Best american literature books according to redditors
We found 6,075 Reddit comments discussing the best american literature books. We ranked the 2,375 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 6,075 Reddit comments discussing the best american literature books. We ranked the 2,375 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
The Amber Chronicles by Roger Zelazny A royal family whose members can just walk into alternate realities.
It's already written
Top rated!
Most read
Top 5 most favorited, by %
unweighted results
Thank you everyone who voted. While I was graphing the results, (which you should definitely look at in more detail because there are more than 1 graphs ^), given the crazy number of you who said you love the Culture Series, I was pretty much scrambling to get a hold of it.
All calculations and graphics were made using Excel.
To complete the list, I used this compilation, and suggestions from both r/books and r/scifi.
Most Read: Hitchhiker's Guide, Ender's Game, 1984, Dune, Brave New World, in that order.
Least Read, most loved: Vorkosigan Saga, and A Fire upon the Deep
Highest rated: Hitchhiker's Guide/Culture Series (tie).
I've uploaded the raw data here.
Book 1: The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Book 2: The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss
Book 3: The Doors of Stone by Patrick Rothfuss
Mars is very very amazing. So much about it screams Terraform ME!!
The Martian Day is only 30minutes longer than earth.
It would have 4 seasons due to a similar inclination in its tilt.
Possibly vast amounts of underground water.
Sigh.. Best books I ever read.
Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
I'm reading this book for the second time right now. It's amazing. Don't think. Just buy it right now! The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Book-Amber-Chronicles/dp/0380809060
http://www.amazon.com/The-Guns-South-Harry-Turtledove/dp/0345384687
Pretty good novel on that very topic. People go back in time and give the Confederacy AK-47s. Which they end up curb stomping the Union Army.
Check out "The Martian" by Andy Weir! It's a phenomenal novel about what would happen if we had missions to Mars in the near future....... And what would happen if someone got left behind.
If you are interested, I highly recommend the speculative [Mars trilogy by K.S. Robinson] (http://amzn.com/0553560735). More than just about the colonization and terraforming, the books go deep into the geopolitical ramifications of having a new colony.
Plus, Robinson is a kickass author. My second favorite after Asimov.
In Red Mars, they use a combination of techniques to enrich the atmosphere. The most effective was to aerobrake a series of comets through the atmosphere, melting the ice and adding gases.
Lucifers Hammer - Pre and post asteroid impact.
One Second After - Post EMP, this is well written but the setup is a little to perfect. If you're a dad you will probably cry.
Patriots - Post financial collapse. This one has a decent premise but parts of it are really bad. There is also at least one sequel/prequel/companion.
I have no clue how you are dating someone who has fundamental values and beliefs that are so divergent from your own. It just doesn't make any sense to me. My boyfriend and I argue from time to time about facets or aspects of feminism, but never whether it is justified or needed. We'd never have even started dating if we didn't share such basic views and understandings about society and culture.
I've tried dating even semi-conservative guys in the past, and to me it might as well have been Rush Limbaugh. I'm an above-average political and opinionated person, to be fair, but I still don't get how anyone can think they could possibly "reconcile" such adamant misogyny with a loving, healthy relationship.
I'll agree with your boyfriend on one thing. That "Men are from Mars, Women are from Venus" shit is trite and and does try to over-classify men and women. True, some of the stuff about communication may resonate with you, but the philosophical foundation upon which stuff like that is written is unintelligent and decidedly antifeminist.
When people come to Reddit with boyfriend or girlfriend problems, I usually advocate just working things out, but this is one of the rare occasions in which I will say it's best to just give up. He is a close-minded, controlling, rude human being and needs to realize how his regressive worldview can and will negatively affect his relationships. Maybe leave him a copy of this book on your way out the door and hope he doesn't burn it.
The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. And more.
But Julie! I thought "Feminism is for Everybody"?
>When anything true but damning about men as a class comes up, such as they do less childcare and housework, and are paid more than women, there will likely be a twee little intervention, such as 'present company accepted', or 'Nigel is OK though'.
>In recent years, the cry of 'we need more men in feminism'. and 'we must include men' has been creeping in. To counter the accusations of man-hating that feminists like me face all the time, many of the more liberal, 'fun' feminists' bend over backwards to tell men that feminism will fail without their intervention. But the whole point of the women's liberation movement is that is challenges and seeks to overthrow male supremacy, and to liberate women from the shackles of patriarchy. it goes without saying that most men will take exception to this. We wish to remove the privilege they are granted at birth. Feminism is a threat to men, and so it should be.
Drops the mic
While not my favorite ever I really enjoyed the Otherland series (only four volumes but each book is fairly large).
It's entertaining cyberpunk and features some interesting looks at the future. Very enjoyable read.
Another (shorter) series that is good for a quick read and a lighter introduction to scifi is The Risen Empire. Split into two parts (although together they would have made an only slightly-large novel) it's along the border of Hard Scifi and "pulp scifi". I'd consider it as an okay introduction to hard scifi.
Which leads me to the third and forth series, Alastair Reynold's Revelation Space. Reynold's is hard scifi, meaning that there are points where he spends twice as much time describing the technical details when character advancement would be very much welcome. However, this also means he takes into account things like relativistic travel and how boring space battles would be to spectators. Awesome books though.
Last but not least is the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. It's hard scifi that doesn't lose sight of character development. Also, out of all the books I've mentioned I'd have to call it the most "realistic" as the technological point at which it starts could conceivably be reached in the next decade or so.
All enjoyable reads, all enjoyable scifi. After (or during) these don't forget to check out classics like Asimov, Clarke, Heinlein, Banks, etc. Especially Asimov's Foundation books or the short(ish) story Nightfall, although the original short story can easily be considered better than the expanded version linked (so you might want to stop reading when you reach the end of the original).
My personal favourites are;
Links to the aforementioned books;
Admit nothing, I steal from Rothfuss when I can! That guy is a master. I've cherrypicked a ton of important things from Kingkiller for my campaigns, like the Cthea, copperhawks, and tinkers. It also taught me how to use the feywild properly in my campaigns.
Rothfuss did something Tolkeinn didn't do: he sweat the details. In Middle Earth (which has entire ages of mythology and theology, empires, wars, and kingdoms) you can walk from Hobbiton to Minas Tirith and never spend a dime. There's no commerce. Everyone is a subsistence farmer or a soldier or a king. Bilbo and Frodo didn't even have jobs.
These aren't the things that Tolkeinn got excited about, and that's fine. They're still great books. But Rothfuss has multiple currencies with complex conversion rates, moneylenders, entire industries. He describes how patrons and players work, how small towns work, all kinds of day-to-day problems that they have to live with. His books read like a primer on fantasy world-building.
I steal from Rothfuss all the time to flesh out my campaign world, and I have no problem attributing some of my best ideas to him--many of which were his ideas in the first place.
Are you looking for a wizard in training type of book? Try The Name of the Wind.
this is actually the plot of a great erotic novel by Nicholson Baker called "The Fermata." a guy finds out that he can stop time and basically just uses it for elaborate masturbation fantasies.
https://www.amazon.com/Fermata-Nicholson-Baker/dp/0679759336
enjoy!
That's not the only one. Though not a supervolcano, I've been talking about Mt. Vesuvius for months now. There's been increased earthquake activity in the region and several years ago experts gave that one an 85% chance of a major eruption within this century. It last erupted (minor) in 1944 during WWII. Yet, people keep building there. Not good building either. They toss up cheap structures in "the red zone" (of roughly 800k people) as if they are taunting the damn thing. Not good. That eruption would kill or displace millions.
Yellowstone is quite another beast. That right there is a global event. Everyone, and everything on Earth would be affected in some way, however measurable.
We're not prepared for anything like that. Our short-sighted society isn't adequately tracking meteors, we're not prepared for supervolcanos, we're not prepared for a 2" rise in sea level. Nothing. Anything like this happens, we're screwed. Time is ticking towards the inevitable.
There's three main power grids in the US, all with old infrastructure and overwhelming demands placed upon them. Just knocking one of those out for a month would be catastrophic. No fuel pumps, no sewage pumps, no clean water, no heat, no trucks moving freight into stores. Things would go south quickly. We're far too comfy. No one can really survive without modernity anymore. The rich knows what's up. "Spez", the head of this very website, is building bunkers--along with thousands of other people doing the same. He's smart for doing it too.
I'd go so far as to say if Yellowstone erupted, societal collapse would be almost a certainty for the survivors. You know what, though? However morbid it sounds, I think society almost needs an event like this. The video OP didn't have much of anything notable to say, but one thing did stand out. In that they want to be sure people keep going to Walmart. Sounds about right to me..
Anyways, here's two great books I read last year with similar themes. Disregard the causation, and pay attention to the aftermath:
Ted Koppels "Lights Out" (cyberattack on the grid)
One Second After by John Matherson(EMP attack)
Wool by Hugh Howey. I was not a huge dystopian fan ... but this booked sucked me in and now I am looking for others.
Read The Martian it is surprisingly accurate and super entertaining.
When you do the Racial Sympathy storyline quests for the Skritt, at one point when the lead Skritt enters the hive, the player character and the mentor will comment on how the Skritt suddenly became smarter. That's the cue for the Skritt to explain why.
It's little dialogue and not a click through , which can be missed if one alt-tabs out to wait.
A similar example would be the Tines from Vernor Vinge's A Fire upon the Deep (Zones of Thought) series.
Wool by Hugh Howey and the entire Silo series.
http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Hugh-Howey/dp/1476733953
The following are some of my favorite books that I could think of off the top of my head. Hopefully you dig the list.
Since you didn't mention it I'm going to have to. Stories don't get more character-driven than Patrick Rothfuss's Kingkiller Chronicles. On top of that they are:
Well written. CHECK.
Diverse/interesting characters. CHECK.
Well thought-out Fantasy world. CHECK.
.
I apologize if you've read this already but considering it is everything you're asking for you can't blame me for bringing it up.
Check out the official page here.
Or buy/read about the first book here.
Or if you want you can add it to your booklist on Goodreads here.
So I have a friend in jail that I regularly send books to. This doesn't cover every situation, but I assume the circumstances will be similar.
He says that the (meager) prison library is very skewed towards religious books, classics, GED materials, and low-difficulty grocery store novels. Anything other than that will be appreciated. The books most requested are thick fantasy books, activity books (sudoku, physics workbooks, etc), science non-fiction, and coffee-table books or magazines with lots of pictures. These will be swapped with other inmates so that anyone interested has a chance to read.
Some things to keep in mind:
Books that have gone over well and can be found in cheap forms:
Upvote for having the same problem as me!! I recently started on "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss. I believe it has two books so far; I usually look for series since I get so wrapped up in the stories. So far, I'm completely entertained and enthralled with the story.
Amazon Description
Bell Hooks, a fantastic feminist author, seems to think so.
http://www.amazon.com/Feminism-Is-Everybody-Passionate-Politics/dp/0896086283
I suggest giving this a read!
Might want an EVA suit. Also, good like starting a fire in near vacuum. :D
Also, if you're feeling the Mars vibe, read this book.
I think I went through this years ago, when I was attending the then-called Singularity Institute's yearly conferences and reading books like Anathem. Now I'm working hard on reverse engineering the premises and logic behind the visionary plans of the movement. Why wait for these "expected" changes to occur, when I can push them to my consciousness/mind/body NOW. I can't wait for tech to catch up.
So no, I don't go to sleep at night in awe of what I expect or hope the singularity movement(s) to deliver in the future. I'll believe that when I see it. Instead I go to bed thinking: what can I do tomorrow, what is my next step, to turn myself into the advanced human being I know I can become?
If (since) I was studying logarithms in sixth grade, I should be able to step up to the plate on this one.
Ed. 1 (to remove a word)
Ed. 2 (to add a word)
In The Guns of the South a group of time traveling South African supremacists supplies the confederate army with AK-47s.
The Chronicles of Amber
Lord Demon
This Immortal
The Iron Druid series is about an immortal druid.
Incarnations of Immortality series though the main characters aren't strictly immortal.
I couldn't recommend Steven Brust's The Book of Jhereg enough. It's the first collection of books in a series he's been writing since 1983. Every book is a great read, and the characters will really grow on you. I believe any fan of Zelazny will like Brust.
I don't read much fiction anymore, but by far my favorite fantasy series of all time is Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber. My alias for the past 15 years (Grays) is derived from that series.
It's a crossover between modern world and fantasy realm fiction. The series is split cleanly into two story arcs, each five books long. It's short--the ten book series is only 1200-ish pages, and compiled into a single volume at a very affordable $16. Very little "scenery"; his descriptions are short and use language very well to imply details of a setting while he focuses on characters and rapid dialogue.
Read the first chapter on Amazon. If you like it, get the whole thing.
One of my favorite subgenres by far, by a long run. Some of my favorites:
ESSENTIAL
Earth Abides (George Stewart) - Essential reading for the genre. It is the death of civilization by plague, and then its slow rebirth as seen through the eyes of a lone survivor. Compelling, thought-provoking ending. Again, essential reading.
Lucifer's Hammer (Niven/Pournelle)- a combo disaster book and survival book, you get both the whole surviving disaster aspect, as well as the early portions of trying to rebuild society. Since I'm also a fan of disaster/survival books, I consider this one essential reading.
The Stand (Stephen King) - Obvious choice, and all the caveats apply. It's 2/3s brilliant and 1/3 rubbish. Still, despite the poor ending, the disaster and survival parts of it are some of the best of the genre. Well worth reading.
The Road (Cormac McCarthy) - Stunning, moving, inspiring, painful, brilliant, essential. Just know you're getting no action, no suspense, no real plot to speak of. It is a boy and his father walking the ruins of society. And it is amazing.
RECOMMENDED
Farnham's Freehold (Robert Heinlein) - A family emerges from their bunker to find that nuclear war has wiped out society. Great tale of survival. The last third veers into pure science fiction and may be off-putting to some, but it's worth it for the early portions if you're into the kind of build-a-new-world-with-your-hands thing Heinlein does here.
Eternity Road (Jack McDevitt) - Set 1,000 years after a plague has wiped out most of mankind. Society has rebuilt itself to roughly 18th Century levels. An expedition from a small enclave in the American south ventures north and explores the ruins of society looking for a fabled city. I love books about exploration, lost civilizations, old ruins, etc. This one is all about that. Not top-tier stuff, but worth reading.
The Penultimate Truth (Philip K. Dick) - One of his overlooked gems. People live in bunkers, Fallout style, and hear propaganda from above. One man finally ventures above ground to see what's really happening with the world. PKDish story ensues.
The City of Ember (Jeanne DuPrau) - it's a book for younger readers, yes, but don't let that stop you. Great premise -- generations of people have lived in a city deep underground following a disaster -- fun story, good characters. The sequel, The People of Sparks is also good and picks up right where this leaves off. Did not care for the others.
ALSO CONSIDER
On The Beach (Nevil Shute) - Widely considered a classic. It's slow and melancholy, more about waiting for an inevitable death than it is about survival or rebuilding or a post-apoc world. A great book, but maybe not what you're looking for.
Dr. Bloodmoney, or How We Got Along After the Bomb (Philip K. Dick) - Like many PKD books, describing it is difficult. It boils down to a post-nuclear war world and a cast of bizarre people trying to eek out their lives in a fractured world.
Plague Year (Jeff Carlson) - A nanotech virus has forced a sparse few thousand survivors to live on remote mountaintops. A few are trying to stitch together a government and combat the virus ... but they're not all on the same page, and conflict erupts. Great premise, though doesn't quite live up to its promise. Short, though, so a quick read.
The Postman (David Brin) - almost put this in skip because in the end it veers into silly stuff with super soldiers and the like -- the book is kind of unfocused -- but there is too much goodness here to do that. Great vision of a world set many years after society has been wiped out. worth reading despite its flaws.
SKIP
Dies The Fire (SM Stirling) - A LARPers wet dream. Technology suddenly stops working. gunpowder, too. We're thrown back into the Bronze Age. Really cool premise and some GREAT stuff on fracturing society and survival and rebuilding, though to be honest the "lifelong D&D players and LARPers are the only ones fit to survive" becomes a joke by the end. Way too much of that. I started off loving it but by the time I finished found it laughable. Also, it starts a whole series (which I have not read).
If you do comics, two are essential reading: Y: The Last Man and the sprawling epic Akira. The former gets right into it and features great characters and a compelling hook, while Akira is huge huge huge, WAY bigger than the movie, and the last half is set in a post-apocalyptic world. (Well, technically it ALL is ... but if you read it you'll see what I mean.
That's what springs to mind. There are already many other good suggestions here, too. Hope that helps.
For general fantasy I've enjoyed Gentleman Bastard, The Kingkiller Chronicle, and The Broken Empire. I listen to Kingkiller Chronicle fairly often due to the amount of commuting I do where I live.
For more urban/fantasy maybe try Lives of Tao, Iron Druid Chronicles, or anything by Neil Gaiman. The anniversary edition of American Gods was really excellent on audio-book. Not sure if the others have audio editions or not.
I've also really enjoyed stuff by Drew Hayes (a webnovelist). His banner series is SuperPowereds. But I though NPCs was a great take on an old fantasy trope. Neither come in audio formats unfortunately.
Good luck.
Steven Erikson - Malazan Book of the Fallen
Brandon Sanderson - Mistborn
Brandon Sanderson - The Stormlight Archive
Peter Brett - The Demon Cycle
R. Scott Bakker - The Second Apocalypse
Joe Abercrombie - The First Law
Scott Lynch - The Gentleman Bastard
Patrick Rothfuss - The Kingkiller Chronicle
All excellent. Some slightly more excellent than others.
No problem. That specific quote is from The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss. It's a sequel to The Name of the Wind. One of the best written fantasy books around, and a great read even if you're not into the genre. Fans are eagerly awaiting the third and final book.
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey.
I thought it might be nice to try some near future space opera set within our solar system, it seems to have some great reviews.
Oh I hope Leviathan Wakes wins best novel. If anyone hasn't heard of it now's the best time to start. Quite a great read and the sequel comes out this summer.
The Guns of the South and especially How Few Remain completely changed my view of Abe Lincoln.
The Guns of the South is less important as it's much more fictionalized and involves time-travel. How Few Remain is a sort-of sequel, in that it assumes that the South was able to successfully repel the Northern Armies until an eventual armistice without the time-travel from the first book, which didn't result the events that led to the assassination of Lincoln.
Lincoln then becomes the leader of the American Socialists. I first learned in that book, because Harry Turtledove has a PhD in history, that Lincoln was an avid reader of Karl Marx as a contemporary thinker and defender of workers' rights.
I won't give away more because that's basically the back-cover version, but it's an excellent treatment of how things might have turned out differently.
The WW1 and WW2 books that follow in the "what if the south wasn't reabsorbed into the north?" timeline are also worth a read. In WW2 aliens get involved so it becomes significantly less historical, but the WW1 books are great in their discussion of early 1900s European politics.
Lucifer's Hammer by Larry Niven is pretty good.
Alas, Babylon is one of the classic post-apocalyptic scifi novels. As is a "A Canticle for Leibowitz", mentioned above.
EDIT: I just noticed that "Lucifer's Hammer" won the Hugo award, which is a big deal if you didn't already know. Another book that comes to mind that you might like is The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. Not quite the same genre, but similar, and a real classic as well. And really good!
A great series of books https://www.amazon.com/dp/B0010SKUYM/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1
!! Warning, the series isn't finished and all who've read the first 2 books are anxiously pulling our eyes out, waiting for the final book !!
I guess a little list couldn't hurt. Some of my favorites:
I could go on forever, it's an addiction. The sub-genres go on forever it really just depends on what you're into: pandemic, nuclear war, environmental, alien invasion, natural disaster, etc...
I think you're coming into this with a lot of radical views about what constitutes a feminist.
How do you date a feminist? The same way you date anyone else: be a decent Human Being with an interesting personality.
I'm a feminist and I'm a dude and I date when I can be bothered, and I can earnestly say I've never been accused of flaunting my privilege or a scumbag sexist.
I'm not sure what you've read that equates feminism with a lack of romance, but it sounds like a pretty shitty brand of 'feminism' to me. I would suggest checking out an author like bell hooks if you are interested in learning about actual feminism and not whatever bizarre sect you seem to have come across.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson.
In his most ambitious project to date, award-winning author Kim Stanley Robinson utilizes years of research and cutting-edge science in the first of three novels that will chronicle the colonization of Mars.
For eons, sandstorms have swept the barren desolate landscape of the red planet. For centuries, Mars has beckoned to mankind to come and conquer its hostile climate. Now, in the year 2026, a group of one hundred colonists is about to fulfill that destiny.
John Boone, Maya Toitavna, Frank Chalmers, and Arkady Bogdanov lead a mission whose ultimate goal is the terraforming of Mars. For some, Mars will become a passion driving them to daring acts of courage and madness; for others it offers and opportunity to strip the planet of its riches. And for the genetic "alchemists, " Mars presents a chance to create a biomedical miracle, a breakthrough that could change all we know about life...and death.
The colonists place giant satellite mirrors in Martian orbit to reflect light to the planets surface. Black dust sprinkled on the polar caps will capture warmth and melt the ice. And massive tunnels, kilometers in depth, will be drilled into the Martian mantle to create stupendous vents of hot gases. Against this backdrop of epic upheaval, rivalries, loves, and friendships will form and fall to pieces--for there are those who will fight to the death to prevent Mars from ever being changed.
Brilliantly imagined, breathtaking in scope and ingenuity, Red Mars is an epic scientific saga, chronicling the next step in human evolution and creating a world in its entirety. Red Mars shows us a future, with both glory and tarnish, that awes with complexity and inspires with vision.
Amazon has a nice high res scan of the front and back. http://www.amazon.com/The-Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle/dp/0756404746
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. It is like Niven and Clarke in that the plot focuses on a big, mysterious object; however, it is a character-driven story first. The hard sci-fi elements, as they gradually emerge, deliver the goods as well. It's a great book; it won the Hugo for a reason.
Edit: Avoid reading the synopsis on amazon. I think it gives away a bit too much.
On My Shelf:
Nonfiction:
[where there is no doctor] (https://www.amazon.com/Where-There-No-Doctor-Handbook/dp/0942364155)
[where there is no dentist] (https://www.amazon.com/Where-There-Dentist-Murray-Dickson/dp/0942364058/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0942364058&pd_rd_r=P7QG34TNRGWWJ4VG3CES&pd_rd_w=zUT5r&pd_rd_wg=bQSPa&psc=1&refRID=P7QG34TNRGWWJ4VG3CES)
[emergency war surgery] (https://www.amazon.com/Emergency-War-Surgery-Survivalists-Reference-ebook/dp/B007FH3S8C/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111178&sr=1-1&keywords=war+surgery)
[Seed to Seed, a seed saving book] (https://www.amazon.com/Seed-Growing-Techniques-Vegetable-Gardeners/dp/1882424581/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111210&sr=1-1&keywords=seed+saving)
[mini farming] (https://www.amazon.com/Mini-Farming-Self-Sufficiency-Brett-Markham/dp/1602399840/ref=pd_sim_14_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1602399840&pd_rd_r=QYQGAKY6D2PJX21W5DBC&pd_rd_w=ZSjVd&pd_rd_wg=MKw9N&psc=1&refRID=QYQGAKY6D2PJX21W5DBC)
[square foot gardening] (https://www.amazon.com/All-Square-Foot-Gardening-Revolutionary/dp/1591865484/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_3?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1591865484&pd_rd_r=NW7HBPKNFJ2J8JYTR22M&pd_rd_w=kMSVD&pd_rd_wg=v6qzT&psc=1&refRID=NW7HBPKNFJ2J8JYTR22M)
[Ball Canning Guide] (https://www.amazon.com/All-Ball-Book-Canning-Preserving/dp/0848746783/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111296&sr=1-1&keywords=ball+canning)
[Steve Rinella's Big Game] (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Hunting-Butchering-Cooking/dp/081299406X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111322&sr=1-1&keywords=rinella+guide)
[Steve Rinella's Small Game] (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Guide-Hunting-Butchering-Cooking/dp/0812987055/ref=pd_bxgy_14_img_2?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0812987055&pd_rd_r=HSSM813BSWTXN5Q77P1R&pd_rd_w=j1UjP&pd_rd_wg=OWNY6&psc=1&refRID=HSSM813BSWTXN5Q77P1R)
[root cellaring] (https://www.amazon.com/Root-Cellaring-Natural-Storage-Vegetables/dp/0882667033/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111429&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=root+cellarig)
[country wisdom and know how] (https://www.amazon.com/Garden-Wisdom-Know-How-Everything-Harvest/dp/1579128378/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111470&sr=1-3&keywords=country+wisdom)
[timberframe construction] (https://www.amazon.com/Learn-Timber-Frame-Craftsmanship-Simplicity/dp/1612126685/ref=sr_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111553&sr=1-9&keywords=cabin+construction)
[Ham radio -tech] (https://www.amazon.com/ARRL-Ham-Radio-License-Manual/dp/1625950136/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492111593&sr=1-1&keywords=ham+radio)
[ham radio general] (https://www.amazon.com/General-Class-License-Manual-Amateur/dp/1625950306/ref=pd_sim_14_1?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=1625950306&pd_rd_r=12TE98J0V80PC5Z8PMNJ&pd_rd_w=EfgM9&pd_rd_wg=jqqg2&psc=1&refRID=12TE98J0V80PC5Z8PMNJ)
[The FoxFire Series ] (https://www.amazon.com/Complete-Collection-Anniversary-Editions-Anniversay/dp/B00MRH3RYU/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1492879953&sr=8-4&keywords=foxfire)
Also pickup up books on useful skills: raising rabbits, welding, different random construction books.
Fiction:
[Lucifer's Hammer] (https://www.amazon.com/Lucifers-Hammer-Larry-Niven/dp/0449208133/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492880068&sr=1-1&keywords=lucifers+hammer)
[One second After] (https://www.amazon.com/Second-After-John-Matherson-Novel/dp/0765356864/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492880115&sr=1-1&keywords=one+second+after)
[the martian] (https://www.amazon.com/Martian-Andy-Weir/dp/0553418025/ref=pd_sim_14_41?_encoding=UTF8&pd_rd_i=0553418025&pd_rd_r=D4JHG0ERDKJXA7NYCZHX&pd_rd_w=vAle5&pd_rd_wg=9wBYx&psc=1&refRID=D4JHG0ERDKJXA7NYCZHX)
[the road] (https://www.amazon.com/Road-Cormac-McCarthy/dp/0307387895/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492880272&sr=1-1&keywords=the+road0)
[alas babylon] (https://www.amazon.com/Alas-Babylon-Pat-Frank/dp/0060741872/ref=sr_1_10?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1492880316&sr=1-10&keywords=babylon)
I've just finished Leviathan Wakes, an excellent hard sci-fi space opera. A sequel should come out this summer
Damn dude, that's dark! Made me think of a good book I read once, Geek Love. It's so bizarre, but in a pretty awesomely dark way!
Steal a boat and get to deep water asap.
Edit: A great book that has an escape from the LA basin after a asteroid strike is Lucifer's Hammer
It's been a long time since I read it but I believe they escaped via an aqueduct tunnel through the mountains and then via driving on a raised railroad bed through the flooded San Joaquin Valley.
Personally, I'm headed to the middle of the ocean.
[The Martian by Andy Weir] (http://www.amazon.com/Martian-Andy-Weir/dp/0553418025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1422400259&sr=8-1&keywords=the+martian)
From Amazon:
Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.
After a dust storm nearly kills him and forces his crew to evacuate while thinking him dead, Mark finds himself stranded and completely alone with no way to even signal Earth that he’s alive—and even if he could get word out, his supplies would be gone long before a rescue could arrive.
