Here's some more detail on my favorite books. These are the ones on my Good List. Again, they are all highly recommended. These blurbs are to serve somewhat as a sort of mini-review, but mostly I just want to share my thots and opinions engendered by the work in question. They tend to be rather pompous pontifications. Your Mileage May Vary. Caveat lector!
Many of the authors listed on this page have webpages dedicated to them. I've linked those that I've found most entertaining, helpful, or interesting.
Any of the books on this page whose title is linked can be purchased through Amazon.com Books by clicking on the link!
Consciousness is really very arrogant. It looms over the last bit of unknown fluff in this world and, knowingly and brutally, it touches the thing, and laughs while the unkown thing withers into a known thing.
--Alexei & Cory Panshin,
"Science Fiction: New Trends and Old,"
Science Fiction, Today and Tommorrow
(ed. Reginald Bretnor )
[ The Good List | Book Blurbs | Tandem Readings | The Stacks | rage's Good List store ]
I really love this book. The language, psychology, society, and legends of Adams' rabbit folk ring true. Not that I think rabbits factually have such. Fiction is all about truth, not facts. Watership Down has a very lyrical, mystical quality to it: the reader feels the deep connection the characters feel with the world and their folktales as a matter of course. Perhaps this is why the heroic acts of Fiver, Bigwig, et al. seem so impressively mythic.
"Your storm, Thlayli-rah. Use it!"
What if you had a world where magic took the place of technology? That's the basic gist of Anderson's Operation Chaos. Much fun and hijinks as we follow a werewolf and his witch girlfriend through their adventures, including their world's version of WWII. You may also want to check out Harry Turtledove's The Case of the Toxic Spell Dump, which is set in a similar milieu. See Tandem Readings, below.
One of the most wondrous books I've ever read. All too often, magic in fantasy fiction works merely as a set of alternate physics masquerading as miraculous powers. There's nothing wrong with that, in its place. What is wrong with "magic = physics" is that in the typical work of fantasy you find in the science fiction - fantasy section of your local bookstore, the magic in these works seems to have lost it's sense of wonder (I often elide this into sensawunda; be warned). The Last Unicorn, at least for this reader, made magic "magical" again-- and I'd give your left arm to know how Beagle does it. I have my theories: no real discussion of the nuts 'n bolts of casting a spell; a focus upon what magic is; and, most importantly, what being around/effected by magic feels like. I recommend this book especially to all trilogy junkies. The Last Unicorn is a standalone book with more interest, truth, and power than in the whole damn Belgariad.
Wow. Bester's one of the best. That man could turn a phrase like nobody's business. The Demolished Man is perhaps the seminal work in SF about telepathy and its impact on society. Overall, I loved this book, with this very minor reservation: Lincoln Powell's story could have and should have been expanded and other attendant thread enlarged, so as to avoid some of the remaining "lantern-jawed hero" schtick. Linc Powell fits the stereotype up to a point, but there are tantalizing hints that show him to have more depth. I've heard that reading this book in tandem with Crime and Punishment really rocks. Haven't tried it myself, though.
This is one of Rage's favorite books throughout space and time. Period. The characters are rich and real, the settings believable and wonderful, and the hot throb of Gully's revenge sets this book pulsing with a rhythm and pace which pulls you along page by page.
My name is Gully Foyle,
And Terra is my nation;
Deep space is my dwelling place:
The stars my destination.
Read it in tandem with Dumas' The Count of Monte Cristo (another Rage Continuum Pick). In fact, read TSMD before TCoMC if you're going to do a tandem reading.
If Blaylock weren't American, they'd call him a magical realist. A tentative classification in vogue in some circles is "slipstream". Hell, I call him a "fantasist," and lump in a whole bunch of authors from all sides of the Mainstream - SF chasm. The Last Coin is an amusing tale about some magic silver coins, turtles, fish juice, the smuggling of Weetabix from Canada, practical jokes, chase chases in retirement communities, and the One Pig. It's pretty nifty. Very funny, but by no means what I'd call a comedy.
