[Serenity]

I got the SF Masterworks hardback editions of The Man In The High Castle by Philip K. Dick and Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke.

[Binder of Demons]

@ serenity - I liked Childhood's End, but I must say it didn't wow me as much as either "The City and the Stars" (for it's technological prescience) or "Rendezvous with Rama" for a good sci-fi mysterious adventure. Still, he had some great ideas in his books.

I recently got The Wise Man's Fear, by Patrick Rothfuss, and think i may start it tonight.

[Serenity]

Binder of Demons, on 04 July 2011 - 11:22 AM, said:

@ serenity - I liked Childhood's End, but I must say it didn't wow me as much as either "The City and the Stars" (for it's technological prescience) or "Rendezvous with Rama" for a good sci-fi mysterious adventure. Still, he had some great ideas in his books.

Yeah, I've read Rendezvous With Rama - must now get The City and the Stars as well, thanks for the tip.

[Binder of Demons]

@ Serenity - There are a couple of versions of the same story that makes up the majority of "The City and the Stars". City and the Stars was a substantial rewrite of Clarke's first novel/novella, "Against the Fall of Night". To be honest, it's so long since i read them, that I couldn't tell you the difference between the two. I have one further caveat regarding recommending any Arthur C Clarke, and that is that his writing style is perfunctory at best (and this is from someone who has every one of his published novels). He really is an ideas person, and that's why I loved them as a kid. nice simple writing style, and some great speculative ideas, far ahead of his time.

"Rendezvous With Rama" is probably his only novel that I would feel comfortable recommending to someone more used to modern sci-fi.

But if you enjoy "Childhood's End", then definitely check out either "Against the Fall of Night" of "City and the Stars".

[Serenity]

Binder of Demons, on 04 July 2011 - 12:17 PM, said:

@ Serenity - There are a couple of versions of the same story that makes up the majority of "The City and the Stars". City and the Stars was a substantial rewrite of Clarke's first novel/novella, "Against the Fall of Night". To be honest, it's so long since i read them, that I couldn't tell you the difference between the two. I have one further caveat regarding recommending any Arthur C Clarke, and that is that his writing style is perfunctory at best (and this is from someone who has every one of his published novels). He really is an ideas person, and that's why I loved them as a kid. nice simple writing style, and some great speculative ideas, far ahead of his time.

"Rendezvous With Rama" is probably his only novel that I would feel comfortable recommending to someone more used to modern sci-fi.

But if you enjoy "Childhood's End", then definitely check out either "Against the Fall of Night" of "City and the Stars".

Thanks for this, BoD. Just on the basis of Rendezvous With Rama I can totally see what you're saying about his writing style. I'll give them a go, though - I do like older sf (still quoting Bester's The Stars My Destination as a favourite), so hopefully I'll enjoy them.

[Binder of Demons]

@ Serenity - You're welcome. That Sci-Fi Masterworks series has some great novels, but it can be a bit of a lucky dip.

I would count Bester's "The Stars My Destination" as one of my favourite novels ever, but that has a very modern writing style in comparison to most other books on the list. If you liked that, then check out his other book on the list, "The Demolished Man" which deals with telepathy and has been ripped off by too many books, movies and tv shows to count.

A friend of Bester is also on the list, Roger Zelazny, with "Lord of Light". Lord of Light divides opinion on this forum, but I think it is awesome. For someone used to reading Erikson, the complexity of the story and the jumping backwards and forwards in time shouldn't be an issue.

Dune is the other classic on that list which has a modern writing style and holds up amazingly well.

A very odd couple of books on the masterworks list are "Last and First Man" and "Starmaker" by Olaf Stapledon. Last and First Man is only ok to be honest, but does show great imagination and scope. However in "Starmaker" he's harnessed that imagination and tells a far more coherent story, which also has a very poetic feel.

[Serenity]

Binder of Demons, on 04 July 2011 - 01:12 PM, said:

@ Serenity - You're welcome. That Sci-Fi Masterworks series has some great novels, but it can be a bit of a lucky dip.

I would count Bester's "The Stars My Destination" as one of my favourite novels ever, but that has a very modern writing style in comparison to most other books on the list. If you liked that, then check out his other book on the list, "The Demolished Man" which deals with telepathy and has been ripped off by too many books, movies and tv shows to count.

A friend of Bester is also on the list, Roger Zelazny, with "Lord of Light". Lord of Light divides opinion on this forum, but I think it is awesome. For someone used to reading Erikson, the complexity of the story and the jumping backwards and forwards in time shouldn't be an issue.

Dune is the other classic on that list which has a modern writing style and holds up amazingly well.

Funnily enough, I re-read Dune last year having first read it about 30 years ago, and again I totally agree, it's still a fantastic read. I also read The Demolished Man last year and enjoyed it a lot, although not as much as Gully Foyle's adventures - possibly because, as you say, it's an idea that has been done-to-death in the intervening years.