Chances are, though, he won't have time to starve to death. The damaged machinery, unforgiving environment, or plain-old "human error" are much more likely to kill him first.
But Mark isn't ready to give up yet. Drawing on his ingenuity, his engineering skills—and a relentless, dogged refusal to quit—he steadfastly confronts one seemingly insurmountable obstacle after the next. Will his resourcefulness be enough to overcome the impossible odds against him?
That perception amongst most programmers is only because good sales people are like good programmers: rare.
The common lament that out of 10 applicants for an entry-level programming job these days, only one will actually know how to write up a linked list data structure and walk it in just one direction for one iteration, even when given their pick of programming language, half a day, any language/system reference manuals they please, no constraints on performance/efficiency/aesthetics (we just want to see you even remember a linked list, and can do some minimal programming), and no Net access? It applies in a similar manner to sales people, too.
When you see a sales person coasting along as an order taker, or worse, taking the team down a notch by overpromising and underdelivering using deceit or prevarication with the customer, you're watching a Blub sales person in action. These techniques are all they've ever known to work, and they cannot conceive of sales techniques further up the power continuum.
I do both sales and coding these days. They are each an art form when practiced by passionate, caring professionals. I'm far from proficient in either (not an avout in Anathem lingo), but I'm good enough to keep enough clients happy to have my own book of business for over 5 years. So I think I can reasonably claim to know good coders and sellers when I see them.
Leviathan Wakes
Cool book, old school hard sci-fi, features Ceres heavily.
The 1st book is Leviathan Wakes - http://www.amazon.com/dp/0316129089
Description stolen from Amazon:
Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.
Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.
Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.
Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.
I just finished Leviathan Wakes by James Corey and thought it was an enjoyable read.
This would make an interesting story similar to The Martian.
This is "Wool" by Hugh Howey.
​
https://www.amazon.com/Wool-Hugh-Howey/dp/1476733953
This book was alright but I highly recommend Wool by Hugh Howey instead. Its an post-apocalyptic story that takes place in a encapsulated society with some pretty bad ass females, including the main character! (Think Audrey Ramirez from Disney's Atlantis) Its a really quick and engrossing read.
Kingkiller Chronicles, Book 1: The Name of the Wind
Most of the time I am "in the mood" for a certain genre or type of book. I will recommend some of my favorites that are easy to read and enjoyable. With a super short summary to see if it sparks your interest.
Fantasy:
Scifi:
Awesome! Have you read One Second After? If you liked Earth Abides, definitely check that out.
Oryx and Crake was a bit of a grind to be honest. I felt like she wrote the book sitting next to a thesaurus, and intentionally used the most obscure word possible to describe something. The overall story was amazing however.
Such a good book.
​
For those who haven't read it: https://www.amazon.com/Second-After-John-Matherson-Novel/dp/0765356864
The Fermata
is a book that deals quite interestingly with just that subject.
In fantasy, either to Demons or Fey, holding someone's true name means you have control over them. Feys and Demons themselves will often go great lengths in order to conceal their own true name.
I've started reading Name of the Wind, a high fantasy novel about a wizard that deals with true names! I'm also two chapters in but I'm loving it so far.
Only because modern weaponry would allow me to keep a stand-off distance from all those scary swords and other sharp and blunt things. But then I can't help but picture all the ammo that came with me running out - and having to come to the realization that swords don't run out of ammo... painfully.
Also, OP, read Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove. Its right up your ally. Here it is on Amazon: Amazon: Guns of the South
Amazon links for books mentioned in this thread:
\/u/thetrueonion (OP)
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>To be a feminist means that you are taking the stance that the problems faced by women today are greater than problems faced by men...
I would like to start by saying that nothing in my reply is intended to sound hostile, bitter, or dismissive. That said, your attitude about feminism is representative of an extremely biased approach to understanding the issues feminists seek to address. It is indicative of a general misunderstanding of the basic ideas and (in my mind, more importantly) terminology of feminist theory.
To start with, if you can honestly find me an academically or socially recognized feminist who would truthfully assert that women should be in control and men should not, then I would be absolutely aghast. I'm not talking about some blogger or some crazy in the local paper; I'm talking about someone whose studies, writings, and or activist work has influenced a substantial portion of people identifying as feminists. Feminists do not seek to elevate women to a social or political position anywhere but equal to men. I think this common misconception stems from a grave misunderstanding of concepts/terms such as "privilege" and "patriarchy" as well as a simple judgement based on the roots of the name "Feminism" itself.
>To say men have no problems is to minimize issues that are present in the other sex...
I have never heard any learned feminist argue that in any way. If you think that the argument that women face more adversity in society is the same as saying that men face no problems then you have woefully misinterpreted the statement. If you want to play the oppression Olympics to determine who has it worse, well I suppose that's your prerogative.
What I see in your comment is a quite common issue people exhibit when confronted with feminism: a cursory examination of the name and basic definition (often flawed) is enough to convince you (not you necessarily) that feminists are antagonistic to men both as a group and individually. In reality, while feminism began as a way to give political voice to women completely without power, it has evolved into a complex and diverse school of philosophy which has as its most common element the attempt to understand social problems related to and constructed upon gender. While the most common inequalities feminists address are those that harm women, feminists have also worked to study social issues adversely affecting men. This is because, in typical feminist theory, the root causes of female social issues also adversely affect men.
For example, feminists often talk about "gender roles". What is a gender role? A gender role is a quality or act expected of someone, from birth and throughout their life, assigned to them on the basis of the gender they are assigned at birth. Gender roles that typically adversely affect women: expectations of maternal/parenting instincts, femininity, housewife roles, submissiveness. What separates a gender role from a biological quality is that, whereas a biological trait is something that may be common to a certain group (but often varies heavily within that group), a role is a social construct that denies the validity of a lifestyle not lived within that role. Consequences of breaking from one's role can range from social shaming to (in some places) outright discrimination and violence. Female gender roles harm women because they force our attitudes to condemn women who do not act/appear to act as their roles would have you believe. The flip-side to this in feminism (that feminist detractors ignore) is that men are also have expected roles. Roles such as "the provider", aloofness, strength, and masculinity. These roles provide the basis for social issues that negatively impact men: Men shouldn't hang around children because they shouldn't exhibit any qualities that seem "maternal", Men aren't good candidates for romantic relationships unless they posses material wealth, etc. As should be obvious, the same root causes of female inequality are problems for men as well!
>...only WOMEN face REAL problems, and ONLY men cause them.
As I mentioned earlier, one of the problems I think many people have with feminism comes from a profound misunderstanding of its terminology. Words/Phrases like "Male Privilege" and "Patriarchy" seem to trigger the idea that feminism means "MALES BAD. FEMALES GOOD". This is absolutely not the case. I'll admit, with just a superficial observation, the words themselves don't seem to exactly praise men (whether the words themselves and the feelings they elicit should be renamed is another argument entirely). First, Privilege refers to the idea that certain people, due to existing social prejudices deeply ingrained into every single person in that society, benefit from qualities or conditions that they had no control over. "The Patriarchy" refers to a social system by which the difference between power and no power is guided by the distinction between masculinity and femininity. Notice that it is not the distinction between men and women but the gender roles mentioned earlier: masculinity and femininity. The concept of a patriarchy is that it is circular: The patriarchy encourages that men behave in a masculine way and women in a feminine way, then those who best exhibit masculine traits overwhelmingly occupy the positions of power and influence, where they then serve as social "proof" that masculinity in males is a good thing, beginning the cycle over again. As you can see from this simple overview, feminism does not seek to blame each and every single man for being a man. It seeks to examine the fundamental forces that guide our social interactions, which existed long before any currently living person and (likely) will continue in the future. There is no "evil board of men" that feminists think are turning all the world's men into insufferable misogynists; feminism merely believes that the current system of social dynamics favors the masculine, which overwhelmingly is a trait that is forced into men. This should also be obvious: who represent the vast majority of politicians, CEOs, wealthy and/or influential people? By and large, men. Not because men are inherently evil but because society expects men to do these things, so they do. We hammer it heavily into our children (though more passively than the hammer allegory might suggest).
In summary:
-No, feminists do not think men face no problems in society.
-Feminists do think that men's social issues stem from the same root causes as those of women.
-Feminism (as widely practiced) is about studying and hopefully eliminating the forces oppressing both women and men.
-Feminists do not think all men are evil, they take issue with the idea that society dictates that all men must be X and all women must be Y, and then society determines that X is the best quality of leadership/influence. This is called patriarchy.
I don't take issue simply with your rejection of Feminism, but several statements in your response indicate that your analysis of feminism has been cursory, at best. I highly recommend Feminism is for Everybody, by Bell Hooks for a simple, short overview. I apologize for the length of this comment, I wrote it not just to you but to anyone for whom Feminism seems like dark magic. Additionally, the issues I had with your comment weren't issues that can be addressed usefully with just a quick note. These are complex issues and thus require more than a few sentences.
TL;DR, The 57 on Heinz ketchup bottles refers to the number of different types of pickles the company once sold.
Dresden Files really caught my attention. They start off as decent stand alone, but Jim Butcher just keeps building on himself, and once they get really rolling a couple in, I couldn't stop reading them. I went through them 5+ at a time.
The Alex Verus novels were also ones that once I picked up, I didn't put them down until I was done. Unfortunately, they're all quite short.
Name of the Wind I read in one sitting. Its sequel... meh... it was ok. By no means was it a bad book, just nowhere near as good as the first one, in my opinion.
Escaping Heaven. This book. I picked it up on some free kindle deal. I wasn't expecting much, but it was just so damn good. Excellent writing, very funny, well developed. I can't recommend this one enough.
One Second After by William R. Forstchen
The USA loses power[edit; read: electricity], as told from one small town in North Carolina.
Vernor Vinge. A Fire Upon the Deep redefined high-concept hard SF.
Also, Robert Reed. His "Greatship" collection is like hard SF comfort food.
> And Anita would have my respect if she talked about gender generalizations for both genders than just women. It's not Gamers Against Bigotry for her; let's be real, it's Gamers against Bigotry against Women. But somehow even though gamers are primarily men, they don't care if it does not include them.
Heya so this is a super-duper common misconception about feminism that I'll try to call out without getting too tl'dr: Feminism is not exclusively about women, but it is (necessarily) primarily about women. Why? Because the mere fact that we even have "men issues" vs "women issues" to talk about is a directly result of the historical (and ongoing) mistreatment of women. Are men affected by this divide? Of course they are. The vast, overwhelming majority of (not made up) feminists acknowledge this. We should all be interested in dealing with this problem! But we don't call it "egalitarianism", we call it "feminism" for the simple reason that whatever discrimination men face (compared to women) exists only because of an even bigger problem women face (or used to face).
Again, this is super-condensed but I highly recommend this book if you are even the least bit interested in what feminism actually deals with (as opposed to the popular assumptions about it).
....
Having said all that, I cannot wrap my mind around what exactly Anita Sarkeesian would talk about in regards to men specific issues in gaming... There are a few genuine problems specific to men (even middle-class 1st world white men) in the real, outside world but hell if I can think of a single way being a man puts you at any sort of disadvantage in the gaming community of all things.
If you want to talk about bigotry in gaming, you have to talk about gender-based bigotry, and if you want to talk about genter-based bigotry in gaming, how could you possibly not talk about women ???
I had a lot of fun reading Dark Matter by Blake Crouch, like I did when reading The Martian and Ready Player One. I genuinely didn't know where the story was going to go or how it was going to end with this one.
Also, Andy Weir has a new one coming out on November 14th called Artemis
Wool by Hugh Howey or anything else by Hugh Howey. I've been eyeing Sand for quite awhile.
Openings are hard as shit to do in sci-fi/fantasy. You have to basically lecture on the world without it sounding like you're lecturing them on the world: excuse me while I grab my smoke and mirrors. I'm not going to do line edits because it's view only. Instead you get my wall of text that I'm compiling on scifi/fantasy openings as I read more and more piles of it, when I should be reading something like literature (Idk, is that what the cool kids are doing?).
It's view only so my line edits will probably be limited, but I'll start with your opening two sentences.
>The café of 'Morl's Best Cuppa' was odd, green and uncomfortable to look at. It's rough exterior stood out against the trimmed vein of grey that was the rest of the city-block, like a bulb of gum beaten flat under step, ruining an otherwise pristine side-walk
Protag is looking at a building. I'm not as experienced in third person style narratives, but I'll do my best. If I was writing this in first person I'd be extremely leery of writing a description of the building for the begging portion. I do think you have an interesting world set out. There are genuinely funny moments, but it's packaged in a way that makes me want to put it down. I'd say this is due to an incomplete opening. You have characters and setting, but you don't have a problem for these characters to overcome (plot).I'm going to copy paste parts of a post that I did on sci-fi/fantasy openings that I made earlier, with significant modifications/additions (but the core idea is the same). If this is frowned upon, I'll stop. Disclaimer, I'm not saying that you should do any of these things that I suggest. This is merely my own opinions on ways to get over the initial hump that sci/fi fantasy stories face. These are some good resources/books that I've found.
In essence a good opening has three things
This is kind of vague and bullshitty so I'll use some examples.
The openings in fantasty/sci-fi books are notoriously terrible. For instance, Red Rising, an otherwise half decent thriller book has the shittiest opening that I've read in a published work. But that didn't stop him from selling books out the wazoo and getting good blurbs ("Ender, Catniss, and now Darrow"), because he knows how to write a page turner later on (I'd still recommend it even though the opening is questionable, if you enjoy cheap dystopian thrills). But damn, did the opening want to make me throw the book against the wall. It's not that he doesn't do the three things that an opening should do, it's that he switches voices within it and had several narration snaps when it's clearly HIM speaking and not the main character. I'd also say that Patrick Rothfuss' opening is extremely shitty (and he says so himself), as he takes 50 pages before anything substantial happens. Thus he went back and added a prologue so the reader would feel some sort of plot in the story. Prologues are effective in scifi/fantasy for quickly introducing a problem, if your world takes awhile to build. For instance -- Harry Potter also did this to an extent, since it had the scene with his parents dying. Some openings, like the one that I'm about to discuss, have a really solid hook and immediately grab the reader. Am I saying that you should write a prologue? No , I haven't really read enough of your story to figure that out. I'm just offering a few nuggets of advice that I've seen authors use to get over the initial hump of creating the world.
I think a solid example of a good opening in a sci-fi story, that I've read recently, is the story Wool (here's a link, use the look inside function). The hook is one of the better ones I've read, something along the lines of "Holston climbed his stairs to his death." Is it a cheap trick? Yes. Do I really care, and does it add tension to an otherwise monotonous climb up the stairs? You betcha! He explains certain elements of the silo as he gets to the different actions, e.g. "I put my hand on the guardrail, worn down one flake at a time by centuries of use." He doesn't just come out and say "HEY THE SILO IS OLD LEMME TELL YOU ABOUT MY CHILDHOOD IN THE SILO AND THEN GET TO THE PLOT DAMMNIT". In your case we see some characters mostly annoyed, bored, or not really doing much. Sure the setting is engaging, but the characters, in my opinion, aren't. The pro of an exposition opening is that you can fit a lot of information into a relatively small amount of space. The con is that it's hard to present in a way that doesn't create a POV snap, a boring tell instead of show description, and it's hard to create a problem if you're trying to be an omnipotent narrator. Dune does it, but it hasn't set a trend because it's hard as shit to do. Pride and Prejudice does it, but Jane Austen is incredibly good at writing in different tones. I'll stick to my nice comfortable first person narrative right now. I'm not a good mechanical writer, or a good writer at all yet, but I'm working on it. I do worldbuilding half decently (though I'm put to shame by the people on /r/worldbuilding)
Another solid opening is "Mistborn;" (here's a link) a fantastic example of a dialogue driven opening. I'd say that if a dialogue opening is done right, its exponentially more interesting than an exposition opening. The problem is making the characters feel natural. I spent quite some time on my opening hammering out the robotic narration style, but I still had to go back and write a prologue because I didn't introduce the main problem of the story properly. I problem that I had is that my characters seem to stick their fingers up their butts and don't do anything. Basically a dialogue opening is harder to do, but it's well worth the effort if you can pull it off. Dialogue is also a good way to squeeze information out of your world. Want to have an explanation about scientist, well slap a scientist in there and have your protag ask some questions about it. Don't have random flashbacks in the very begging. Think about a movie that had someone fixing breakfast, and every time they did something relatively minor there was a flashback. E.g. poured some orange juice. That reminds me of my mentor who trained me in how to write a good sci-fi opening. Going to eat some Coco puffs, like me mum used to. But me mum beat me so I angrily ate the coco puffs.
The best fantasy opening that I've ever read is Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch. I'd recommend taking a peek at it here. He casually just strolls in, quickly establishes two characters, a problem, and a setting in half a page. It's brilliant. I can't say I've read the rest of it though, but it's on my list of things to read. The only complaints that I've heard about Lies (aside from the usually fantasy grumbling about tropes), is that the heist narrative is too lowly for such a talented writer. I think that's a pretty good sign that hes doing shit right.
In the words of Brian Sanderson "writing is all smoke and mirrors." In fantasy/sci-fi you have to set up scenes that are more or less infodumping segments that feel natural to the reader. E.g. travelling from town to town, "oh theres a ghost thing over there"
"that's not a ghost its your mum!" laughter ensues
On the bright side, it seems like you've done some good world building, so writing the segments shouldn't be too hard. I highly recommend watching Brandon Sanderson's lectures on the youtube channel "Write about dragons." Start with the first lectures he does, because they cover a lot of mistakes that people make.
Also read this article on common mistakes that editors see (link) . Watching and reading just a little bit will help you from falling into a ton of pitfalls, like I did with my first story. I spent far too long on too little words, that were absolute rubbish. Now I've been able to get at least a consistent word count down every week, with mixed reviews (some chapters are better than others.) Basically, write consistently and read often. Potential and inspiration are bullshit. Hammer out some words, get it torn apart on this sub-reddit, pick up the pieces and repeat. Make sure to give back often, this place is awesome. I think one of my better experiences was posting a basically infodumpy chapter, and had some pretty positive reviews (aside from some pseudoscience that I quickly cut, and leapt back into the warm embrace of space opera).
If you get past the opening hump, this article, is a fantastic way to plan how your plot is going to unfold over the course of a novel, in a concise fashion. I wish I'd found this resource sooner, cause my planning would've been much better. (I tend to discovery write, with minimal planning.)
The Kingkiller Chronicles!
The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear
Try The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It filled the ASOIF spot in my life for a while, and it is also written by a bigger bearded guy who is probably not publishing the next book this year either.
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson. Stunning scifi grand idea payoff in the conclusion. If you like it, the sequels are also magnificent. The climax of the last book, in particular, is mind shattering. It isn't a twist ending, because you have all the clues before the denouement. When the author finally puts them together, I promise you will be amazed and thoroughly satisfied.
Spin Robert Charles Wilson
From Amazon:
>One night the stars go out. From that breathtaking "what if," Wilson (Blind Lake, etc.) builds an astonishingly successful mélange of SF thriller, growing-up saga, tender love story, father-son conflict, ecological parable and apocalyptic fable in prose that sings the music of the spheres. The narrative time oscillates effortlessly between Tyler Dupree's early adolescence and his near-future young manhood haunted by the impending death of the sun and the earth. Tyler's best friends, twins Diane and Jason Lawton, take two divergent paths: Diane into a troubling religious cult of the end, Jason into impassioned scientific research to discover the nature of the galactic Hypotheticals whose "Spin" suddenly sealed Earth in a "cosmic baggie," making one of its days equal to a hundred million years in the universe beyond. As convincing as Wilson's scientific hypothesizing is--biological, astrophysical, medical--he excels even more dramatically with the infinitely intricate, minutely nuanced relationships among Jason, Diane and Tyler, whose older self tries to save them both with medicines from Mars, terraformed through Jason's genius into an incubator for new humanity. This brilliant excursion into the deepest inner and farthest outer spaces offers doorways into new worlds--if only humankind strives and seeks and finds and will not yield compassion for our fellow beings.
I'm reading Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. I'm probably half-way through it, but I've found it to be very funny and very dark.
Edit: The basic premise of the story is about this couple who own a carnival and decide to breed their own freaks (the father gives the pregnant wife all kinds of chemicals when she's pregnant).
> I am looking for series that can be bought in one big omnibus or one-volume set. I prefer this format because it's usually cheaper, and easier than purchasing 3 or more individual books. Any suggestions?
Here's a shopping list for you. All links go to the Amazon's US site.
It is a place, the source of all order in the Multiverse. All other planes of existence are mere shadows of Amber, moving either closer or farther away from it. On the opposite end of the spectrum is the realm of Chaos, ever-changing and unstable.
There's wars and stuff.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Book-Amber-Chronicles/dp/0380809060/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1333703165&sr=8-1
Alas Babylon, Pat Frank
Alas, Babylon https://www.amazon.com/dp/0060741872/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_ebNOyb0RVVA8F
Lucifers Hammer, Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Lucifer's Hammer https://www.amazon.com/dp/0449208133/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_QcNOybDZMX7AJ
Edit: The top post has most of my favorites, but these two are missing from the thread.
My answers are in alphabetical order. I don't have any items for the game category.
Movies: The Book of Eli, The Day After, The Postman
TV Series: Jeremiah, Jericho, The Walking Dead
Book: Lights Out, Lucifer's Hammer, Patriots
If you haven't already read Red Mars, the series is a scientifically in-depth narrative about the colonization of mars.
cough I'll just leave this right here
The Troop by Nick Cutter
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn
Black Hole by Charles Burn
My favorite in this vein is Dies the Fire by Stirling. All electronics (along with other combustion-related things like cars and guns) just up and stop, and society collapses.
The Martian: A Novel - Sci Fi about a man stranded on Mars and his struggle to survive and be rescued.
Ready Player One - Sci Fi about a virtual world/video game scavenger hunt with the winner becoming the new ruler of the virtual world.
Definitely check out Vernor Vinge's two masterpieces, A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky.
If you really liked the hard science aspect of Contact, some scifi books I'd recommend are:
Marooned in Realtime - a detective story set 50 million years in the future; the characters are essentially castaways in time since they all happened to miss The Singularity
Fire Upon the Deep - a fantastic sci-fi novel centered on an attempt to prevent an "evil" AI from taking control of the entire Milky Way galaxy
Both books are by Vernor Vinge, a prof at Caltech, and the science is hands-down the best out there. And since Vinge can actually write, the characters and plot are also first-rate.
So, not a movie recommendation, but these books come as close to the experience of Contact, the movie, as anything I've encountered.
The Wool Series by Hugh Howey
I am officially back stateside, and in the last 24 hours I have successfully fixed the water softener, shoveled a fine collection of oak logs, leaves, live plants, and raccoon shit off the roof, made bank tutoring o-chem, and taught the Verizon employee how to connect to their own 4G network. I was unaware the name of their APN was such a secret. Also, that 4 tiers of escalation would be so damn useless. I ended up guessing the name like some sort of movie cracking and then went back and made the guy write it down because I can't be the only person ever to have that problem and it was seriously a 10 second fix. See also: was feeling smug.
I also got a lot of reading done in the past month, apparently. Finished The Lies of Locke Lamora, The Name of the Wind, Matched, Graceling, Sapphique, Assassin's Apprentice, the first Circle of Magic book, and started a bunch of others.
If we're running out of discussion ideas, another book recommendation/rant/rambling thoughts thread might be fun.
Friends still have my MS and are being slow readers and I can't bug them about it because they have real work to do. Argh. I'm planning to cover my office in sticky notes and reorder some scenes that way while I wait on them.
Kingkiller Chronicles is great, unfortunately at this point i gave up any hope of the final piece of the trilogy ever coming out.
https://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle-Book-ebook/dp/B0010SKUYM/ref=sr_es_i_1_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1499996840&sr=8-1&keywords=kingkiller+chronicles
I spotted this image from NASA website when I searched "are there sandstorms on Mars" after reading The Martian by Andy Weir. That NASA article was written in 2015 and updated in 2017.
However I did a reverse search with that photo, and yes it seems to date back all the way to 2011.
A lot of sci-fi books predict private space exploration as well. My favorite example is the Mars Trilogy. However, the supposed leaders in commercial spaceflight, like SpaceX for example, are subsidized by NASA just like the companies that were developing Ares I and V. The only difference is that their projects cost less. But the reason they cost less is not because they are innovating the field by being commercial enterprises, rather, they cost less because they only go barely past the Kármán line whereas the Ares rockets could go to the moon.
Coyote + sequels by Allen Steele.
Red Mars + sequels by Kim Stanley Robinson.
40,000 in Gehenna by CJ Cherryh, now available in Alliance Space.
I hardly think someone making racist comments is the same thing as someone deciding to no longer practice their religion in the same way as you (unless you take a very black and white approach to the world in which anyone who doesn't do things the way you do is wrong and sinning. In that case I guess leaving a religion would have the same weight as maligning others merely because of skin color).
No one is forcing people to read their writings about their thoughts relative to faith. Personally, I find it interesting to read these narratives and helpful to me in finding the words to vocalize why I stay. If you don't get anything out of them: cool! There are plenty of other awesome things you could spend your time reading instead.
The takeaway for me from her post was merely that we should be less judgmental about the choices of others that aren't harmful to those around them, which is a message that's been shared in as lofty a venue as general conference.
I agree with you that people who leave are usually no better than people who stay at avoiding judgment. We're all just people. That doesn't mean we can't enter into a conversation about what it means to improve in that area and steps we can take to reconcile our natural tendencies with the mercy and generosity of spirit we should be extending to others. I think this post particularly was a good example of that and one that nearly mirrored a discussion I had with a group of women from my ward this week.
<with a french waiters accent>
For madam,
I would propose either china miéville "Perdido..." or Robert Charles Wilson "spin". Both weave interesting believable characters within a good sf plot.
But If you want a page turner, I would say Eliantris or Warbreaker both by brandon sanderson. They're fantasy and really hard to put down.
In the end, I would propose "To say nothing of the dog" by connie Willis. Very clever and funny with a time travel theme.
</with a french waiters accent>
( Damn, I really liked to be a bookseller...)
Up vote this people, this is a fucking good book. An as b0b0tiken says, after reading this book, I would gladly take this trip.
This novel may interest you.
Edit: To sum it up: "Baker's ingenious fifth novel, about a 35-year-old temp worker who stops time to act out elaborate sexual fantasies."
Patrick Rothfuss.
I can highly recommend:
I am also currently reading the Wheel of Time, but there are just too many books....
Finished A Song of Ice and Fire a year ago and I'm eagerly waiting for the next book.
Maybe you should not go back to read unsatisfying literature.
There is a lot of sub-par fantasy by the numbers stuff that I don't really think is worth the time. But you will find a lot of great fantasy or speculative fiction that still is intellectually and stylistically satisfying.
Some subjective recommendations:
You can go back reading classics like Mervyn Peakes Gormenghast series.
Or contemporary fantasy authors with more interesting settings or ideas, like R. Scott Bakkers Prince of Nothing series.
China Mieville was mentioned in this thread before. Mieville is on the opposite end of the political spectrum, but speaks highly of Wolfe and his influence on his writing nonetheless.
If have no problem with challenging narrative structures: Vellum by Hal Duncan (as you can see from the reviews, not everyones cup of tea).
Crossing over to SciFi: Geoff Ryman, Air is one of my all time favorite novels.
Robert Charles Wilson is also always worth reading.
Googling around a bit I found this list: Best Outside-the-box Speculative Fiction, which contains Wolfe, most of my recommendations and many more that I have not read yet, so I wager it's a good place to start!
You should read "One Second After". Its a fantastic book that is both critically acclaimed and considered a must read for preppers. It is based on the premise of a nuclear EMP But the effect of a large enough solar flare would be the same, just global...
http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-William-Forstchen/dp/0765356864
over 3k reviews on amazon with a 4.5 star rating.
