NationStates Jolt Archive

The title says it all! What book should I read?

I prefer action books (ie, Matthew Reilly, Clive Cussler to an extent) or Science Fiction (I've ordered Ender's Game, and I just KNOW I'm going to enjoy it)

Also, I am an aspiring writer of sorts, I'm doing a Creative Writing course at Uni, so if you can suggest to me books that would inspire me to improve my shoddy work, that would be great!

However, I normally steer clear of non-fiction, however informative and well written they may be, they end up boring me half-way through and I simply stop reading it...

EDIT: Oh great, GREAT start. Tell everyone I wan't to become I writer and then I stuff up the title... Perfect. How do I contact a mod to change it?

Something of Andreas Eschbach like one trillion dollars (eine Billion Dollar) or Hammerschmidt's Polyplay.

As you are playing Nation Satates, then a very good book for you (or any one else reading this) would be The Curious Enlightenment of Professor Caritat by Stephen Lukes, (1996), ISBN-13 978-1859840733. It's a very good book written in an elegant manner, and you could learn a lot (politically, economically and literary) by reading this. Check out the reviews at amazon for a greater insight.

Like comedy? Get "Real Ultimate Power: The Official Ninja Book." It's the Borat of the literature world.

The title says it all! What book should I read?

I prefer action books (ie, Matthew Reilly, Clive Cussler to an extent) or Science Fiction (I've ordered Ender's Game, and I just KNOW I'm going to enjoy it)

Also, I am an aspiring writer of sorts, I'm doing a Creative Writing course at Uni, so if you can suggest to me books that would inspire me to improve my shoddy work, that would be great!

However, I normally steer clear of non-fiction, however informative and well written they may be, they end up boring me half-way through and I simply stop reading it...

EDIT: Oh great, GREAT start. Tell everyone I wan't to become I writer and then I stuff up the title... Perfect. How do I contact a mod to change it?


Jack Vance.

The title says it all! What book should I read?

[grammar nazi]Yes, it does. Please check out one of the textbooks listed here: http://classiclit.about.com/cs/toppicks/tp/aatp_introgramr.htm[/grammar nazi]

I prefer action books (ie, Matthew Reilly, Clive Cussler to an extent)

I like action, but of a bit more cerebrial style. Cussler was OK, but I don't like him much now - too formulaic. And the only Reilly book I read was approached as comedy by the end.

or Science Fiction (I've ordered Ender's Game, and I just KNOW I'm going to enjoy it)

:D Good read, Ender's Game.

Also, I am an aspiring writer of sorts, I'm doing a Creative Writing course at Uni, so if you can suggest to me books that would inspire me to improve my shoddy work, that would be great!

There are lots of good books out there. But, I've concluded (as a fellow aspiring writer who's going nowhere fast) a few things.

1) Write. Simply Write. Go all out and write a novel next November - http://www.nanowrimo.org/ (No, I didn't do it in 2006. But it's one of myt resolutions for 2007! :D)

2) Remember Sturgeon's Revalation:

The Revelation: Ninety percent of everything is crud.
Corollary: The existence of immense quantities of trash in science fiction is admitted and it is regrettable; but it is no more unnatural than the existence of trash anywhere.
I repeat Sturgeon's Revelation, which was wrung out of me after twenty years of wearying defense of science fiction against attacks of people who used the worst examples of the field for ammunition, and whose conclusion was that ninety percent of SF is crud.

However, I normally steer clear of non-fiction, however informative and well written they may be, they end up boring me half-way through and I simply stop reading it...

Read. Read, read, read, read, read!

(And don't fool yourself. Don't try and be a writer because you want to. Only do it it you have to. If you don't understand the distinction, you most likely want to and don't have to.)

EDIT: Oh great, GREAT start. Tell everyone I wan't to become I writer and then I stuff up the title... Perfect. How do I contact a mod to change it?

:D :fluffle: (I haven't seen you around before, so you may not realise how rare that fluffle is - I never fluffle, but I thought you needed one. Especially if you wan't to be a writer... ;))

Skepticism Inc. by Bo Fowler

The English Assassin - Micheal Moorcock...

Any of David Brin's Uplift novels are brilliant. He wrote a trilogy set in the universe, but I prefer the stand alone novels. I suggest Startide Rising as his best novel.

Winter and The Ressurected Man are great science fiction/crime novels. by an Aussie author who's name I can remember. Google is good! Sean Williams.

If you like over the top adventure fantasy, s/f, then anything by Steven brust is good. Jhereg is great.

There's many more suggestions I can do in fiction, but I'll keep it short.

Just to offend the religious right in this forum, for non fiction I suggest any of Richard Dawkins stuff on genetics. Very interesting. The God delusion is also a good read.
Dirty Rotten CEOs by the ex-editor of Forbes is good. Toxic Sludge is Good for you by John Stauber is a great read on how advertising works.