I've even got Lord of Light sitting on the shelf, although I haven't read it as yet. I've actually got a whole shelf full of the SF and Fantasy Masterworks books, of which the previously mentioned novels, The Forever War and I Am Legend have been my favourites. So far I've stuck to those which have been generally well-reviewed/received. I still have several I need to read, though. One I genuinely didn't enjoy was Earth Abides by George R. Stewart. It seemed very dry to me, and not very involving. Again, this may be down to the writing style, or possibly I just wasn't in the mood for it at the time.

[LadyMTL]

@Stone Monkey: I read Never Let Me Go a few years back and I did enjoy it, though it took me a while to get into it. It's not on my "best ever" list but it's a good, original story.

As for me, I bought Keith Richards' autobiography. I'm not even a big Stones fan but I assume this will be an entertaining read.

This post has been edited by Maia Irraz: 04 July 2011 - 07:56 PM

[Morgoth]

I bought the first two books of the Gap series. Will this ever move away from RAPE! and ANGST ABOUT MORE RAPE! ... and MORE RAPE!.. ?

[Salt-Man Z]

Morgoth, on 04 July 2011 - 09:24 PM, said:

I bought the first two books of the Gap series. Will this ever move away from RAPE! and ANGST ABOUT MORE RAPE! ... and MORE RAPE!.. ?

Yes. The first two books mostly set up the characters and the situation. The plot proper arrives in book #3 and doesn't let up until the end.

[QuickTidal]

Picked up DRAGON WING (Book 1 of the Deathgate Cycle) by Weis and Hickman

DRAGON - Steven Brust

[stone monkey]

Morgoth, on 04 July 2011 - 09:24 PM, said:

I bought the first two books of the Gap series. Will this ever move away from RAPE! and ANGST ABOUT MORE RAPE! ... and MORE RAPE!.. ?

Er... Sort of... It simply becomes a different kind (more metaphorical) of rape as it goes on.

But yeah, the whole thing is a kind of superheated melodrama that never lets up. If you think at any one moment the characters are as on the edge as they could possibly be, you'll soon learn the error of your ways.

[Illuyankas]

Abyss, on 29 June 2011 - 03:41 PM, said:

No doubt for similar reasons.

Mind, hind, what's the difference?

Oh yes best time to refresh the page is after you post

This post has been edited by Illuyankas: 05 July 2011 - 08:58 PM

[amphibian]

Morgoth, on 04 July 2011 - 09:24 PM, said:

I bought the first two books of the Gap series. Will this ever move away from RAPE! and ANGST ABOUT MORE RAPE! ... and MORE RAPE!.. ?

It will not move from ANGST! The first half of the series is about RAPE! and the second half of the series is about IMPRISONMENT!

I'm not a Gap liker - although I very much like the Covenant books.

[Silk]

The Death Gate cycle books were awesome when i read them many years back... very different from the dragonlance stuff... almost re-read them when i was back in South Africa but opted to raid my brothers graphic novels ;o)

This post has been edited by Silk: 06 July 2011 - 06:17 PM

[Salt-Man Z]

From the clearance rack at Half Price Books today:

Armor by John Steakley
Off Armageddon Reef by David Weber
Gears of War: Aspho Fields by Karen Traviss
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman

[Abyss]

Salt-Man Z, on 11 July 2011 - 07:38 PM, said:

From the clearance rack at Half Price Books today:

Armor by John Steakley

CLASSIC!

[acesn8s]

Abyss, on 11 July 2011 - 07:39 PM, said:

Salt-Man Z, on 11 July 2011 - 07:38 PM, said:

From the clearance rack at Half Price Books today:

Armor by John Steakley

CLASSIC!

Agreed!

His Vampire$ books was good too.

[QuickTidal]

acesn8s, on 11 July 2011 - 07:41 PM, said:

Abyss, on 11 July 2011 - 07:39 PM, said:

Salt-Man Z, on 11 July 2011 - 07:38 PM, said:

From the clearance rack at Half Price Books today:

Armor by John Steakley

CLASSIC!

Agreed!

His Vampire$ books was good too.

Wait...his name is Steakley and he wrote Vampire books?

Stakely?

No way. LOL.

He had two options. Vampire fiction writer, or food critic.

...or pirate.

[acesn8s]

QuickTidal, on 11 July 2011 - 08:10 PM, said:

acesn8s, on 11 July 2011 - 07:41 PM, said:

Abyss, on 11 July 2011 - 07:39 PM, said:

Salt-Man Z, on 11 July 2011 - 07:38 PM, said:

From the clearance rack at Half Price Books today:

Armor by John Steakley

CLASSIC!

Agreed!

His Vampire$ books was good too.

Wait...his name is Steakley and he wrote Vampire books?

Stakely?

No way. LOL.

He had two options. Vampire fiction writer, or food critic.

...or pirate.

Yeah, John Carpenter 's Vampires movie was based off Vampire$.