Oh, and also check out Leviathan Wakes by James S. A. Corey. It's really good.
A great book and a wonderful read.
Here's a few recent books, all good or very good:
Last Plane to Heaven, Jay Lake (short story collection)
The Adjacent
, Chris Priest
On the Steel Breeze, Alistair Reynolds (Book2 in series)
The Causal Angel, Hannu Rajaniemi (Book3 in series)
Strange Bodies, Marcel Theroux
The Martian, Andy Weir (recommended!)
ShipStar, Benford-Niven (Book2 in series)
Ancillary Justice, Ann Leckie
A Darkling Sea, James Cambias
The Disestablishment of Paradise, by Phillip Mann {I've just started this one, so can't say yet if good or great or crappy, but it's started off very good).
...And if you have not yet discovered The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff VanDerMeer, you should probably check it out.
Don't try to read any fundamental physics/engineering textbooks, they'll just bore you and you won't learn anything without also doing stuff like you would in a lab or for homework.
Instead read some books that inspire or entertain you. You won't have time or energy to read what you want once school starts. Here's some options:
There is actually a book called 'One Second After' regarding this exact scenario. Good / easy read.
Children of Time and Children of Ruin by Adrian Tchaikovksy both have strong sociological themes. If you enjoy these books you might also want to check out Semiosis: A Novel by Susan Burke.
Foundation by Isaac Asimov is about the fall and rise of a galactic empire. It is a bit dated in terms of science fiction but a classic in the genre.
Exhalation and Stories of Your Life and Others by Ted Chiang are collections of short stories and some of them contain strong sociological themes around communication and intersubjective understanding.
A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky by Vernor Vinge also have some interesting speculative sociology.
Hominids: Volume One of The Neanderthal Parallax by Robert J. Sawyer also contains interesting speculative anthropology and sociology (but not a very interesting plot IMO) and is also worth a read.
No, it's nothing like that, because the creation of feminist thought and feminist organizing efforts are not zero-sum games like lifeboat capacity; It does not prevent anyone from thinking about men's issues or organizing.
Your question is based on an assumption of mutual exclusivity. Being feminist doesn't mean you don't care about men's issues. That's as fallacious as saying feminists don't care about what's for dinner just because they don't explicitly mention it every time they bring up a women's issue. Sometimes a discussion needs to be really focused. That's why we have subreddits. =D
To clarify the concept of how "feminism is for everybody", I invite you to read the book of the same name, by bell hooks. The short answer, however, is that patriarchy dominates everyone, so it is in everyone's interest to dismantle it. Patriarchy is what tells men they can't cry, they need to "man up", that a man at a public playground is a molester, that a man with a child is abducting it, that a man can't be battered, that a man can't be raped, that a man shouldn't do dishes, that a man has to know sports and cars, that a man can't wear guyliner or a manpurse, and a whole bunch of other things. I know this because I experience it as a man.
You may be confused because these sentiments come from men and women. What you need to examine is not from whom the sentiments come from, but why the sentiments exist. From the moment we are born, we are informed as to what we are supposed to be like (gender roles). Both men and women hear these messages, believe it, and reinforce it. Everyone has to do a lot of unlearning, and everyone should fight these messages. It's an active effort to change things, so by definition, it is radical (bell hooks' words, paraphrased).
Okay, weirdest thing, I was looking up "Ready player one" on amazon, to see if it worth buying, and I think I found a book about The Woolie hole.
I guess I'll be the one to mention how reminiscent this is of Wool
Makes me a bit itchy with premonition
Is there anything in particular you're leaning to?
Author Cherie Priest has a couple excellent books.
The Dresden Files series, by Jim Butcher, is a wonderful series. It's about a wizard-for-hire in the modern world, and delves into the wonderful magic environment that Jim has created. Jim likes to put his characters through trouble and turmoil, and it's good for character development! The series starts off with Storm Front.
The Hunger Games by Suzanne Collins is another great series. It's a post-apocalyptic/oppressed setting, centering around something called 'The Hunger Games' - an annual battle that captivates the capitol and all twelve remaining districts. There is a movie releasing next year, as well.
The Name of the Wind is a terrific book by Patrick Rothfuss, the first entry into his series The Kingkiller Chronicles. It's a fantasy setting, and is about a character named Kvothe recounting his life. The writing style has an absolutely artistic writing style that is captivating to read, and such interesting and progressing events that make you eagerly turn the page. I have not yet read the sequel, The Wise Man's Fear, but I'm told it's even better in every way.
Terry Pratchett is an amazing and renowned author. He has been knighted, an event for which he created his own sword for by hand, battles against Alzheimer's in a most respectable and commendable way, and has created such an interesting and provoking world that provides a lot of laughs and curious perspectives on matters. Where you start is a more difficult choice. A couple choice options might be as follows (I haven't read others yet, so I can't attest to others, but there are many!).
I haven't started this book yet, nor looked into it, but I have heard terrific reviews. The Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch, is his first book in his Gentleman Bastard Sequence series.
And of course, if you haven't entered George RR Martin's world of Westeros, the series A Song of Ice and Fire could be a wonderful read. It's very complex and very long and not yet complete (five books so far). It starts off with Game of Thrones, which is what the recently-aired HBO series was based upon.
In the science fiction sphere, I would recommend Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. It's the first in his Ender's series, and there are quite a few books set in the world. I have only read the first one, and it was an excellent read, insightful and thought-provoking.
...anyway, that should be a few to peek at!
If we start our experiment when Earth and Mars are at their most distant points (i.e. 180^o out of phase around the sun) from each other, very little will ever happen. Our rope will go slack and float in space for the rest of the planets' orbits, and will be pulled taught again whenever they're very far apart. You might get some cool wave motion along the length of the rope as it flops around in zero-g.
But that's pretty boring. If we instead start our mad experiment when Earth and Mars are not at their most distant points from each other, bad things are going to happen. In all likelihood, the rope would snap. But that's also pretty boring, and I'm guessing this isn't the answer you want.
Let's assume the rope is made of some magical material which can withstand any amount of tension without stretching or breaking, but somehow still behaves like a rope when not under tension. So it's completely immune to the effects of stress and strain, except when we need it to act like a rope. Wonder Woman's magical lasso might have us covered here.
Eventually, Mars and Earth are going to want to get farther apart than our rope wants to allow. Keeping them connected is going to require decellerating one planet and accelerating the other (in inverse proportion to their masses, since F=ma must be the same for both). Now we run into the issue that it takes a lot of force to accelerate a planet. The rope has to provide this force, and it's providing it over a relatively small area of each planet's surface. Planets don't like that^[citation ^needed] . Since we've required that our rope can't break, Earth and Mars soon will. The rope will begin cutting through both planets until it frees itself from one and remains embedded in the other. The pressure exerted on Mars' surface will be about twice as high as the pressure exerted on Earth's, and Mars is half as thick, so I'd wager Mars would be cut in half long before the rope reached Earth's core.
But that's only slightly less boring than the rope snapping. Yes, I just called "cutting Mars in half" boring. Let's make Earth and Mars infinitely durable like our rope. The various mining industries on Earth and the budding potato farming industry on Mars will likely be displeased by this, but we'll carry on without them.
Now's where I have to speculate a bit. Earth and Mars' orbits are now a coupled system. By necessity, they will now orbit at a common radius, and I think they'll likely end up like a pair of moons that co-orbit each other while orbiting the sun as a pair. Thanks to energy conservation, we can calculate the average radius of this new orbit. I got 1.035 AU, which is only 3.5% further from the sun than Earth already is. The combination of Earth being much more massive than mars and closer to the sun means that Earth is heavily favored in the gravitational binding energy equation. Earth's moon will remain gravitationally bound to this new system, but I'm pretty sure Deimos and Phobos will be left behind to co-orbit the sun and each other at pretty much the radius of Mars' original orbit (assuming neither of them slams into Mars while it travels inwards).
The three-body system of Mars, Earth, and the Moon, will almost certainly be unstable, so at least two of these bodies should expect a catastrophic impact in their near future. Fortunately, we already made Mars and Earth invincible to get here, so only the secret Nazi colony on the dark side of the Moon has to worry.
The aspects of Clarke's style that you seem to enjoy really shine in the short story format. You said you've read everything, does that include his short fiction? There's a great anthology which collects them all.
Asimov was also great at writing short fiction, and I like this collection of his works.
Many of the stories curated in those anthologies were published 50 or so years ago in weekly/monthly science fiction magazines, you might see if any one has created 'best of science fiction weekly' collections.
Tor publishes short fiction for free on its website regularly. It's fairly hit or miss, but it's a good way to window shop authors.
A novel you might enjoy is Leviathan Wakes. It's a hard sci-fi novel in which humanity has colonized Mars and the Asteroid Belt. At this point all have their own unique cultures because it takes so long to travel between them. Not a lot of character development, which you don't seem to be into anyway, just fun ride in a cool setting. First in a series, but I haven't read the sequels yet so I can't comment on those.
You also might like The Martian, by Andy Weir. An astronaut is stranded by himself on Mars and has to survive. Weir wrote a short story called "The Egg" which gets posted to reddit on a regular basis.
For anyone who would like to know, the following books I've read are my favorite and I'd really recommend them to anyone: The Martian by Andy Weir, Gerald's Game by Stephen King, The Panther by Nelson DeMille, Unflinching by Jodi Mitic, American Sniper by Chris Kyle, and Fight Club by Chuck Palahniuk
EDIT: Oh, and Blackwater - The Rise of the World's Most Powerful Mercenary Army by Jeremy Scahill.
EDDIT 2: Oh, and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card which is so much better than the movie. The movie does not do this novel justice. And Killing Lincoln by Bill O'Reilly.
Please read The Martian by Andy Weir.
This guy is faced with impossible odds and complete loneliness. The situation would have left me totally crushed. In the face of near certain death his attitude and work ethic are truly inspiring.
Literally the whole of Earth unites in an effort to save him. It's humorous, cathartic, inspiring, and a smooth read.
As soon as you've finished you'll think of someone you know that needs to read this book.
Edit: silly grammars.
One Second After mentions cannibalism being practiced by a roving gang as does the book Survivors
Both are good books but not particularly gritty so I don't know if they stand up to Blood Meridian (still on my reading list).
I like your idea though. Perhaps the main character could begin the book as an average joe with no survival gear and have to start as a looter and refugee instead of beginning the story as a bad ass like a lot of these other novels do.
> They must almost operate as a single entity...
Been done
Old Man's War
Fire Upon the Deep
Julian Comstock: A Story of 22nd-Century America
> Implicit in this is the idea that only the struggles of those without privilege matter.
How do you figure? Shoot, even the feminists who are so popular to demonize on Reddit will talk about how patriarchy and toxic masculinity is bad for men, too. Men have to be men! Be a man! Wipe away those tears! Be strong and tough and a rock for everyone to lean on, and keep your problems inside! You don't want to make people think you're all emotional like a woman, do you?
Edit: I highly recommend bell hooks' Feminism is For Everybody.
> Sexism hurts us all.
Feminism Is For Everybody!
Go talk to a therapist for your anger issues.
To get a better understanding of the world, start here.
Wool by Hugh Howey
Wool by Hugh Howey and its prequel, Shift. Really, really good.
Wool by Hugh Howey. You can download part 1 of the book free to see if it's right for you.
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North.
I am Pilgrim by Terry Hayes.
i mean, i say give the books another shot because i can't imagine enjoying the movies but not the books. but to each their own. if you don't want to go down that road, what do you mean things that might interest you? do you mean in the harry potter universe? if so, the other stuff is fun but the original seven are her magnum opus IMO and to get my fix, i had to go outside the Harry Potter universe.
some books that I just inhaled and read in one sitting will sound super corny, but...
If you just want some good fantasy that isn't just Lord of the Rings rip offs, these are the ones I like.
I recently finished "Name of the wind" and "The Wise Man's Fear" both by Patrick Rothfuss. I don't think I am in any way over hyping these to by saying they are the greatest novel's I've ever read. Fair warning, this is a trilogy and the third book is no where in sight.
On the nonfiction side, I am working my way through "Waking the Dead" by John Eldredge. This has been a really difficult read for me, as I have to stop every few paragraphs to recollect my emotions.
I think everyone wants to like the idea of what Gravity is - SurvivorMan in space.
If you want that, but in a more technical and hard sci-fi kinda way I have got to recommend you read the Martian by Andy Weir. Really very well done!
If these are the type of things you think about, you will love The Martian by Andy Weir.
The Martian is VERY mathematical, and awesome. Ive recommended it to 6 friends and they each read it in 48 hours. Seriously, check this out - http://www.amazon.com/The-Martian-Novel-Andy-Weir-ebook/dp/B00EMXBDMA
Not in any particular order.
Here is the mobile version of your link
So if you're looking for another top notch fantasy series, let me recommend The Name of the Wind, one of the best fantasy series I've read in a while. Similar to GRRM's series, we've been waiting for the next installment very impatiently.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. absolutely fantastic, very little in the way of politics, and i was hooked by the end of the first page.
also, the Discword series is a lot of fun, but it's a comedy fantasy. still, very funny.
I quite liked it. It definitely starts to drag some in books 3-5, but I thought it was completely worth it. Book 1 (The Gunslinger) is absolutely fantastic, and he ends the series perfectly in Book 7.
As far as really good fantasy series go, you can't get better than the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. It's an utterly brilliant story.
Sanderson is also part of a podcast called "Writing Excuses". It's 15 minutes of a group of writers speaking their thoughts on a particular topic of writing. It has a lot to teach. I would also recommend a book called "Damn Fine Story". It helps to understand different aspects of good storytelling by breaking down iconic pop culture narratives like Star Wars and Die Hard. If you haven't read "The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss it's hands down my favorite fantasy book, very influential and inspiring.
There are tons of good YouTube videos and channels where you can learn all about storytelling and its different components. This one looks into screenplays but still has much that is relevant to writing.
About a week ago I started The Name of the Wind and I am really enjoying it. It's a little magickier (It's a word now!) than Martin, but very enjoyable.
If you like fantasy, check in with the folks over at r/fantasy. That being said, Patrick Rothfuss' Name of the Wind is phenomenal epic fantasy with beautifully crafted storytelling. If you want fast paced urban fantasy, check out Jim Butcher's The Dresden Files, which is about a magic wielding private detective with an irreverent sense of humor.
Sci Fi, ok cool. Here are a few very entertaining Sci-Fi audiobooks (you can actually find some of these free).
Infected by Scott Sigler, with a sequel titled 'Contagious'. If you search for Scott Sigler online, you will be directed to his website, and can go through itunes to get the free podiocast.
http://www.amazon.com/Infected-Novel-Scott-Sigler/dp/030740630X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1311807514&amp;sr=8-3
Robopocalypse
http://www.amazon.com/Robopocalypse-Novel-Daniel-H-Wilson/dp/0385533853/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1311807626&amp;sr=1-1
For fantasy, I highly recommend 'The Name of the Wind' by patrick Rothfuss
http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles-Day/dp/0756405890/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1311807743&amp;sr=1-1
The Warded Man by Peter V. Brett
http://www.amazon.com/Warded-Man-Peter-V-Brett/dp/0345518705/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1311807801&amp;sr=1-1
For Horror I recommend
Darkly Dreaming Dexter by Jeff Lindsay
http://www.amazon.com/Darkly-Dreaming-Dexter-Vintage-Lizard/dp/0307473708/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1311807869&amp;sr=1-1
Serial Uncut
http://www.amazon.com/Serial-Uncut-J-Konrath/dp/1456401580/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1311808020&amp;sr=1-1
For the taste of apocalyptic greatness I recommend
World War Z
http://www.amazon.com/World-War-Oral-History-Zombie/dp/0307346617/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1311808107&amp;sr=1-1
One Second After
http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-William-Forstchen/dp/0765356864/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1311808128&amp;sr=1-1
I have other audiobooks that touches multiple categories. For a nice series, there are two I really love. The Dark Tower Series by Stephen King, and The Dresden Files series.
Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfus (fantasy-ish)
[The Shadow of the Wind] (http://www.amazon.com/Shadow-Wind-Carlos-Ruiz-Zaf%C3%B3n/dp/0143034901/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1374006329&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=shadow+of+the+wind) by Carlos Ruiz Zafón (hard to describe, but really engaging)
Quicksilver by Neal Stephenson (cool historical fiction)
Dhalgren is an insane look at a dystopian future. Very long, often hard to read, but quite good. If he liked House of Leaves and also likes Sci-fi, I think he would enjoy Dhalgren. It is hard to read in places but that adds to its appeal.
Treason by Orson Scott Card was quite good, and I'd never heard of it before my boyfriend recommended it.
These are both sci-fi and sociological in nature.
I would second Murakami novels in general.
The Name of the Wind is a fantasy novel that I liked a lot. It was recommended to me by my brother, who then gave it to me last year for xmas.
Read this, and its sequel. ;)
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. One of the best written fantasy books ever IMO. It's the first in a trilogy that's not quite finished.
The character who said this quote is actually the subject of the short story The Lightning Tree in the Rogues anthology that George RR Martin edited in case anyone is familiar with that book.
I definitely recommend these books to anyone, including people who have never enjoyed fantasy. They are universally great literature.
This reminds me of a book I read called Boneshaker.
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Strong, badass female lead, no bullshit-tacked-on love story. Steampunky goodness that reads real.
Actually if you like the concept but not the implementation I'd recommend reading Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
http://www.amazon.com/Spin-Robert-Charles-Wilson/dp/076534825X
Fahrenheit 451 is a quick real and well worth it.
Have you read any Neal Stephenson? I bet you'd like Anathem. Definitely a lot of philosophy in it. It's kind of a slow start, but well worth sticking with!
Yep, definitely. Here's a link to the first book!
Leviathan Wakes by James Corey
>Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.
>Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.
>Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.
My suggestion is Geek Love by Katherine Dunn. It's fiction, here's a link.
I'm suggesting this novel because it combines being funny and terrifying. It's about a family of American Carnies. Not a happy ending, though.
I hate to diss my own suggestion, but this book actually might have too many strong responses for a book club's first novel. Still, I'm throwing it out there.
The Chronicles of Amber- Roger Zelazny, you can get it in a towering omnibus here. Still some of the best sci-fi fantasy authors and works ever, though highly under rated. Sex, Drugs, Rock and Roll, Parallel Universes, high fantasy kings and blood feuds and swords and castles. His book of short stories are impeccable too IMO
He won more than a few Hugo awards for his work. In particular outside of Amber, I would recommend his short story 24 Views of Mr Fuji
For /r/worldbuilding I'd put him much higher than F. Herbert and George RR Martin.
SF doesn't get much harder than The Martian by Andy Weir. It's about an astronaut's efforts to survive while stranded on Mars after a failed mission. All the science is plausible.
I can also recommend The Risen Empire duology by Scott Westerfield for realistic space battles.
This biography of Paul Dirac is excellent.
This autobiography (in the form of a sequence of anecdotes) of Richard Feynman is a classic.
This biography of Robert Oppenheimer is extremely good as well.
This book contains short biographies all the most significant figures involved with every Hilbert Problem.
This is a work of science fiction where the main character belongs to a monastic order devoted to mathematics and theoretical science. It's among my favorite books.
edit: Who downvotes this? Really? Even if you think you've got better options... just leave a comment with them for OP.
Anathem, Neal Stephenson. Like all Neal's novels, it's dense and heavy on exposition. Those who like that kind of thing seem to love this one.
I was going to mention this. If you're just looking for one large book, Anathem is excellent.
The Expanse series is the closest I've been able to find.
It follows a small scrappy crew and their struggles to stay flying amid civil war and lots, lots more. I don't want to spoil anything. It's a great read.
The best sci-fi book series to come out in a very long time! The first book is Leviathan Wakes; five more have been written so far, and three more are scheduled to come out over the next three years (and the authors have been pretty good about keeping to that schedule, unlike a certain fantasy author we all know and love).
If reading books isn't your jam or you don't have time, there are also audiobooks some fans swear by. There's also a TV show which just wrapped up its second season, which you can get on Amazon Prime in the US and Netflix everywhere else.
If you like sci-fi that does its best to stick to actual science, space battles, political intrigue, and likeable characters who grow more complex with every book, I highly reccommend it!
You may enjoy reading this book as well: http://www.amazon.com/Guns-South-Harry-Turtledove/dp/0345384687
>The Confederates win the Civil War with aid from South African time travelers in this unconvincing "what-if" tale. Using a time machine, Andrew Rhoodie and his cadre of white supremacists from A.D. 2014 join the rebels and supply them with AK-47 assault rifles.
Not quite GOT, but...
There's two very good books about this subject.
One is a sci fi called "Guns of the South" it's about time travel and supplying modern weapons to the south. I will say no more.
The other is a history book about how the South accidentally lost the war. I'll have to find that book because I've misplaced it. It was given to me to read when I was in college. Small spoiler - Lee's salvation was sent in a message to him via a cigar case which was lost. If my memory serves me correctly it was "Bobby Lee's" chance to defeat McClellan's larger army at Antietam and continue North with nothing to stop him. I'm simplifying it , but it went into great detail on events and errors of the Souths campaign.
I wish I could remember the name of the history book it was in.
Some preppers do it for the masterbatory idea of letting all this shit go and starting over. The what if's pile up, and the next thing they know they have a firm definition of what their line gear is, and are playing with load outs.
Me, I'm old-ish, wiser, and a realist. I know with my family I'll be bugging in for almost any reason. I'm not in peak condition, though I can likely hold my own better than most folks my age, mainly because of training.
I have a couple grab bags, sure, but I don't plan on starting over after getting out on foot.
My main preps are for my home.
As for planet killing things, look at[ Lucifer's Hammer.] (http://www.amazon.com/Lucifers-Hammer-Jerry-Pournelle/dp/0449208133) It's a well thought out example of what could happen. I don't want to sit idly by and look my kids in the eye and say sorry, even if it looks dire.
Survival is about being a survivor. Do what you feel is necessary.
I always mix it with Lucifer's Hammer, they are so similar, and both very good.
My recommendations (of what i have watched) would be:
Revolution - All tech dies, small town girl leaves to rescue her brother, conspiracy, this was on NBC to it was i believe TV 14, so not too bad. https://trakt.tv/shows/revolution
Fallen Skies - Aliens take over the world and a father and his sons try to live and fight back against the aliens, i remember this show being pretty tame. https://trakt.tv/shows/falling-skies
Unfortunately; There isn't many shows like Jericho, let alone fitting all those descriptors.
If you dont mind a reality tv.
The Colony - https://trakt.tv/shows/the-colony/seasons/1
If you dont mind a book series.
Dies the Fire by S M Stirling - https://www.amazon.com/Dies-Fire-S-M-Stirling/dp/0451460413/
All those kind of hit the Jericho nostalgia feels, but at least you could read the comic series if you want a season 3+
My favorite book series right now is Dies the Fire by S.M. Stirling. Basic plot is that in 2002, the island of Nantucket disappears in a big glowy white dome of energy, everyone in the world suffers a severe migraine while every advanced piece of technology stops working as the laws of physics on Earth undergo a readjustment. Electricity doesn't work, steam engines won't get hot enough to run, nuclear plants shut down harmlessly. Gunpowder won't explode, gasoline will burn but not combust; basically nothing more complicated than a simple mechanical power will work anymore.
In the ensuing chaos, starvation, disease and violence claim 9/10 of humanity, and the survivors try to rebuild society after having the last century of progress wiped out in an instant. Things go crazy medieval, and begin to take a fantastic turn later on. It's a great story to read and think about how fragile our modern lives are and how quickly it could all be taken away from us.
Mark Watney
In a ruined and toxic future, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo’s rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside.
That was my first thought as well.
Amazon link for the curious.
Rothfuss' Name of the Wind seems to be the series most commonly suggested as "what to read next." It's reportedly not as dark, but just as detailed/complex. I've not read it yet, so make of that what you will.
name of the wind is on sale for 2 bucks if you like anime but dont want to admit it this is the book for you
In letzter Zeit lese ich eigentlich nur Fachbücher, wer sich für das Thema Reverse Engineering interessiert: Practical Reverse Engineering ist echt gut.
Das letzte an Unterhaltungsliteratur, was ich gelesen habe, waren die Kingkiller Chronicle Bücher (Day 1, Day 2). In meinen Augen die so ziemlich beste Fantasy aller Zeiten. Ich könnte Stunden darüber schreiben, aber es lässt sich tatsächlich auf die so ziemlich beste Fantasy aller Zeiten reduzieren.
Unbedingt lesen. Es fängt relativ langsam an und man muss sich viele Namen merken, aber es lohnt sich. Die University, Tarbean, Fae, Ademre, das Underthing, das Eolian, Kvothe, Bast, Felurian, Tempi, Auri, Master Elodin, die Chandrian, die Performance von The Lay of Sir Savien Traliard, alles so wunderbare Dinge.
Shit, jetzt will (und werde) ich die Bücher nochmal lesen, so kurz vor der Klausurphase natürlich geschickt, danke. :(
Lest die Bücher!
Habe ich schon erwähnt, dass die Bücher einfach nur unglaublich gut sind?
Yeah. It was good, but triple crown good?
Popular sci-fi seems to have generally gone the way of social. Everything is all about the social implications of technology, rather than the technology itself.
Personally, I would have liked to see The Martian be nominated and win, but I'm a hard sci-fi kind of guy. (Does the fact that Andy Weir is/was self-published work against him?)
Andy Weir's The Martian largely follows a single character fighting against the Martian environment and I think provides proof that Man vs Nature can carry the bulk of the story.
You've provided your characters with a near-earth planet, so put yourself in the meanest mindset possible and set up the environment so that it lashes out at the colonists at every opportunity. Differently mirrored amino acids of the wildlife that makes eating it toxic. Diseases that spread through vectors never before encountered on Earth. Random geologic processes that release lethal gasses onto the surface.
Unforeseen environmental interactions would be good tools to create problems. Rhea's high altitude trees could actually be megacolonies of coral-like fungi that have adapted to consume the rock and reproduce by releasing spores during the storms. These spores could have a protective razor-tipped shell that is shaped to catch the wind such that they will either 1) Be driven into virgin rock to grow new megacolonies or 2) Rain down as razor storms on the land below.
In short: Rhea should be a harsh mistress.
This is from 2014, but it's being made into a 2015 movie.
The Martian
>Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars.
>Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there.
Yeah, there's a whole series of books about it.
Red Mars
A while back in a similar thread someone mentioned a book based on the same premise as the 4chan story: The Fermata by Nicholson Baker.
It's usually the first one suggested:
-"The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss (Kingkiller Chronicles)
Whilst different in terms of scope and story, the world building is on par with ASOIAF. I was a little skeptic, being in the same position as you are in, when I picked it up, but now I'm anxiously awaiting both Winds of Winter and the third book in the Kingkiller Chronicles.
I've also started Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (Gentleman Bastards series). So far I'm enjoying it A LOT. I do love having an anti-hero protagonist, and the world so far is pretty engrossing. But I can't officially recommend as I'm not even half way through.
The Name of the Wind - Patrick Rothfuss
https://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Patrick-Rothfuss/dp/0756404746
Fellow fan of series here! Let me see...
Young Adult
Percy Jackson series is fun (and finished, too, I think).
Artemis Fowl series isn't quite as good as Percy Jackson IMHO, but it's got a following.
Fantasy
Harry Dresden series This is one of my favorites. Harry is Chicago's only professional wizard. There are a ton of these books and they are still going strong.
Game of Thrones These are great...but unfinished. If you watch the show, reading the books does help you get even more out of the story, I think.
Wheel of Time Another good series. There is a LOT of this series and it's finished. (Thank you, Brandon Sanderson!)
