Good Reading
- Thread starter blank_dave
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Two Canadians- among the BEST in the world-
As mentioned above, Robert Sawyer- but I consider just about everything he has written a "10" with creative twists, great plots and characters in the Classic SF mode.
Guy Gavriel Kay- Helped work on Tolkien's papers after the great man's death, then soared above LOTR with the greatest series of the genre. His subsequent works are masterpieces of historical fiction.
While I am a long-time fan of Turtledove, nobody beats Will Fortschen and New Gingrich (yup, that 'Newt') for alternative fiction. Their Gettysburg novels and latest take on Pearl Harbour are amazing. And hopefully SOMEDAY there will be a sequel to '1945'.
Again, noted above- S.M. Stirling. A true warfare Grand Master, mixed with time travel and 'what if'. His Draka Series is profoundly disturbing 'what if' and other time travel novels dazzle. There is something so evil about a nasty 20th century megalomaniac marching his 1250 BC minions through Britain, to " BAD TO THE BONE".http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7VsoxT_FUY
As mentioned above, Robert Sawyer- but I consider just about everything he has written a "10" with creative twists, great plots and characters in the Classic SF mode.
Guy Gavriel Kay- Helped work on Tolkien's papers after the great man's death, then soared above LOTR with the greatest series of the genre. His subsequent works are masterpieces of historical fiction.
While I am a long-time fan of Turtledove, nobody beats Will Fortschen and New Gingrich (yup, that 'Newt') for alternative fiction. Their Gettysburg novels and latest take on Pearl Harbour are amazing. And hopefully SOMEDAY there will be a sequel to '1945'.
Again, noted above- S.M. Stirling. A true warfare Grand Master, mixed with time travel and 'what if'. His Draka Series is profoundly disturbing 'what if' and other time travel novels dazzle. There is something so evil about a nasty 20th century megalomaniac marching his 1250 BC minions through Britain, to " BAD TO THE BONE".http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_7VsoxT_FUY
I read The Eyre Affair a while back and would agree that it's very entertaining. Its presentation of a world that we would recognize, but with a few twists, is quite clever.
People looking for something a little "out there" as far as fantasy stuff goes might want to try Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World, written by one of my favourite authors, Haruki Murakami.
Kurt Vonnegut
V.S. Naipaul
Irving Welsh
Douglas Adams
Vladimir Nabokov
Mark Leyner
Ernest Hemingway
All easy and highly enjoyable reads, with thoughtfulness thrown in as an added bonus. Except for Leyner; he's just an asshole.
V.S. Naipaul
Irving Welsh
Douglas Adams
Vladimir Nabokov
Mark Leyner
Ernest Hemingway
All easy and highly enjoyable reads, with thoughtfulness thrown in as an added bonus. Except for Leyner; he's just an asshole.
Have you read the others in the series? The third one is my favourite, personally. "The Well of Lost Plots", I believe it is...
This is off-topic, but if you're willing to consider other sources besides books, then I fully suggest you check out the 'This American Life' podcasts. Interesting stories, sometimes funny, sometimes heartbreaking, told in the words of the people that lived through them.
Someone suggested Malcolm Gladwell; I second this. I have read 'Blink' and 'The Tipping Point'. Check out his website for cool articles he has written, too.
Oh, get a subscription to the New Yorker. It's weekly, so they may pile up, though.
Someone suggested Malcolm Gladwell; I second this. I have read 'Blink' and 'The Tipping Point'. Check out his website for cool articles he has written, too.
Oh, get a subscription to the New Yorker. It's weekly, so they may pile up, though.
No, at this point, the only book in the series that I have read is The Eyre Affair. I should try some of the others.
