What should I read next?

[DixieGal]

I adored Pillars of the Earth, and World Without End is even better. Follett had 20 yrs between books to really perfect his style.

[DixieGal]

Originally Posted by lilac_jive

Mistborn is on my to-read list. I loved Elantris, I hope I enjoy Mistborn just as much.

Mistborn was really good! It's still clear in my head, which means it must have struck a chord in there somewhere, amongst the flotsam and jetsam of the llounge.

[DixieGal]

This is my post number 2323. Tidy!

[radius]

Originally Posted by Over

I'm really undecided about which book should I read next. Which one would you recommend me and why?

I don't know you so its hard to do recommendations exactly, but here is what I think of the books I've read:

b) The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
- won't say too much since you're already reading it. A classic, but feels slightly dated. TANSTAAFL.

i) Sweet Silver Blues, by Glen Cook
- early enough in the Garrett series to still be fun. Don't believe any of the stuff about this being Chandler in a fantasy world. The supporting cast is entertaining, the world is well thought out, the humour works for me, the mystery is satisfying.

k) Dune, by Frank Herbert
- a must-read just because it is classic, and an excellent example of in-depth world-building but not something I feel the need to read again. I think I had trouble believing that a bunch of desert nomads could really pose a threat to the "civilized" worlds.

l) Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
- excellent Neal Stephenson novel. But might not be enjoyable if you don't like Neal Stephenson novels... If you can understand the geek mindset you might enjoy this book. Proportioning inherited heirlooms by graphing out their cost versus desirability and sentimental value out in the parking lot is an awesome idea. This book will teach you how to encrypt your prison conversations using a deck of playing cards. And about the sawtooth wave of mental clarity against time as determined by interval since last orgasm. And wait until you learn how to balance the crispiness of your breakfast cereal against the coldness of your milk...

o) Black Company, by Glen Cook
- very different from the Garrett series but also a great read (mind you I don't really enjoy the Black Company books after the initial series). The Taken are an amazing depiction of powerful sorcerer/generals and how they might be seen by the troops. I think this was the first grunt's eye view of a fantasy universe. It does have an annoying, mysterious Lone Wolf character (who might even be called Raven if I remember correctly) but everything else is great.

The anti-recommendations:

c) The Sword of Shannara, by Terry Brooks
- even when I read it as a child it felt like a lame Tolkien rip off to me, although I did want to find some sapphires to pretend they were elfstones (then I read the Elfstones of Shannara and was disappointed even more)

f) Little Brother, by Cory Doctorow
- Doctorow is hit and miss for me and this was a big miss. The message overwhelms the story. For similar themes but better writing, try Doctorow's The Things That Make Me Weak and Strange Get Engineered Away, but even there he is a bit heavy-handed.

q) 1632, by Eric Flint
- I like some things about Flint's books, but his writing ticks annoy me enough to avoid them (beating a dead joke, insipid love stories, too many scene transitions linked to something a character says or sees, incessant rah-rah American values cheerleading, and more)



The haven't-reads:

d) The Magic of Recluce, by L.E. Modesitt

e) Mistborn, by Brandon Sanderson
s) Mistborn 2, Brandon Sanderson
- haven't read Mistborn, but I've read Warbreaker by Sanderson and thought it was fluff. I think he tries to come up with interesting twists (eg: different magic systems) and creates self-consistent worlds, but the humour just don't work for me.

g) The Briar King, by Greg Keyes
h) Inspctor Chen: Snake Agent, by Liz Williams
j) Dream Thief, by Stephen Lawhead
m) Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
n) Altered Carbon, by Richard Morgan
p) Assassin's Aprendice, by Robin Hobb
r) Pillars of the Earth, by Ken Follet

[Moejoe]

I quite enjoyed the movie of Catch-22 and disliked the book thoroughly. Maybe that was because I was forced to read it in Secondary School and it left a bad taste in my mouth.

[Over]

Originally Posted by Penforhire

Over, coincidentally, I recently finished Pillars of the Earth. I agree with the better criticism you can find. It is entertaining but the characters are off. They are engaging but surreal. He had a long enough text to explore motivation more. I wouldn't go as far as to say two-dimensional but it just so plot-driven. I was hoping for more. I realize Follett makes a conscious effort to write plain prose (noted on his website) but I was hoping for something more lyrical. He connects to a modern reader by using, perhaps, too many modern phrases. As one critic correctly noted, I do not recall enough similes or metaphors.

Hah, with all that said I just started World Without End! I must be a masochist. But I am enchanted by the picture he paints of brutal living in those days. Makes me feel better every time I turn the water on in my sink or flush the toilet at home!

I like fleshed out characters, to the point they are believable. I can do with a plot driven book, but that "surreal" word you used to describe the characters worry me. What did you mean?

[Over]

Originally Posted by radius

I don't know you so its hard to do recommendations exactly, but here is what I think of the books I've read:

b) The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
- won't say too much since you're already reading it. A classic, but feels slightly dated. TANSTAAFL.

Yes, it really feels dated, which is making it difficult to me to "engage" the story. But on the other hand, I always had a problem starting new books. 80% of the time, I have to struggle a little bit in the first 50-100 pages. By then, I'll be enganged, even if the book isn't nothing special. So I'll give it a little bit more time

i) Sweet Silver Blues, by Glen Cook
- early enough in the Garrett series to still be fun. Don't believe any of the stuff about this being Chandler in a fantasy world. The supporting cast is entertaining, the world is well thought out, the humour works for me, the mystery is satisfying.