Mistborn Speaking of Brandon Sanderson... This one is very good. I highly recommend reading the Mistborn books before trying the Stormlight Archive, but only because as good as Mistborn is, Stormlight Archive is even better.
Stormlight Archive Amazing. Man, these are good. The series isn't finished, but the two books that are available are some of my favorites ever.
Kingkiller Chronicles I loved the first book. I could not freakin' believe I enjoyed the second one even more. The third one is still pending.
Temeraire Dragons in Napoleonic times. Super cool premise! This one is not finished (I don't think, anyway).
Gentlemen Bastards Con men in a fantasy realm. It's pretty light on the fantasy elements. Very light, I'd say. I'd also say that it has some of the very best swearing that I've ever come across. :D
Scifi
Old Man's War I'm almost finished this one--it's amazing!
Horror/Thriller
Passage Trilogy I've heard these described as vampire books...maybe zombie books... It's apocalyptic for sure. Great books!
Mysteries
Amelia Peabody Egyptology + murder mysteries. Super fun, but trust me...go with the audiobooks for these. They are best when they are performed.
Stephanie Plum Total popcorn reads. If that's your thing, shut off your brain and just enjoy.
Walt Longmire These get particularly good as it goes along. The main character is a sheriff in modern day Wyoming. (Side note: The TV show is also great--just don't expect them to stick to the books.)
Graphic Novels (Everything recommended can be gotten in a "book" format instead of only in comic form, in case that matters. I've gotten most of these from my local library.)
Locke & Key Eerie as crap. Love the art! This one is on-going.
Y: The Last Man All the men on the planet drop dead in a day...except for Yorrick. REALLY good. This is the series that got me reading graphic novels. Plus, it's finished!
Walking Dead I am not a zombie fan...but I like these. They're not done, but I've read up through volume 22 and am still enjoying them.
Other
OutlanderI have no idea how to categorize these or even give a description that does them justice. I refused to pick it up for AGES because it sounded like a bodice-ripper romance and that's not my bag. But these are good!
I hope there's something in there that'll do for you. Have fun and read on!
Edit: Apparently, I need to practice formatting. :/
Edit 2: I forgot to add the Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentlemen Bastards #1).
Read the Kingkiller Chronicles(Name of the Wind and Wise Man's Fear) by Patrick Rothfuss. You'll still have to wait a bit, but only for one more book. It's fantastic stuff. I've read the first two books at least three times each in the past year and a half.
Science Fiction,
Planet Spanning Shield,
Earth is Doomed,
Teleological Engingeering,
Pretty that this is the "Book"
One Second After is very good. It stays very grounded the whole time and deals with the aftermath of a nationwide EMP attack (not entirely accurate) on the US.
https://www.amazon.com/Second-After-John-Matherson-Novel/dp/0765356864
Okay, for sci-fi, you have to get The Culture series in. Put Player of Games face out.
I don't read a lot of space books, but Asteroid Hunter by Carrie Nugent is awesome. I mostly have recommendations for spaceflight and spaceflight history, and a lot of these come from listeners to my podcast, so all credit to them.
I think you'd really like this book, your comment is basically the defining opinion of some of my favorite characters in it.
> As an engineering student, adherence to logically engineered ships is cool. :P
Yeah, I have a physics background, so I'm right there with you. It's just that the ships already exist in a world with nonsense piled upon nonsense, so at this point I don't necessarily feel the need to make any part realistic, as long as it's cool. It's a little like saying the saddle for a wizard to ride on a flying dragon should physically be near the middle instead of near the front.
By the way, one set of sci-fi books I really enjoyed as far as realism is concerned are the Expanse books. The authors say that the books are emphatically not hard sci-fi, but still, they only seem to go into "magic" technology where they have to. For example, ships have an "Epstein drive" that makes space travel reasonable and economical, but it thrusts like a normal rocket, rather than warping around as in Star Trek. So if people travel from Mars to Jupiter, they accelerate at 1g for half the trip so they can walk around in the ship at 1g, and then they flip the ship around and decelerate at 1g for the second half. Trips can take a long time, obviously, but it physically makes sense, and interplanetary distance is such that if you work it out, travel times would take weeks or months rather than years. They describe how some ships end up feeling a little like towers when they're under acceleration, since they extend away from the main thruster, so "down" ends up being back toward the thruster.
Fun fact: If you used real-life technology to build a nuclear rocket and accelerated at 1g for 10 days, you could get to Alpha Centauri in 133 years. (One-way, no slowdown.) The estimated cost would be about one entire month of US GNP. (So no one makes any food during that time, or anything else.) (This wikipedia page is cool.)
Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars) was also enjoyable to me for similar reasons. Two thumbs up.
Have you read the 'Red Mars' series? They're by Kim Stanley Robinson and are pretty much exactly the sort of hard sci-fi + character development that you seem to enjoy. They're also pleasantly topical given Curiosity's successful landing.
Really guys? No one mentions the hard SF books for Mars exploration by Kim Stanley Robinson?
Mars Trilogy
Red Mars - Kim Stanley Robinson
It depends what you're into. If you want stuff like this, hopefully someone here can recommend you something. If you like fantasy, I think you can't go wrong with The Name of the Wind (https://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Patrick-Rothfuss/dp/0756404746)
Patrick Rothfus' "Name of the Wind" is the first book in an ongoing trilogy. A coming of age story without being young adult. It has some intrigue like Dune and a sense of humor and danger like Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere. It is a medieval era fantasy but the "magic" has certain rules that make it more interesting then something like Harry Potter.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle/dp/0756404746
Patrick Rothfuss' Kingkiller Chronicles.
The first part is 'The name of the wind'
Genre: Fantasy
It's about a boy growing up in a traveling group and also learning to use magic, basically. I don't want you to know too much, as this is a no-brainer recommendation for me.
I was gifted this book on my birthday and am almost done with it by now.
It is a beautiful work of art. Never gets boring and is written so vividly, that I am baffled at how good a book can be.
Especially if you like Harry Potter or have a thing for music I would bet that this story will resonate with you.
But even if that is not the case, I am certain that you will like this book!
Edit: https://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle-Band/dp/0756404746/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1509725513&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+name+of+the+wind
I'll post links so you can get an idea of what they're about. Apologies, I'm a bit tired, otherwise I would give you a rough synopsis myself
If you're looking for some good fantasy books I'd highly recommend the following:
1.) The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss - http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle/dp/0756404746
2.) Prince of Thorns by Mark Lawrence - http://www.amazon.com/Prince-Thorns-Broken-Empire-Lawrence/dp/1937007685
3.) Gardens of the Moon by Steven Erikson - http://www.amazon.com/Gardens-Moon-Malazan-Book-Fallen/dp/0765348780/ref=pd_sim_14_12?ie=UTF8&amp;dpID=51pDraZRUIL&amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR99%2C160_&amp;refRID=1H0ZZ7MYMYZGKGQMEKTW
This next one has some fantasy elements, however, it's hard to pigeonhole into an exact genre (low fantasy adventure?), nonetheless, it's one of the better books that I've read recently.
4.) The Lies of Locke Lamora (Gentleman Bastards) by Scott Lynch
http://www.amazon.com/Lies-Locke-Lamora-Gentleman-Bastards/dp/055358894X/ref=pd_sim_14_5?ie=UTF8&amp;dpID=51tpIK8K%2BtL&amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR98%2C160_&amp;refRID=1H0ZZ7MYMYZGKGQMEKTW
5.) The Way of Shadows: The Night Angel Trilogy: Book 1 by Brent Weeks -
http://www.amazon.com/Way-Shadows-Night-Angel-Trilogy/dp/0316033677/ref=pd_sim_14_4?ie=UTF8&amp;dpID=51tPZPp5dsL&amp;dpSrc=sims&amp;preST=_AC_UL160_SR93%2C160_&amp;refRID=1WERAT21ARWMVZN12V2P
(All books mentioned are the 1st novel of a larger series. If you're already aware and/or read these already than disregard, trying to pass along some great books for anyone who might come across my post)
Good, because I WAS LOOKING FOR AN EXCUSE TO PLUG THIS BOOK
GO BUY THE NAME OF THE WIND IMMEDIATELY AND DON'T COME BACK INTO THIS THREAD UNTIL YOU ARE AS UNHEALTHILY OBSESSED WITH IT AS I AM.
Seriously though it's a fantastic book, one of if not the best I've ever read, and Patrick Rothfuss (the author) is not only an incredible author, but also a pretty awesome guy. He was the intern in the Acquisitions Incorporated podcast for a season, that's how I found out about him.
Beautiful! Have you read any Patrick Rothfuss? Judging by your shelf, I think you'd really like the Kingkiller Chronicles!
Some of my favs:
The King Killer Chronicles
Gentlemen Bastard Series
The Dark Tower
Riyria Revelations
The Ender Quartet
Ummmm I know I'm leaving some out, but those are some of my favorite series off the top of my head.
Edit: Stupid formatting on mobile.
If you like fantasy, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and then you'll want to buy the second book too because you'll be addicted. Then you'll be sad because the third book isn't out yet.
Check out The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It's fantasy, not as violent or graphic as Game of Thrones, but I really enjoyed it.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle/dp/0756404746
The Name of the Wind is what you are looking for.
It is very light on the fantasy stuff, focuses on one main character (hero if you like), it is very much adult
http://www.amazon.com/The-Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle/dp/0756404746
I know there is an entire book suggestion thread on this sub, but I can't recommend Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss enough. Just started to re-read it hoping to time up with the release of the third book in the series and FUCK is Rothfuss' writing incredible. It is fantasy but in my opinion, way more digestible than GRRM. There is also a show in development that might have potential but... It's on Showtime so who knows.
Cool contest! I need to start reading more again.
A great fantasy book is The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, I think you would like it! It's got great reviews on Amazon too so you don't just have to take my word for it, and the price is super reasonable.
Since you like Roald Dahl, if you haven't already read Holes by Louis Sachar, I would definitely recommend that one. His book Cardturner is also a good one.
Patrick Rothfuss' Name of the Wind. The protagonist goes through a lot growing up. I lost so much sleep for that poor kid. And it's one of the best series I've ever read.
The Name of the Wind (Kingkiller Chronicle)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle/dp/0756404746
Hey /u/vipr9, /u/sabien, you should both read more books! They're great, and reading virtually anything makes you smarter, the same way that picking up heavy shit makes you stronger.
I've never been to /r/books, but it looks like a quality sub. I guarantee if you make a post saying "I stopped reading for fun in middle school, help me get back into it" and mention that you love the Witcher series, people would recommend stuff that will blow you away.
I haven't read the Witcher books, and I'm only about 20 hours into Witcher 3, but I think you both would love The Name of The Wind. $6.27 on Amazon!
Everybody should read more books. Me, you, everybody.
The Name of the Wind https://www.amazon.com/dp/0756404746/ref=cm_sw_r_other_apa_i_CVM8Ab4PTTWK6
This was taken with on of my favorite authors Patrick Rothfuss, so it was pretty amazing just getting to meet him. Then when I come back home I see that he ended up posting this pic on his person facebook page. Which was just amazing.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles/dp/0756405890/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1377262476&amp;sr=8-3&amp;keywords=patrick+rothfuss
ugh i've finished everything worthwhile in my local library been reading e-books but running low on those as well
heres some off the top of my head.. be warned these are more character driven then anything else... I hate books with a giant cast of characters ( though malazan was an exception )
Old Shit:
The Fionavar Tapestry (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Summer-Tree-Fionavar-Tapestry-Book/dp/0451458222/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1279523697&amp;sr=1-2
Farseer Trilogy (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Assassins-Apprentice-Farseer-Trilogy-Book/dp/055357339X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1279523843&amp;sr=1-1
New Shit:
First Law Trilogy (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Blade-Itself-First-Law-Book/dp/159102594X/ref=pd_sim_b_1
The Name of the Wind (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles-Day/dp/0756405890/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1257193424&amp;sr=1-1
Codex Alera (fantasy)
http://www.amazon.com/Furies-Calderon-Codex-Alera-Book/dp/044101268X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1279524012&amp;sr=1-1
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Western zombie mystery action!
Maybe the [Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld](Uglies trilogy by Scott Westerfeld.) - scifi with good action and the main character has a highly curious streak.
Read Cherie Priest's Clockwork Century series,
Read Verne,
Keep your gears functional,
Never stop researching,
Never stop making
Eternity Road by Jack McDevitt is an excellent many-years-after-the-apocalypse type story.
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson isn't exactly apocalyptic, but it does deal with end-of-the-world themes and explores how society might react.
Wastelands is an excellent collection of apocalyptic short stories.
Forget a few days.
Read One Second After to get a real perspective on what to expect (plus it's an interesting read.)
If you want to read about what might happen if an EMP took out the US electrical grid I highly recommend the book "One Second After." It's a great read, although a bit disturbing and depressing.
Anathem by Neal Stephenson.
Currently reading, and would like to finish:
Started in 2014, put down, would like to finish in 2015:
Would like to re-read in 2015:
Would like to read in 2015:
I really enjoyed the Expanse series, by James SA Corey (Pen name for Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck) so far. There's a trilogy and two novellas out now, with three more novels expected.
EDIT: Should mention the first book in the series is Leviathan Wakes. Picked it up because of the GRRM blurb on the cover but absolutely loved it.
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey
From Amazon.com:
>Humanity has colonized the solar system - Mars, the Moon, the Asteroid Belt and beyond - but the stars are still out of our reach.
>Jim Holden is XO of an ice miner making runs from the rings of Saturn to the mining stations of the Belt. When he and his crew stumble upon a derelict ship, The Scopuli, they find themselves in possession of a secret they never wanted. A secret that someone is willing to kill for - and kill on a scale unfathomable to Jim and his crew. War is brewing in the system unless he can find out who left the ship and why.
>Detective Miller is looking for a girl. One girl in a system of billions, but her parents have money and money talks. When the trail leads him to The Scopuli and rebel sympathizer Holden, he realizes that this girl may be the key to everything.
>Holden and Miller must thread the needle between the Earth government, the Outer Planet revolutionaries, and secretive corporations - and the odds are against them. But out in the Belt, the rules are different, and one small ship can change the fate of the universe.
Swan Song - Robert McCammon Of the books I read last year this was my favorite.
Old Man's War - John Scazi - It's a pretty fun Military Sci-fi series
Leviathan Wakes - S. A. Corey - Near space, space opera.
Mistborn - Brandon Sanderson - Epic Fantasy with an interesting magic system, good place to start with a popular author
The Blade Itself - Joe Abercrombie - "Grimm Dark" fantasy, he does an interesting thing by playing with a LotR style quest.
The Black Prism - Brent Weeks - Interesting Magic system, one of my favorite ongoing fantasy series. Much better than his first trilogy IMHO
Midnight Riot - Ben Aaronovitch - Funny urban fantasy series that takes place in London
His Majesty's Dragon - Namoi Novik - Napoleonic* war + dragon's, fun quick reads.
Sevenes - Neal Stephenson - Stand Alone sci-fi novel about human's trying to survive in space as the world ends.
I can suggest more if you want, and I assume you've probably read at least some of these. Hope you enjoy some of them at least though.
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey!! It's the first book in The Expanse series and it has seriously every thing you're looking for, and is a great, well written space opera.
How about The Expanse trilogy by James S.A. Corey? First book is Leviathan Wakes.
It is completely sci-fi, but has a lot of horror elements.
A Harry Turtledove fan are ya? My favorite was Guns Of The South where apartheid nuts from the future exploit time travel technology in order to arm Civil War-era Confederate soldiers with Kalashnikovs.
But do they deserve the freedom to make owning people legal?
Edit: All politics aside, have you read Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove? Time travelers from future apartheid-era South Africa come back to 1863 and supply the CSA with AK-47s. Great alternative history book.
oh, Dragonlance <3 if one dives into that series, hold on to your butts! theres SO MANY OF THEM!
i managed to get ahold of the annotated original trillogy. i love it so much.
Chronicles of Amber is another good multi-book set.
A long time ago I was reading a SF magazine and in it there was an add for the SF Book Club. The teaser for one book was "What if Earth were the shadow of the real world?" That book was Nine Princes in Amber, the first in Roger Zelanzy's Chronicles of Amber
This is one of my all-time favorite series. Awesome magic system and worldbuilding. The full series is currently published in one volume, available here. It's funny that all 10 of these books are about the size of Oathbringer.
You can find physical copies of most older books on amazon for like $4.
Half price books, abebooks, thrift stores and shopping around for ebooks are all also options.
If you are looking for specific books there are some pretty reasonably priced compilations out there.
The Belgariad volumes one and two can be gotten for around $14.
All ten volumes of The Chronicles of Amber can be purchased for about $12.
All three volumes of the Dark Elf Trilogy can be purchased for around $12.
If you look around there are some pretty great deals out there.
These are books which I have read twice or more and would read again and again on the topic of post-collapse:
Alas Babylon
On the Beach
The Postman - not like the movie with Kevin Costner (just based upon and quite different)
One Second After - currently the most realistic and scariest of the bunch I think.
Earth Abides
Lucifer's Hammer - this one I wouldn't read without many years between as the start is sooooo slow but the second half is good.
Clearly you need to read Lucifer's Hammer, the award-winning granddaddy of them all.
This is basically how The Martian was done. Released as a serial on the web one chapter at a time with fan feedback incorporated into future chapters (and even revising current ones).
ME! I'm that person!
I had no idea there was a book. I'm pumped now.
Amazon link to the $9 paperback I just bought.
Lately I've been ruminating on the Dark Elf Trilogy. I read it years ago, but I liked it a lot. If I recall, I once saw u/mistborn at The Dragon's Keep, and he liked that trilogy too.
I hope sci-fi is okay. Most of the time it's fantasy set in a different era.
I don't blame them. It's my favorite sci fi book (so far)
Read it!
The obvious answer would be The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson, starting with Red Mars.
The Mars Trilogy, Kim Stanley Robinson
An excellent read in my opinion, charts the course of the first permanent settlement on Mars and continues through the years, the political strife, effects of immigration to Mars due to massive global warming on Earth, realistic science, at least for the first part, factions, both personal and political. Pretty dense books, but worth the read.
I just read a good apocalypse/prepper novel (and boy, those are hard to find.) - Anyhow, seems to hit some of your sweet spots, and the author is a military history professor. https://www.amazon.com/Second-After-John-Matherson-Novel/dp/0765356864/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1481885962&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=one+second+after
Read/Listen 'One Second After' (http://amzn.com/0765356864)
For your EMP dramatization pleasure.
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge. One of the best SciFi epics I've ever read; good enough that I re-read it every few years. There is also an annotated Kindle version available. Vinge helped popularize the term "singularity" for the time when machines exceed human intelligence; you can read his 1993 speech on the topic here.
Feminism Is for Everybody by bell hooks - a really great introduction into what feminism is really about, not anti-male, not anto-sex, not anti-family, but about all creating egalitarianism across gender, sex, race, class, and any other aspects of a person's identity. It's written in mostly accessible language, and I recommend this book to anyone who is open to learning about feminism from one of it's most influential theorists.
Definitely check out Wool.
You must read this and the two sequels immediately!
It's not the same as Lost in terms of character development but the overall strange vibe while you're trying to work out a mystery is covered pretty well in Wool.
Wool by Hugh Howey. The majority of the story takes place underground.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
The entire Dresden Files series, by Jim Butcher
Oh if you like dystopian, then check out Ready Player One by Ernest Cline. Awesome fantasy - Patrick Rothfuss The Name of the Wind. And a really cool non-fiction survival story is The Tiger by John Vaillant, about a man-eating tiger terrorizing a village in Russia.
Totally check out the library, most these days do inter-library loans within counties or regions, so if they don't have any of the above, you can request them for free. Enjoy!
These definitely aren't the worst-case-scenario, but I still wouldn't pick them up if I saw them on a shelf. They just don't spark my interest.
THAT being said, two of my favorite books - Theft of Swords and The Name of the Wind - are books that I would NEVER have picked up if a friend didn't recommend them. I don't think your examples are bad because (1) it looks like art rather than a photo, and (2) enough of the character's face is hidden (or their back is turned) to still let the reader imagine what the character looks like.
The first is on my mp3 and ebooks list. Here's the link.
Thanks for the contest!
Good decision. I wanted to just go straight through and I ended up burning myself out on the series.
Have you ever read anything by Patrick Rothfuss? The Name of the Wind was one of my favorite books of all time.
Lately I've been listening to the audiobook of "The Martian". It works great while flying, not so great while designing. It's difficult to make something spaceworthy in RSS while simultaneously concentrating on a book.
When designing in the VAB I prefer to have some game or series soundtrack running. Favorites include but are not limited to Xenosaga, Nagi no Asukara and Kara no Kyoukai.
One moment after by William Forsyth.
EDIT: It's called "One Second After."
> 5 seconds later
https://www.amazon.com/Second-After-John-Matherson-Novel/dp/0765356864
link for the lazy
One Second After. https://www.amazon.com/Second-After-John-Matherson-Novel/dp/0765356864
Well researched and the need for insulin is a critical issue. Plus, this is such a likely scenario it is scary.
Read One Second After by William Forstchen for a pretty reasonable description of EMP devastation
These aren't under $5, but definitely worth getting and HAVING. I've been increasingly interested in surivalism (as a result of hanging out with my paranoid dad), so definitely get these books:
http://www.amazon.com/SAS-Survival-Handbook-Revised-Situation/dp/0061733199/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1363171748&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=wilderness+survival
http://www.amazon.com/98-6-Degrees-Keeping-Your-Alive/dp/1586852345/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1363172088&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=98.6+degrees+the+art+of+keeping+your+as+-+cody+lundin
http://www.amazon.com/Stay-Alive-John-D-McCann/dp/1440218307/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1363172163&amp;sr=1-1-spell&amp;keywords=stayalive
http://www.amazon.com/Build-Perfect-Bug-Out-Bag/dp/1440318743/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1363172312&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=bug+out+bag
http://www.amazon.com/Preppers-Instruction-Manual-Disaster-ebook/dp/B008OXF0BY/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1
http://www.amazon.com/31-Days-Survival-Emergency-Preparedness/dp/161004648X/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1363172535&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=31+days+to+survival
http://www.amazon.com/Surviving-Doomsday-Guide-Disaster-ebook/dp/B00B020FKC/ref=dp_kinw_strp_1
http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-William-Forstchen/dp/0765356864/ref=la_B000APZ9N8_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1363173072&amp;sr=1-1
One Second After. About the US after a high altitude EMP destroys everything in the country that is electronic. Makes you wish for a plague or zombie apocalypse. Ugh, more brutal than The Road because of the detailed description of exactly how society breaks down and how long it (doesnt) take
http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-William-Forstchen/dp/0765356864
I really disliked One Second After. It's a hardcore right-wing fantasy scenario. The author..I mean the characters constantly preach at you. I tried to give it a chance, but after about 25%, I gave up. Read some of the 1 star reviews on Amazon.
> I agree with your review, too. I've learned an enormous amount by coming across an idea in HP:MOR and putting in the research later on - ideas and concepts posed to me in MOR have resulted in an expansion of my knowlege in at least a half-dozen fields.
I believe that's the point. :-)
Hey, have you read Finale yet? If not, go read Fire upon the Deep and Permutation City first. Mind-bending stuff.
Legacy Inventive new planet and lifeforms.
A Fire Upon the Deep Absolutely epic tale.
Rendezvous with Rama Wonderful story spanning centuries and galaxies.
Rama short film gives an idea of the start of the story.
All of the above are parts of series.
The Tine species is borrowed whole from A Fire Upon the Deep. Argent is inspired largely by the packs Peregrine Wrickrackrum and Scriber Jaquramaphan.
could it be this? http://www.amazon.com/Fire-Upon-Deep-Zones-Thought/dp/0812515285/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1453904069&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=fire+upon+the+deep
Sorry for the stupidly long link
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge - Absolutely fantastic. Full of well-fleshed-out technology, a great understanding of actual science. Top notch storytelling with a complex setting to back it up. I think Vinge writes some of the most exciting scifi narrative out there.
After you read Hyperion, get Ilium, also by Dan Simmons. Kind of a cool reinterpretation/continuation of Homer's Iliad and the Trojan War. Has a cliff-hanger of an ending that picks up again in the sequel Olympos. I didn't like Olympos quite as much, though.
Two that I think are great without going back too far are Naomi Wolf's The Beauty Myth, and Female Chauvinist Pigs.
I'm looking at amazon.com and thinking of ordering a new one from bell hooks, who I've always liked. As an African-American woman, hooks has always had a broader perspective.
I'd also recommend Susan Faludi's Backlash.
Amanda Marcotte's recent It's a Jungle Out There was a quick read and good.
I'm currently looking at Valenti's Full Frontal Feminism and by Siegel and Baumgardner's Sisterhood, Interrupted: From Radical Women to Grrls Gone Wild, but they're about 4th and 5th on my current reading list and I can't yet say how I'd rate them.
Also on my reading list is Does Feminism Discriminate Against Men?: A Debate (Point/Counterpoint) by Warren Farrell, Steven Svoboda, and James P. Sterba on my list. Looking forward to that one. Warren Farrell is a former feminist and the father of the men's liberation movement. The movement had progressive roots, but I think Farrell's moved more center, and certainly the men's movement has some very conservative branches. I think it will be interesting splitting apart any anti-feminism from the pro-men's liberation stuff.
I personally don't think there's any conflict between men and women's liberation, but I want to be more informed as to the current arguments.
Wool by Hugh Howey
Description from Goodreads:
"In a ruined and toxic landscape, a community exists in a giant silo underground, hundreds of stories deep. There, men and women live in a society full of regulations they believe are meant to protect them. Sheriff Holston, who has unwaveringly upheld the silo's rules for years, unexpectedly breaks the greatest taboo of all: He asks to go outside.
His fateful decision unleashes a drastic series of events. An unlikely candidate is appointed to replace him: Juliette, a mechanic with no training in law, whose special knack is fixing machines. Now Juliette is about to be entrusted with fixing her silo, and she will soon learn just how badly her world is broken. The silo is about to confront what its history has only hinted about and its inhabitants have never dared to whisper. Uprising."
Not a specific recommendation, but see if your local library has access to the Overdrive app which will allow you to read ebooks from them for free.
Wool by Hugh Howey is a sci-fi-ish book you might like. Quick and easy read with a compelling plot.
The Wool series by Hugh Howey. Ebook of the 1st part is free, so you can see if it's something you like.
The Red Rising series by Pierce Brown.
Both these series are excellent, and will keep you up at night. Both these series have been optioned for films, and are in development.
You should read Wool I can't even describe how awesome this book is. Over 7,000 people have reviewed it and most of them loved it like I did. Everything by Hugh Howey that I've read I've loved. I'd like this book which is also a dytopia type book which is what Wool is. Thanks for the contest.
Maybe the Silo trilogy would work? It's technically sci-fi I suppose, but it's really about the characters. 'Wool' is the first book.
Wool, by Hugh Howey.
"The story of Wool takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth. Humanity clings to survival in the Silos, subterranean cities extending over one hundred stories beneath the surface."
A review. More info.
I'm about to start Wool by Hugh Howey as several friends have recommended it. It's a long one but could be a good summer read (and is very post-apocalyptic like several of our other selections).
I'd recommend Wool, by Hugh Howey.
*Hugh Howey's "Silo" Series (I don't know how to do the fancy link thing - http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Hugh-Howey/dp/1476733953/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1377269856&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=wool)
There are three books in the series, this is the link to the first one (available on Kindle). Set in the not too distant future, something has gone HORRIBLY WRONG and humans now live in a giant silo underground. It's a nailbiting series. I got the 3rd one in the mail on Monday and I already finished. So I'm sad. But it's a great series nonetheless :)
Good luck!!