I like a lot of Bradbury's stuff, but it's been too long since I've read much of it. I remember, though, I seem to prefer his novels to short stories. But when you're talking Bradbury, that's a hairline preference. This particular book, Zen in the Art of Writing, is one of the best books out there for aspiring writers (like me) getting your head on straight. (And I should know, I've read a lot of them.) It's not a grammar guide, manuscript prep book, or even a general good resource like the Writer's Digest Writer's Library books: ZitAoW is about the feel, the poetry, the emotion of writing. There's nothing wrong with the nuts 'n bolts books-- and I think the aforementioned Writer's Digest series are among the best (especially Dibell's Plot, Card's Characters and Viewpoint, and Card's How to Write Science Fiction and Fantasy)-- but ZitAoW is in a league of its own. Reading it cleaned all the crap outta my brain.
Also check out Mark Mandel's Cracks and Shards and Phoenix's Brust page. Too cool.
Steve Brust is a cool guy. He's also a great writer, probably my absolute favorite of those still living. He can do the gritty, noir style of Chandler-esque detective fiction (the Vlad books), to the high adventure of Dumas or Sabatini (The Khaavren Romances), to subtle and heartwrenching fairy tales (The Gypsy or The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars).
The Vlad Taltos books: Jhereg, Yendi, Teckla, Taltos, Phoenix, Athyra, Orca, and Dragon (scheduled for release Nov 98).
The Vlad Taltos books are about an arrogant, dangerous, and sarcastic assassin-cum-crimelord. The style is staccato, noir, clipped, fun to read both silently and aloud, and characters are rendered into three dimensions easily through their distinctive voices. I've enjoyed all of them, with Jhereg, Yendi, and Taltos fighting for most favorite; my least favorite is Athyra, in some cases due to the switch from first-person narration into third semi-omniscient.
Initially, Teckla was vying with Athyra for most disliked, but after a few interesting conversations with friends (and Steve himself!) and subsequent rereadings, it moved up in the list. I came to this conclusion: you can respect what the Easterners and the Teckla are trying to do, but due to the magical nature of the Cycle in Dragaera, it's doomed to failure... at least until it's the Teckla's Turn. Period. Easterner involvement, since they're not bound by the Cycle (amongst other things), is just gonna make things worse.
"It shouldn't be any problem. I'll just work my way through these special Guardsmen, find out who their boss is, kill him, take his position, use that to get close to the Empress, kill her, take the Orb, and rule Dragaera myself, exploiting the Empire ruthlessly in order to enrich myself and punish those who have offended me throughout my life, in preparation for conquering the East and eventually making myself ruler of the entire world. *Then* I'd meet some girls, I'll bet."
-- Vlad, in Orca
The Khaavren Romances: The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After. [The Viscount of Adrilankha (which has been split into a trilogy: The Paths of the Dead, The Enchantress of Dzur Mountain, and The Lord of Castle Black) are (is?) forthcoming.]
You can read the Khaavren Romances in tandem with Dumas' Musketeer books if you choose, but they're pretty damnfine on their own. Much more of buckling swashes and derring-do than the Taltos books, with fun (extremely fun) narrative voice and dialogue. It may be a good idea to read the first Vlad book (Jhereg) to understand the cosmology, races, and feel of Dragaera-- it's short enough not to be too much of a bother. However, I read The Phoenix Guards before I read the Vlad books, and the only thing that threw me was the mentioning of characters' ages in hundreds of years. As I intimated above, The Phoenix Guards and Five Hundred Years After kinda follow the pattern of Dumas' Musketeer books, but with Brust's own twists. FHYA breaks further away from the mold than PG, with some Dragaera-shaking events. I mean, Paris never exploded to form a Lesser Sea of Chaos... Or did it?
A grand book about art, the artist, and the process of creation. The main story alternates with a folktale told by the main character. Clear, mythic writing; an excellent insight into an artist's mind. I was hoping for a bit more resolution at the end of the story, but nonetheless, it ends fine.
An engaging urban fantasy by Brust and Megan Lindholm (author of the fabulous The Wizard of the Pigeons-- find it, read it!), utilizing many points of view. The gypsy brothers from the folktale told in The Sun, the Moon, and the Stars are major characters in this story. It's complex, and may be a bit difficult to get into at first (say, the first 30 pages), but after that it's clear sailing and really quite wonderful.
