Books worth Reading

Just because there hasn't been one compiled yet, and we have two video threads going.
Also because I need some decent suggestions. This pretty much means you shouldn't mention anything by Dan Brown, Harry Potter novels, and god forbid any fang banger fiction.

I'm also going to mention the Book Depository, because I've never seen it mentioned here. It's a cheap book store with free delivery worldwide, takes a couple weeks to arrive (in my experience).

Free delivery worldwide on all books from The Book Depository

To clarify some of my reading decisions, I will explain my reading rule #1: I do not read incomplete series of books, I began this about 8 books into WoT and three books later the fucker died, completely vindicating my rule. Sometimes I get tricked by authors who write a "series" that is TO BE CONTINUED in another "series", these authors are motherfuckers, I'm looking at you Raymond E.

Here's my short list.

- The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher: I bought the first one on holiday because i'd seen the TV show and thought I'd give it a shot. I bought all the rest of the novels and I read all of them in under a month. It's an execellent series, magic, demons etc. in a contemporary setting based around a private detective mystery plot, with a decent dash of humour and good characterisation. The plot of each book is self contained but it does have overarching plotlines that lead to the plots in following novels. I mention this one first because it's fresh in my mind.

- Everything by Peter F. Hamilton: As a rule, I didn't read science fiction until I was introduced to the Night's Dawn Trilogy, since then I've read everything he's written that I could get my hands on (excluding items covered by rule #1). The Night's Dawn Trilogy and The Commonwealth Saga are some seriously large books, written in "Space Opera" style, far future, and are excellent value for money. The Commonwealth universe is also home to the void Trilogy (incomplete, rule #1). The Greg Mandell series is a Psychic Detective "trilogy" of sorts, but each novel has a self contained plotline. Set in the near future, the society is dystopian but hopeful, I quite enjoyed it. Fallen Dragon is a stand alone novel, full dystopian future all about evil corporations running galaxy wide colonisation and trying to realise profit from it, it's great.

- Terry Pratchett: Discworld + Others. I don't understand people who don't like Terry Pratchett, so you should like his writing, or I'm going to assume you don't get the joke. Good Omens (with Neil Gaiman) is a non-discworld novel, but definitely a highlight, i've read it at least 5 times, and it's always funny.

- Raymond E. Feist: The Magician and other Midkemian Universe novels that followed are like a standard for fantasy. Some of the more recent offerings are a bit questionable, but I'm willing to keep buying the books on faith.

- Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash. It's a story about a samurai hacker, called HIRO PROTAGONIST who delivers pizza for the mob, and a computer virus that kills you. It was written in the very early nineties and it's quite shocking the amount of stuff he predicted. It's also very funny.

- Dexter Novels: Jeff Lindsay. Normally I'd never have read these, but someone gave me the omnibus, it's very good, even if you've seen the show, it's a whole lot darker, and the third book (as far as I've read) goes apeshit nuts and brings in a whole fantastical supernatural theme. The one downside was that it may have ruined the show for me a bit, because I see what the show COULD have been. Although to be fair, it may be the shitty soap opera drama going on in the fourth season that's ruining the show for me.

I also have a long commute, so I listen to audiobooks, the following are some that I have only listened to.

- Clive Cussler: Dirk Pitt Novels. Marine Engineer saves the world, like 20 times. James Bond-esque adventure novels, reasonably humourous, and they come in BULK. One of the novels got made into Sahara (the film), and after reading the book, I can see why the author sued the production studio. The text was infinitely better... and I quite liked Sahara (the film).

- Neil Gaiman - American Gods, Anansi Boys, Neverwhere These books are good, read them. Supernaturally themed and comedy lined.

- Jasper Fforde: The Thursday Next series (thursday next is the name of the main character). These are easily the most absurdist books I've ever experienced. I was hunting for something Pratchett-esque, and I don't think it's quite there, but they are quite funny nonetheless. In a contemporary setting with a very very very alternative history, Thursday Next is a literary detective who ends up with the ability to travel within books. It's worth reading just for the dementedness. (British Author)

Excellent thread, Harb. Will post more after carving Chips' arse up in Coda.

