But one I can reccomend is Vacuum Diagrams by... by...

hmmm I appear to have lost the book. DOH! ah well. It was a collection of consecutive sci-fi short stories. I loved it ^_^

quote:

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We were all impressed when Daemon_Reaper wrote:
ack! sorry, got so excited, didnt realized what i said

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S'awright I already knew about it, but ya never know who might not know. Or... um... well, you know what I mean.

[EDIT] Hm, as long as I'm posting anyway... Bloodsage, have you read any of the Rama books?

[ 12-27-2001: Message edited by: Sentow ]

As for great subplots, I'd have to say Hyperion, by Dan Simmons. It's been a while since I read it, but I remember it engrossed me heavily, It takes a bit of a "Canterbury's tales" style, telling the story of each of several people traveling together, and then later deals with their destination. I still remember several parts of that book fondly, "the Big Mistake" (in capitals) among them.

CS. Friedman's "Black sun Rising" and the rest of that series are also very good, though they were among my earlier fantasy series, so it's hard for me to judge them objectively. I always did have a fondness for the character of the Hunter.

After that it gets harder, I'm mainly just trying to see what I can recall, as you already named a few of my top recommendations with "Ender's Game" and "The Foundation Trilogy". You might want to try Piers Anthony, he's one of those authors who is either to your taste or isn't, I've met many who either love or hate him. Personally, I'm fond of his writing, I tend to read his books in single sittings. If you're looking for something with plenty of puns and jokes, try the Xanth series, or for something a bit more serious, try the Mode series. With the Mode series though, make sure to push through the first 50 pages or so before judging it one way or the other; there's a very major tone shift. The series is not as dark or despressing as the first part would lead you to believe.

After that... I'd have to say "The Complete Book of Swords", by Fred Saberhagen. This one's a bit of a mystery even to me why I like it so much. The writing is decent, though no stunning characterizations. The plot was interesting, but nothing truly groundbreaking. It has a very neat basic concept, but other books have often had that without saving the book. But for some reason, I'm in love with the book. Several scenes can still come powerfully to my memory now, years later when I'm thinking of the book. Whenever I think of fantasy books, this one stands out in my mind on a fairly short list. Well, I guess likes and dislikes don't always have to make sense. If you're in the mood for a bit of an experiment, you can pick up this book and tell me whether it really is amazing because of something I'm overlooking, or that I'm just crazy.

And though I know it's not quite sci-fi or fantasy, (though a few aliens and some high technology have been known to show up) and so isn't really what you're looking for, I've got to throw in a quick word for Kurt Vonnegut; he's one of my all-time favorite authors. Something about his style clicks stunningly well with me, I've yet to find a book of his that doesn't enchant me. For a fairly plot-centered book, try "Cat's Cradle", for something that's pretty much uncontrolled insanity, try "Breakfast of Champions". Most of the other books fall somewhere in between, though those two are probably my favorites so far.

That's it for now; if I can think of some others I'll post up their titles. A quick walk through my house's collection of books will probably jog a memory or two.

Edit: I was right; looking did help. I'll add a second recommendation to "Diamond Age". That was a great book. Also, I forgot to mention Heinlein entirely. He's not the deepest or most meaningful of authors, but there are few others out there better for a quick, light read. The one exception to that which I've found his "Stranger in a Strange Land", which is probably his most famous book. That one has some real depth.

[ 12-28-2001: Message edited by: Chalesm ]

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Rowyl had this to say about Jimmy Carter:
Timothy Zahn

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Zahn's books are pure r0xx0rage. I recommend them to any, and even not, Star Wars fans.

As for Anderson.. Did he write the Jedi Academy books? Those were horrible, in my opinion. Sun Crusher? Give me a fucking break, it could of been a great idea, but it got turned the wrong direction.

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Bloodsage had this to say about pies:
Ah, no.

Shared worlds have been around a long time.

And the books are quite formulaic. And generally written by hacks, as well.

Not that you're not allowed to enjoy them, mind you. Just don't try to tell me they're well-written, or that I'd enjoy them.

They're not. I wouldn't.

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I disagree, but that's alright, we don't have to agree. I'll respect your opinion as long as you respect mine.

Rowyl:

Hope you enjoy it as much as I did--it's the best non-math-intensive book on quantum mechanics I've seen. I don't quite buy the very last part, where he goes off on a seemingly unrelated "save the whales" kind of a tangent, but that's okay.

I think my next science read is going to have to be Hawking's A Brief History of Time. It intrigues me that Gell-Mann specifically said he disagreed with Hawking on the direction of time in a contracting universe. Your suggestion will come after that; color has always interested me, since its discovery.

Thanks.

Chalesm:

Sounds like we have similar tastes. I've read a lot of Piers Anthony, and, while I like his earlier stuff, he seemed to turn into a bitter, perverted old man a few years back. Sort of like the oddness of Heinlein's later stuff. I've read a good chunk of the Xanth stuff, the beginnings of Bio of a Space Tyrant, and several others.

/shrug

Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., on the other hand, is awesome. Breakfast of Champions was outstanding. I didn't see you mention it, so I'll suggest one back: The Sirens of Titan. If you haven't read it, it's a must read. It's hard to explain without giving away the sub-plot, so suffice it to say it would fit quite nicely in my original list.

I may look into Saberhagen's work. I've heard good things, but lately I haven't been much interested in writing from that period. While I enjoyed Moorcock, for example, the first time through, and I recommend him without reservation, that overly self-conscious style of writing annoys me after just a little bit. I had thought Saberhagen was from the same school, but I'll look into it.

*****

Not that I really ought to be looking for more entertainment reading! I've got a thesis to research and write, and my normal courseload is around 900 pages a week of reading. *Sigh*

But I have to do something to maintain my sanity and rest my brain. I only wish there was a fencing club anywhere near here.

One fish Two fish red fish blue fish

pure fucking gold man!