One of the best stories of its kind, just about. To tell anymore would risk spoiling the plot. Read it. I can tell you it's thoughtful, witty, and has one or two just killer lines in it.
Now here's a guy who has a nagging wife, uses a wish to get rid of her, regrets it, and goes tracking her down through space, time, the afterlife, and various other strange states. This book caused a furor in the 'Teens and 'Twenties over it's sexual entendres, causing it to be labeled "obscene" by various Mrs. Grundys. As one could expect, the entendres in question are quite mild today, but retain a sparkling that is quite refreshing-- like Fresca. Wit and beautiful turns of phrase adorn this book. I feel it is the best of the "Manuel of Poictesme" cycle.
Fables about creation and the moon and everything, wit dry and not-so-dry humor by a master fabulist. Ridiculous happenings with a sense of wonder. My favorite (and first read, by the way) Calvino story is in this collection, "The Distance of the Moon." It's all lies, but told with truth.
The Tales of Alvin Maker: Seventh Son, Red Prophet, Prentice Alvin, Alvin Journeyman, and Heartfire (out, but I haven't read it yet).
These books postulate an alternate American, circa 1820, where folkmagic really works and history's not quite what it used to be. I have learned that Alvin's story parallels Joseph Smith's (the founder of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints, nee Mormons), but it's by no means abusive... Heck, unless you are really up on LDS history, it'll probably be transparent. And trust me, I have a bit of a sensitivity to strong allegory. These books are thought-provoking, generally optimistic, a fascinating view of folkmagic and Americana, and very powerful. I found that Red Prophet suffered from a slower pace that the others, but Prentice Alvin is just terrific. Each book builds upon the last very organically, and any series that has William Blake as a wandering storyteller has got my vote.
A great fantasy. Really damnfinecool. Interesting magic system, written language, characters, world. If more of our "generic" fantasy had half the art and sensibility of Hart's Hope, I'd never complain about Piers Anthony, David Eddings, or Robert Jordan again. Okay, maybe I would.
You could call it "Space Opera Cyberpunk." Maybe. Nah. Nova is probably my favorite book by Delaney, just beating out Babel-17. I tend to grudgingly enjoy most of his work. By that I mean that I am amazed by his skill and insight, but often am at odds with his choice of subject matter, plotting, and emphasis. All-in-all, the jury usually comes back at least 51% in Chip's favor. Nova has a pretty straightforward plot, a couple of great action scenes, and an interesting milieu. I think it avoids many of the pitfalls I tend to trip over in Delaney's prose.
Revenge. It's all about revenge. This is one of my absolute favorites in any universe. A true classic. Alfred Bester used it (sort of) as the basis for The Stars My Destination. As is my prerogative, I refuse to comment further. Just read it!
One of the best adventure stories of all time. It's also very funny, a fact which I believe a goodly amount of people miss. If you've only ever seen a television or movie version, you're missing a lot of great stuff. And as long as we're speaking about Musketeer movies-- the only reason not to burn all copies of Disney's recent version of The Three Musketeers (1995?) is for Oliver Platt's inspired performance as Porthos and Charlie Sheen's decent turn as Aramis. Much better are the 1974 Salkind versions starring Oliver Reed, Michael York, Richard Chamberlain, Frank Finlay, Charlton Heston, and Rachel Welch. Please note, however: the "sequel" movie (titled The Four Musketeers) is really just big chunks of the Milady plot chopped out of The Three Musketeers. I quote from the Trivia Section of the Internet Movie Database:
Filmed at the same time as Three Musketeers, The (1974). Director Richard Lester was sued by the actors who claimed they were tricked into thinking the film was to be part of Three Musketeers, The (1974). They won their case in court, but did not receive as much money as they would have if they were paid separately for both films.
Steven Brust used The Three Musketeers (indeed, it seems to hold true as re: sequels, both Dumas' and Brust's) as an underlying structure for his Khaavren Romances.
NOTE: More forthcoming on Twenty Years After and the Vicomte de Bragelonne, after I finish the last part of Vicomte...: The Man In the Iron Mask. Didn't know it was the last book of a trilogy, didja?