I'd like to give an honourable mention to Robert Jordan - anyone who fell off the Wheel of Time bandwagon, or who gave up when they heard he died - go read the latest book. No seriously, it's the best since the first five.

If you are up for some religion bashing Philip Pullman's series "Northern Lights" is quite deep in its religious references.

I have enjoyed the deepth of JRR Tolkein's Lord of the Rings books. Not just the three books but also the Hobbit, The Silmarillion and the Unfinished Tales.

seconding the terry pratchett and neil gaiman sentiments - both fucking excellent authors. and Peter F Hamilton is a sci-fi godz0r.

George R R Martin's epic Song of Ice and Fire series is well worth a read - a fantasy world where mythical creatures exist but very few people have seen them now. masses upon masses of intrigue backed by characters (and a fuckton at that) with their own drives. a very rich series. His collected short stories (like Gaiman's) are awesome.

Bernard Cornwell, who writes mainly historical fiction. his books are researched to hell and back and it shows in the settings he picks to play out his latest epic. If you're into medieval check him out - start with Vagabond and read that series. He writes a lot of US Civil War stuff too, but i hate that era in history so haven't read those. he's done a few other books dealing with king arthur and stone henge as well - also really enjoyable. I'm currently loving his latest book, The Burning Land, which is part of a series that covers the period the Danes arse-raped England.

Orson Scott Card has written some timeless classics too - Ender's Game (fuck you harry potter!) and it's sequels as well as the Tales of Alvin Maker were/are both definitive collections for their genres. this is the man that coined the term Xenocide.

if you like fantasy at all - you REALLY have to have these books:
Amazon.com: Legends: Stories By The Masters of Modern Fantasy (9780765300355): Robert Silverberg, Stephen King, Robert Jordan, Orson Scott Card, Terry Goodkind, Anne McCaffrey: Books
Amazon.com: Legends II: New Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy (9780345456441): Robert Silverberg, Raymond E. Feist Robert Silverbert, Elizabeth Haydon Tad Williams, Megan Lindholm as Robin Hobb, Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, Neil Gaim
Amazon.com: Legends-Vol. 3 Stories By The Masters of Modern Fantasy (Legends (Tor)) (9780812566642): Robert Silverberg, Terry Pratchett, Ursula K. Le Guin, Tad Williams, Robert Jordan: Books
they're an absolute must. there isn't one author in those books that I haven't added to my must read list.

Loved the tip from you guys a while back about Hamilton - loved the Greg Mandell series.

Loved Magician when I first read it - went on to read all plus the Empire series.

May I be the first to mention Douglas Adams - a cliche for this audience I know, but I'd like to especially get people onto the Dirk Gently books - so good ("the fundamental interconnectedness of all things" - awesome stuff).

Oh, and a good audiobook series is the Red Dwarf books read by Chris Barrie (Rimmer).

Dont limit Feist to the Midkemia based books - Faerie Tale was awesome also :) For a good, easy and enjoyable read, David Eddings Elenium and Tamuli are good.

I'd also heavily recommend some Steven King - The Dark Tower series is quite good, IT is a fantastic book and The Tommyknockers is hands down the creepiest book I have ever read (okay so it was 20 years ago, my opinion may change if i were to read it again, but it was still an awesome, awesome book)

What about the Twi.. just kidding.

I've enjoyed the books I've read so far by Matthew Reilly, and my wife bought me Ben Elton's latest "Meltdown" for Christmas which I'm about half way through. I'm enjoying that also so I may give his earlier ones a look once I'm done.

found an engine for recommending authors based on other authors.

Gnooks - Welcome to the World of Literature

and the literature map.

Literature-Map - The tourist map of literature

Haven't got a clue whether they're any good, but they're worthwhile for providing something in the realm of what you're after I suppose.

