What kind of fiction do you like?

[EUROPE1]

What kind of fiction do you people like?

 

[Astronuc]

The imaginary kind.

I like stories with interesting places and characters.

Old classics like the Illiad and Odyssey.

J. R. R. Tolkien's - Lord of the Rings certainly.

Science fiction - like that of Asimov (Foundation and Empire series) and Robert Heinlein (e. g. Glory Road, Stranger in a Strange Land).

J. K. Rowling's - "Harry Potter" series.

Christopher Paoli's (18 yr old) - Eragon - http://www.randomhouse.com/teens/eragon/ - excellent book.

I am now reading "Life of Pi" by Yann Martel. Strange.

 

[Danger]

Sorry I don't have time to get into details; just cruising through while I get ready for work. Hard SF is my overall favourite (James P. Hogan, Larry Niven,etc.). Also good old-style mysteries like Agatha Christie. Some comedy if it's very well done (Jimmy Breslin, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.). I have, however, been known to read cereal boxes if there was nothing else around (only partially fictional).

 

[arildno]

I like fantasy a lot.
Of more "serious" literature, Dostoyevsky and Shakespeare are favourites.

 

[Astronuc]

What is the best fiction from Europe, Asia, Africa, South America - both classic and modern?

Inside the US, it is very difficult to find material from outside, except that which filters through the media and publishers.

 

[hypermorphism]

Astronuc's list is pretty much mine.
Also fun stuff like Flatland, Flatterland, etc.
Some newer novels I've read include "Prey" by Michael Crichton, "Singularity" by Bill DeSmedt and "A Hole in Texas" by Herman Wouk. They were okay, but both tended to overemphasize the standard relationship hook over character development, which made for some plodding backdrop.
I recently found out that I have an obsession with reading while eating as well. I was out this weekend in NYC and got hungry, so I walked into McDonald's and realized I didn't have anything to read. I then walked about 10 blocks to the nearest bookstore and bought the cheapest book that caught my eye (Innumeracy), then walked back to eat.

 

[Astronuc]

Arrrgh! I forgot Douglas Adams and the "Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Best fiction by far.

And Terry Pratchett - I just started looking at his work.

 

[hypermorphism]

Arrrgh! I forgot Douglas Adams and the "Hitch-Hiker's Guide to the Galaxy". Best fiction by far.

And Terry Pratchett - I just started looking at his work.

I've got "The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide" on my shelf, the two Dirk Gently's (the first one is better than the second), and The Salmon of Doubt.
I've tried getting into Terry Pratchett, but while he spends a lot of time developing his worlds, he seems to spend less time developing his characters to the extend DNA. did. Grant Naylor's Red Dwarf duo is a better match to DNA's humor. It's unfortunate they didn't adapt more of the series to book form.

 

[russ_watters]

Add Orwell and Clancy to Astronuc's list...

edit: oh, and Jules Verne's "The Mysterious Island" should be required reading for aspiring engineers.

 

[motai]

I tend to favor historical fiction over the pure fantasy stuff. I also like to dabble in a little sci-fi so long as there is more sci than fi. I have yet to read Dostoyevsky, but I do like Anton Chekhov's works.

 

[arildno]

Jules Verne's "The Mysterious Island" should be required reading for aspiring engineers.

Well, if all engineers were as resourceful, imaginative, manly and brave as the lead character, what couldn't we have accomplished...

Great read, though!

 

[Davorak]

Raymond E. Feist-I have not kept up with many of his books as of late, though his apprentice series is what got me into fantasy.

Robert Jordan-The wheel of time series is good, but for maybe the last two books, and it is not worth reading 7+ times like some people I know.

George R.R. Martin-I wish I had more time to read his books.

Terry Goodkind-The Sword of Truth series was always a little preachy but books 7 and 8 were too much for me. Has anyone one read book 9, is it worth reading?

Terry Pratchett is one of my favorite authors.

Orson Scott Card

Douglas Adams-Need I say more?

Frank Herbert – Brian Herbert will never match Frank Herbert’s work.

Stephen King- Dark tower series and select others.

L. E. Modesitt Jr. – Writing style from book to book or even series to series can be repetitive.

Piers Anthony – The overwhelm number of puns in his books could and probably will destroy multiple civilizations. The Xanth series was better off before it started drowning its readers with puns.

Asimov’s Foundation and Empire series

and others.

With all the books sci-fi and fantasy books I have read it is a travesty that I have never gotten around to reading the Lord of the Rings series.

College has slowed my reading dramatically(at least in sci-fi/fantasy), but I still mange spurts of the 3-5 books over holiday breaks.