Harlan Ellison is one of those guys you either love or hate. And he prefers it that way. Widely-published (check his backlist sometime-- woof!). He's best known as a brilliant critic, commentator, and short story writer. He's also the Creative Consultant for one of the smartest SF shows ever broadcast, Babylon 5. Check my Links page and my SF page for some good sites. This collection has one of my tip-top favorite Ellison stories. It's not the best Unca Harlan's ever crafted, nor do I think it has won any awards. The story is "The New York Review of Bird" sorta about Harlan, his legend, his alter persona non grata Cordwainer Bird, pulp heroes like the Shadow, the publishing industry, genrefication, and lots of violence.
Harlan wrote one of the best original Star Trek episodes, titled "The City on the Edge of Forever." And then, all hell broke loose. The fire has raged for nigh on thirty years. This book is Harlan's side of the story. It will blister your eyeballs as you read it.City on the Edge of Forever also contains copies of what was happening at the time, story treatments, a draft script, and script change requests, as well as blurbs by peopled involved. To sum up the debate, Harlan wrote one thing; Gene Roddenberry changed it to fit how he viewed his show. Bluntly, the most important change transforms Jim Kirk from a flawed human into a ideal paragon. All else is ephemera. My opinion (and nearly every SF fan has one, especially on this subject) is that both versions of the story work. As far as I'm concerned, there's not One True Version of City.... Harlan's story kicks @ss, and if the format (and GR's vision) of the original Star Trek had been different, it would have been a turning point in the series. Harlan's script is about the hero being human, Roddenberry's reworking is about the hero being a paragon of ideals. We need both kinds of stories. Unfortunately, the real loss is that given the episodic nature of the original Star Trek we don't get to see the tragic consequences of Kirk's actions. I categorically state that even in its Roddenberry form, City... would have been a turning point for Star Trek if not for that format.
The most money I have ever spent on a single book is this one. Thirty-five buckaroos. And this thick tome is well worth it. Contains a great selection of early stuff, nonfiction, criticism, stories, and a script or two. Highly recommended, if you like Ellison.
What an engaging book. A neat insight into magical life versus mundane life. Please note, however, that some of the cultural viewpoints derogatory commentary regarding women and minorities in the story do not seem to reflect the attitudes of the author; it is merely that he was writing in the Thirties, and the characters are very much limited by their own narrow perspectives. The way Finney tells it, you know he’s not a close-minded idiot. And the "Study Questions" in the back of the book are an integral part of the story, as well as being a hoot. Try a tandem reading with Jorge Luis Borges’ Dictionary of Imaginary Beings and Avram Davidson’s Adventures in Unhistory.
"My name is Inigo Montoya. You killed my father. Prepare to die." The Princess Bride is tied with Heller's Catch-22 as my absolute favorite book. Period. It's a fairy tale. It's a story about fathers and sons. It's about:
Fencing. Fighting. Torture. Poison. True love. Hate. Revenge. Giants. Hunters. Bad men. Good men. Beautifulest ladies. Snakes. Spiders. Beasts of all natures and descriptions. Pain. Death. Brave men. Coward men. Strongest men. Chases. Escapes. Lies. Truth. Passion. Miracles.
It's a comment on literature, criticism, authorship, and storytelling. It's action-adventure on crystal-meth. It's a postmodern inversion of fairy tales. It's a dessert topping *and* a floor wax. It's damn good. The movie version is also excellent, although it dumps the Zoo of Death and a goodly chunk of Inigo and Fezzik's backstory. However, I think the fencing is just exquisite, faithfully rendering the tone of the book's duel into a visual medium. Even if you've seen the movie, run out NOW and purchase a copy of The Princess Bride.
This book is tied with Goldman's The Princess Bride as my absolute favorite book. Period. It's very funny and sadly wise. But please don't forget that Catch-22 is a war story, and thus is also harsh, heroic, and chilling. I think touting it solely as a comedic book is missing the point. Heller does a great job of catching the "regular oddity" of people, institutions, truth, and life. Get a copy.