There are only two books that I suggest anybody read, and they're both by Eiji Yoshikawa. They are "Musashi" and "Taiko". Both are massively fucking epic.

half way through reading the new Ender book (Ender in Exile) by Orson Scott Card - loving it so far, set directly after the events of Ender's Game, it's interesting to watch the characters growing towards those in the sequels.

Anything by Jack Higgins is a good read; particularly the eagle has landed and the eagle has flown.

If you like star trek, anything by michael jan friedman or Judith and Garfield Reeves-Stevens are stand outs among the masses of trek fiction

Quote from paladin;376892:
I'd also heavily recommend some Steven King - The Dark Tower series is quite good, IT is a fantastic book and The Tommyknockers is hands down the creepiest book I have ever read (okay so it was 20 years ago, my opinion may change if i were to read it again, but it was still an awesome, awesome book)

Just ordered the seven books in the Dark tower series, will give an update when I've read them :P

allow me harb: awesome fucking awesomeness. there was talk of the dark tower becoming a tv show awhile back - shame it didnt pan out :/

no mention of david gemmel yet? I was always fond of the jerusalem man chronicles. Also Brandon Sanderson Mistborn is really great so no surprise they got him to finish off the wheel of time

One of the best fantasy authors I have read to date is Robin Hobb. The Farseer Trilogy, The Liveship Traders Trilogy & The Tawny Man Trilogy (best read in that oder) Don't be thrown off by the first person writing its easily up there with my favourite series of all time. Liveship traders is written differently about different people but intersects with the assassin.

The farseer books were good, though there was a point there it felt like Hobb was just killing time 'til the next book

Quote from DoWhatUWant;378894:
no mention of david gemmel yet? I was always fond of the jerusalem man chronicles. Also Brandon Sanderson Mistborn is really great so no surprise they got him to finish off the wheel of time

lion of macedon was good.

2 Good Australian Authors

Robert G Barrett, his character Les Norton will have you in stitches with his home grown humour and antics, his other books are good reads

Matthew Reily, HIGHLY addictive, fast paced action, very good tho I do recommend that you buy the series (when it is a series) as a whole and not be waiting 18 months to find out what happens on what is sometimes literally a cliffhanger.

An also decent read is Lee Child, the Jack Reacher series has been pretty good so far ( still reading ), a well paced murder/mystery/thriller

okay this thread needs locking - Matthew Reilly is a travesty unto literature and all his 'works' (can't seriously call that rectal sputum work) should be individually burnt at the stake. It's like reading the playtime ramblings of a bunch of children in a school yard - "wouldnt it be cool if he swung a lamborghini on top of a wall and balanced it there while it slid past an exploding truck!!!!!!" - with all the attention to continuity, character development, and even rudimentary physics you would expect from said ramblings.

edit: sorry, I'm still really cut over the $5 I utterly wasted on one of his books.

so sort of like the bastard child of rowling and meyer?

Other than finally starting The Wheel of Time since there's actually now an end in sight, something less fiction-like is The Pyjama Game.

Is about Judo and its history but is a good general read as it covers history and an old fart's start into the martial art while taking a light hearted tone.

Also because I'm fucking lazy.

Quote:
'Excellent...a classic in its genre' Robert Twigger, Sunday Times 'One of the year's most entertaining sports books, and the best one to be written about a martial art since Robert Twigger's Angry White Pyjamas. It's lively, it's witty and, above all, so persuasively enthusiastic that by the end you'll find yourself feeling an intense urge to try it for yourself' James Delingpole, Mail on Sunday 'This is damn fine stuff, and will entertain and enlighten an audience far beyond the confines of the dojo' Andrew Baker, Daily Telegraph Mark Law's book is the first literary sports book on the most popular of the martial arts. Law took up judo at 50; he follows the history of the sport back to its Samurai beginnings, profiles the legends of judo from the Japanese Kimura to the giant Dutchman Geesink, and at his London club even finds himself battling Brian Jacks, the former BBC Superstars champion. Superbly well written, intellectually rigorous and brilliantly witty, this is a magisterial exploration of a sport practised by thousands in Britain, but still one of the most enigmatic of pastimes. Mark Law is Editor of the online magazine The First Post (www.thefistpost.co.uk). He has been a member of a judo club for some years. He lives in London.