There's many more suggestions I can do in non - fiction too, but I'll keep it short.

Cosmos. Everyone should read that.

I know you'll really enjoy Ender's Game.

When you're done with it, how about

The Forever War (http://www.amazon.com/Forever-War-Joe-Haldeman/dp/0060510862/sr=8-1/qid=1171117271/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-2845814-5748826?ie=UTF8&s=books),

Vampire$ (http://www.amazon.com/Vampires-John-Steakley/dp/014027698X/sr=1-1/qid=1171117335/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-2845814-5748826?ie=UTF8&s=books) and

Armor (http://www.amazon.com/Armor-John-Steakley/dp/0886773687/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/002-2845814-5748826)

I've greatly enjoyed those three books, especially the last two, since Steakley uses the same characters, only in completely different settings. That's really interesting and a novel novelty. :)

Any book by Garth Nix. Especially Sabriel, Lirael or Abhorsen. There three of my favourite books.

The English Assassin - Micheal Moorcock...

Warning - The Jerry Cornelius series of novels and stories can be as addictive as smack.

I'd suggest The Final Programme as a more gentle introduction though, much more linear, a lot less cut-and-paste and the main character doesn't spend the majority of the book dead. I'd also give the caveat that from here on in in the sequence things start to get weird.

Ooooh! Just found out that a recent one has slipped under my radar - Firing the Cathedral. Have to track that one down somehow. Have I missed anything since The Spencer Inheritance or King Of The City (which is only tangentially a JC story)?

EDIT: speaking of which, is 'Shaky' Mo Collier meant to be Lemmy? I always assumed he was, but then found it kind of strange when the two met each other during The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle...

I know you'll really enjoy Ender's Game.

When you're done with it, how about

The Forever War (http://www.amazon.com/Forever-War-Joe-Haldeman/dp/0060510862/sr=8-1/qid=1171117271/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1/002-2845814-5748826?ie=UTF8&s=books),

Vampire$ (http://www.amazon.com/Vampires-John-Steakley/dp/014027698X/sr=1-1/qid=1171117335/ref=pd_bbs_1/002-2845814-5748826?ie=UTF8&s=books) and

Armor (http://www.amazon.com/Armor-John-Steakley/dp/0886773687/ref=pd_bxgy_b_img_b/002-2845814-5748826)

I've greatly enjoyed those three books, especially the last two, since Steakley uses the same characters, only in completely different settings. That's really interesting and a novel novelty. :)

Everyone should read The Forever War. Haldeman's straight fictional novel of the Vietnam war 1968 is also well worth tracking down. Most of his other sf, at least prior to about 1990-something is also pretty fun.

But the main point I was going to make was that the Jerry Cornelius sequence, as suggested by Vonners similarly presents the same cast of characters again and again in a multitude of different contradictory settings. Interesting coincidence.

I'd suggest the Honor Harrington novels by David Weber. Great action adventure, good politics (not as good as Dune, but then what is?) in the later books, and some fantastic ideas.

Everyone should read The Forever War. Haldeman's straight fictional novel of the Vietnam war 1968 is also well worth tracking down. Most of his other sf, at least prior to about 1990-something is also pretty fun.
And sadly enough, it's getting to the point that his novel is of strange up-to-dateness with the GWoT reaching another stage...
But the main point I was going to make was that the Jerry Cornelius sequence, as suggested by Vonners similarly presents the same cast of characters again and again in a multitude of different contradictory settings. Interesting coincidence.
Huh. Now that really is interesting!!! So you also say that Jerry Cornelius is worth reading?
Where to start? What would you recommend?

The Harry Dresden Files, a series of books by Jim Butcher. Kind of mystery meets World of Darkness (the White Wolf gaming setting). It's pulp and not all that likely to help you with your writing ambitions, but it's fun stuff.

And if you want to write, read. Read good writing and a huge variety of it. And don't forget to pick up marketable "day job" skills.

if you like action, the likes of ludlum and le carré are leagues better than cussler et al.

Huh. Now that really is interesting!!! So you also say that Jerry Cornelius is worth reading?
Where to start? What would you recommend?

As I mentioned earlier The Final Programme - somewhat pulpy and intended to be largely humourous is a pretty easy way in, also the first of the books. The second one - A Cure For Cancer - is a somewhat more po-mo work, but has a much greater depth and range. Alternatively the incomplete collected shorter pieces published under the name of either The Nature Of The Catastrophe or The New Nature Of The Catastrophe (the more complete edition) are pretty interesting jumping off points.

If you get a taste for them expect to spend a good deal of time hunting down obscure publications from the seventies in second hand book shops as you try and catch them all.

if you like action, the likes of ludlum and le carré are leagues better than cussler et al.

Early Len Deighton is naught to be sniffed at either, particularly the Harry Palmer novels.

