Books i can't close before finishing

[ishiro]

Hi everyone,
I have been lately searching for books to read, especially sci fi ones in vain, i just can't finish the books i find even if they are said to be some of the best in the topic.
The latest books i couldn't finish were The city and the stars and Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke, i found them to be very slow.
I tried short stories but i didn't like how the stories ends that fast

Exemple of books i totally enjoyed:
- Planet of the Apes by Boulle Pierre.
- The Count of Monte Cristo by Dumas Alexandre
- I Am Legend by Matheson Richard
- Empire of the Ants by Bernard Werber.

So can you please suggest some breath taking books that i can't close before finishing? Thanks !

[Leep]

I'm not much of a scifi expert, but here is a fun little utility. Just put in authors you do like and it will show authors who write in a similar vein. [http://www.literature-map.com]

From there, you can use http://fantasticfiction.co.uk to explore more about those authors.

cheers

[MickeyC]

Definitely agree with Planet of the Apes. To your list, I'd add:

The Stand by Stephen King
Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy

[Apache]

March Upcountry by David Weber and John Ringo.
Apache

[FizzyWater]

If you like mysteries as well as sci-fi, you might consider The Disappeared by Kristine Kathryn Rusch. It's the first book in a series, but you'd know by the first one if you like the basic premise enough to read more of them. The main character is initially on the police force, so the first one reads like a police procedural. The big theme of the series is Earth's interaction with other planets' cultures and laws. There's also a personal storyline for the main characters. I really liked this series, although I'm not sure it's really in line with the books you listed as having enjoyed.

The first...7 or so?...were released by one of the BPHs, but they dropped the series. Now she's made them all available, plus at least a couple new ones, on Smashwords.

She also has a series that begins with Diving the Wreck. I thought the basic storyline sounded really interesting, but she's writing it in first-person, present tense, and that's a deal-breaker for me. I couldn't get beyond the first couple pages.

[GeoffR]

Axiomatic, by Greg Egan.

This is a short story collection, but the author has expanded on some of the ideas in novels, e.g. Permutation City.

[AlbertaCowboy]

Give Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein a go.
The first time I read it, I couldn't put it down and read the whole thing in one sitting

[samhy]

Wool by H. Howey (there's even a thread on MR).

[Nancy Fulda]

This is a tough question because one person's gripping read is another person's dull ramble through irrelevant tangents.

Personally, I get sucked in most by Lois McMaster Bujold books. I'm constantly picking up a well-read favorite to see how she handled Character Conflict X or Plot Development Y and... five hours later, there I am, skipping dinner to read one more chapter of a book I already know the ending to. Paladin of Souls is a particularly notorious culprit.

Other books that simply will not let me go include Robin McKinley's The Blue Sword, Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn, and Jane Yolen's Dragon's Blood.

[bfisher]

I couldn't stop reading these:
The Mote In God's Eye Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle
King David's Spaceship Jerry Pournelle
Deathworld, The Stainless Steel Rat Harry Harrison
Ranks of Bronze David Drake
Island In the Sea of Time S.M.Stirling
Dragon's Egg Robert L. Forward
Lest Darkness Fall L. Sprague de Camp
Agent of Change Sharon Lee and Steve Miller
Lord Kalvan of Otherwhen H. Beam Piper

[bill_mchale]

Clarke did indeed write some classics of the genre, but I think the basic problem you are experiencing is based off of the fact that a lot of what Clarke wrote was world building. Most of his novels (until the latter part of his career) are one offs, and thus his entire world must be built for the story he is telling.

In contrast, you might have more luck with writers who write lots of different stories in the same Universe.

--
Bill

[ishiro]

Originally Posted by bill_mchale

Clarke did indeed write some classics of the genre, but I think the basic problem you are experiencing is based off of the fact that a lot of what Clarke wrote was world building. Most of his novels (until the latter part of his career) are one offs, and thus his entire world must be built for the story he is telling.

In contrast, you might have more luck with writers who write lots of different stories in the same Universe.

--
Bill

Yes Bill, i think that's exactly why i can't finish Clarkes books.
I'm reading Flower for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, and i just love it, thanks all for your suggestions, keep it coming please

[curtw]

Originally Posted by ishiro

Yes Bill, i think that's exactly why i can't finish Clarkes books.
I'm reading Flower for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, and i just love it, thanks all for your suggestions, keep it coming please

I figured you were going to be overwhelmed with suggestions, so I wasn't going to reply. But with a "keep it coming," here goes...

I found Replay by Ken Grimwood to be un-put-downable, literally. I stayed up almost all night to finish it.

Kindle
Nook
Kobo

[Jozawun]

Originally Posted by ishiro

Yes Bill, i think that's exactly why i can't finish Clarkes books.
I'm reading Flower for Algernon by Daniel Keyes, and i just love it, thanks all for your suggestions, keep it coming please

The book was made into a top film too, Charly starring Cliff Robertson.

[BookCat]

Have you read John Wyndham novels, such as The Day of the Triffids, The Midwich Cuckoos, The Kraken Wakes, The Chrysalids etc? I'm sure you'd find them rivetting.