Quote from Aegis;378984:
okay this thread needs locking - Matthew Reilly is a travesty unto literature and all his 'works' (can't seriously call that rectal sputum work) should be individually burnt at the stake. It's like reading the playtime ramblings of a bunch of children in a school yard - "wouldnt it be cool if he swung a lamborghini on top of a wall and balanced it there while it slid past an exploding truck!!!!!!" - with all the attention to continuity, character development, and even rudimentary physics you would expect from said ramblings.

edit: sorry, I'm still really cut over the $5 I utterly wasted on one of his books.

Sounds like your general internet forum as well actually, you know, the kinda thing you don't take seriously

Booko: Compare book & DVD prices in Australia with Booko

it's staticice for books, includes major overseas sources.

Peter F Hamilton - Evolutionary Void is due out in about 63 days for the british published paperback edition.

Third book of the Void series, I know theres a few people on GU who would be interested.

I messed up and pre-ordered from the uk book depository, found out the US book depository is offering 50% off, so only about "1

http://www.bookdepository.com/book/9781405088954/The-Evolutionary-Void

and they have a 10% off voucher system out at the moment.

http://www.bookdepository.com/love.

Quote from Harbinger;385893:
Peter F Hamilton - Evolutionary Void is due out in about 63 days for the british published paperback edition.

Third book of the Void series, I know theres a few people on GU who would be interested.

I messed up and pre-ordered from the uk book depository, found out the US book depository is offering 50% off, so only about "1

The Evolutionary Void by Peter F. Hamilton - 9781405088954 at The Book Depository

and they have a 10% off voucher system out at the moment.

Our 6th Birthday The Book Depository.

/girlyscream

Edit:

Ta, ordered it for "0.34. Now just have to waaaiiiittt.

Quote from Aegis;378893:
allow me harb: awesome fucking awesomeness. there was talk of the dark tower becoming a tv show awhile back - shame it didnt pan out :/

Did you actually read the books? If I hadn't bought all seven in one go I never would have read them.

Book one was not comfortable to read, it just didn't flow. Book two and three were starting to get good, but then book four was flat out boring, it took me three months to finally get through it. The only thing that motivated me to finish was the upcoming Peter F. Hamilton.

Books 5, 6 and 7 were actually quite gripping, but the ending was RUBBISH.

Overall it felt exactly like you'd expect from a story written over a period of 22 years, started by a unexperienced teenage writer. I found it quite clumsy and required a lot of license from me the reader because the story really didn't feel properly fleshed out at any time.

So while I don't really regret reading it, if I could tell my past self not to bother, I would. If only to save "00 on books I really doubt I'll read again.

haha and at this point i say " i only read up to book 4 and got bored waiting for him to release the rest" =)

I just knocked over Wildcards VIII - best of the lot so far i reckon. if you like superhero stuff with a realistic vibe to it.

also just bought a copy of Patrick Rothfuss' Name of the Wind - apparently an excellent fantasy book recommended by a bunch of people on the GON forums who like Song of Ice and Fire. Will let you know if it was a literary RickRoll...

Jim Butcher - Codex Alera

From the same author as the Dresden Files, this is a medieval fantasy setting series, six books in all. Story revolves around a boy without magic growing up in a place where everyone has it. Book had good characters, fairly good humour about it, and a decent plot even.

Now I just need to finish the latest Dresden novel, then kill time waiting for evolutionary void :D

+1 for David Gemmell
Another excellent fantasy series is Steven Erikson's Malazan Empire books.