Robert Heinlein, in my opinion, had the median of what I call good writing. His prose is clear, direct, and reasonably stylish. His ideas are strong, interesting, and welcome debate. His stories read fairly quickly while encouraging thought and yet not feeling like fluff. I have quibbles with some of his views and plot decisions, but overall, Bob runs a tight ship. Starship Troopers, I feel, is one of the most important SF works out there. It has influenced a number of other authors, and is a direct influence on some of the best SF novels out there. It's about duty, responsibility, politics, and enfranchisement. Incidentally, there are big suits of power armor and alien bugs to kill. Also, let me just say at this juncture that I plan on seeing the movie version of Starship Troopers (on video) but for the purposes of that movie experience I am going to temporarily forget that one of my favorite books bears that name. Hollyweird being Hollyweird, it's not going to be anything like the book, but it just may lead people to read the original. Starship Troopers is one of the best books to read in tandem with other books, to see how similar concepts are treated in each work. It is well suited to this task due to its deep influence on SF, in my opinion. Try reading Starship Troopers along with: A Matter for Men, by David Gerrold; The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman; or Armor, by John Steakley. It'll squick yer brains. I mean that in a good way.
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress is probably Heinlein's best book, in my arrogant opinion. It avoids nearly all of his usual pitfalls while concentrating on his strengths. It is far better a story than RAH's (I also admit, deservedly) lauded Stranger in a Strange Land. Indeed, I see tMiaHM as falling somewhere between the two works in terms of socio-political commentary, plot, and focus, with a stronger construction and artistry than either. Plus, there's plenty of neat SF ideas to wrap your head around. After you've read it (or even before) think about this: Manny fears his friend Mike, which Mike may or may not notice. If you keep that in mind at all times, doesn't that put an interesting spin on their friendship and dealings?
I had heard of this book from somewhere, probably in terms of American Magic Realism. Well, I happened across a copy on sale at Barnes and Noble, and decided to drop the $5 and see what was doing. I happened across a wonderful book. A very nice, low-key fantasy about mothers, daughters, and sisters. The magic very much permeates this story, and it reads really nice. Sorta like The Witches of Eastwick written by a better stylist than Updike, who also has the added benefit of not seeming to be constantly going through a mid-life crisis. In a nutshell, Practical Magic blows Witches... away.
Everyone told me to read Kay's Fionavar Tapestry. I read the first one and was mostly nonplused. Mostly. In FT there was one sequence of such incomparable beauty that I said, maybe I should look for some of this fellow's other stuff. I had heard that Tigana was good, so I dropped a couple bucks in Ye Olde Booke Shoppe. Utterly fantastic. The flaws I had seen in FT were much less evident, and there was more of the beauty. Tigana is the most "fantasy-y" of Kay's standalones (the others are A Song for Arbonne and The Lions of Al-Rassan so far). Kay shows lyrical prose, interesting thought, and great skill in composing this tale of a land lost to memory. Interesting political intrigues and a fairly nonstandard magical system.
Before I begin, let me just say this: this book is one of those (along with Brust's Khaavren books) that captures a significant portion of Sabatini-style swashbuckling. The are some utterly choice action sequences in this book; also, they bear the freight of Romantic imagery very well. HOWEVER—to me, the thinly veiled Real World religions really, really twerked me off. It was pathetically obvious that this group was supposed to be the Jews, that group the Christians, and that other group Moors/Muslims. It was a true case of “Pay no attention to the man behind the curtain!” or “Don’t think of a pink elephant.” I really think he should have called a shovel a shovel and damned the torpedoes, full speed ahead. But that’s just my opinion.
This is one of my favorite books by Bachman-cum-King. (Can you tell?) An interesting descent into madness of a teenage screwup. Some very insightful takes into high school society. An uproarious tables-turned dialogue between our deranged antihero and the school psychologist.
A bizarre, pseudo-SF tale of a contest of endurance. Psychological horror, I might term it. It's sort of a lifeboat situation, but one that the characters choose.
Another pseudo-SF story by Bachman-cum-King. Sort of like Nick at Night's TVLand as a dystopia. In my opinion, the movie butchered the story nearly into unrecognizability. I particularly enjoyed the hunt aspect of the book. In the movie, Ben is being hunted through an obviously manufactured setting, but in the book, the Running Man runs through the real world. Fascinating view of Orwell's 1984 as if run by TV execs. Read it.
Check Rage, The Long Walk, and the Running Man (along with the less-stellar Roadwork) in The Bachman Books.