Edit: spelling
Wool. It's about a dystopian future where all of humanity lives in 50 different silos creating their own, similar societies. ees very good
If you like Fallout, you will probably like "Wool", "Shift" and "Dust" by Hugh Howey. It's a post-apocalyptic series set inside a giant underground silo.
I've heard great things about this book - WOOL. I want to read it, increasingly badly. And someone nominated it for the October reading book, which many people including me supported, so it's more than likely at some point RAoA will read it, together.
Also books are goods for being smart and stuff.
Fiiiinally it's the weekend!! I've been looking for something new to read that's fun, and I think this fits the bill perfectly :) Thanks for the contest, you're awesome!
I enjoyed the Wool series by Hugh Howey.
I'm currently reading Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss, and am LOVING it. I'm pretty close to the end, though, and I'm worried that not much is going to be wrapped up in this volume. D-:
The book before that was The Absolutely True Story of a Part-Time Indian and...I didn't finish it. One of my few 'abandoned' books. Had to read it for a book club, even, and couldn't bring myself to finish.
Before that was...I think Alif the Unseen? AMAZING book. Won the World Fantasy Award the year it came out, and is an amazing fantasy book that takes place in current-day 'unspecified middle-eastern country.' Highly recommended to any fantasy readers out there.
Oh, and Suki: A Like Story was adorable for the manga folk out there.
I'm a SAHM, so I'm always on. My daughter is having reflux issues right now, which woke her in pain at 2:30am. There's no time off. She's worth it, though.
I've heard good things about this book. Glitter all the things!
I've been trying to get my hands on a kindle for a very long time. Personally, I LOVE reading (my mom's an english teacher) and frankly my list of books-to-read is never less than a dozen books long. However, after having to pay a lot of money for recent unfortunate unforseen circumstances, I can't afford to buy all the physical books I want to read anymore. I can buy one or two a month from the secondhand store but that's all. The reason I want a Kindle is because in the long run it would be a lot cheaper and allow me to get back into my passion for reading. For instance, I've been wanting to read The Name of the Wind forever. Everyone on reddit keeps talking about how amazing it is but I haven't been able to buy it. Anyway, thank you so much for the contest and the opportunity and happy gifting! :)
Here is a link to the book Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
I'd toss in a few plus add links for those who have Kindles
Unfortunately seems to be UK only :(. US Version is still $9.
Patrick Rothfuss, The Name of the Wind. I haven't personally read it, but I know that it is high up there on the lists! :)
My wife loves her kindle, it's alot easier for her to take places where she would normally take 2 or 3 different books with her. Plus, if she manages to finish one and still has time to kill or whatever, it's super easy to start another.
As for books, I've got 2 recommendations if you're into fantasy at all. One and two.
Among Others by Jo Walton
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
I think the Dark Tower series is a must read. It starts off with The Gunslinger and continues. I think it is the best series I have ever read.
If you want to look other than fantasy/sci-fi...
Lamb by Christopher Moore is very funny, makes you think, and breaks your heart. I love it.
A Prayer for Owen Meany is one of my favorite books ever written. Everyone that I have given this book to has read it and bought it for someone else to read.
Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins is Tom Robbins at his best. It's also one of the most polarizing books I have suggested to friends and people online. You will either love it and buy the rest of Tom Robbins's books or you will hate it and never listen to me again. I hope it's the first reaction.
The Perks of Being a Wallflower is an amazing book about life in high school. I haven't seen the movie yet because I enjoy this book so much that I don't want to get pissed off at a director ruining one of my favorite books.
Good Omens by Pratchett/Gaiman is certainly a pretty rockin book.
Hopefully this helps you find some new authors to enjoy!
Edited for: I will never forgive myself if I don't put in what I consider one of the best fantasy coming of age stories ever. The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is the first of the series. Read it. Do it!
I was that way initially. Read it. Meh.
Then I came into close contact with the hype that surrounds the book. What?!?! You didn't like it? Why didn't you like it??!?
And with every repetition, with every bit of analysis, my dislike deepened, until I became the bitter soul you see today.
Honestly I am going off my coworkers recommendation that this series is great. He won't stop talking about it.
When I saw "Sol 585" I instantly thought about the Martian. Amazing book. http://www.amazon.com/The-Martian-Novel-Andy-Weir-ebook/dp/B00EMXBDMA
It's a lot more realistic science fiction (similar to The Martian) than a lot of books that I've read and, like Heinlein, explores some social issues / what ifs. That's kind of vague... but it's so good I don't want to go into too much detail and ruin it
What's up?
Started reading/listening to The Martian. It's wicked funny and filled with enough F-Bombs to make a sailor nervous. Has anyone else read this?
Oh, well now I feel silly. I thought you were quoting The Martian but I guess they were quoting Apollo 13 too.
I just read The Martian by Andy Weir. Follows the story of a stranded astronaut on Mars, from the point of view of his journal. Funny, intense, and smart.
I don't just go about randomly recommending books, but anyone that reads this comment, please, read this book.
It is one of the best things I have ever read. I finished it in one 10 hour sitting the first time. Also, the audiobook is very good.
I love listening to audiobooks while sanding and finishing projects.
I actually bought this book off of Audible. I can't recommend it enough. For me, it's one of the best books ever written. In case anyone's interested, it's also coming out in hardcover tomorrow (October 15th).
Never been there, but I recently read a great book about living on Mars. Seriously, pick up a copy.
I'm with you and to keep your mind off drinking I highly recommend this book. Simply awesome.
The audio version is available too and the narrator is great. I got in to talking books in early sobriety when my mind was racing and found it hard to concentrate.
I've been embracing my non-student status and reading for pleasure once again for the past two years. Finally got caught up on the years of Michael Connelly I'd missed, and I just finished up The Martian.
I did just start Ghettoside, which is my first toe into non-fictional waters in quite some time.
Pretty soon I'll get to start studying for licensure . . .
Just finished [The Martian] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Martian-Novel-Andy-Weir-ebook/dp/B00EMXBDMA) by Andy Weir, it's a phenomenal book that is essentially space MacGyver. It puts the hilarious main character alone on mars for an extended period of time, and explores how one might survive if stranded on mars.
That's already a thing. A quite good thing: http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EMXBDMA?ie=UTF8&amp;redirectFromSS=1&amp;pc_redir=T1&amp;noEncodingTag=1&amp;fp=1
If you haven't read The Martian, you should. It's basically MacGyver meets Apollo 13 on Mars, and it's fantastic.
Though not the most recent nor academic sources of discussion on the topic, these two iconic scifi books/series are incredibly detailed and well-informed. They show two slightly different but plausible implementations of the technology involved.
Red Mars ; Green Mars ; Blue Mars - all by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Fountains of Paradise - by Arthur C. Clarke
Possibly the Western Sahara. It's claimed by Morocco but has an official status of a "disputed zone" with the Polisario Front.
And since you probably won't leave civilization, I would have two suggestions that you might enjoy.
http://www.vbs.tv/watch/far-out--2/heimo-s-arctic-refuge-full-length
http://www.amazon.com/Antarctica-Kim-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553574027
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Mars-Trilogy-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553560735
If you don't mind Sci-fi, Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars Trilogy would be great for inspiration.
Red Mars (Mars Trilogy) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553560735/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_jonPAb41Z800D
A good thing for you to do is to read Red Mars, it gives a good explanation of possible ways for us to live on Mars (and in the later books in the trilogy other planets).
sci-fi suggestion:
The Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson
I cannot pimp this series hard enough. Immensely hard epic martian colonization sci-fi with characters that are ultimately believable.
I could not put it down when I started reading.
Nobody I've recommended it to has disliked it.
It's also the only fiction novel/series my dad has ever read. Also the only one he's enjoyed.
edit: also thanks to your shelf, I realize there's more books in the "Chindi" series. It was some random used softcover I found for $0.25. I shall go locate the others!
103 comments and no one has mentioned the Mars Trilogy?! For shame!
Into sci-fi, huh? Read those too! :D
I take it you've read Red Mars?
Came here to say the most in depth and likely realistic protrayal of how a planet would be settled and likely how it's politics would evolve has been done by the "Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars" trilogy by kim stanley robinson.
It goes from early settlement military vs scientific type government to democratic evolutions to control issues between earth and mars (self determination) to building huge space infrastruture to suppor tthe planet like a space elevator etc to fights with terrorists about the degree of environmental distruction vs preserservation that should be allowed.
read those books.
One of the best book series I have ever read - sci fi or not. Great for political study as well as planetary engineeering and space settlement and more.
It's like having the experience of having actually done it once and then considering doing it better the second time around.
If you have any interest at all in this subject matter you simple have to read those books (and you'll love them).
It gets you your Ph.D. in "Mars settlement".
Then you'll be ready to talk without repeating what has already been extensively thought about ( not that there is anything wrong with that)
Red Mars ( book 1 of 3 link)
"In his most ambitious project to date, award-winning author Kim Stanley Robinson utilizes years of research and cutting-edge science in the first of three novels that will chronicle the colonization of Mars.
For eons, sandstorms have swept the barren desolate landscape of the red planet. For centuries, Mars has beckoned to mankind to come and conquer its hostile climate. Now, in the year 2026, a group of one hundred colonists is about to fulfill that destiny.
John Boone, Maya Toitavna, Frank Chalmers, and Arkady Bogdanov lead a mission whose ultimate goal is the terraforming of Mars. For some, Mars will become a passion driving them to daring acts of courage and madness; for others it offers and opportunity to strip the planet of its riches. And for the genetic "alchemists, " Mars presents a chance to create a biomedical miracle, a breakthrough that could change all we know about life...and death.
The colonists place giant satellite mirrors in Martian orbit to reflect light to the planets surface. Black dust sprinkled on the polar caps will capture warmth and melt the ice. And massive tunnels, kilometers in depth, will be drilled into the Martian mantle to create stupendous vents of hot gases. Against this backdrop of epic upheaval, rivalries, loves, and friendships will form and fall to pieces--for there are those who will fight to the death to prevent Mars from ever being changed.
Brilliantly imagined, breathtaking in scope and ingenuity, Red Mars is an epic scientific saga, chronicling the next step in human evolution and creating a world in its entirety. Red Mars shows us a future, with both glory and tarnish, that awes with complexity and inspires with vision."
Green Mars (book 2 link)
"In the Nebula Award winning Red Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson began his critically acclaimed epic saga of the colonization of Mars, Now the Hugo Award winning Green Mars continues the thrilling and timeless tale of humanity's struggle to survive at its farthest frontier.
Nearly a generation has passed since the first pioneers landed, but the transformation of Mars to an Earthlike planet has just begun The plan is opposed by those determined to preserve the planets hostile, barren beauty. Led by rebels like Peter Clayborne, these young people are the first generation of children born on Mars. They will be joined by original settlers Maya Toitovna, Simon Frasier, and Sax Russell. Against this cosmic backdrop, passions, rivalries, and friendships explode in a story as spectacular as the planet itself."
Blue Mars (book 3 link)
"The red planet is red no longer, as Mars has become a perfectly inhabitable world. But while Mars flourishes, Earth is threatened by overpopulation and ecological disaster. Soon people look to Mars as a refuge, initiating a possible interplanetary conflict, as well as political strife between the Reds, who wish to preserve the planet in its desert state, and the Green "terraformers". The ultimate fate of Earth, as well as the possibility of new explorations into the solar system, stand in the balance."
This isn't a classic, but IMO it should be:
The Fermata centers around a temp named Arno Strine and his sexual escapades as a time-freezing pervert, transcribing temp, erotica ("rot") writer, and sensitive literary aesthete. One of the raunchiest, funniest, deepest, and thoughtful books about the male gaze. I've read it twice and have recommended it to a number of people who love it. Thought provoking, hot, and in the end, kind of sweet and romantic. But deeply philosophical, too.
This book is in my top 5 novels ever, right alongside East of Eden and Brothers Karamazov.
You might enjoy this book: http://www.amazon.com/Fermata-Nicholson-Baker/dp/0679759336
The Fermata, for all your rapey fantasy needs
The Fermata
Amazon is your friend.
Have I got a book for you...
The Fermata by Nicholson Baker is the story of a man who has the ability to pause time. The guy is a total pervert and he uses his power to act out elaborate pornographic schemes. Hilarious book - really well written but also pretty raunchy
http://www.amazon.com/The-Fermata-Nicholson-Baker/dp/0679759336
An amazing writer. Maybe not strictly sane, but a hell of a wordsmith.
The Name of the Wind (The Kingkiller Chronicle's) sounds perfect for you.. Check it out: http://www.amazon.com/The-Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle/dp/0756404746
I'm horrible at these things. This is technically my third intro, enjoy.
My name is Vanessa and I love books and nature. I'm currently reading The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss and am hesitant to finish it because it's so good. I'm new to North Carolina, where I just moved from Ohio with my amazing partner. We're planning to adopt a pit bull from a local rescue just as soon as we're a bit more settled. I am avidly looking for a job and a car. Both were lost due to unfortunate circumstances. I love to hike, cook, entertain myself, and laugh. I can't wait until the weather is more suitable for camping. I try my hardest to love the life I live and live a life I love. My life has been very eventful thus far, and I like it that way. I have a lot of dreams, and one day I hope to accomplish of them but as Albus Dumbledore once said, "It does not do to dwell on dreams and forget to live." I live fully, every day, when depression doesn't tie me down.
Hope that was okay. Have a great evening, everyone.
It looks like Fox already owns the rights (ugh), but a television series based on "The Name of the Wind" novels would be fantastic!
If you're looking for a good Sci-Fi read, take a look:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles/dp/0756404746
"The Name of the Wind" by Patrick Rothfuss is my book. It is probably my favorite book ever. I know I've nominated it before, but that's how much I other people to read it!
You could check out The Name of the Wind which has a literal magic university (and a pretty cool bard culture)
Have you heard of Outlander by Diana Gabaldon? Historical-Fiction-Fantasy-Romance-Intrigue novels, just started being made into a tv show this past month. It's probably the only series I have read as many times as Harry Potter.
I also just finished The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. Great book. Fantasy, but a refreshing take on the typical tropes, and explores some cool themes.
I also love Johnathan Strange and Mr Norrell. It's kind of like Jane Austen meets Fantasy.
If you like ASOIAF, you'll probably like the Kingkiller Chronicle by Pat Rothfuss... kinda has the same problem though, been waiting 3 years for Doors of Stone.
I'm reading a bunch of stuff right now.
I've tried Les Miserables several times but I always get to this part in the middle where Hugo starts talking about the French Revolution and it goes on for a hundred (two hundred?) pages. It completely drops the main story in that time and I haven't been able to get through it yet. This time I'm going to skip it and read it after I finish the rest of the book.
I'm reading this old favorite of mine called Behind The Attic Wall by Sylvia Cassedy. It's a very strange, ambiguous book that has stayed with me since I was a kid, so I decided that instead of simply rereading it for the 180th time I'd study each chapter and write about the storytelling elements Cassedy used.
Then I have a bunch of fantasy waiting for me. The Name of the Wind by Rothfuss, Stardust by Gaiman, and this trilogy I picked up from a thrift store years ago (Dragon's Gold, Serpent's Silver, and Chimera's Copper by Piers Anthony). It's about a boy named Kelvin and his sister Jon who accidentally-on-purpose slayed a dragon and then took all its scales, and then the sister gets kidnapped on their way home, and that's as far as I've gotten. The boy is the Chosen One, I think.
Fiction
Nonfiction
The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss (and The Name of the Wind, the first in the trilogy, is also good). I only came across them a year ago or so, but they are absolutely fantastic and beautiful books. It takes restrain to read other books rather than these two over and over again.
In teen fiction or adult? I don't think I've read any adult books recently (published in last two years) that would be appropriate for a 13 year old.
Stardust: Quirky, fun and Neil Gaiman. His writing and stories are very strange so people either like them or they don't (I don't). However, my friends swear by this book.
Kingkiller: Badass hero, epic journey, epic story. Ultimately along the same difficulty as Sword of Shanara/LOTR and is probably super boring for a 13 year old.
Let me think: Game of Thrones is neither appropriate nor well written. Lackey is still amazing, but has strong homosexual and relationship themes. I think I waited to read her old stuff until I was 13, but her new stuff is just as -- well, her... Terry Brooks has a new series, but it is more political than Rothfuss. All the modern mystery/suspense is very sexual. I'm reading Abercombie right now, but don''t feel confident recommending it since I'm not done. Keyes reminds me of old-school high fantasy -- really, really dense and hard to digest for a 13 year old.
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Divergent, as he already read, was quite good. Hunger Games and Maze Runner are in the same genre, but both are quite a bit darker than Divergent (stupid mind control and very Lord of the Flies-esque).
I think my best modern recommendation is:
Rick Riodran: Generally awesome teen male fiction. I've read the greek (percy) and egyptian series. They are fun and very similar to harry potter in tone.
Other
Throne of Glass: Not super popular, but definitely good! I haven't had the chance to read the sequels, but the first stuck with me.
Mistborn: water-downed Trudi Canarvan. Poor girl becomes a magician/assassin who totally kicks butt. Some almost-rape scenes (2 I think).
Intisar Khanani - I got a chance to read her newest book before it was released. She is the modern equivalent of Tamora Pierce and definitely someone to watch in the future. Great - Great author, but doesn't have an established series.
If he ends up liking the Dark Elf Trilogy -- The forgotten realms are STILL making books.
I'd say that Mortal Instruments (Girl meets demon hunter -- kind of a less cool version of Bleach), anything John Green writes (watered down Nicholas Sparks), Tiger's Curse (awesome epic adventure, but kinda creepy), and the Iron Fey series are too girly.
I recently read a free kindle book that would be awesome. It was a watered-down, less rape-y/fetishy version of The Sword of Truth. I can't find it. I'll have to get back to you on that. It had dragons and magic and bad-assery in a generic fantasy way. There was also another one with lots of dragons and he had power over them... hmmm... I might be losing my mind.
43, less than I would like (oh... sorry, M), hard science fiction, Iain M. Banks, any of the Culture series (favorites in that are Use of Weapons, Matter, and Surface Detail)
For recommendations, I have a soft spot (because he earned it) for Charles De Lint. One of the best urban fantasy authors out there. Some others are The Name of the Wind, and the Mistborn cycle (first book here).
By the way, I'm currently reading this book after absolutely devouring the first.
I've just finished The Windup Girl, which I had been putting off for some time. It was, quite simply, the most astounding and breath-taking science fiction book I've ever read. I loved it.
However, my problem is that I buy books compulsively. Mostly hard copies, but recently I bought a Kindle and buy the odd e-book or two. I have literally hundreds of books on my "to read" list.
One near the top is A Place of Greater Safety by Hilary Mantel. I recently read her phenomenal Wolf Hall and was blown away by her skills as a story teller. I'm a bit of an armchair historian, and I'm particularly interested in the French Revolution (amongst other things), so I'm very excited by the prospects this book holds. If it's anything like Wolf Hall then I'm in for a very particular treat.
Also near the top lies Quantum - Einstein, Bohr, and the Great Debate about the Nature of Reality, Manjit Kumar's much lauded recent history of the emergence of quantum mechanics. I very much enjoyed other tangentially related books on this topic, including the wonderful The Making of the Atomic Bomb and The Fly in the Cathedral, so this should be good fun and educational to boot.
Having read and loved Everitt's biography of Cicero, I'm very much looking forward to his biographies of Augustus and Hadrian.
I'm listening to an audio-book version of The Count of Monte Cristo on my iPod, which I find rather enjoyable. I've only got through the first half dozen chapters and it's already taken a few hours, so this looks to be a nice, long-term and periodic treat for when I have time alone in the car.
Cronin's The Passage keeps piquing my interest, but I was foolish enough to buy it in that lamentable format, the much cursed "trade paperback", so the thing is a behemoth. The size puts me off. I wish I had waited for a regular paper-back edition. As it is, it sits there on my bookshelf, flanked by the collected works of Alan Furst (what a wonderfully evocative writer of WWII espionage!!) and a bunch of much recommended, but as yet unread, fantasy including The Darkness that Comes Before by Bakker, The Name of the Wind by Rothfuss and Physiognomy by Ford.
Books I have ordered and am eagerly awaiting, and which shall go straight to the top of the TBR list (no doubt to be replaced by next month's purchases) include Orlando Figes's highly regarded history of The Crimean War, Rosen's history of steam The Most Powerful Idea in the World and Stacy Schiff's contentious biography of Cleopatra.
A bit of a mixed bunch, all up, I'd say.
I cannot say enough good things about The Name of the Wind. it's the first book in the Kingkiller Chronicles.
If you love fantasy and strong female characters, the Eye of the World is the first book in the just recently finished Wheel of time series. Amazing series, long, deep, complicated, but amazing.
If you don't want to get tied up too long (this series isn't complete yet), I definitely recommend the Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss:
These are extremely well written. I really look forward to the next book in the saga.
[Edit: woops, just saw that someone else mentioned this further down in the comments. I'm sure the links will be appreciated.]
Just a few: Mr. Peanut, John Dies at the End, The Magicians, Horns, Running Dog, The Name of the Wind, A Visit from the Goon Squad.
if you find a good recomendation, let me know, i would be interested as well.
Try the Kingkiller chronicles, MC goes to magic college and all.
https://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles-Day/dp/0756405890/ref=tmm_pap_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;qid=1480879260&amp;sr=8-1
I have this one.
Hello and welcome!
As for magic, are we talking harry potter magic or Ice and fire magic?
Seeing as for the reason why you like Suits and your love of magic, I suggest reading "Name of the wind"
Book six? You're stronger than me - I got through the first three before giving up. I've not heard anything that makes me want to go back and try again. A couple of other fantasy series suggestions (with links to the first books):
That polish looks AMAZING! So gorgeous!
My favorite book of all time is "Name of the Wind" by Pat Rothfuss. I know the author, but that doesn't affect my opinion of the book, it stands on its own! The sequel is nearly as amazing, but the final book of the trilogy is out yet, which is a little painful!
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
Incredible book.
> A mother in Joel's role wouldn't really be believable.
The novel Boneshaker is proof that a mom fighting zombies for her son can be completely believable, not to mention exciting, thrilling, and moving.
I have no idea what that book is, but I'm going to keep an eye on this thread in case someone comes up with an answer, because that sounds awesome. You might also want to try r/books, if you haven't already.
You also might enjoy Boneshaker. I just started it and so far it's good.
So, Boneshaker then?
Boneshaker was pretty entertaining, particularly if you enjoy steampunk settings. A sequel, Dreadnought, was released recently but I haven't had the opportunity to pick it up yet.
For some steampunk/alt history fun, try the Clockwork Century books by Cherie Priest.
Start with Boneshaker
Edit: formatting
This is the coverart for this book by Cherie Priest. $10 on kindle, $14 in paperback. I haven't read it, but it has a 3.5/5 star rating with 300+ reviews.
The teaser:
>In the early days of the Civil War, rumors of gold in the frozen Klondike brought hordes of newcomers to the Pacific Northwest. Anxious to compete, Russian prospectors commissioned inventor Leviticus Blue to create a great machine that could mine through Alaska’s ice. Thus was Dr. Blue’s Incredible Bone-Shaking Drill Engine born.
>But on its first test run the Boneshaker went terribly awry, destroying several blocks of downtown Seattle and unearthing a subterranean vein of blight gas that turned anyone who breathed it into the living dead.
>Now it is sixteen years later, and a wall has been built to enclose the devastated and toxic city. Just beyond it lives Blue’s widow, Briar Wilkes. Life is hard with a ruined reputation and a teenaged boy to support, but she and Ezekiel are managing. Until Ezekiel undertakes a secret crusade to rewrite history.
>His quest will take him under the wall and into a city teeming with ravenous undead, air pirates, criminal overlords, and heavily armed refugees. And only Briar can bring him out alive.
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson has a somewhat similar idea, except instead of humanity expanding off-planet, the universe itself ages faster.
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson is pretty great.
First I'll tackle your query regarding one of my favorite novels:
>Read The Forever War, thought it was O.K. I've heard the sequels were bad, would like confirmation on this?
There's one sequel to Forever War, and it's Forever Free. It goes in a weird direction and has an unsatisfying ending. There's a short story that tells the end of the forever war from Mary Gay's point of view, called "A Seperate War". It's pretty good if only for the fact that it just retreads the novel.
Haldeman has a book called Forever Peace, published in 1998, which tackles the same basic concept of never-ending war... But in no way is it actually connected to The Forever War in a narrative sense.
Second:
Some books that I read and enjoyed are...
If you liked this, then you'll love THIS. It's the first in a trilogy.
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge
Terminal World by Alastair Reynolds
Try Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
One Second After seems pertinent
You may wish to read Anathem.
In a setting that strongly echoes a monastery thinkers delve into the deepest realms of thought. That is only the setting, there is a story that takes off from there.
Books sharpen the mind
alright, this is a long shot, but Neil Stephenson's Anathem is one of my favorite books. It's sort of an alternate reality book where universities are these amazing places that have somehow been crossed with convents... but not in a bad way. Honestly, as a grad-student, it sounds pretty alright to me. It's a bit slow at first, and doesn't shy away from theoretical type talk (but there's explanations in the back) but it's quite good.
[](/c11 "Time for some blatant plagiarism")
Someone or something trying to insert more unsourced information onto the Internet?
> “Early in the [Internet]—thousands of years ago—it became almost useless because it was cluttered with faulty, obsolete, or downright misleading information,” Sammann said.
> “Crap, you once called it,” I reminded him.
> “Yes—a technical term. So crap filtering became important. Businesses were built around it. Some of those businesses came up with a clever plan to make more money: they poisoned the well. They began to put crap on the [Internet] deliberately, forcing people to use their products to filter that crap back out. They created [computers] whose sole purpose was to spew crap into the [Internet]. But it had to be good crap.”
> “What is good crap?” Arsibalt asked in a politely incredulous tone.
>“Well, bad crap would be an unformatted document consisting of random letters. Good crap would be a beautifully typeset, well-written document that contained a hundred correct, verifiable sentences and one that was subtly false. It’s a lot harder to generate good crap. At first they had to hire humans to churn it out. They mostly did it by taking legitimate documents and inserting errors—swapping one name for another, say. But it didn’t really take off until the military got interested.”
>“As a tactic for planting misinformation in the enemy’s [networks], you mean,” Osa said. “This I know about. You are referring to the Artificial Inanity programs of the mid-First Millennium A.R.”
>“Exactly!” Sammann said. “Artificial Inanity systems of enormous sophistication and power were built for exactly the purpose Fraa Osa has mentioned. In no time at all, the [technology] leaked to the commercial sector and spread to the Rampant Orphan Botnet Ecologies. Never mind. The point is that there was a sort of Dark Age on the [Internet] that lasted until my [ITA, Information Technology Administrators,] forerunners were able to bring matters in hand.”
>“So, are Artificial Inanity systems still active in the Rampant Orphan Botnet Ecologies?” asked Arsibalt, utterly fascinated.
>“The ROBE evolved into something totally different early in the Second Millennium,” Sammann said dismissively.
>“What did it evolve into?” Jesry asked.
>“No one is sure,” Sammann said. “We only get hints when it finds ways to physically instantiate itself, which, fortunately, does not happen that often. But we digress. The functionality of Artificial Inanity still exists. You might say that those [ITA] who brought the [Internet] out of the Dark Age could only defeat it by co-opting it. So, to make a long story short, for every legitimate document floating around on the [Internet], there are hundreds or thousands of bogus versions—bogons, as we call them.”
>“The only way to preserve the integrity of the defenses is to subject them to unceasing assault,” Osa said, and any idiot could guess he was quoting some old Vale aphorism.