[QUOTE=Harbinger;385893]Peter F Hamilton - Evolutionary Void is due out in about 63 days for the british published paperback edition.
[/url].[/QUOTE]

15 days.

Yep just finished last dresden novel 20 minutes ago, about to restart from book one of commonwealth saga.

Just as a note, I can't recommend Dresden files enough. The books are short, but there isn't many points where I can put them down.

the last one was book 12.

Any of you into True Crime?

And why can't I find any of these authors in ebook format :/

It has been said that Ray Bradbury writes rather well - here's proof:
Fuck Me, Ray Bradbury • UCB Comedy

Quote from Milenko;387921:
Any of you into True Crime?

And why can't I find any of these authors in ebook format :/

Amazon has all the jim butcher novels in ebook.

I assume you mean "ebook" format.

Quote from Harbinger;387912:
Yep just finished last dresden novel 20 minutes ago, about to restart from book one of commonwealth saga.

Might have to start reading faster.

Quote:
I am pleased to let you know that we have just received notification that your pre-ordered book has been made available by the publisher.

This book will be dispatched to you in the next few days.

yeah not gonna make it, finishing book one tonight.

Quote from Harbinger;387955:
Amazon has all the jim butcher novels in ebook.

I assume you mean "ebook" format.

Yea - however I'm trying to avoid paying for them :p

Quote from Jay;388363:
Might have to start reading faster.

Guess not

Quote from Book decuntitory:

I am terribly sorry to inform you that on this occasion we have been unable to fulfil part of your order.

This line has been cancelled and we have refunded your card.

reordered for "6.50

bastards.

<3 book depository - getting the Absolute Sandman books air freighted for free (with a minimal price increase over Amazon's normal prices excluding freight) was friggin awesome.

Incidentally, whether you're into comics or not, I can't recommend Neil Gaiman's Sandman series enough. Some utter fucking brilliance in there (enough to merit it winning the World Fantasy Award for best short fiction - something that has never been won by a comic, and never can be again as the rules were changed immediately afterward to prevent a comic being eligible). Also, because it's Neil Gaiman - forget NOTHING. Everything he has in his stories is there for a reason as per proper story telling - not like that Matthew Reilly tripe where things are only there 'coz thay sownd cool'.

Quote from Aegis;388502:
<3 book depository

Apparently you missed where they just cancelled our preorders for no reason. :p

apparently you missed where I saved somewhere close to "00 on freight and didn't have to wait 6 weeks for the books i ordered :P

This is an awesome thread Harbinger

My books are
Star Trek Books All but i still need more
Frank herbert's Dune Books

i just need suggestions on good books im more Sci fi and stuff like the Doom, Star Trek dune type

read some real sci-fi - Hamilton books mentioned earlier in the thread, Ben Bova, Ray Bradbury,etc. Asimov tells good stories, but like Tolkien, his style isn't for everyone.

heck, given you like City of heroes and champions, give the Wild Cards series a go (edited by the fucking legendary George R R Martin) - they've just started re-releasing them so you dont have to throw away $$ on eBay for hard to find books.

Quote from Jay;388503:
Apparently you missed where they just cancelled our preorders for no reason. :p

I think there was a perfectly good reason. The pre-orders were cheaper than the full price, and they are cunts.

Quote from Xolares;388508:
This is an awesome thread Harbinger

My books are
Star Trek Books All but i still need more
Frank herbert's Dune Books

i just need suggestions on good books im more Sci fi and stuff like the Doom, Star Trek dune type

Im a HUGE star trek fan, but for some reasons the books just dont seem to hold my attention.
And if your a nerd/geek and dont like dune you deserve to be stoned to death.

Atm im reading a series of 7 books called "the wardstone chronicles" that are actually aimed at 12 year old, but ive noticed that as an older person you see a darker side to the story that kids wouldnt even notice, and TBH im really enjoying them.