I hold that this is King's magnum opus, displacing The Stand from that position. Well thought out, interesting characters, and a tight plot make this an excellent read. However, I fully recognize that this viewpoint may solely be influenced by its size and complexity. Caveat lector. YMMV.
I will fight all comers who deny that Carrie is King's best book. It's tight, lean, a trifle experimental, and rousing good fun. Go and read it, even if you dislike horror stories. Heck, try this. Pretend you found this book in the "Science Fiction and Fantasy" section of your local bookstore, and then read it. I think you'll be pleasantly surprised. You can do the same thing with Firestarter if you choose.
The Fafhrd and Gray Mouser series: Swords And Deviltry, Swords Against Death, Swords in the Mist, Swords Against Wizardry, Sword of Lankhmar, Swords and Ice Magic, and The Knight and Knave of Swords.
Some of the best sword and sorcery out there. That’s it. Okay, there’s more. These stories are action-packed, fun, and interesting. The heroes aren’t your stereotypical heroes… They’re drunken womanizing thieves. And the best swordsmen out there. You want strong characterization? You’ve got it. You want funky magic Man Was Not Meant to Dabble In? It’s in there. Mysterious underground kingdoms? We’ve got at least two. You want mysterious mentors sending you on ridiculous quests? How about psychotic evil magic critters popping up just to try to kill you? What about having Death Himself as an enemy? It’s all that and a bag of chips. My personal favorite stories are: "Bazaar of the Bizarre", "The Circle Curse", "The Cloud of Hate", "Ill Met In Lankhmar", "The Jewels in the Forest" (aka "Two Sought Adventure"), "The Price of Pain Ease", "The Sadness of the Executioner", "Under the Thumbs of the Gods", and "The Unholy Grail."
What if all women were witches? From that question, Leiber weaves a tale of fascinating interest. Plus, logic and science in the service of magic. Diggit, baby!
Commentary on humanity in letters from a demon to his nephew. Lewis goes to town in this. If you enjoyed this book, look for Mark Twain’s Letters from Earth in which we get a similar construction… Both are great fun.
The Chronicles of Narnia: The Lion, the
Witch and the Wardrobe (1950), Prince Caspian(1951), The
Voyage of the Dawn Treader (1952), The Silver Chair
(1953), The Horse and His Boy (1954), The Magician's Nephew
(1955), The Last Battle (1956)
In one volume!
These are kick@ss. Period. Sure, they’re steeped in Christian symbolism. But what in Western culture isn't to some extent? They’re great stories over and beyond that. They don’t proselytize by word, but by action. I first read these as a child, and parts of them still make me cry at their beauty. And so rich in characters! Reepicheep, Puddleglum, Aslan himself… Oh, gods and little fishes! Read them. Become a child again.
Please note: There is some... "debate" seems too mild a word... Over the proper order in which to read these books. Some feel that they should be read in published order; others (the author himself included) felt that they should be read in the internal chronological order [The Magician's Nephew, The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe, The Horse and His Boy, Prince Caspian, The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, The Silver Chair, The Last Battle.] Personally, I read them in published order, the first time.
Simply, one of the best retellings of the story of Cuchulain out there. Interesting view of the power of rage and frenzy (a subject near and dear to my heart). Tragic heroism. Strange events. So very Celtic. Llewellyn’s work tends to be exceptionally well written, fun, and insightful. Sort of a latter-day Mary Stewart. I also recommend her novels Bard: The Odyssey of the Irish and the Lion of Ireland.
Also known as The Thurb trilogy: Star Well, The Thurb Revolution, and Masque World.
Swashbuckling science fiction comedies of manners. Just sparkling and effervescent to read. Unfortunately, due to @!#$@&, the fourth book, The Universal Pantograph is unpublished, perhaps unwritten. Panshin is also known for the excellent sf coming-of-age novel Rite of Passage, and truly insightful criticism (along with his wife, Cory). The quote at the top of this page is from one of their essays.
A very well-written doorway for those wishing to begin reflecting upon their life philiosophically. An exploration of the mind and soul. You may not agree with Pirsig’s assertions in places, and may find him annoying, but his personal story is truly fascinating. Also, he mentions plenty of intriguing works to track down on your own; as well as being a great leaping off point for ruminations about many concepts and ideals. What is Quality?