 

[Bladibla]

War and Peace
Crime and Punishment
Old man and the sea
The little prince
Of mice and men
Grapes of wrath..Basically anything by steinbeck..Awesome guy

Btw: Shakespeare sucks!

 

[ramollari]

War and Peace
Crime and Punishment
Old man and the sea
The little prince
Of mice and men
Grapes of wrath..Basically anything by steinbeck..Awesome guy

Btw: Shakespeare sucks!

The Little Prince, Of mice and men (Steinbeck, also adding 'the pearl'), and Crime and Punishment, were also in my list. Great works!
I add also:
-Dead Souls from Gogol,
-All the stories of DeMaupassant,
and
-Adventures of Sherlock Holmes from Connan Doyle

 

[arildno]

War and Peace
Crime and Punishment
Old man and the sea
The little prince
Of mice and men
Grapes of wrath..Basically anything by steinbeck..Awesome guy

Btw: Shakespeare sucks!

Shakespeare does NOT suck, Ibsen sucks!

 

[Bladibla]

Shakespeare does NOT suck, Ibsen sucks!

Yarr... Shakespeare i would rank as one of my most hated playwriters/bookwriters/poets..

Tolstoy/Steinbeck is the best!

 

[arildno]

Yarr... Shakespeare i would rank as one of my most hated playwriters/bookwriters/poets..

Assuming you're English or American, your hatred stems from the fact that you were foreced to read Shakespeare at school.
Lucky bastard, I was forced to read Ibsen and Icelandic sagas..

 

[Bladibla]

Assuming you're English or American, your hatred stems from the fact that you were foreced to read Shakespeare at school.
Lucky bastard, I was forced to read Ibsen and Icelandic sagas..

True to some extent. However, i had to learn steinbeck also in school, which i liked.

 

[ramollari]

Assuming you're English or American, your hatred stems from the fact that you were foreced to read Shakespeare at school.
Lucky bastard, I was forced to read Ibsen and Icelandic sagas..

I was also forced to read all drama 'The house of the doll' of Ibsen to make a report (If that's the way it is translated in English). It does suck...! I tried to extract any idea, but in vain.

 

[LENIN]

I love Orrwels 1984. But my all time favorite is We by the russian author Zamjatin.

Oh and all of Jules Vernes books are allso great (especilay Trip to the moon). And we can't forget the cllasics by Dougles Adams

 

[arildno]

I was also forced to read all drama 'The house of the doll' of Ibsen to make a report (If that's the way it is translated in English). It does suck...! I tried to extract any idea, but in vain.

Both the "Doll's house" and "The Wild Duck" suck, IMO.

As I see it, "Hedda Gabler", "Pillars of the Community" and "Enemy of the People" are Ibsen's best plays.
They don't actually suck as the two above-mentioned did (guess which we had to read..)

 

[ramollari]

Both the "Doll's house" and "The Wild Duck" suck, IMO.

As I see it, "Hedda Gabler", "Pillars of the Community" and "Enemy of the People" are Ibsen's best plays.
They don't actually suck as the two above-mentioned did (guess which we had to read..)

Oh dear, poor you , having to read them all!

What about the Saga of Forsaytes, who wrote it? I didn't read it, but my mother who has read it has told me it is a real masterpiece.

 

[arildno]

Isn't that FitzGerald or something?
(The Forsythe saga, I mean)

Actually, I kind of enjoyed the Viking sagas, so I wasn't too unhappy after all..

 

[Evo]

I was a sci-fi buff since a small child, Bradberry, Asimov, Heinlein, Poul Anderson, Piers Anthony. Then I got hooked on Fantasy when I was given Robert Jordan's first "The Wheel of Time" when it first came out. I agree with Dvorak, the last couple in the series weren't as good.

I really enjoyed Asimov's Dr Urth stories. Heinlein.

The Dragonlance books by Weis & Hickman. They are the best in the Dragonlance series. Raistlin is very cool.

Raymond Feist? "Magician Apprentice" and the "Riftwar Saga".

David Eddings - The Belgariad, The Malloreon

Terry Goodkind is a different take on fantasy, more substance. "Wizard's First Rule" was the first in the series I read. They are a bit more "heavy" than most fantasy though.

Also "Daughter of the Empire" by Feist & Janny Wurts. & the others in the series.

 

[arildno]

I have a great liking for the master of swashbuckling sword&sorcery: Fritz Leiber.
Other fantasy authors I like:
Elizabeth Moon's stunning paladin fantasy "The Deeds of Paksenarrion"
(Her "Legacy of Girt" isn't that good)
Robin Hobb's Assassin trilogy.
Katherine Kerr's Deverry series (at least the first books)
And that pesky linguist from Oxford, of course.