Quote from Ratty;388518:
Im a HUGE star trek fan, but for some reasons the books just dont seem to hold my attention.
And if your a nerd/geek and dont like dune you deserve to be stoned to death.

Atm im reading a series of 7 books called "the wardstone chronicles" that are actually aimed at 12 year old, but ive noticed that as an older person you see a darker side to the story that kids wouldnt even notice, and TBH im really enjoying them.

Shatner books based on Mirror universe Emperor Tiberius, Picard VS Kirk,Spock, Mirror Spock, Scotty and others and a oranisation Based in Federation like Section 31 but is unknown to Starfleet and is more advanced Warships to fight incursions From mirror universe and has more eugenic Soldiers there good books Startrek.com Store is were i get my ST books from and others from Ebay

for someone who reads, you sure can't read.
Quote:
some reasons the books just dont seem to hold my attention.

im saying he might like those books i found them a lot better than most

Quote from Xolares;388525:
im saying he might like those books i found them a lot better than most

NOW you're saying that. BEFORE you said OMGZ THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS AND THIS!

HAHAHA, ive seen the mirror universe stuff, but TBH thats my least favourite story arc in the shows.
I was always a Fan of the federation vs klingon, the ferengi (not sure why they just interesting), and i like most the vulcan/ romulan stuff.

Sci fi.
David Webbers books are fun reads. The Honor Harrington series is good and well worth a ready by anyone who likes sci fi. Think Hornblower in space, I believe the Honor character is who Captain Janway was based on.

Jack Campbell The lost fleet series is more military Sci-Fi, well written.

Moving away from Military sci fi
C.J. Cherryh The Chanur Saga are some of the best sci fi books I've read recently. If you like star trak I'm certain you will love this, however this will be a much heavier read.

Alan Steele, Coyote is about a man trapped on an alian planet trying to get home and is also a good read.

In general if you are after fun easy reads anything by David Webber or David Drake is good.

If you liked Herberts Rama series I would also recommend the Evergence Trilogy and the Orphans Trilogy by Sean Williams & Shane Dix

hah Honor Harrington - awesome, had forgotten about those books

Quote from Aegis;388526:
NOW you're saying that. BEFORE you said OMGZ THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS THIS AND THIS!

Omg lame another lame Forum Spammer for the day = Ignore XD
Dont nitpick every person you find makes you look like an ass!!

Quote:
Sci fi.
David Webbers books are fun reads. The Honor Harrington series is good and well worth a ready by anyone who likes sci fi. Think Hornblower in space, I believe the Honor character is who Captain Janway was based on.

Jack Campbell The lost fleet series is more military Sci-Fi, well written.

Moving away from Military sci fi
C.J. Cherryh The Chanur Saga are some of the best sci fi books I've read recently. If you like star trak I'm certain you will love this, however this will be a much heavier read.

Alan Steele, Coyote is about a man trapped on an alian planet trying to get home and is also a good read.

In general if you are after fun easy reads anything by David Webber or David Drake is good.

If you liked Herberts Rama series I would also recommend the Evergence Trilogy and the Orphans Trilogy by Sean Williams & Shane DixI have not read any of them i think.

Quote from Xolares;388537:
I have not read any of them i think.
Well that list should last you a year.

Quote from morge;388539:
Well that list should last you a year.

Cool ill have a look on ebay XD should keep me going till i find Doom Book 3 Infernal Sky since its so hard to find other than amazon

Quote from Xolares;388537:
Omg lame another lame Forum Spammer for the day = Ignore XD
Dont nitpick every person you find makes you look like an ass!!

forum spammer? pot calling the fridge black much?