>“Yes,” Sammann said, “and it works so well that, most of the time, the users of the [Internet] don’t know it’s there. Just as you are not aware of the millions of germs trying and failing to attack your body every moment of every day. However, the recent events, and the stresses posed by the Antiswarm, appear to have introduced the low-level bug that I spoke of.”
>“So the practical consequence for us,” Lio said, “is that—?”
>“Our cells on the ground may be having difficulty distinguishing between legitimate messages and bogons. And some of the messages that flash up on our screens may be bogons as well.”
>“And this is all because a few bits got flipped in a [computer] somewhere,” Jesry said.
>“It’s slightly more complicated than you make it sound,” Sammann retorted.
>“But what Jesry’s driving at,” I said, “is that this ambiguity is ultimately caused by some number of logic gates or memory cells, somewhere, being in a state that is wrong, or at least ambiguous.”
>“I guess you could put it that way,” Sammann said, and I could tell he was shrugging even if I couldn’t see it. “But it’ll all get sorted soon, and then we’ll stop receiving goofy messages.”
Have you read Anathem? Because if you haven't, you should. I loved that book and I loved the world you created through the eyes of this young alien boy. In reality, I think this story needs to be a full-length novel. You have so many wonderful insights into this culture that you simply don't get a chance to go over.
I felt as though the end was rushed, and I found myself having to go back and see if I had missed important details. I think I had a bit of a shock, because the pacing changed dramatically near the end and I had a hard time visualizing the action.
Flesh this baby out! Write a novel! Do it!
Anathem by Neal Stephenson seems like it could potentially be right up your alley. It's my #1 book by a mile.
The last really good book I read was Anathem by Neal Stephenson. It was enthrallingly, mind-bendingly, unputdownably good.
I recommend it very highly.
And it has a wonderful answer.
Probably my favorite book ever even as a fan of math more than a practitioner.
Sounds like you'd enjoy 'Anathem' by Neal Stephenson. Its the most thought-out, well-considered post-apocalyptic sci-fi I've ever read. I really can't recommend it enough. Its inexpensive in trade paperback and on Kindle.
(Sorry for megalink, on mobile)
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/006147410X/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1377271985&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=SL75
The Expanse books are amazing. The first one is called Leviathan Wakes
In case you haven't seen the TV show, the story is allllllmost hard scifi and takes place in an era where we've colonized mars and the asteroid belt along with some Jovian moons. It reflects on what happens to society when humanity is spread so far... both physically (belters are taller, skinnier, and have developed an entirely different kind of body language that can be easily seen through a space suit) and politically.
For a little more 'out there' sci fi, give the Long Earth series a try.
The conceit is this: Someone develops a device called a "Stepper". The stepper lets you step "right" or "left" into a parallel universe, only so slightly different from our own. If you step left, then right, you'll be back where you started. The major difference: Our universe seems to be the only one inhabited.
This starts a gold rush of sorts. We now have infinite resources, as you can just step a few paces to the left or right and find an entire world worth of raw material that can be brought back. The worlds get progressively more different the farther out you go. At one point there's a gap, where the earth itself was blown up by some unknown force. We wind up using this to cheaply launch space craft. Build it in one universe, step to the gap, and you're immediately out of the gravity well.
The book plays very hard on the "What if" scenario here.
Oh my, yes you are right. I didn't look it up as I thought I could trust my memory. But I guess not haha.
Here's an Amazon link to the book
Is this the listing you're referring to? No Kindle version... :-(
https://www.amazon.com/Leviathan-Wakes-James-S-Corey/dp/0316129089/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1488179647&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=expanse+book+1
James S. A. Corey reminds me of Crichton in a lot of ways. I strongly recommend Leviathan Wakes. STRONGLY RECOMMEND.
For a newish, highly entertaining read, I'd recommend Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey. Do it soon, Syfy is making a TV series out of it next year, and you don't want the crappy photo reprint cover with the embossed "NOW A HIT TV SERIES" burst.
Leviathan Wakes
Leviathan Wakes by James Corey was the best space sci fi I've read in awhile. It starts as an intersolar detective story, quickly turns epic. The political intrigue is a ton of fun, and the characters are top notch.
http://www.amazon.com/Leviathan-Wakes-James-S-A-Corey/dp/0316129089
If you like the show, I recommend you check out the book series it's based on, by James S.A. Corey. The first book is Leviathan Wakes.
The show looks like it will be good. The books have already proven themselves to be good.
I flew through the book series for The Expanse quicker than anything I have in a while (I listened to them on audiobooks). The first one Leviathan Wakes is some of the best sci-fi I've 'read' in a while. There are 4 books(and a few short stories) out so far with another 5 planned.
This book had a little Space Jiu Jitsu in it... also space pirates and puke zombies, pretty good stuff.
Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove. Man travels through time to give Robert E. Lee automatic weapons......
The Yiddish Policemans Union By Michael Chabon Imagine an Israeli state in Alaska.
Years of Rice and Salt by Kim Stanley Robinson envisions an entire new America and Europe due to the Black Plague
The Difference Engine by Bruce Sterling and William Gibson about the computer age starting 100 years early right in the middle of the Civil War
Read this
I'll throw this one in -
Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove
Read Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove and find out!
LOTS OF SPOILERS!!!
Articles
Sep 15 Ryan Murphy "This season, once you die, you're dead"
http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/09/15/american-horror-story-freak-show-ryan-murphy/
> “Freak Show begins its tale in the quiet, sleepy hamlet of Jupiter, Florida. The year is 1952. A troupe of curiosities has just arrived to town, coinciding with the strange emergence of a dark entity that savagely threatens the lives of townsfolk and freaks alike. This is the story of the performers and their desperate journey of survival amidst the dying world of the American carny experience.”
20 August http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/08/20/american-horror-story-freak-show-date/
>Do you still think next season will be darker? Murphy: Hmmmm. I don’t know what to say. It’s a combination of things. It’s a combination of two time periods, with the main one being the 1950s. I don’t know. We haven’t started writing it yet, so I don’t really know the tone. I like that we had a lot of comedy in this year, and I like the comic characters, so I think that will remain. Next year will be equally as challenging, because so much of it is period and bizarre and crazy and gothic. My feeling is, if you loved this season, you’ll love next season. It has the same sort of comedic tone to it."
30 January http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/01/30/american-horror-story-ryan-murphy-the-seven-wonders/?ew_packageID=20534121
>The series will be predominantly set in 1950's Florida, with Jessica Lange being a German ex-pat and the manager of one of the last ever freak shows in the United States. Ryan Murphy spoke briefly about the details and confirmed to fans: "It's not a circus and it's not a carnival. It's a freak show, which is very unique. It's set in 1950. And it was something that's been Jessica Lange's favorite thing to talk about, every season. She wanted to play this sort of character, and she really likes that milieu, so that's exciting. We're shooting it in New Orleans, but it's going to be set in Florida, where all great things happen."
3 May https://uk.tv.yahoo.com/american-horror-story-freak-show-series-4-latest-105700295.html
>“I thought it was going to be light but it’s turning out to be quite terrifyingly dark, which it feels much more like the Asylum season. But look — if you have a character named the Clown Killer, it’s going to be dark.”
9 May http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/05/09/american-horror-story-freak-show-scary-clown/
>Ryan Murphy described Freak Show as a "super scary thrill ride" that is also "about something. It's about a group of people . . . who are the last existing freak show in America." The freak show is set in Jupiter, Fla. and the various "freaks" in the troupe are "desperate to stay together," Murphy teased. The season will focus on the conflict between the freaks and the "evil forces" who do not understand them
15 May http://www.enstarz.com/articles/38011/20140515/american-horror-story-season-4-premiere-sarah-paulson-plays-most-challenging-character-in-freak-show-video.htm
>Paulson revealed to E! Online that "Freak Show" is turning out to be a "kind of beautiful hybrid between "Coven" and "Asylum."" This means "American Horror Story-Freak Show" will be both lighter and darker in tone. "There's going to be a little bit of a richer and potentially darker tone the way Asylum had, but with the humour infused from Coven," Paulson said.
June 13 http://au.ibtimes.com/articles/555719/20140613/american-horror-story-season-4-freak-show.htm#.U6_r5sh-_IV
>Kathy Bates, Sarah Paulson, Evan Peters, Angela Bassett, and Frances Conroy will all return. The American Horror Story players will come back for the fourth season as "performers who Lange has rescued," says EW. Denis O'Hare and Emma Roberts were also announced, and at PaleyFest, Murphy confirmed more Coven cast members transitioning to Freak Show, like Jamie Brewer and Gabourey Sidibe. Murphy also admitted that he is speaking to previous cast members Dylan McDermott and Connie Britton about potential roles, but neither has confirmed yet
12 June http://www.buzzsugar.com/American-Horror-Story-Season-4-Spoilers-34083437
>FX CEO John Landgraf: “Some years it’s going to be big and bright and brash and campy the way Coven is. Other years it’s going to be dark and brooding—like Asylum was. I guess I would put Freak Show half-way in between the two. It’s not quite as brooding and formal and Hitchockian as Asylum, it’s got a little bit more humor and a little bit more camp, but its got a brooding period feel to it also,”
21 July http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/07/21/fx-ahs-freak-show-campy/?hootPostID=2281e3618db5451ce29bd91a43f90763
>Producer Tim Minear has seen footage from the set -- "Freak Show" has only been filming for a week -- and says the tone of the show "can only compare to a scene from 'Zodiac' that was done in sherbet. Draw your own conclusion." He further described Freak Show as "Douglas Sirk meets Zodiac." "It's not like the first three seasons" he added
Recommended viewing / reading
Movies
Freaks
Carnival of Souls
TV Series
Carnivale (HBO)
Books
Geek Love - Katherine Dunn
Youtube
1940's Freak Show
The Last American Freak Show
Season Five
> Have you thought about season five yet? I have a couple ideas I really really like. I’m sort of thinking over which ones. I’ll probably spread clues in too.
Sep 15 http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/09/15/american-horror-story-freak-show-ryan-murphy/
>But you already know what season 5 is? Murphy: I do, because it’s a radically different idea from the stuff we’ve been doing and it will take a lot of playing.
30 January http://insidetv.ew.com/2014/01/30/american-horror-story-ryan-murphy-the-seven-wonders/?ew_packageID=20534121
Somewhat on-topic, you'd probably enjoy reading [Katherine Dunn's Geek Love] (http://smile.amazon.com/Geek-Love-Novel-Katherine-Dunn/dp/0375713344).
I think Geek Love by Katherine Dunn is the perfect summer read. It's thought-provoking, but not in an overly lofty or challenging way, and if you like fucked up families (like your interest in Augusten Burroughs suggests), then you will really dig Geek Love.
Geek Love fits pretty well.
The characters remind me of Geek Love
Geek Love by Katherine Dunn.
Something that stands out to me is his love for Palahniuk. Has he read Geek Love? It's really amazing, and Chuck is a fan of it as well.
the whole bit about having another kid and feeding it mercury was a bit much. on that note, check out geek love by katherine dunn.
Also check out Geek Love http://www.amazon.com/Geek-Love-Novel-Katherine-Dunn/dp/0375713344
[Geek Love] (http://www.amazon.com/Geek-Love-Novel-Katherine-Dunn/dp/0375713344) is pretty awesome...if you have a strong stomach.
The Chronicles of Amber - 1264 pages of pure science fiction joy!
Reading at least the first book makes a huge difference in understanding the setting. The good news is that the books are cheap, fast reads, and still in print. The "Great Book of Amber" is everything but the short stories collected together.
Try some of Martin's literary influences:
Came here to namecheck RZ's Amber. But my work was already done. (I also echo cuddlemonkey's Hitchhiker rec, as well as the equally deserving mentions of Discworld. Zounds, you have some awesomely entertaining reading ahead of you!)
Edit: Closed the parenthesis.
The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zalazny
wiki
Amazon
The first book (9 Princes in Amber) is nearly as old as I am (pub.1970) -if you ignore Galaxy Mag which ran the first few books in '67-69.
While it COULD be done with todays CGI and graphics, I just don't think it's popular enough for a studio to take a risk on it as most of the folks that read this are now in the 'over 49 and therefore invisible to marketing' group.
Just my .02
Awesome read btw. I had the original hardcovers as a child gifted to me and went back just a year or two ago and got this 'all in one' edition I linked to at Amazon and it holds up amazingly well 40 years later.
Highly recommended
To me this sounds like a lot like book one of The Chronicles of Amber. Good luck in any case!
Strange Relations is, uh, interesting.
He's most wellknown for the Riverworld series, though. First book: To Your Scattered Bodies Go.
Might I also suggest Roger Zelazny.. The Chronicles of Amber (10 book anthology).
I bought myself the Arcadia Jumpship and Fallen Walker Megablocks set with Xmas money. Also a Kindle Fire tablet and a food scale with what was left. Also got the Blu-Ray of Cowboy Bebop (entire series) and the Amber Chronicles from my Imgur secret santa (they sent something else from UK but I won't see it for a few more days or so.
You might like Roger Zelazny's "Amber" books. There are five in the original, excellent series, then a second series that's not as good but still interesting.
He starts you off with a traditional trope: Protagonist wakes up amnesiac in a hospital and suspicious people are trying to kill him. Then he takes you off in directions you'd never expect. Zelazny was a Byzantine, so a discerning eye will catch some Eastern Christian threads and Septuagint allusions now and again.
The first book, Nine Princes in Amber, is available cheaply online, or you can get a compilation of all ten books inexpensively (especially if you buy used.)
http://www.amazon.com/The-Great-Book-Amber-Chronicles/dp/0380809060/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1345692696&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=the+chronicles+of+amber
Very easy quick reads and my all time favorite series.
There are a ton of different editions and compilations of the Amber books. It might be useful to poke around at the different editions if you're looking for a bargain.
Some potentially helpful links:
If you think you might want to read all of the Amber books and not just Volume 1, you may want to consider purchasing (or borrowing, whatever) The Great Book of Amber which is vol. 1-10 bound together. It's a doorstopper, so be forewarned. I do not think it's available electronically as an omnibus. Amazon link: https://smile.amazon.com/Great-Book-Amber-Complete-Chronicles/dp/0380809060/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1501692577&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=nine+princes+in+amber
Secondly, for just Vol. 1 Nine Princes in Amber, for some reason the listings for the paper copies and the electronic copies aren't linked up very well.
Paper/Audible (the Amazon link GR provides): https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0380014300/ref=x_gr_e_nl_general_sin?ie=UTF8&amp;tag=x_gr_e_nl_general_sin-20&amp;linkCode=as2&amp;camp=1789&amp;creative=9325&amp;creativeASIN=0380014300&amp;SubscriptionId=1MGPYB6YW3HWK55XCGG2
Kindle edition (Amazon link): https://smile.amazon.com/Nine-Princes-Amber-Book-Chronicles-ebook/dp/B011MYPIY0/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1501692577&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=nine+princes+in+amber
> pinko commie cannibals (yes, I'm not exaggerating, they have cannibals)
Rawles must have enjoyed Lucifer's Hammer by Niven & Pournelle.
How about an apocalyptic series you probably haven't read?
SM Stirling's Emberverse Novels are about what happens when our toys get taken away. Think medieval levels of technology, but modern people. Dies the Fire is the first book.
There are some books which sort of deal with this. In Dies The Fire after the apocalypse, one character who ends up helping rebuild the society is obsessed with Tolkien. Many books later, as generations pass, there are whole groups who take the elven stories as people do the bible today.
I think it was Penn Jellet who recently said (paraphrase), "If all religions on the world disappeared right now, and somewhere down the line someone started religion up again, it would be completely different then any of them today. If all science were wiped out and someone down the line started it up again, they would find the exact same things we know now."
If you are talking full on collapse like that you might want to look to developing skills beyond firearms; ammo will get VERY scarce, VERY quickly.
Interesting related read: "Dies the Fire" by S.M. Stirling.
I'm not sure how "from scratch" the civ building needs to be, but I enjoyed the Island in the Sea of Time trilogy. It is about the island of Nantucket getting sent back in time to the Bronze Age. The small population must try and build a civilization from their small pocket of modernity.
Related is the Dies the Fire series, also by Sterling. This is about what would happen if all technology suddenly stopped working. The later books in the series get progressively more "fantasy," but the first few are about the different types of civilizations that crop up and the conflicts between them.
SM Stirling Dies the Fire
First of a series.
S.M. Stirling's Dies the Fire: A Novel of the Change
We currently pay $1300 for a 1.5 bedroom. We are flexible. We'll definitely consider Prospect Park, especially if you're willing to practice archery and go halves on a boat to escape the city when the change happens.
The Never Hero is the first part in a 3 part trilogy (duh). It's more of a Sci-Fi universe-y feel. Has a different take on the standard hero narrative with some peppered in Ethics & Moral decisions. I suggest it because I enjoyed it and I have mutual taste as you. Another series is the Emberverse it's more medieval flavor like the books you enjoy.
This has happened in some timelines. ^[4th_wall_broken_by_link]
The individuals with survival training, 'Renn Faire' experience (blacksmithing, etc.), trebuchet hobbyists and anyone with pertinent historically useful skills that don't require internal combustion engines or black powder will do very well, and will be able to provide training to those that lack it (and are lucky enough to survive a Change such as what you've proposed).
Those of us who've come to rely on chemically firing or electrical technology for our survival and warfare will be much worse off against traditional, non-chemical ballistic and close-range weaponry.
Seige weaponry may come into favor again, such as the Ballista or trebuchet. I could very easily see us progressing in such a fashion as we have before, in the middle ages with laying seige to a place.
Crossbows and bows, spears, spearguns (pre-compressed gas cartridges aren't chemical, they're just pressurized), and elastic-powered projectiles will be some of the first stuff to come into play, as sporting goods stores are potentially looted early on.
TL;DR -- Physics-based weaponry will rise. Chemical-propelled and electronic weaponry will be rendered forever inert.
After loads of reading on the bus to work every day, here follows my reading list for military aviation:
Modern
Vietnam
WWII
Overall/Other
Bonus non-military aviation
I highly second the recommendations of Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and Diamond Age. I would also recommend:
Oh oh! I'm currently reading The Martian by Andy Weir.
It's really good. Near-future sci fi, definitely adventure, and quite funny.
Semi-space related, but I really loved The Martian by Andy Weir.
http://www.amazon.com/Martian-Andy-Weir/dp/0553418025/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1421979859&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=The+Martian
Good, engaging story, and plenty of geeking out.
I came here to recommend this series, especially the first book (Red Mars). Awesome, awesome books!
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Mars-Trilogy-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553560735
Although I recommend getting it from your local library.
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Mars-Trilogy-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553560735
Anathem by one of the heaviest, most scientific Sci-Fi/Speculative Fiction books out there.
Anathem!
I recommend it to everyone... it's a little tough to get into, but once I did, I couldn't put it down. I read it in about 3 days, which for me is really fast (considering it's ~800 pages long).
Some of Neal Stephenson's other novels such as Anathem are definitely hard sci-fi.
Also try Spin by Robert Wilson
Read about The Long Now Foundation for more info.
Or read Neal Stephenson's Anathem for a look into a world where these clocks are present.
For fiction, check out some stuff by Neal stephenson like Cryptonomicon or Anathem
For non-fiction, maybe Hyperspace by Michio Kaku or Chaos by James Gleick.
I really liked Dead Space Martyr (Catalyst was horrible).
I wish there were better sci-fi horror books out there.
Currently reading the third book of Leviathan wakes.
http://www.amazon.com/Leviathan-Wakes-James-S-A-Corey/dp/0316129089
Check out The Expanse series by James S. A. Corey. Excellent space opera series that combines a bit of BSG with a crew like Serenity.
Leviathan Wakes should be mentioned.
The Night Circus has gotten a lot of praise. I haven't read it yet, but I'm aware of it's growing fan base.
I'm sure 'The Girl Who Circumnavigated Fairyland in a Ship of Her Own Making' is a great story but it's a pet peeve of mine to include Children and Young adult books in a 'best of' list. This is probably a result of seeing Harry Potter Book 4 win a Hugo award.
Leviathan Wakes by James S.A. Corey.
Check this book out http://www.amazon.com/Leviathan-Wakes-James-S-A-Corey/dp/0316129089/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1414424976&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=leviathan+wakes
> "Leviathon Series"
acktchually
Or book series. Leviathan Wakes https://www.amazon.com/dp/0316129089/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_fY8RAbB7EV87E
Leviathan Wakes, by James S.A. Corey (pen name of Daniel Abraham and Ty Franck). This was originally a d20 Modern game run by Ty Franck as a play-by-post game called 2350.
There are some differences, obviously, but most of the original crew and a good amount of the plot are pretty much taken straight from the original game.
For a more sci-fi feel check out the expanse series by James S.A Corey,
also the long price quartet by Daniel Abraham, is pretty neat as it is fantasy that isn't centered around Europe.
I would also recommend checking out the First Law series by Joe Abercrombie
the links are in order
Leviathan Wakes has the most realistic space battles I've ever read, albeit in a near-future setting. It's nothing like submarine warfare, though.
EDIT: dirty_res wrote up a more complete treatment of the entire series. I wasn't aware it's being made into a TV show!
I've really been looking forward to Leviathan Wakes. No good reason beside that I hear it's awesome and I'm a sucker for a good space opera.
I would say Leviathan Wakes would be right up your street. Well written, keeps you interested and wanting to turn pages. Praised by George R. R. Martin no less.
There's a book along those lines where a guy travels back in time and gives Lee's army AK-47s. If you're into alt-history stuff, it's OK. The Guns of the South.
Sci-fi, history, fiction...
Have you read any of Harry Turtledove's books? He writes some pretty cool alternate-history about events that happened in the US. The only one I've read is Guns of the South, where the Confederate army in the Civil War gets AK-47s from a time traveler and ends up defeating the North.
The book is kind of long, but if you like alt-history and US stuff, it may be a place to start
If you like this kind of thing, you should check out this book: The Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove.
mostly related, but not toally - you would probably like the book "Guns of the South" by Harry Turtledove. It's about some time traveling bad guys who go back and give M16's and AK47's to the south during the Civil War. It's been awhile since I've read it, but it's a good book and fun to think about.
The same author wrote several other books about history taking a different turn than it did, so you may want to check into some of his other writings.
Harry Turtledove's book, "The Guns of the South" has a similar concept.
From the Amazon description: "Using a time machine, Andrew Rhoodie and his cadre of white supremacists from A.D. 2014 join the rebels and supply them with AK-47 assault rifles. Rhoodie's "America Will Break" brotherhood hopes to foster a haven for slavery and extreme racism that will last into succeeding centuries. Thus armed, Gen. Robert E. Lee's troops are soon victorious, and Lincoln agrees to divide the nation. "
Probably one of my favorite books of all time.
Not much, but it's a start.
This book (and other's by the same author) look good to me. Haven't had a chance to read them, yet myself.
AKs in the mid-19th Century has been done in depth.
I mostly read speculative fiction, which is typically divided between the subgenres of fantasy, sci-fi, and alternate history. Alternate history is technically considered a subgenre of Sci-Fi, but I read enough of it to make it worth counting as a separate group. Within each of those subgenres, there is a wide variety of styles and some people might find themselves not a fan of one style but a fan of another. If you are not well read in these genres, then you will want to try a few different styles of story before dismissing it. I also sometimes read novelizations of historical events which have their own sort of enjoyment to them that fictional stories lack. Then there are books that are set from an animals point of view, which range from attempts to be as accurate as possible to being practically fantasy stories.
As far as individual books, I will try to give you a few of the best to pick from without being overwhelming. Some are stand alone stories while others are parts of series.
Fantasy single books:
After the Downfall
Fantasy series:
The Dresden Files
A Song of Ice and Fire aka Game of Thrones
Sci-Fi single books:
Slow Train to Arcturus
Mother of Demons
Sci-Fi series:
The Thrawn Trilogy There are a great many Star Wars books worth the read, but this is definitely the place to start.
Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow
Alternate History single books:
The Guns of the South
1824: The Arkansas War Technically this is a sequel to an earlier book, but this one is leagues better and you don't need to read the first book to understand what is going on.
Alternate History series:
How Few Remain
1632
Worldwar
Non-Fiction:
Band of Brothers
War Made New This one isn't even really a novelization, just an analysis of the changes to military technology, tactics, and training over the last 500 years. Regardless, it is very well written and a great read.
Animal POV books:
Watership Down
Wilderness Champion
The Call of the Wild and White Fang These two books are by the same author and go in pretty much opposite directions. Among literature fanatics, there is no consensus over which one is better and I don't think I can decide for myself so I am recommending both.
Edit: I forgot to mention, the first book in the 1632 series is available online for free. This is not a pirated version, but something the author put up himself as a part of an effort to move publishing into the modern day with technology and make books more accessible to readers.
I'm no engineer, but I assume that your phone is too complex to be readily reverse engineered by the people of 1912, even if it got into the hands of the right people. There are probably too many intermediate levels of scientific knowledge and manufacturing capabilities for the 1912ers to build their own cell phones.
That said, I'm sure that your phone would be recognized for the extremely advanced device it is, so long as it was delivered to an engineer or scientist before its battery died. Once the juice is gone, it's much harder to guess what it does. But if someone gets it and is able to play with it, they'd be incredibly impressed. It would likely inspire efforts to explore then disregarded areas of science, physics, and engineering.
Imagine if we found a cell phone from the year 2112. It hovers near your ear or orbits near any solid object you put it near, and it produce holographic images across up to 100,000 miles away instantly (there's no light speed delay). Even if we had no idea how it was built, the mere fact that it has these features that appear to violate our understanding of physics would inspire our scientists to figure out precisely how it can do what it does. It would trigger research into areas of science that we otherwise might never have considered for decades.
Likewise with the 2012 phone in 1912. Assuming you have a touch screen smartphone, the (right) finder in 1912 could discover its purpose - the first rotary phone was made in 1904, so calling codes based on combinations of digits was already familiar. Looking through your contact list - the match between names and numbers - plus seeing obvious apps and features (e.g., "Phone") would made make it plain what your phone was. Don't forget the Babbage's, either. One of the earliest computers was demonstrated in the early 1900s, so there's already context for the 1912 finder to guess how your phone might work.
The Guns of the South is a good read for thinking about these kinds of things. It makes a good case for how people in the past were certainly sophisticated enough to figure out advanced technology, and especially how they'd be able to at least recognized that technology is advanced.
My all-time favorite book is Katherine Dunn's Geek Love. Though it's set in the real world it leans more towards fantasy than science fiction. But I know several science fiction fans who thoroughly enjoyed reading it. I think it might be to your liking as well.
https://smile.amazon.com/Geek-Love-Novel-Katherine-Dunn/dp/0375713344/
Arturo Binewski?
No comment. But I think you will like this book:
https://www.amazon.com/Geek-Love-Novel-Katherine-Dunn/dp/0375713344
I just had to say "out loud" how thrilled I am that you have read that book and enjoyed it. It was one of the last things I read that really had me engaged from cover to end. On the off chance you (or anyone else who enjoyed A Visit From the Goon Squad) are looking for something to follow this, try Geek Love. Another amazing female fiction writer.
I want to say Geek Love, but it doesn't have artwork scattered throughout ... http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/0375713344?sa-no-redirect=1&amp;pldnSite=1
Here's another great series/book you should check out if you enjoyed Dune: The Great Book of Amber, by Roger Zelanzy. It's actually 10 books they combined into one for the Great Book. Really interesting mind-bending mystery sci-fi, plot points to keep you guessing until the end, and written during the same general time period as Dune (1970-1991). It's a wild ride! Plus, you know, the philosophical musings on humanity that we all love so much in our sci-fi/fantasy :)
Roger Zelazny - The Chronicles of Amber
You can either get the Great Book of Amber (books 1-10)
https://www.amazon.ca/Great-book-Amber-Roger-Zelazny/dp/0380809060
or just start with Nine Princes in Amber
http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Princes-Amber-Roger-Zelazny/dp/1935138197
Fantasy books, specifically from first person (she liked hunger games). She would enjoy Alexey Pehov's work. Chronicles of Siala is a great place to start.