I'm fine with that

k) Dune, by Frank Herbert
- a must-read just because it is classic, and an excellent example of in-depth world-building but not something I feel the need to read again. I think I had trouble believing that a bunch of desert nomads could really pose a threat to the "civilized" worlds.

I'm receiving so many mixed opinions about this one! I've watched the movie many years ago (I don't even remember the plot), but if the movie was good to me, I guess the book can only be better (I hope). Usually books are better.

l) Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
- excellent Neal Stephenson novel. But might not be enjoyable if you don't like Neal Stephenson novels... If you can understand the geek mindset you might enjoy this book. Proportioning inherited heirlooms by graphing out their cost versus desirability and sentimental value out in the parking lot is an awesome idea. This book will teach you how to encrypt your prison conversations using a deck of playing cards. And about the sawtooth wave of mental clarity against time as determined by interval since last orgasm. And wait until you learn how to balance the crispiness of your breakfast cereal against the coldness of your milk...

This is an author I've never read. There are many things that make me curious to try his works, including those geeky parts. But I'm afraid that his books might feel more like infodumps than real engaging stories. Is this true?

[Penforhire]

I felt Crytonomicon as more than an info dump but Neal allows so many clever turns of phrase you can just hear the editors screaming at him. I like that stuff but I still have mental scars from writing classes in college trying to beat those clever phases out of my own work.

Over, by surreal I mean Ken stereotypes and uses traits or tags to the moon. The leading characters are just not human enough. The strong have no weakness and the weak have no strength. It all comes across a little too Disney for my taste. Everything is wrapped in a little bow for the reader and good triumphs evil. Some of his point-of-view choices, and the scenes themselves, are needlessly prurient and juvenile. Not many. And not enough to ruin the books for me.

I'm now midway into World Without End and I think his handling of characters is improved. I like how he framed the entire first book with a ship wreck and the second book appears to have its own overarching frame.

[Over]

Hummm... Heinlein's book didn't manage to grab my attention. I've only read the first 3 chapters, so I might be jumping to conclusions, but it's feeling outdated.

Or maybe because The Well of Ascension (Mistborn 2) was itching me to start reading it. Anyway, I've paused Heinlein's book and started Mistborn 2.

[Over]

I've finished Mistborn 2 and started reading Mistborn 3 (Hero of the Ages), to complete the trilogy.

I liked this volume, although I didn't like the way the author approached it. He just assumes the reader didn't read the first volume, so he is careful to explain many things that we, previous readers, already know. But it's really a very minor thing, more noticeably in the beggining.

I recommend to complement the book's reading with the annotations in his site. Very interesting.


Talking about trilogies and Brandon, the final Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan) volume was split in three, they will be published in November 2009, 2010 and 2011.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by Over

I've finished Mistborn 2 and started reading Mistborn 3 (Hero of the Ages), to complete the trilogy.

I liked this volume, although I didn't like the way the author approached it. He just assumes the reader didn't read the first volume, so he is careful to explain many things that we, previous readers, already know. But it's really a very minor thing, more noticeably in the beggining.

I recommend to complement the book's reading with the annotations in his site. Very interesting.


Talking about trilogies and Brandon, the final Wheel of Time (Robert Jordan) volume was split in three, they will be published in November 2009, 2010 and 2011.

Did you read Elantris yet? I haven't read Mistborn yet, but Elantris was awesome.

[Over]

Yes, I've started with Elantris and I liked it. Left me wondering about Elantris in its golden days and about the magic system. If you liked Elantris, you will like Mistborn. Although you won't find romance in the first book (one of the driving forces in Elantris was following the path of the Prince and the Princess until they reunite).

But Allomancy is another interesting magic system, governed by physics. Ingenious work there.


One thing that is becoming Brandon's trademark is how he uses an omniscient narrator. He shows you what the characters are thinking, their feelings and struggles, their thought process. That makes good characterization, although some people might prefer to know/judge characters only by their actions, instead of being told what they're feeling and thinking. (This only applies to the POV characters, obviously).

[sirbruce]

c) The Sword of Shannara, by Terry Brooks
- even when I read it as a child it felt like a lame Tolkien rip off to me, although I did want to find some sapphires to pretend they were elfstones (then I read the Elfstones of Shannara and was disappointed even more)

It *is* a lame Tolkien ripoff. But it's still a very important book as it kicked off the whole modern fantasy genre. Before it came out Tolkien was pretty much it (no one was publishing Lord Dunsany or E. R. Eddison, let alone reading it). After it came Stephen R. Donaldson and Piers Anthony and all the rest.

Oh, and the Shanarra books are now going to be made into movies.

[lilac_jive]

Originally Posted by Over

Yes, I've started with Elantris and I liked it. Left me wondering about Elantris in its golden days and about the magic system. If you liked Elantris, you will like Mistborn. Although you won't find romance in the first book (one of the driving forces in Elantris was following the path of the Prince and the Princess until they reunite).

But Allomancy is another interesting magic system, governed by physics. Ingenious work there.


One thing that is becoming Brandon's trademark is how he uses an omniscient narrator. He shows you what the characters are thinking, their feelings and struggles, their thought process. That makes good characterization, although some people might prefer to know/judge characters only by their actions, instead of being told what they're feeling and thinking. (This only applies to the POV characters, obviously).

I think his next book, Warbreaker, deals with the earlier times of Elantris.

[Tinwolf]

Originally Posted by bigmoney

Right now I am reading another classic, Hyperion, and loving it. If you haven't read it you might want to check it out.

I think the Hyperion series is excellent writing, there is a depth to the story that just feels to be a little deeper than one is "seeing" (or is that just me ) which I love and I`ve read the series a few times now.

Where did you get the Hyperion e-books from? I couldn`t find them anywhere?