Books (and hopefully some discussion)

Hey Phoenix, I just finished reading some Barker myself.

PrincePlanet, thanks, what other books/authors would you reccommend? Given your love of Wolfe, I'm sure you have read some obscure stuff. Please fire away!

JM

1. Alice in Wonderland & Through the Looking Glass
2. Chobits vol. 2 (if that counts as "reading")
3. Aliens vs Predator: Hunter's Planet (loved AvP:Prey based on recommendations from Despair and others)

Add Endangered Species & Storeys from the old Hotel to that list & I think that is my whole GW collection.

JM

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(1) What was the last book you finished?

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Snow Crash. I love it to death.

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(2) What are you reading now?

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William Gibson's Count Zero. Last year, I read Neuromancer for the first time, and was amazed at how much I liked it. I then read Burning Chrome, among other things. Now, I'm enjoying Count Zero.

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(3) What's the next book you plan to read?

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Hmmm. Either Mona Lisa Overdrive, Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy (ultimate collection), The Difference Engine, or The Minority Report collection of short stories. Believe it or not, I haven't read anything by Philip K. Dick.

JM -

If you're that into Wolfe (and especially if you liked Soldier of the Mist, etc.), then do yourself a big favor and track down "The Shattered Horse" by S.P. Somtow. Equally heady stuff.

In order to avoid tag-team posts, I'll leave you with two more suggestions (just in case you haven't read them yet):

1. The Gap Conflict (the first volume is The Real Story) by Stephen Donaldson of Thomas Covenant fame. This 5 volume arc is incredible, and for some mysterious reason, not very well known. Check out The Real Story (it's short) -- I'd be amazed if you were not floored -- and it only gets better and better.

2. "Hyperion" and "Fall of Hyperion" by Dan Simmons. Great, great stuff. Again, read the first 100 pages of Hyperion, and I'm betting you will be hooked. If you liked those two, you can finish the story with the 2-volume epilogue "Endymion" and "Rise of Endymion".

Enjoy!

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Originally posted by phoenix angel wing
My favorite book is 'The Thief of Always', by Clive Barker. The same guy that made the Hellraiser movies, and a slew of other books. It's nothing like Hellraiser, and I recommend that everyone give it a chance. It's written like a fairly dark childrens book. It's also a fable...

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phoenix, in light of your feelings about "Thief", I strongly strongly recommend you read Neil Gaiman's new book, Coraline. Although it could be seen as a copycat effort (it's also a "fairly dark children's fable"), it more than stands on its own due to its sheer excellence. It's one of the few times I've reread a book immediately after finishing, and is one of the rare books I recommend to everyone who'll listen. For you, it's a must-read. You'll never look at buttons, mirrors, or cats the same again. ;)

I also cast a vote in support of Hyperion/Endymion. Absolutely stunning stuff.

Cool! I will check out the Gap conflict. I have already read the Hyperion/Endymion books, I liked them quite a bit. I was kind of bummed by the Endymion books until the very end. It all seemed so bleak, but boy, what a pay off if you stick through it.

Have you read Perdido Street Station? Really good stuff, kinda steampunk, but the city created in that book is great. China Mellive(I think thats how you spell it) is quite a world builder. The book almost never falls into cliche, highly reccommended.

JM

i just finished Ender's Game..... holy shit, that was good. so i got the next book, Speaker For The Dead, today... anyone else read these books?