Do you sometimes just find stuff after you talk?
[Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=emeBWkgr3pc]

[Attachment 7478]

Towers of Midnight by Robert Jordan, Brandon Sanderson - 9781841498683 at The Book Depository

40 Days and counting. "8.76.

2nd last one, just a couple more years and I'll be able to read them :P

haha nice, I'm just finishing off Warriors at the moment: Warriors by George R R Martin, Gardner Dozois - 9780765320483 at The Book Depository

[Image: http://images.bookdepository.co.uk/assets/images/book/large/9780/7653/9780765320483.jpg]
Not a bad read, though not quite up to the standard of the Legends books
Legends: Short Novels by the Masters of Modern Fantasy (Legends (Tor)) by Robert Silverberg, Tad Williams, Robert Jordan, Terry Pratchett, Ursula K Le Guin - 9780606196604 at The Book Depository

once i finish Legends vol3 I'm onto the 'robert jordan' book I've had sitting there since january :)

Just finished reading evolutionary void, third book in the void series by Peter F Hamilton.

Followed my rule of not reading any till they were all finished, and then re-read the commonwealth saga beforehand.

The series is excellent. I had a lot of difficulty putting any of the three books down, at any point in the story. Which considering they're all 700+ pages long is saying something. Also explains why i'm writing this at 2.30am.

Thoroughly recommend this series, along with all his other books.

edit: You definitely should read the commonwealth saga before you read this series. It might not be wholly necessary, but it gives you a proper backstory and reading this series first will fuck up the commonwealth saga.

Adding a few things I've read recently that I can recommend to people.

Joseph Heller - Catch 22 - I think this was good.

Robert A. Heinlein - The moon is a harsh mistress - I liked this novel.

Mike Carey - Felix Castor Novels, 5 novels in all, so far.
Follows an exorcist in Modern-ish London, in a world where ghosts are a well known fact, and demons etc, get around, stuff happens. Felix investigates stuff, kills ghosts, finds bad guys, etc. etc. Quite similar to the Dresden files, which is why I read them. Author also did a lot of work on the Hellblazer graphic novels, which is what the movie Constantine was based on.

Just one I remembered recently,

Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman - The Death Gate cycle
Interesting take on magic and junk. I've read the 7 novels in the series three or four times. Highly recommended.

I also have read quite a lot of mediocre pap.
Robin Hobb -> everything? I mostly read the Assassin's books, with Fitz the whiny assassin. Can't honestly say I enjoyed it, it was kind of slow, and the protagonist was possibly a bit of a retard, and definitely a dick. Similar to the chronicles of Thomas Covenant, protagonist is a leper, gets transported to another world where he's not a leper, immediately rapes some bird, and then feels bad about it for UNTIL THE END OF TIME. Or the end of the book, one of those, it was difficult to tell the difference. I've met people who liked that book, people are fucked.

Dan Simmons - Hyperion. Apparently this is science fiction, and it's funny? it bounces between main characters, they're all completely impossible to relate to, there may have been some concentration on science fiction there somewhere. I never actually got the feeling that there was something to overcome. Everyone involved are complete arsehats, I stopped reading after the second book of four, because there was some kind of maybe a conclusion, even though there was no answers provided to all the stupid. It was like watching anime.

Also in terms of book news, theres a new Dresden Files out, which I didn't notice, and just to be weird, theres a new sword of truth. In case you weren't paying attention, Terry Goodkind finished the sword of truth series, he dropped the last novel into the bowl, flushed it out to stores and says "All done here", wanders off to write some DIFFERENT SHIT. Which turns out to be still slightly attached to the Sword of Truth novels. Turns out noone liked that book, so he immediately runs back to writing sword of truth books. "The Omen Machine" - Terry Goodkind, out now.

I haven't read it yet, I suspect it's shit.

Joe Abercrombie - The First Law Trilogy. (The Blade Itself, Before they are Hanged, Last Argument of kings)

Awesome story, good characters. Medieval fantasy setting. Top quality dialogue and some good comedy.

Also lots of swearing and chopping up of people.

Read it.

enjoying GRRM's Dance with Dragons - however he could've halved the size of the book by cutting out a lot of the fucking descriptive shit...

now im kinda exicted about this book : Scarecrow & The Army Of Thieves by Matthew Reilly.