I can't comment on how good the translation is, but Pehov is one of the best russian fantasy authors (really popular here). So if they did a decent job at translating his books - the stories will go great with her.
Also from a first person perspective (and really good) are the Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny. Although this one might be a bit too dated for todays youth. A lot of characters smoke in it (I think all main ones smoke) and some of the descriptions are vague and abstract (almost surreal like) while others are clear and vivid.
And lastly (but not leastly?) I would recommend The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb. First person perspective, fantasy, rich world, with a lot of intrigue. This might the most appropriate book, because even though the protagonist a boy, the novels were written by a woman (it has that vibe about them, a feminine quality). Also has a lot about interaction with animals if she's into that sort of thing (like certain people being able to communicate with them etc). Has a lot of romance elements too (not with animals, don't worry). I'm sure you can figure out if a book is appropriate by reading the synopsis.
I hope this helps. Have a glorious day!
The omnibus is here: https://www.amazon.com/Great-Book-Amber-Complete-Chronicles/dp/0380809060/ref=sr_1_fkmr2_1?keywords=amber+omnibus+zelazny&qid=1563678685&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmr2
If you want the specific art and each individual book, I have no idea.
Totally agreed with greenlightning. I'll add that the person running the game should probably have read at least the first of the two series.
The character creation bidding system is so much fun, people will still be ribbing each other about that starting bid for years to come. :)
Book 6 of 10 in the Amber Chronicles.
And then I'll jump back to the Hyperion Cantos with The Fall of Hyperion
Roger Zelazny - The Chronicles of amber -Get all the short novels in one book as The Great Book Of Amber
Steven Erikson - Malazan Book of the Fallen
Gene Wolfe - Book of the New Sun
reminds me of this https://www.amazon.com/Great-Book-Amber-Complete-Chronicles/dp/0380809060
I remember the Book Fair in my elementary school used to come on my birthday week, without fail. My parents at the time were very into the “no gifts” policy for birthdays, which was fine since I wasn’t a toy kid anyway. But luckily they never considered books to be “gifts” so my mom and dad would separately (and what they thought was secretly) slip me a little bit of money for the book fair around birthday time. It was such a magical feeling to see my library transform into something foreign and beautiful, and even now when I step into grade-school libraries I remember the smells of book fair day (bad popcorn, new printing, bubblegum crayons). Anyway, I hope that one day, if I have kids, there will still be some kind of honoring books in the way that you and I experienced, because it really was magical.
I’m not sure what kind of books you like, but if you like J.K. Rowling, I very much recommend her mystery series, The Cormoran Strike series, which she writes under her pen name Robert Galbraith. I haven’t read the third in the trilogy, but the first two had such amazing dialogue. I actually don’t usually like mysteries, but she has a way with words that makes reading seem both natural and pleasant. The third book is on my Most Wanted wishlist, but I definitely recommend starting at the beginning of the trilogy.
If you are looking for literary fiction, I would recommend anything by Yann Martel. I have many of his books on my Books wishlist, but my favorite book of his (besides Life of Pi) is called Beatrice and Virgil. It is...super weird, to be honest. But it has a poignant message while also just being an amazing story.
If you like fantasy, I recommend the Amber Chronicles. There are fifteen of them, and they are all amazing. I have the entire compendium (in one volume) on my Most Wanted Wishlist. It’s pretty cheap, and will keep you busy for hours! This is the one I put a link to, mostly because if I can only have one count towards the contest, I think I would choose this.
I also have a plethora of cookbooks and comic books that I love to recommend. I think the best cookbook I have on there is called Jerusalem. When I went to Israel, I have to admit I didn’t particularly like the food much because I didn’t have the money to cook for myself and I was basically thrust onto the coast eating terrible halumi salads. This cookbook, though, is both beautiful and gives homage to a great world of cooking that often goes unnoticed. For comic books, I recommend March. It is highly political and emotional, but, as with all great comic books, its message is one that will stand all tests of time.
I hope you have a very Happy Birthday and that so many books can become special to you and help you commemorate the day.
I know I'm late to the game but I thoroughly enjoyed The Chronicles of Amber series (Wikipedia Link).
Good set of books, might be considered more fantasy than Sci-Fi.
Roger Zelazny's Amber Chronicles
So happy to see Amber on this list! Re-reading the omnibus for about the 8th time right now, and it's still my favorite series ever.
The Chronicles of Amber.
“A storyteller without peer. He created worlds as colorful and exotic and memorable as any our genre has ever seen.”
—George R.R. Martin
No but thank you, I will look into it!
Here is a link to the book I found on Amazon - is this the one you are talking about? I just didn't see anything about astronauts in the reviews/description.
Holy shit, I can't believe this thread has been going on for an hour and no one has thrown out:
Same authors, different stories, great post-apocalyptic vision.
Current book: Wingsuits, fuck yeah! Unlimited leisure time, whooooo hooo!
Last book: set around an apocalyptic meteor strike, in a matter of days the US is returned to agrarian levels of technology. This book really showed me that I have no useful skills or assets in such a scenario.
You should also read a novel about an asteroid that strikes the earth! It's really apocalyptic. The novel is called "Lucifers Hammer".
Lucifers Hammer
Read this book.
https://www.amazon.com/Lucifers-Hammer-Larry-Niven/dp/0449208133
Surprisingly still relevant to your interests.
Obligatory wiki links: Dystopian Literature. Although, some of the titles listed don't seem to fit (The Dispossessed?). Nuclear holocaust fiction, and your general apocalyptic and post-apocalyptic fiction.
Some of the better/more popular ones:
Zombies: World War Z, Raise the Dead, Marvel Zombies, Zombie Survival Guide, Day By Day Armageddon, I Am Legend.
Also, just for kicks, some of my favorite dystopian movies:
Brazil, Soylent Green, 12 Monkeys, Blade Runner, Akira, Children of Men, Dark City, A Boy and His Dog, Logan's Run, Idiocracy, Equillibrium.
Lucifer's Hammer.
The Postman - David Brin
Dies the Fire- SM Stirling
I just finished reading Patriots, it was alright.
Slow River is an interesting story of a woman finding independence from her family: http://www.amazon.com/Slow-River-Nicola-Griffith/dp/0345395379
I recently discovered Tanya Huff. If you enjoy vampires, try her Blood Books, about Vicki Nelson, a private eye who gets turned. http://www.amazon.com/Blood-Books-Vol-Price-Trail/dp/0756403871
And the short stories in Stealing Magic are wonderful, they star Terazin, a thief, and Magdalene, the world's most powerful wizard. http://www.amazon.com/Stealing-Magic-Tanya-Huff/dp/1894063341
I hesitate to recommend them, as I've decided S. M. Stirling is a decidedly 2nd rate writer, but you might get some enjoyment out of his Dies the Fire trilogy (I did, despite the cliches and melodrama and Mary Sueism). One of the two main characters is Juniper Mackenzie, a busker, Wiccan priestess, and single mother who, when all technology suddenly stops working, founds a new community based on her Scottish heritage. http://www.amazon.com/Dies-Fire-Change-S-M-Stirling/dp/0451460413
Linda Nagata's 'Memory' is a bit of a coming of age story for a young woman, and her investigation into what is wrong with her planet. http://www.amazon.com/Memory-Linda-Nagata/dp/0765309009/
Oh, and you must surely already have read Clan of the Cave Bear and Mists of Avalon
Amazon links for reference, but try your local library.
Dies the Fire
It's starts a series, it an ok read.
Not a great deal of bike content, but the "Dies the Fire" series integrates the use of bikes in a post apolcolyptic world. Something that I've always found weird when other stories ignore such an appropriate mode of transportation for that sort of environment.
Nice.
If you're looking for more inspiration, read the first three books of S.M. Stirling's Emberverse series (Dies the Fire, The Protector's War, and A Meeting in Corvallis.
There are more, but the first three are by far the best. Everything afterwards deals with the next generation and takes a much more fantastical approach.
Hey, I actually like this idea - the best one out of the group here. I really doubt they will make it but I could see a mod, but with such a game/mod you can make up different factions and stylize them in different ways.
If you are interested in a book series that has a setup for such a thing, read Dies the Fire - it doesn't start with any World Wars, but the entire Earth essentially hit the reset button and everyone has to deal with it.
IF you like revolution you should really read the books that sound similar to it. I don't know if the author is the same but I doubt it.
"Dies the fire" first book of The Change series by SM Stirling
The stuff I like that are similar free web creations are:
Basically harry potter but if it were internally consistent and with realistic and good characters, does a lot of subverting expectations and tropes.
Astronaut munchkins Science! to survive on mars
Cute girl with giant scythe that also is a sniper rifle, everyone in this one has superpowers.
Realistic medieval setting wherein templar knights fight against undead horde which is almost the only divergence from our normal nonmagic world.
Bachelors of Science in Aerospace Engineering (ABET search, input "Aerospace Engineering" for program name). Also consider joining AIAA, especially if you are in school or work in the industry. These both assume you are in the USA.
You can also follow the /r/aerospace and /r/engineering reddits.
As for books, The Martian was a much better book than movie. Jeb can learn a thing or two from Watney. If you really want to learn orbital mechanics, the /r/aerospace folks highly recommend SMAD.
EDIT: Saw someone mention watching live launches. Good idea: NASA TV and SpaceFlightNow.
The Martian by Andy Weir. You'd think a diary from a man stranded on Mars could get boring, but it's great sci-fi and awfully funny at times.
Edit: link not working
yes
You may be interested in reading The Martian, which is an (obviously fictional) story about an astronaut getting stranded on Mars.
The martian
I hadn't read a book in the last 5+ years. Last week I picked up All You Need Is Kill because I liked the Edge of Tomorrow movie and loved it. It was a fast read at ~200 pages but it was great all the way through.
Now I picked up The Martian because I've heard a lot of good things about it. I think I actually might get back into reading now.
I haven't read anything good in years and the things I have read are usually due to finding new books for my kids or reading the books that have been adapted to tv/film.
One of my all time favorite series was from Robin Hobb. Starting with Assassin's Apprentice. This was a difficult read for me at the time, but I loved the story behind the characters.
I started reading less fantasy after reading Stieg Larsson's The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo Millennial Series. I read these after watching the original films. It is fantastic. Just don't buy the fourth book, it wasn't even written by him as he has been dead for a while now.
A Song of Ice and Fire by George R.R. Martin. I didn't start reading those until Game of Thrones premiered on HBO.
Now for some really old school, Dragonlance by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman. The fourth book came out years later and was fantastic. I have read more than a few of the side stories, but the main books are the best in my opinion, probably would not hold up well today.
Currently, I have The Martian by Andy Weir and Promise of Blood by Brian McClellan waiting for me to read.
The Five People You meet in Heaven by Mitch Albom is a book that I consider a must read. I don't consider it a spiritual book, but it did change my perspective on how I view my life in this world.
A nice [book] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0553418025/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_nS_img?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=1UV26E3TSLS5O&amp;coliid=I3NN4XIZLRKCRY) to snuggle up next to the Christmas tree during this season! :)
Probably super late to the party, but this edition of The Martian has a bit of a Q&A with Andy Weir at the end. One of the questions asked him what one book he would take with him if he were trapped on Mars. I couldn't help but picture one of the Weasleys, after a snide pause, just saying "...THIS one."
Have you read The Martian by Andy Weir portraying an ingenious astronaut and savvy mechanical engineer stranded on Mars? If so, what did you think of the book, or what was your favorite part?
Could it be Red Mars and the Mars Trilogy? (Red Mars is the first of the trilogy.)
One Second After?
https://www.amazon.com/Second-After-John-Matherson-Novel/dp/0765356864
I read One Second After. A sobering read :(
https://www.amazon.com/Second-After-John-Matherson-Novel/dp/0765356864
Both disasters would be shockingly similar results
Nuclear EMP: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Nuclear_electromagnetic_pulse
A fantastic novel on life after a nuclear EMP: http://www.amazon.com/One-Second-After-William-Forstchen/dp/0765356864
One Second After by William R. Forstchen is really good (despite having a forward by Newt Gingrich).
it's honestly like, over 90% of the population. like i said, i'm no fearmongerer, but i have a wife and cats and ZERO plans of leaving if SHTF (i live in a pretty rural woodsy area), so i like being prepared. we have peace of mind.
it's not even just SHTF kinda stuff. in the mountains, we lose power a lot during stormy seasons (like, summer, fall, winter, and spring lol), and sometimes for days at a time. we only have a small generator, but it's sufficient for running the fridge, though not our well pump. we take care of what we can with what we have.
there's a real negative connotation with preppers, well...cuz a lot of them are dicks about it, and most of them are completely unrealistic. the majority are the super right-wing 'THUR COMIN TO GIT UR GUNNNSSS' kinda folk, who weigh 300lb, haven't physically walked or run further than their mailbox in 30 years, and just prep to have something to do. in a real situation, they'd probably be an easy target for the guy down the street who's in shape, has guns, and knows how to use them. it's why people laugh at them.
thus my seatbelt analogy. i'm not fearful. i honestly DO think we're due for 'something'. russia? china? EMP? nukes? i dunno. and frankly i don't care. if we're gonna die we're gonna die. i only do this so i don't HAVE to run to the store the minute the minute disaster strikes. most people can't even fathom the chaos that will ensue if something serious, and nationwide happens. this isn't the 50's where everyone will 'head on over to the town hall and see what the mayor has to say' lol.
it'll be chaos guaranteed. so why not stay home and avoid it all?
if you've never read One Second After, you should. i can't recommend this book enough. i know a ton about prepping and survival skills, but this book brought a lot of stuff i never thought about before to light. it's a fantastic (and pretty quick) read. it's about someone who lives in a small town, and his experience when the US gets hit by an EMP. the whole country goes down, and no one has any idea what to do, or even what happened, and how that all works out. it's so good.
I once read a Newt Gingrich-approved scifi novel about EMPs called 'one second after'. Gingrich had written the foreword so I knew I was in for a fun ride. Surprise surprise the hero turns out to be a white, conservative straight man whose hunting and gunplay skills got him through the worst of society's downfall, all while sneering at liberal ideas and people. In the end he wins and becomes the leader of a glorious right-wing gun society.
It's a must-read if you ask me. Chuffing hilarious. Check it
Yes. The most likly scenario would be the use of an EMP over the US to disable the infrastructure.
The invaders wouldn't even need to be in a hurry. They could basically take their time while the country tears itself apart trying to simply survive.
Check out the book "One Second After". It does a pretty good job imagining how the US would react if that occured.
Diaspora is a fantastic read (and very relevant). I'm going to throw out A Fire Upon the Deep, as being fairly relevant but mostly just an awesome book.
The Tines from Verner Vinge's A Fire Upon the Deep are incredibly awesome, unique beings. They're doglike creatures who live in packs of collective intelligence that communicates across their composite bodies by soundwaves.
Too few Tines in a group organism, and they don't have enough brain power to think properly. Too many, and they jam up their own soundwave frequencies and can't think properly.
All of the implications of this are thought out very well by Verner Vinge. What happens when members die, when new members are born, what happens when packs get too close to each other, what happens when members of individual packs get too far away from each other for soundwaves to travel effectively and so on. Everything is done on a rock-solid hard science fiction foundation. It's a great book.
Read, A Fire Upon The Deep. It has two of the most interesting and very different aliens.
My recs for someone who is just getting into Feminism:
You might be better off with this book:
http://www.amazon.com/Feminism-Everybody-Passionate-bell-hooks/dp/0896086283
Footnotes
(1) The label "rape culture" is a great example: It's basically devolved into an uber-polarizing red herring that ensures the discussion will entirely spiral into nothing more than frothing accusations of "femnazi SJWs and their safe spaces".
(2) I really REALLY hate the patronizing tone
youeveryone uses for "safe space". Having a place to vent and talk about issues that are only experienced by marginalized groups --without the conversation being derailed by the mob-- isn't a bad thing. It provides a venue for women to discuss and share ways of how to handle the little things and collectively decide when to turn something into a "big" thing.(3) Obviously when I say "everyone" I'm exaggerating to describe the workplace... Many of the friends I made there are still my friends today.
(4) Here's a excerpt of chat that I had:
>Friend 1:26 PM:
>lol, he is awesome. but he's abrasive and I am quite used to hearing the opposite from people
>ahhhhhhh
>never mind
>makes perfect sense
>kimb00 1:26 PM:
>huh?
>Friend 1:26 PM:
>becauseboobs
>:)
-------
(5) Reading Material Suggestions:
It makes me sad to hear you got a bad impression of them from AW. If you'd like a recommendation, I would suggest reading [Feminism Is For Everybody] (http://www.amazon.ca/Feminism-Is-Everybody-Passionate-Politics/dp/0896086283) by bell hooks. It's a great primer for people new to feminism, very accessible, fun to read and not filled with academic jargon. [Here's] (http://excoradfeminisms.files.wordpress.com/2010/03/bell_hooks-feminism_is_for_everybody.pdf) a free e-book version if you don't want to buy a hard copy.
Are you set on believing that or is that a genuine question?
Feminism supports:
Most redditors don’t realise that the reduction of misogyny is extremely beneficial to men.
Edit for the reads I provided in response to replies (that were then downvoted by them for actually supplying the requested sources?? Oh well)
Here are some people and sources to note:
Furthermore:
Never do seem to get many replies when it comes to this topic, just downvotes from people who disagree but won’t write why.
MrAffinity wrote:
Bell Hooks, a fantastic feminist author, seems to think so.
http://www.amazon.com/Feminism-Is-Everybody-Passionate-Politics/dp/0896086283
I suggest giving this a read!
But Feminism is for Everybody.
Loosed Upon The World - The Saga Anthology of Climate Fiction - Great collection of mid-collapse or post-collapse short stories from good authors. Edited by John Joseph Adams, who also was involved in editing the 3-pack compilations of "The End is Nigh", "The End is Now", and "The End has Come". My favorite story series in those books is Spores by Seanan McGuire, which focuses on a GMO fungus that eats the world.
&#x200B;
Another editor of those 3-pack compilations was Hugh Howey, a great author that wrote the "Silo Series" - A post apocalyptic series based on the only survivors of a nanobot "grey goo" attack that wipes out the human race.
I'll read whatever I'm interested at the moment. More often than not, space operas such as the Vorkosigan Saga or popcorn novels such as Ready Player One.
If you are into sci-fi, I would highly recommend the Vorkosigan Saga by Lois McMaster Bujold. You're going to need this chronological order or books when buying, and a lot of them are contained in various omnibuses. The Expanse by James S.A. Corey is another phenomenal read and is an equally amazing Sy-Fy Network show. I'd recommend reading the books first then watching the show.
If maybe you like dystopian futures, I'd highly recommend the Silo Series by Hugh Howey or The Girl With All The Gifts by M. R. Carey.
My initial thoughts:
Religion: An Insider's view of Mormon's Origins by Grant Palmer
Fiction: The Ocean at the End of the Lane by Neil Gaiman
2nd Fiction Choice: Wool by Hugh Howey
Christmas in April!
Book
Thanks for the contest!
Hugh Howey
No problem! Also, I was mistaken: It’s technically called the Silo Trilogy with the first book called “Wool”. The three books are
Wool https://www.amazon.com/dp/1476733953/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_hO0DAb555Q9GC
Shift (Silo Trilogy) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0544839641/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_4P0DAbB8T1NB3
Dust (Silo Trilogy) (Volume 3) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0544838262/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_yQ0DAbM9HWYV8
https://www.amazon.com/Wool-Hugh-Howey/dp/1476733953/ref=sr_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1538246136&amp;sr=8-2&amp;keywords=wool+science+fiction
This place reminds me of the book Wool.
I appreciate your honesty and self awareness. You haven't said you want to be on 'the list'. You haven't said you're trying to escape the 9 to 5. You have said you want to write another book that you feel is good enough to publish, and then interact with its readership. That's reason enough to do it.
Take a look at this guy's author page on amazon. Hugh Howey. I read the first book he self published: http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Hugh-Howey/dp/1476733953/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1459201376&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=wool+silo
I learned of him through a Wall Street Journal article on self publishing, so he is an exceptional case study, but Amazon seems to generate what you're looking for for more than just the big names.
Some of us write for a living. Some of us just have to write.
Wool by Hugh Howey, Peopling living in underground silos/vaults you follow a character as she tries to unravel the truth of the silos.
http://www.amazon.com/Wool-Hugh-Howey/dp/1476733953/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1451311249&amp;sr=8-1&amp;keywords=Wool
Zone One is my favorite Zombie Novel. It actually has some character development. I found this on my public library's Overdrive ebook collection.
Tooth and Nail was also a fun read.
Krinberry mentioned Wool below, that was also pretty engaging.
Post-Apocalyptic I recommend two things:
A Canticle For Leibowitz Brilliant novel consisting of slightly linked chapters from shortly after collapse up to new civilisational heights. Don't read the sequel, it's a bad Western.
Wool by Hugh Howey. Really gripping, believeable world-building and decent characters. Sequels are ok, but if you can stand not getting proper conclusions stop after Wool :)
EDIT: Aaaah, I forgot one of the most important ones - The Road by Cormac McCarthy. Depressing, low-key, believeable. The prose is stunning. If you read anything read this.
Third!
Please read Wool. I didnt see anyone else mention the author, Hugh Howey.
I was a little confused when i started reading this too. If you use kindle, make sure you get the Wool Omnibus not the individual pieces. There are also two sequels, Shift and Dust.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1476733953/ref=mp_s_a_1_2?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1524573306&amp;sr=8-2&amp;pi=AC_SX236_SY340_FMwebp_QL65&amp;keywords=hugh+howey+silo+series&amp;dpPl=1&amp;dpID=61bOJkwcVCL&amp;ref=plSrch
I recently read the Wool Omnibus, (silo series 1) and it has several whoa moments that I would liken to a twilight zone episode.
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/1476733953/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1417205262&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SY200_QL40
Also this book looked good I have it but haven't read it yet.
The Name of the Wind: The Kingkiller Chronicle: Day One by Patrick Rothfuss http://www.amazon.com/dp/B0010SKUYM/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_0H1ttb0WMM1YG
I have read this book and it was really good.
Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000FC130E/ref=cm_sw_r_udp_awd_IJ1ttb0Z1SXWV
So I have the kindle AND audible version of Kingkiller Chronicles (amazon link).
When I click Whispersync, it takes me to another page where it starts populating with kindle books I own that I dont own the audiobooks yet.
Here's a sneak peek of /r/ebookdeals using the top posts of the year!
#1: 'The Name of the Wind' (The Kingkiller Chronicle Book 1) by Patrick Rothfuss - $1.99 (Kindle) | 9 comments
#2: Oathbringer: Book Three of the Stormlight Archive by Brandon Sanderson - Kindle ($2.99) | 5 comments
#3: Hyperion by Dan Simmons - Kindle ($1.99) | 1 comment
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Book one
Book two
Absolutely incredible short story
Book one had such an uncomfortable start for me, felt too tropey and overdone, but I'm glad I stuck around and got into it because it really picks up into an amazing couple of books.
I just really hope book three is released during my lifetime.
One of the character's names is Ambrose.
Fiction: The Kingkiller Chronicle. /r/Fantasy has a hateboner for it, but it's one of the best selling fantasy books of all time for a reason.
Non-Fiction: American Progressivism: A Reader. It's a collection of speeches, essays, and letters outlining a Progressive vision for society, from the Progressive Era. These ideas formed the basis for modern American society.
I'd like to give it a try. Good reviews, looks interesting. link
Here it is.
Thank you and happy holidays.
It's on my digital list!
Thanks for the contest!
The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss Kvothe is one of the most overpowered, got the answers to everything, character.
Book 1 The Name of the Wind kindle link.
Book 2 The Wise Man's Fear kindle link.
King's Dark Tidings by Kel Kade. Rezkin suffers from the same blight as the previously mention Kvothe, BUT he has social awkwardness, which is great through the first 2 books.
Book 1 Free the Darkness kindle link.
Book 2 Reign of Madness kindle link.
Book 3 Legends of Ahn kindle link.
Here is one of my favorite books. Urban Fantasy.
MC is OP, but doesn't realize it. Manages to survive things he shouldn't.
Monster Hunter International by Larry Correia
The fist book is free from the Baen website.
I'm halfway through this! It was skeptical at first, and A Song of Ice and Fire has made me just want to reread that for the rest of my life, BUT it's good and you should most certainly give it a try!
Where do sheep go to get haircuts?
At the baa-baa shop.
I hear so many good things about this book.
Great book. I actually picked it up back when the author made it available digitally for free. So psyched that he finally got it published this year AND it got optioned for a movie (fingers crossed). Brilliant, well-researched, and funny! I would encourage anyone to buy a copy.
I'm just gonna leave this here. One of the best books I've read this year.
http://www.amazon.com/The-Martian-Novel-Andy-Weir-ebook/dp/B00EMXBDMA
Haven't heard of it will do, good timing as I am just about to finish a book tonight [The Martian] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Martian-Novel-Andy-Weir-ebook/dp/B00EMXBDMA) a really fun read.
For me, I would like to see The Martian made into a movie. It's an awesome story of a manned mission to Mars where some one gets left behind. The opening line is "Well, I'm fucked."
The Martian has been getting rave reviews and has me deeply intrigued!
From Amazon: "Six days ago, astronaut Mark Watney became one of the first people to walk on Mars. Now, he's sure he'll be the first person to die there."
The Kindle edition is $9.99
In case you don't have a kindle, [Into the Darkest Corner] (http://www.amazon.com/dp/0062239422/ref=wl_it_dp_o_pC_S_ttl?_encoding=UTF8&amp;colid=2PIVS4L8SLPH9&amp;coliid=I613ZEGVLIXOO) is another one that's been on my goodreads "to read" list for a while based on multiple recommendations.
Hi ID10TU53R,
You should have fun wit any of these:
Pines by Blake Crouch - A secret service agent finds himself in a strange mountain town. A mix of Twin Peaks, The Fugitive, and The Twilight Zone.
11/22/63 by Stephen King - A high school teacher finds a portal to the past and tries to prevent the JFK assassination.
The Girl With All The Gifts A teacher tries to tame infected children in the zombie apocalypse.
The Martian by Andy Weir - The story of an astronaut stranded on Mars. Feels a lot like Apollo 13 or Gravity.
The Dinosaur Four by Geoff Jones (me) - A b-movie time-travel thriller about ten people trapped in the Cretaceous.
Best,
Geoff Jones
Author of The Dinosaur Four
The Egg is such a great story. It's not by Stephen King, though - it's by Andy Weir, who also wrote the excellent, excellent book The Martian
[The Martian] (http://www.amazon.com/Martian-Novel-Andy-Weir-ebook/dp/B00EMXBDMA/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&amp;ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1417752082&amp;sr=1-1&amp;keywords=the+martian)
This is currently the top seller on amazon. It sounds like it has an apollo 13, survival feel to it.
Try Ready Player One. It's about a world that's become obsessed with this virtual game, but there's a conspiracy and an interesting dynamic between online personas and real life. If you like audiobooks, Wil Wheaton narrates. (BONUS! The ebook is on sale for $2.80!) and if you have any passing interest in SF, definitely read The Martian. It has math in it AND I DIDN'T EVEN CARE IT WAS THAT GOOD. Basically, an astronaut gets left behind on a mission to Mars and must survive on his own...
What I did was I started looking at short story collections. A short story lets you see how an author writes without needing to read an entire book of theirs. I have two favorite short story collection "series".