 

[Kerrie]

ironically i worked in a public library for nearly 4 years, and i didn't enjoy fiction as much as i enjoyed non-fiction. as a kid, i enjoyed the chronicles of narnia by c.s. lewis, many books by madeline l'engle, and loved roald dahl books. currently, i am reading to my children "charlie and the chocolate factory" and it brings back many memories.

typically i like sci-fi fantasy books, but there are so many, i don't know which author to start with. my husband cherishes phillip k dick books and urges me to read his stuff. there are so many sci-fi paperbacks that are of mediocre quality out there that i just don't want to waste my time. any suggestions?

 

[arildno]

Well, since you are into sci-fi/fantasy, Orson Scott Card is great.
I very much enjoyed "Ender's Game" (sci-fi), and his alternate American history Alvin the maker (fantasy)

 

[kaos]

bored of the rings- by the Harvard Lampoon inc

 

[juvenal]

Well, since you are into sci-fi/fantasy, Orson Scott Card is great.
I very much enjoyed "Ender's Game" (sci-fi), and his alternate American history Alvin the maker (fantasy)

Have you read Speaker for the Dead? It has this sense of beauty and mystery which is a 180 degree turn from Ender's Game. Also - Ender's Shadow is fun - the same story as Ender's Game but told from Bean's point of view. I actually prefer it to Ender's Game.

Philip K Dick and Stanislaw Lem are two other sci-fi guys worth reading.

Outside of sci-fi, I highly recommend Garcia Marquez and Borges to everyone. One Hundred Years of Solitude is a classic. Looking forward to reading Garcia Marquez's autobiography - bought it a year ago, but been too busy to read it.

The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Clay will be the next fiction book I'll read once I finish this f'in degree. Too many books to read, too little time.

 

[Moonbear]

It depends on the circumstances. If I have a nice weekend to relax and enjoy any book of my choosing, I like psychological thrillers, mysteries, sometimes science fiction, and a few romance authors (I tend to read more of those the longer it's been since my last date ). If I'm stuck in an airport, absolutely anything on the shelf I haven't read before!

 

[Andromeda321]

I'll read most anything short of some fantasy stuff, epic Russian novels, and neoclassical British ones. I prefer reading futuristic/ scifi stuff myself.

 

[BicycleTree]

I have a favorite book. _Deus Irae_ by Philip K. Dick and Roger Zelazny.

 

[BicycleTree]

No, well, that was my favorite book. Now that I think back on it I think it is not my favorite book. I guess I do not have a favorite book anymore. But I do recommend reading _Deus Irae_.

 

[Astronuc]

Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance: An Inquiry into Values
Robert M. Pirsig

The Electric Kool-Aid Acid Test
Tom Wolfe

Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas:
A Savage Journey to the Heart of the American Dream
Hunter S. Thompson, Ralph Steadman (Illustrator)

Not that I condone that behavior. Well not anymore at least.

 

[Astronuc]

"Doll's house" . . . sucks

I second your opinion arildno.

I had to read it freshman year at university.

 

[Astronuc]

Has anyone read Asimov's "Prelude to Foundation" and "Forward the Foundation"? The style is clearly different from the first three books, which were written much earlier. I also very much enjoyed "Foundation's Edge" - very clever.

I would hope someone makes some high quality movies from the series.

 

[BicycleTree]

I've read Prelude to Foundation. I didn't like it so much. It was too practiced and it mostly covered old news.

 

[BicycleTree]

I have also probably read Foundation's Edge--refresh my memory of what stage in the saga that is.

 

[Astronuc]

Foundation's Edge is the last one.

FROM THE PUBLISHER

At last, the costly and bitter war between the two Foundations had come to an end. The scientists of the First Foundation had proved victorious; and now they retum to Hari Seldon's long-established plan to build a new Empire that the Second Foundation is not destroyed after all-and that its still-defiant survivors are preparing their revenge. Now the two exiled citizens of the Foundation-a renegade Councilman and the doddering historian-set out in search of the mythical planet Earth. . .and proof that the Second Foundation still exists. Meanwhile someone-or something-outside of both Foundations sees to be orchestrating events to suit its own ominous purpose. Soon representatives of both the First and Second Foundations will find themselves racing toward a mysterious world called Gaia and a final shocking destiny at the very end of the universe!

Also three good books by Paulo Coelho (Brazilian writer, books translated).

The Alchemist
Pilgrimage
The Fifth Mountain (intense)

 

[ConcealedDreamer]

Ender!

 

[Evo]

Trout Fishing in America by Richard Brautigan.

 

[ramollari]

The Lord of the Flies, William Goldings;
The House of the Souls, Elizabeth Aliende;

 

[Danger]

Douglas Adams-Need I say more?

'Nuff said.