Everyone should also own a copy of his incredibly sexy cookbook.

http://media.npr.org/programs/wesat/features/2005/oct/collins/deighton_lg.jpg

The Forever War,

Everyone should read The Forever War. Haldeman's straight fictional novel of the Vietnam war 1968 is also well worth tracking down. Most of his other sf, at least prior to about 1990-something is also pretty fun.

I'll third that.

Also, in a similar vein is Glen Cook. He's another Vietnam vet (a navy corpsman who served with force recon) who's experiences color his works well, most especially the Black Company series, which I never seem to tire of hawking. Gritty realistic military fantasy, in a world that presumes the all-mighty wizards, who act so inhumanly nice in other series, act human.

His Garrett P.I. series is also very good.

(He has a folowing among SOF operators appearantly - http://www.strangehorizons.com/2005/20050117/cook-int-a.shtml)

An Exchange of Hostages and the following Jurisdiction Universe books by Susan R. Matthews are ... interesting and disturbing - Kafka meets Dostoevsky on a space station and write a sympathetic story about a medical doctor who's a government sanctioned sadistic torturer and loathes himself for it.

As I mentioned earlier The Final Programme - somewhat pulpy and intended to be largely humourous is a pretty easy way in, also the first of the books. The second one - A Cure For Cancer - is a somewhat more po-mo work, but has a much greater depth and range. Alternatively the incomplete collected shorter pieces published under the name of either The Nature Of The Catastrophe or The New Nature Of The Catastrophe (the more complete edition) are pretty interesting jumping off points.

If you get a taste for them expect to spend a good deal of time hunting down obscure publications from the seventies in second hand book shops as you try and catch them all.
Thank you. I'll see if I can hunt'em down in Germany... (or online.)

Slaughterhouse-Five was good and somehow evily funny...

Warning - The Jerry Cornelius series of novels and stories can be as addictive as smack.

I'd suggest The Final Programme as a more gentle introduction though, much more linear, a lot less cut-and-paste and the main character doesn't spend the majority of the book dead. I'd also give the caveat that from here on in in the sequence things start to get weird.

Ooooh! Just found out that a recent one has slipped under my radar - Firing the Cathedral. Have to track that one down somehow. Have I missed anything since The Spencer Inheritance or King Of The City (which is only tangentially a JC story)?

EDIT: speaking of which, is 'Shaky' Mo Collier meant to be Lemmy? I always assumed he was, but then found it kind of strange when the two met each other during The Great Rock 'n' Roll Swindle...

:)

I have rather a few of Mr. Moorcocks books. I admit it was a choice between The Final Programme and The Warlord of the Air. As a milder introduction, as you rightly said. Then I remembered that the OP was going to go for some creative writing course....:D

Shaky Mo...I have to say I have thought the same.

Clive Cussler's great. Read Black Wind.

The Harry Dresden Files, a series of books by Jim Butcher. Kind of mystery meets World of Darkness (the White Wolf gaming setting). It's pulp and not all that likely to help you with your writing ambitions, but it's fun stuff.

And if you want to write, read. Read good writing and a huge variety of it. And don't forget to pick up marketable "day job" skills.

By any chance would these books be inspiration for the new sci-fi series The Dresden Files?

the Hitchhikers series

I suggest Dune and some of the sequels, Dune Messiah and Children of Dune; God Emperor of Dune gets quite weird. IMO Dune is one of the best series in the Sci-Fi genre.

As I mentioned earlier The Final Programme - somewhat pulpy and intended to be largely humourous is a pretty easy way in, also the first of the books. The second one - A Cure For Cancer - is a somewhat more po-mo work, but has a much greater depth and range. Alternatively the incomplete collected shorter pieces published under the name of either The Nature Of The Catastrophe or The New Nature Of The Catastrophe (the more complete edition) are pretty interesting jumping off points.

If you get a taste for them expect to spend a good deal of time hunting down obscure publications from the seventies in second hand book shops as you try and catch them all.

They have put a lot of his work into anthologies so that does help. Some of the more obscure stuff hasn't though.

The Brass series is pretty good as is of course...Von Bek ;)

The Elric series and End of Time stuff...oh so much...and yet oddly familiar!

And sadly enough, it's getting to the point that his novel is of strange up-to-dateness with the GWoT reaching a another stage...

Huh. Now that really is interesting!!! So you also say that Jerry Cornelius is worth reading?
Where to start? What would you recommend?

As Bodies says...get the anthologies 'New/Nature of the Catastrophe'.

Thank you. I'll see if I can hunt'em down in Germany... (or online.)

TG me a postal address...I have a few doubles ... always happy to subve..I mean convert someone to this stuff ;)

Wow... so many good books to read, so little time!

Many thanks for the suggestions, I'll get straight to it!

Just out of curiousity, who else here is an aspiring writer, or simply loves to write stories?

The Scorpion's Gate by Richard Clarke.