Dark Beyond the Stars, which is a Sci-fi, space opera collection. There are other Beyond the Stars books as well if you liked the first.
And Samuel Peralta's The Future Chronicles. The Future chronicles typically does some sort of sci-fi, but there are others as well. The great part about The Future Chronicles, is that you get to pick your flavor. In the mood for alternate history? Pick Alt. History 101, in the mood for spaceships and star ships? Pick The Galaxy Chronicles. In the mood for time travel? Pick the Time Travel Chronicles, ect.
Also, The Martian is a fantastic book. As well as xkcd's What if? Serious Scientific Answers to Absurd Hypothetical Questions.
Andy is a great writer, I really enjoys his work. I have already pre-ordered my hardback copy of The Martian. he did an AMA a little over a year ago.
also, as you can tell from the "other discussions" tab, this story gets submitted a lot (not that I am complaining, and excuse to re-read it is good enough for me).
I'm currently reading "The Martian" by Andy Weir:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Martian-Novel-Andy-Weir-ebook/dp/B00EMXBDMA
Reminds me of hatchet in a way, which takes me back to being a kid.
Non-mobile: http://www.amazon.com/dp/B00EMXBDMA?ie=UTF8&redirectFromSS=1&pc_redir=T1&noEncodingTag=1&fp=1
^That's ^why ^I'm ^here, ^I ^don't ^judge ^you. ^PM ^/u/xl0 ^if ^I'm ^causing ^any ^trouble. ^WUT?
Check out this book. It's great!
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00EMXBDMA?pc_redir=1404990704&amp;robot_redir=1
A lot of great books have been mentioned here, but I'd like to throw Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson into the mix as well.
It's a book about the settlement of Mars in the near future, but I would not really call it sci fi. The way I read it was as a mainly philosiphical work on what it means to "start" a new world. What society would one create? Have we learned from the mistakes of the "old world"? I found it incredibly immersive.
Here's a fictional fun read about colonizing and terraforming Mars. If you're into imagining how we'd do it, the story goes into quite a bit of detail.
Here is a link to the Wikipedia page:
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mars_trilogy?wprov=sfti1
Here is a link to the first book, Red Mars, on Amazon:
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Mars-Trilogy-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553560735
Here is a link that is kind of an overview of space elevators in the trilogy:
http://www.kimstanleyrobinson.info/content/space-elevator
This potential conflict is described in the Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson. Best books I ever read :)
With a near term timeline, and scientific exploration, this is so far the sub-genre I am looking for.
> "Red Mars" by Kim Stanley Robinson
from a link
>For some, Mars will become a passion driving them to daring acts of courage and madness; for others it offers and opportunity to strip the planet of its riches. And for the genetic "alchemists, " Mars presents a chance to create a biomedical miracle, a breakthrough that could change all we know about life...and death. bold is mine
So let's take a look at this and see how it stacks up against hyperstition, the mythos of culture so subconscious that it is a set of assumptions taken for granted, patterns of society which do not normally require questioning. (hyperstition is kind of a new term for me so if anyone has comments on this its appreciated)
I bolded "opportunity to strip the planet" above to highlight the cultural attitude required to produce this behavior. To simply state the issue, exponential exploitation happens when you combine unlimited growth (no natural predator or checks on permacultural viability) with deception and exploitation formalized as the profit motive, the engine which drives our economy.
Let me shift a perspective with a hypothetical question. Imagine that Earth had an "alien encounter" with advanced "visitors" from another solar system. Would you rather that their civilization be founded upon fundamental inequality (division, pyramid, competition, authoritative), or one founded upon equality (civilization 2.0, unity, cooperation, collaborative)? I am trying to imagine the difference in their behavior, and well, Star Trek comes up. So anyhow its just a metaphor to point at possibility.
Personally, I think that competition (exploitation) would be too destructive to make it out to space in any kind of sustainable manner. When we talk about sustainability I suggest we clarify what is it we are really concerned about sustaining. Growth? Looking at the bigger picture it almost seems irresponsible to unleash a self-replicating mining operation firing minerals to some central points and consuming the local resources? Conceivably escaping our solar system to automatically strip anything within thousands of light years? For what purpose is this? Which one would we prefer again?
So I would say that this is a great example of missing out on a more constructive narrative. I also bolded "life...and death" above because this would only be the likely obsession of super-self-centered personality (ego) which has repressed access to god (mediated by church, or blocked by scientism). Scientism allows the mind's entire construction of reality to be fabricated by an assortment of learned patterns, as opposed to directly experiencing through inward application of scientific method (meditative exploration).
So anyhow, considering this kinda stuff has been happening for quite some time (check out my story ;), I suggest that stories oblivious to the whole hyperstition thing and of the implications of mythos, logos, and nomos:
>Mythos, Logos, and Nomos composed the first great Trinity (at least of Western civilization), but its begetting required Logos to first generate the sub-trinity of ontology, epistemology, and teleology, and then for ontology and teleology to "feed back" and powerfully enrich epistemology — logic and science — converting part of epistemology into a meta-science, cybernetics, the art of converting wisdom into choice, choice into action, and action into subsequent evaluation and resulting refinements of future choices and actions … especially those choices and actions which Socrates, according to Plato, associated with the art of governance.
>Such "cybernetic thinking" was crucial to defining and then enriching Nomos. Note that the ancient Greek verb "kuberne" is embedded in both "cybernetics" and "governance", and their association originated with Socrates' analogy to the art of the kubernetes, the helmsman, the pilot, who must integrate knowledge of the changeless ("stars") with the naturally changing ("winds and waves") in order to choose whether and how to act with reference to that which is humanly changeable — to alter the angle of the rudder, the trim of the sail.
btw. check out other documents on that site
Looking at the ISS from just one angle doesn't do the project justice. Economically, NASA is a stupidly wasteful place where money goes to die. It was routine for NASA to contract projects out to companies that would later demand more money and time to finish said project. NASA expected and budgeted for "problems" like this.
But the fact is, NASA wasn't built to be economically viable. Its primary benefits come from international cooperation, scientific discovery, and circulating money from the government back into the economy. It's entirely possible that the ISS saved us from a nuclear end to the cold war. It wouldn't make sense to start a project like the ISS today, but keeping it going is another matter entirely. The main argument for shutting the ISS down is that it is getting old, and maintenance problems are only going to get worse.
I have imagined the feasibility of getting a base on Mars going. You should consider reading the Red Mars trilogy for a great explanation of how it could start and continue. It's not only feasible, it's necessary.
check this out-- the author really thought it through & seems to have really done his homework
i think i would not go for life. but i would love to go photograph it. imagine being the first photographer on mars
if you haven't read the Mars Trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson, run to the bookstore and get Red Mars. It is probably one of the most well thought out colonization scenarios i've come across.
Arkady Lives!
If you haven't already read Red Mars then I recommend it; plot aside, the science behind the terraforming efforts described in the book was impeccably researched, and probably not far off what we'll eventually attempt.
Red Mars by Kim Stanley Robinson
Dragon's Egg by Robert Forward
These are "hard" science fiction books: they try to be as realistic as possible. They make you feel like we'll be living on mars in a couple years.
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Mars-Trilogy-Stanley-Robinson/dp/0553560735/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1268769251&amp;sr=8-1
http://www.amazon.com/Dragons-Egg-Del-Rey-Impact/dp/034543529X/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&amp;s=books&amp;qid=1268769139&amp;sr=8-1
I liked the Red Mars trilogy. And the series that starts from Coyote does a good job of making the tech believable, but also telling a timeless story that kids can grok.
That would be cool.
&#x200B;
Got me thinking of what sorta stuff would cover more near future sci fi. Cause so often its far in the future or far in distance so as to comment on aspects of the current day in an "alien" world/environment. I found this: "Red Mars" by Kim Robinson.
Depends on the book. I've bought books for .99$ and paid s and h for the book.
But I've also bought books for 4$ plus 4$ for a and h.
Just depends. If you click on what book you want you can usually see "buy used" options
Edit: for example
The Fermata
Here.
Nicholson Baker has explored this concept in his novel The Fermata
For those who chose pausing time i suggest reading The Fermata by Nicholson Baker
I first read The Fermata twenty-three years ago. It was my introduction to the genre and left a lasting mark on me.
Have you read The Fermata, by Nicholson Baker?
there is a book with a similar premise. The Fermata by Nicholson Baker. the pervy narrator stops time and undresses women. fun book.
Not to everyone's taste, but really well written smut: House of Holes, The Fermata and Vox all by Nicholson Baker (who writes non-sexy things pretty dang well, too).
You could stop time and read Nicholson Baker's The Fermata
The Fermata by Nicholson Baker
It's from the excellent series The Kingkiller Chronicles. Basically it's just Harry Potter except Harry gets continually shit on by life and crippling student loan debt.
It was more supposed to be a joke about how it has been years since Rothfuss released book 2 and book 3 is still ?????????? on release date. It makes us all sad and we want to know WHAT IS GOING TO HAPPEN!!!!!! Much like the GoT fans with Song of Ice and Fire and GRRM not releasing the last books.
Nevermind, I'll see myself out.
Here is Patrick Rothfuss' website with synopses of the books...annnnddddd the Amazon Reviews I encourage you to read those because many people are way better at articulating that shit than me, lol! :D
I've read most of those and LOVED them. I'll just say you're looking for fictional "good books" and go from there. I recommend:
The Kingslayer Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. It's an amazing series. But also gives a wonderful insight into what higher education was more likely to resemble several hundred years ago.
Name of the Wind
I read it earlier this year and just started Wise Man's Fear. I'm already dreading the end and having to wait for the next one.
Quoth said the raven. The internet will show thee the way. http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden
http://www.amazon.com/The-Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicle/dp/0756404746
I'm a shameless book person.
The Name of the wind and The Wise Man's Fear by Patrick Rothfuss based on your fantasy preferences
Ah I've seen your comment below. read maybe:
Joe Abercrombie - Best Served Cold
Max Berry - lexicon
Dürrenmatt - Suspicion
Gaiman - Good Omens
Kafka - The Trial
Sillitoe - The Loneliness Of The Long Distance Runner
Adams - Hitchhiker's Guide ( no way you haven't read that - but who knows )
Branderson - Way Of Kings
Libba Bray - The Diviners
Nietzsche - Thus Spoke Zarathustra ( there is a really ugly bible style translation - beware!!! )
Lynn Kurland - Star Of The Morning ( your sex and age is of interest )
Schwab - Vicious
Bakker - The Darkness That Comes Before
Robert Thier - Storm and Silence
Eco - Name Of The Rose ( no way you haven't read it but u know the drill ) + Foucault's Pendulum
Lord Of The Rings ( duh )
Sanderson - Mistborn
Sanderson - Alloy of Law
Harris - Hannibal
Rothfuss - The Name Of The Wind
Bukowski -Ham on Rye
Burroughs - Running With Scissors
Wong - John Dies at the End
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
I have become aware of The Name of the Wind recently and I found it is on Audible. This looks like a good series.
Hey! This is my kind of contest. Here's my list:
From a renowned historian comes a groundbreaking narrative of humanity’s creation and evolution—a #1 international bestseller—that explores the ways in which biology and history have defined us and enhanced our understanding of what it means to be “human.”
One hundred thousand years ago, at least six different species of humans inhabited Earth. Yet today there is only one—homo sapiens. What happened to the others? And what may happen to us? (copied from the Amazon page)
My name is Kvothe.
I have stolen princesses back from sleeping barrow kings. I burned down the town of Trebon. I have spent the night with Felurian and left with both my sanity and my life. I was expelled from the University at a younger age than most people are allowed in. I tread paths by moonlight that others fear to speak of during day. I have talked to Gods, loved women, and written songs that make the minstrels weep.
You may have heard of me. (copied)
When his old friend and mentor, Salis, dangles a job in front of him that will get him an Ascendency pardon and let him clear his name, Cadell is ready to take it on. Armed with his constant companion, a strange alien symbiote named T.R.I.X. and his skills as an assassin, Cadell sets off to complete the strange job. ( A nifty book but a relatively new author, worth the read!)
also hold the movie close to my heart.)
This took me a good few minutes, I hope you find something you like through this contest :)
Trim what you can, explain what you must upfront, put the rest in flashbacks (or informative conversations) shortly before the information is needed to further the already continuing plot.
Having your character get involved in a conversation with someone from the new culture about differences between the two is a slightly more interesting way to simultaneously provide back-story on both cultures.
Flashbacks can cover an entire chapter (if necessary), but avoid doing it too many times in a single book. If you must do it more, read this. Rothfuss manages to balance multiple flashbacks (longish ones) without it becoming tired. He toes the line a bit, but I think he did a good job.
Don't forget that you don't have to directly explain either culture in it's entirety. You can 'show' more about these cultures as part of the actions taken/not taken by your characters. An off-hand comment from another character either helps paint the difference, or explain a bit of it. Or both.
Negative; I am no author. That crap you read was pulled off the top of my head over about 15 minutes.
But I will take this opportunity to recommend my favourite author, Patrick Rothfuss (on Amazon, next book due out next year). His writing abilities are generally reviewed as on par with J.R.R. Tolkien, and I personally agree - Name of the Wind is one of the best books I've ever read.
The most recent suggestions thread produced a few good titles, but there were no votes for any of them.
So I just picked one.
This time let's read The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss.
We've already done americana and dystopian philosophy, so fantasy seems like a logical next step.
It's Rothfuss's first novel and the first in the The Kingkiller Chronicle series. It also won a couple of awards: a Quill Award and a Publisher's Weekly Best Books of the Year award, both in the science fiction/fantasy/horror genre.
Here's a few places to get it:
It's pretty long (almost 900 pages), so let's give it a full month. That would put it at finishing up October 1.
Enjoy!
You might have read it already, but Patrick Rothfuss's King Killer Chronicle is pretty good and definitely has a strong female character. It's a fantasy book, but myself and other SciFi readers I've talked to seem to enjoy it.
Here's a synopsis from goodreads: Told in Kvothe's own voice, this is the tale of the magically gifted young man who grows to be the most notorious wizard his world has ever seen. The intimate narrative of his childhood in a troupe of traveling players, his years spent as a near-feral orphan in a crime-ridden city, his daringly brazen yet successful bid to enter a legendary school of magic, and his life as a fugitive after the murder of a king form a gripping coming-of-age story unrivaled in recent literature.
Also, I like to move it move it!
Edit: a word.
2 sentences, sorry:
"IT WAS FELLING NIGHT and the usual crowd had gathered at the Waystone Inn. Five wasn't much of a crowd, but five was as many as the Waystone ever saw these days, times being what they were"
From my favourite book ever: Patrick Rothfuss - The Name of the Wind (Amazon)
The guy has a cool blog as well: http://blog.patrickrothfuss.com/
If you want another Dresden-like book series, check out the Iron Druid series by Kevin Hearne. I'd say they are almost sue-ably similar. Main character is flippant and sarcastic, but also honorable and relies heavily on improvisation. I think these would be exactly what you're looking for.
I can also second the suggestion for Weeks' new Lightbringer series.
For your Night Angel fix, I recently read and loved Blood Song. The author is fairly new, but the book is absolutely solid and wonderful.
Another good book series is the Kingkiller Chronicles.
I'll stop the list there before I get carried away. But I think Iron Druid and Blood Song will be spot on as far as similarity. The other two are books I think you'll really enjoy, but aren't necessarily as similar.
Have you read Spin?
http://www.amazon.com/Spin-Robert-Charles-Wilson/dp/076534825X
Give it a shot is you haven't... its fairly short anyway, so it not a huge commitment.
Also, The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
http://www.amazon.com/The-Name-Wind-Kingkiller-Chronicles/dp/0756404746
I can hear you saying OOOOOH i don't like fantasy much! Well, neither do i, but I read name of the wind, wise mans fear, and am anxiously awaiting number 3.
Maybe read this.
I have 0 experience with incarceration, but I have loads of experience with books. Not sure his interests, but here are a few books I adore:
The Lies of Locke Lamora - Basically an Ocean's 11 heist story set in a world similar to Game of Thrones.
The Name of the Wind - (from the Amazon description) The riveting first-person narrative of a young man who grows to be the most notorious magician his world has ever seen.
Cosmos - Carl Sagan saw the best in our species. This book is what the TV series was based on.
I would encourage your friend to read text books as well while he is inside as well. Pick a topic they have an interest in, and find an older textbook on the subject. For me that would be this book. Not a topic I was educated on, but something I have an interest in.
Thank you for supporting your friend!
Mine is the opening chapter from Patrick Rothfuss's "The Name if the Wind" I know its not just a sentence, but its only a page and a half long, and its one of the coolest things I have ever read. Anyone who hasn't read his books and likes fantasy, locate them now.
Source: I have been reading since I was four, and I was able to finish the first three Game of Thrones books inside a month. I have read many books.
http://www.amazon.ca/gp/aw/d/0756404746/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1374794720&amp;sr=8-1&amp;pi=AC_SX110_SY190
D&D campaigns can be great starting points, so don't let that stop you. It's about what you do with it after that.
As far as the subject matter alienating readers: Are you more worried about alienating "mainstream" readers with fantastical content or alienating fantasy readers with "mainstream" content? It actually doesn't matter, because neither one should concern you, but I'll address them both anyway.
One of last year's most well-received novels was a post-apocalyptic vampire story, and R. Scott Bakker demonstrated that you can write a series that's really about politics, ideology, and self-deception, even if it stars a wizard. Hell, The Name of the Wind dedicates whole sections to getting drunk and playing the guitar.
Personally, I find the mixing of content far more interesting than anything that's stalwartly dedicated to some kind of genre "purity".
Here are some fantasy/sci-fi books that I liked at that age, or would have liked had they been published. A couple of them have some sexual content, but nothing overly detailed.
DEFINITELY "The Dark is Rising" series. They're short, but excellent. Also The Hunger Games is a good bet (never read the sequels, but that first book is great). Other suggestions: The Name of the Wind, Waylander, Rose of the Prophet, 1984, To Your Scattered Bodies Go, The Strain, any of the Dragonlance books (I would start at the beginning, with Dragons of Autumn Twilight), or nearly anything by Stephen King.
I recently started reading "The Name of the Wind". It honestly gripped my unlike any book has in a very long time. I have been so busy the past week though I haven't gotten a chance to read it. It makes me sad! I really recommend it!
Two great books.
If you like fantasy, this is an amazing book -- one of the best I've ever read.
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
This one is quoted a lot (Big Brother is watching) and a great book that I often think about.
Nineteen Eighty-Four by George Orwell
For you: this and this
Together they are just under $25. I see you're a GoT fan and you will 100% enjoy these books.
For me: This
Just above $25 but it's the only thing I have on there that's in that range.
I have two books which I always tell people to read if they haven't. All Book lovers will enjoy them, so I hope you get to them even if I don't win (BTW: Thanks!).
First is: A Chronicle of a Death Foretold by Gabriel Garcia Marquez. It has a great magical realism vibe, and is told backwards in time. Short, interesting and downright awesome.
Second is: The first book of the Kingkiller Chronicles, The Name of The Wind by Patrick Rothfuss. It's the beginning of a fantasy series that you will get sucked into. If you think fantasy is all rainbows, magic and faeries, this book will show you an entirely new dimension.
What a great reading list you have created so far, my book club will be happy to see all of this! Happy reading!
A lot of good zombie books in here already. I also enjoyed Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Steampunk and zombies.
Has anyone read The Boneshaker? I was reading this years ago and never finished.
“Cherie Priest wove a story so convincing, so evocative, so terrifying that I read this book with the doors locked and a gun on my lap. Boneshaker is a steampunk menagerie of thrills and horror.”
—Mario Acevedo, bestselling author of Jailbait Zombie
Edit: I thought I read steampunk. This is not the book you're looking for.
Boneshaker
Zombies, airships, steampunk - hooray!
Agatha H. and the Airship City by Phil & Kaja Foglio, or any of their "Girl Genius" Graphic Novels.
Mainspring, Escapement, and Pinion by Jay Lake
The Short story "Zeppelin City" by Eileen Gunn & Michael Swanwick.
The Clockwork Century series by Cherie Priest, set during the American Civil War as opposed to Victorian London: Boneshaker, Dreadnought , Ganymede, and Clementine.
Cherie Priest
She writes a great steampunk series (starting with Boneshaker Steampunk airships AND zombies! What not to like.
She also writes a good series involving an OCD vampire.
I think Boneshaker would make a great movie.
http://www.amazon.de/Boneshaker-Sci-Fi-Essential-Books/dp/0765318415 BONESHAKER!
A little off-topic, but anyone who likes Steampunk probably would like the novel Boneshaker.
It also has zombies!
Actually the steampunk and zombie elements are kind of background...well, not really. It's kind of hard to explain. But.
Sounds like a sci-fi book. Maybe Spin by Robert Wilson? Closest I could think of.
Oh Hi Mark! How long is spring break? If you have enough time off, you can take a class or start a new hobby like knitting!
We don't really do spring break here, but post-secondary students usually get "Reading Week", which is a chance to catch up on studying and reading. It's usually when your big assignments are due, so you have lots of time to complete them. I worked full time+part time while going to school, so I didn't really go anywhere or do anything during Reading Week or Summer. :\
Here is a book, but feel free to get it used :D
Is there a group at Google that has been reading the book Spin, or what? http://www.amazon.com/Spin-Robert-Charles-Wilson/dp/076534825X
Theres actually a current Science workaround to FTL communication.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Quantum_entanglement
If we can find a way to artificially induce quantum entanglement in a pair of trapped particles, then we can communicate information between the pair by way of sending spin through the entanglement.
||I think a good story could be told about a human society who gets FTL technology after a few millennia of "shot-in-the-dark" ark ships. Let's go visit the cousins, somebody says, but the isolation has caused them all to develop in very unique ways...and whatever breakthrough led to the heroes getting FTL may have led the other systems to develop stranger things.
http://www.eveonline.com/
http://www.amazon.ca/Spin-Robert-Charles-Wilson/dp/076534825X/ref=sr_1_3?ie=UTF8&amp;qid=1314037179&amp;sr=8-3
Both those 'stories' play with the idea of a divergent species due to relativistic separations
Your picture titled Star Trails Over the Cabin reminds me of this book
Spin by Robert Charles Wilson
Based on your reading history, you need to give this book a shot!
Spin
by Robert Charles Wilson .. fantastic read
You may also like Spin by Robert Charles Wilson, it is also the start of a trilogy.
Hugo Award Winner: The Spin by Robert Charles Wilson, published 2005. (don't bother with the sequels, they're horrible, and the first one's ending is satisfying enough).
Also, if you ever decide to give a TV Series a go, you'd most likely love Doctor Who (whimsical). I would recommend Stargate, but it's tough to get into (though very rewarding), and never had enough non-humanoid aliens for me.
http://www.amazon.com/Spin-Robert-Charles-Wilson/dp/product-description/076534825X
Spin seems like a closer guess.
Encounter with Tiber
Spin
Julian Comstock
Domain / Resurrection
Dragon's Egg / Starquake
Not sure but I found your post interesting considering I just read this book
Yes, promotion of EMP as The Current Danger a bit of a right-wing thing, though it seems to have reached its peak popularity a couple years back. Newt Gingrich was/is a prominent promoter of the idea.
There was even at least one significant speculative fiction book on the subject: One Second After, by William Fortschen, with a foreword by the aforementioned Newt Gingrich. If you look at the Amazon-suggested similar books, you'll probably notice a common ideological thread.
Here are some links for the product in the above comment for different countries:
Amazon Smile Link: One Second After
|Country|Link|
|:-----------|:------------|
|UK|amazon.co.uk|
|Spain|amazon.es|
|France|amazon.fr|
|Germany|amazon.de|
|Japan|amazon.co.jp|
|Canada|amazon.ca|
|Italy|amazon.it|
|China|amazon.cn|
This bot is currently in testing so let me know what you think by voting (or commenting). The thread for feature requests can be found here.
This, this, or this probably. If that worries you, head over to r/collapse.
Highly recommend One Second After. Post apocalyptic, EMP related.
I recommend One Second After by John Matherson. I really liked it!
https://www.amazon.com/Adventures-Princess-Mr-Whiffle-Beneath/dp/0983613125
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-L41DBzFGPw
This book that Patrick wrote has 3 layers and is acknowledged on Amazong.
https://www.amazon.com/Name-Wind-Patrick-Rothfuss/dp/0756404746/ref=pd_lpo_sbs_14_t_0?_encoding=UTF8&amp;psc=1&amp;refRID=MMN5Z9YJ2VVKRX53GGPV
This book has 3 major endings but Amazon has not realized it yet.
Layer 3, Layer 5 and Layer 7 each produce the exact same effect as the children's book.
In Fact the "Princess" may actually be Auri...
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. It's zombies and steam punk so how could you go wrong? I just started it and so far I like it.
Lord of Snow and Shadows by Sarah Ash pretty good fantasy novel to start a series.
Boneshaker by Cherie Priest, Steampunk with zombies, good so far, only a third through it.
Home by Bill Byrson, on audiobook. Can't recommend his stuff enough. Great mental travels through the history of a number of different things.
You're just going to get turned around in circles looking for answers here.
Start with bell hooks, specifically this.
If you like the series enough to follow and contribute to its subreddit, why would you encourage others to pirate it? Why not encourage contributing to the author by linking to the purchase page instead?
http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B0010SKUYM/
Re: Mars
If you've not taken the time to read The Martian by Andy Weir, do it. Now. I mean right now.
It's fantastic, beginning to end. You can read the first chapter at the author's website, and it should hook you instantly.
The audio book version, read by R.C. Bray, is fantastic. There is a movie version coming in November staring Matt Damon, directed by Ridley Scott.
One of my favorite books I've read as of late. Accurate, fun, harrowing, interesting, and just technical enough to make it feel entirely real beginning to end.
Weir's talk at Google about the novel goes into depth about it; he actually researched and wrote programs to help him keep the book as accurate and realistic as possible.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0316129089
I think "the hammer of god" (Arthur C. Clark) and "forge of god" by Greg Bear, and "lucifer's hammer by Larry Niven qualify.
edit, I'm not sure about the second title, but it's a book where earth gets blowed up by paranoid aliens and some survivors set out for revenge.
edit edit - the second title is not Fist of God but rather Forge of God.
*edit edit edit - added Lucifer's Hammer because it was needed to add to the blacksmith theme.
Or you can get Leviathan Wakes (the book) for about $7.
And since season 1 doesn't cover all of Leviathan Wakes, you'll read some of the story that will be in season 2
www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0316129089/ref=sr_1_1_twi_pap_1_olp?ie=UTF8&sr=8-1&keywords=leviathan+wakes
First of all you are not my friend and secondly you don't need to baby talk me into understanding the definition of an "opinion." Also I won't discuss feminism you because I don't come on reddit to have debates with mens rights activist scumbags. If you want to learn about feminism you could start by reading a book.
You might want to educate yourself on the womens movement from the 60's, 70's and 80's. There's also some decent introductory feminist reading that is a good starting point such as feminism is for everybody.
The show Makers on PBS covers a lot of the early womens movement. There was a lot of yelling and screaming there too. You don't get what you want by being polite and asking for it nicely. You fight for it.
People think that feminism is this hate driven thing where they want to cut any dudes dick off because he is a man. No, they don't and that's the male driven media pushing that kind of thought.
It's mostly about abolishing patriarchy (which also hurts men) and want to bring down male privilege. While you might not think you are privileged, you probably are (are you white and male, then you are privileged). Just recognize your privilege, what it means and notice when it is being exercised. Most of the time it's invisible because if you are "the normal" for your country nobody will bother you. If that's the case, maybe travel to a country where you aren't normal or possibly where your country is even hated. Then you will see what it's like to not have that implicit privilege taken away.