoice.com/escapepod/media.libsyn.com/media/escapepod/EP100_Nightfall.mp3
Another great old-school Sci-fi writer who remains very relevant to modern audiences is Arthur C Clarke. I particularly recommend Rendevous with Rama, one of the very greatest Sci-fi novels.
http://media.rawvoice.com/escapepod/media.libsyn.com/media/escapepod/EP100_Nightfall.mp3
Another great old-school Sci-fi writer who remains very relevant to modern audiences is Arthur C Clarke. I particularly recommend Rendevous with Rama, one of the very greatest Sci-fi novels.
Exo-Slayer
Moderator
Thanks for posting that podcast something new to listen to on my daily bike ride. Nightfall was great and I'm not sure how I missed it.
I like Clarke but out of the big three he is probably my least favorite. I still loved Rama and 2001 and Childhood's End was really fascinating but something about his style just doesn't resonate with me.
I like Clarke but out of the big three he is probably my least favorite. I still loved Rama and 2001 and Childhood's End was really fascinating but something about his style just doesn't resonate with me.
cc.slim
Moderator
Wow you all are reading some of the the same stuff that haunts my closet. I like Clarke mostly for his short stories though I enjoyed his novels.