Any Interesting Books?

[TechnicPyro]

So, I was just wondering what anybody on the forums has been reading lately (if at all) or what they would recommend?  Any genre would be fine but I prefer to stick to fictional storylines.

[null]

The last book I read was Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson (https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Snow_Crash).
Which was awesome.

[Semmy]

just fictional or would fantasy or sci-fi do aswell?

[kdfsjljklgjfg]

I thoroughly enjoyed Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. If you saw the movie, it's literally a different story entirely.

The book is written like a biography, and just stuffs vampires into the gaps, or between major historical events, without breaking actual history (I actually learned things about Lincoln from that book), and provides alternative motivations for him.

[TechnicPyro]

just fictional or would fantasy or sci-fi do aswell?

I don't care, either is fine.  When I said fiction I just meant any fictional book.  Fantasy and sci-fi are fictional stories.

[TechnicPyro]

So...  Only a few?  I didn't know that readers are a minority.

[Galileus]

So...  Only a few?  I didn't know that readers are a minority.

Well, not all of us are English natives, and many of us read their national authors. My bookcase is full of Piekara's and Dukaj's books, and while I would gladly recommend them, it's unlikely you will find 'em translated. If at all possible. You may have more luck with Lem's (and I would not recommend him - my opinion of his books is in contrast with this of critics) and Sapkowski's. Sapkowski's Witcher saga and The Hussite Trilogy are definitely worth recommendation - his style and craft are one of a kind. Especially his knowledge of slavic culture and beliefs is something to look forward to - the bestiary in his books is quite different from your typical fantasy elf/dwarf/orc nonsense. And well, some of the elves are kind of nazi.

As for other authors you may be interested with:

Orson Scott Card - obviously with his flagbook series of Ender's Game. While each next one in series gets a tad bit worse, if you get sucked in, you'll be done with them all in no time. Smart, but otherwise light sci-fi with good amount of action and intrigue.
Arkady and Boris Strugatsky - good, old-style sci-fi with very noticeable flavor.
Sergei Lukyanenko - seen Night's Watch and Day's Watch? No? Why? Oh, and if you're waiting for Dusk's Watch, there won't be one. Go read books. Now Must-read on my list.
Philip K. Dick - a legend of sci-fi, crackhead and drunk. It didn't ended well for him, but produced a lot of extremely good books giving you the impression you've overdosed yourself - once they are done with you with theirs twists, time travels, paradoxes and "nothing is as it seems at first". Not a light lecture, but another must-try-and-read.

[Semmy]

Patrick Rotfuss Most suprising 2 books i have read in a lont time. At the end of both books i wanted more more more. Really nice and easy flowing way of writing.

Libriomancer by Jim C Hines  Bought the book for its cover because my kid tought it looked nice. Was somewhat suprised and a nice read. Magic coming out of books awsome d-:

Gail Z. Martin The latest series i started. Waiting for the 2nd book now (-:

Joe Abercrombie. Awsome bloody writing fun charachters.

Ghaunts ghosts - Ciaphus Cain - Eisenhorn

Jv JonesHad fun reading this series. Maybe a bit too much ice d-;

And so many more but you will be busy for a long time reading this all.

[Galileus]

Would forget - Neil Gaiman with Neverwhere and his co-op with Terry Pratchett on Good Omen are a must read, too. Do NOT dare to ask for more until you read that

[Darker]

Metro 2033 by Dmitry Glukhovsky

• This romain will give you chills. It's not really a sci-fi, it's rather mysterious - and when weird stuff begins to happen, no one is gonna explain you anything. It all happens in dark tunnels of beautiful Moskevian metro... Once you read that, you will always have the urge to enter tunnels of any metro and explore it on your own.

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (aka Blade Runner) by Philip Kindred Dick

• This book will surely satisfy any of your sci-fi needs - it's full of robots. But the point is somewhere else. It's a question, what's still machine and what is not.
  And if you've seen the movie, don't give up on book. It's very different from the movie. I'm not saying one is better than another - but it's different story.
  

Dune by Frank Herbert.

• This is definitelly not some sci-fi short story. This a story of a completelly different world - and once you read it, you'll feel that you was there.
  It all happens on dry, desert planet Arrakis. Noone would ever care about this planet if it weren't for the melange. A very special melange.
  This is something to read in a long cold winter... With the desert sun in the mind, you'll be happy that it's -10° Celsius outside and that you can drink water every day.
  
  BTW: Iron Maiden have made a song about Dune - To Tame a Land (which is also a name of Warcraft III bonus campaign)
  

One more from Russia:

We by Evgenij Zamjatin

• This is not fun to read at all. Distopy about perfectly organised world, about absolute totality. This book has inspired several others and had big influence at distopy as a genre.
  
  Aside from writing this, Zamjatin was also one of the best Russian engineers and has led construction of their biggest ship (you know, russians want to have everithing bigger... )

Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

• Partially inspired by We, Ray Bradbury describes alienation of people in modern society. In his world, books get banned because people loose time with them instead of working and buying things. The main character is one of so-called "firemen". Since there are no more fires for everything is made of iron, firemen have a little different task now. They burn books and houses of their owners (that's a punishment for owning any books).

As of non-sci fi:


For whom the bell tolls by Ernest Hemingway

• In my opinion the best example of Hemingways ability to drag you into his story, so suddenly and so deep that it will not be a story in your memory, but an experience.
  
  Any mans death diminishes me, because I am involved in Mankinde.
  And therefore never send to know for whom the bell tolls - it tolls for thee.
  

Crime and punishment by M. F. Dostojevskij

• The way Hemingway can drag you into a story, Dostojevskij can drag you into his characters mind. After reading this book, you will feel like a murderer.
  

I intended to restrain from criticising other peoples choices, but really: Abraham Lincoln: Vampire Hunter. Are you fucking kidding me? Reminds me of Lesbian Vampire Killers...

After reading the whole thread, I must also say that Galileuses choices are highly approved and recomended!

[Galileus]

Great books! Let's steal them!

What's wrong with you? :/

[Darker]

Don't be silly. Most of the authors are dead by now, if you wanna pay them respect, go pry at their grave.
Besides that, I don't discourage anyone from buying the books. But having a book, that's like having a CD from your favorite band these days.

Actually, if a friend borrows me his book, is that "theft" too? I don't think so.

Myself, I don't think anyone would read this as PDF anyway, eyes hurt from the PC screen soon.

But the best way to make someone read the book is to make him read the beginning.

[bigwolf2101]

the wheel of time by Robert Jordan he was a good author but sadly has past away there are 15 book in all and it is finished

[Untrustedlife]

All the books suggested by darker.

and:

The hitchhikers guide to the galaxy.(My favorite series of books I have ever read, so funny, so random, so sci-fi, its  a blast to read)

Any book by Gary Paulson.
Such as the "hatchet" series.

Any book by hp lovecraft. (Warning this guy wrote sci-fi horror stories/novels all of them take place in the same "world" so to speak, they are very well done.)

The Hobbit ( A classic and a must read for anybody into Tolkien or fantasy novels

The Shannara series. (Think a society that has regressed after a worldwide nuclear war, to be more specific, it is basically scifi/Fantasy where there are people who have mutated because of the radiation into creatures that can only be described as being extremely similar to some well known fantasy races) It is very well done full of lore and I highly recommend it) 

The sword of Shannara. Takes place in the same world as the original shannara series, and is its own series)

Many More.

[Semmy]

Thanks i will try those shannara series.