Scarecrow & The Army Of Thieves by Matthew Reilly | Dymocks

At an abandoned Soviet base in the Arctic, the battle to save the world has begun...
:D

oh dear christ.. i'm sure we've had the Matthew Reilly discussion in this thread previously :P

this is for books worth reading, not books that validate Nazi Germany's book burning process ;P

Quote from The Happy Devil;400377:
now im kinda exicted about this book : Scarecrow & The Army Of Thieves by Matthew Reilly.

Scarecrow & The Army Of Thieves by Matthew Reilly | Dymocks

At an abandoned Soviet base in the Arctic, the battle to save the world has begun...
:D

sooo basically ice station mixed with area7? sounds good :D

Quote from Harbinger;399849:
"The Omen Machine" - Terry Goodkind, out now.

I haven't read it yet, I suspect it's shit.

Yep. Also, it's the first book in a trilogy I suspect, although more accurately it's the first part of a book, and he's going to poop out some more parts later on at full book price.

Haha he is my favourite author. Closely followed by terry pratchett

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Meet the guy his target market is teenage boys it is the bloke equivalent of twilight.

Hospital Babylon, it's basically a 24 hour account of an A&E ward in London somewhere, taken from interviews and stories from doctors and nurses, well worth the read, some hilarious things in it especially the games the med students play while raiding the drug cabinet.

Sandman Slim - Richard Kadrey

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Just finished this one, very short book but I liked it a lot, plenty of action and murdering. It's an urban fantasy about a magician assassin who has returned from hell to wreak vengeance. It's good. Plenty of violence and humour.

Recommended.

Also it's a series of books now, I haven't read the other two yet.

The Mistborne Trilogy - Brandon Sanderson

This is the author who is finishing the wheel of time. Solid characters, good story.

i think ill add one or two

Creator Frank Herbert and continued work by Kevin J Anderson and Brian Herbert
The story is EPIC and if these where made into a movie it would complete me but still afew more books to be released! The newest book is Sisterhood of DUNE!

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Quote from Xolares;388508:
This is an awesome thread Harbinger

My books are
Star Trek Books All but i still need more
Frank herbert's Dune Books

i just need suggestions on good books im more Sci fi and stuff like the Doom, Star Trek dune type

You already said dune. Also, Dune (1984) - IMDb

*waits for the geek-out about patrick stewart being in the movie*

Also 2 TV mini series

yeah, but we don't mention those

dont forget it also has sting acting lol. i loved the video game spinoff though it was awesome

Just finished reading the Malazan: Book of the fallen.

This is a Fantasy Decalogy written by Steven Erikson, it's very very good. Vast range of characters and plotlines, all ties up nicely in the end.

Quite a complicated story, but rewarding. Has quite a bit of philosophising in it, might also be described as random meandering gibberish, tomato potato.

just finished Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (thanks Harb) - great little cyberpunk book about a samurai hacker who delivers pizza for the Mob.

Also knocked over Terry Pratchett's (with Stephen Baxter) new book The Long Earth - interesting book but kind of a fizzler of an ending and felt no investment in the characters. :(

Finished Book 2 of the Princes In Amber series - I still don't know whether I should be calling these sci-fi or fantasy... great old books though.

and speaking of Brandon Sanderson, have also caught up with the Wheel of Time again - god damn, this guy can write.

Brandon Sanderson is a favourite. Fantastic how many books he has coming out - two this year alone with more quickly on the way. Ten planned for Way of Kings! :)

10? nice :D

Just finished reading the Saga of the Seven Suns - Kevin J. Anderson

Read this because it was "epic space opera comparable to PF Hamiltons work."

Utter rubbish. It was essentially space magic masquerading as scifi. I generally get angry when one of the main characters seems to be retarded, ALL THE CHARACTERS ARE RETARDED.

Why did I read all seven books? I have no idea, it was very annoying.