I like Powers’ style. Along with Beagle, Blaylock, Brust, Sturgeon, and Ellison, I think he’s one of the strongest stylists we’ve got. Plus, he utilizes a decent amount of swashbuckling. The Anubis Gates is a fantasy time-travel story with much magic. It’s good; go get it.
Poker, Tarot, magic, chaos theory, and the King of the West. This is Powers’ best book so far. Buy it. Period. I cannot recommend it more highly.
Magic, voodoo, pirates, Blackbeard, and sword fights. How can you not buy this book?!?
Sabatini very well may beat out Dumas for King o’ the Swashbucklers. Oh yes. Insanely difficult to find anymore, Sabatini’s one of the best. I particularly recommend Bellarion, Captain Blood, and Scaramouche. The novel Bellarion contains one of the smartest protagonists out there, and you can easily see from his actions why he’s the smartest. I wanted to reread this book again immediately after finishing it.
Personal anecdote: I had been looking for a copy of this book (failing that, any Sabatini) for six years. Six years, and not a peep. Then, one glorious day, a friend (Tate) http://world.std.com/~ctate/ and I were haunting the local used book emporium (Book Alcove in Rockville, MD), and I came across not merely Bellarion, but also 4 other Sabatini books (!), a complete set (!!) in bound in purple hardcover (!!!). I told Tate to: "Stand here. If anyone—anyone!-- tries to take one of these books, kill them." I ran up front, dumped the load of books I had been holding, and ran back. (You don’t want to see me run. You wouldn’t like to see me run.) Each book cost only $3 (!!!!). I nearly made a mess in my bluejeans, lemme tell ya…
The best powered armor bug-hunt book out there. Let me qualify that statement: Starship Troopers is mostly about politics, duty, and philosophy. Armor is more about psychology, bureaucracy, institutional stupidity, and a loverly amount of violence. In terms of action-adventure, I think Steakley beats out Heinlein. I find Steakley's descriptions of Felix and the Engine's thought processes, especially as regards Ants, just utterly great. Go take a gander.
I really enjoyed this book. It was really the first thing I was forced in High School to read that let me know that school curricula aren’t designed to be boring or random. The first non-SF book I really, really enjoyed. It opened the world of "classic" literature to me as a realm to be read for pleasure, not merely for assignment. For that, I am eternally grateful.
Excellent rewriting of three Arthurian tales. It started as translation from Malory’s English into modern English and became something much greater. I particularly love Steinbeck’s version of the Triple Quest.
The Merlin trilogy: The Crystal Cave, The Hollow Hills, and The Last Enchantment.
I think these books are the absolute best Arthuriana out there (I also really enjoy Stephen Lawhead's Pendragon Cycle [Taliesien, Merlin, Arthur, Pendragon, and now Grail]; I'm waiting to read Grail before I add Lawhead to this list). The magic is low-key, the setting is richly detailed, and the characters are full-blown and complex. Stewart manages to depict a very convincing post-Roman, Celtic Arthur and environs. The focus is on Merlin, naturally, and it is quite an interesting perspective on the genre. I heartily recommend this trilogy if you enjoy any sorts of Arthurian tales.
This novel takes place in the same mythos/world as Stewart's Merlin trilogy, but the viewpoint character in this case is Mordred (Medraut). It's exceptional, just fan-damn-tastic. Stewart spent three books setting Mordred up as the the bad guy, and then manages to make him likeable and understandable in this one. We see exactly how and why Mordred causes the end of Camelot. Tragic, and so well-told.
You can read it for it’s own sake, or you can read it as a prologue to The Lord of the Rings. Either way, The Hobbit is very fun, and often thought-provoking. I was given this book as a preteen; and it made the scales fall from my eyes, introducing me to the world of fantasy, where before all I ever read was science fiction. It, quite literally, changed my life. Since it was written (mostly) as a children’s story, some adults may be off-put by the style and tone. Don’t be fooled; it’s damnfine.
The Lord of the Rings (it’s really one big book in three volumes): The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King.
I make it a habit to read this, one of my absolutely favorite books, once every three years or so. I have found that it just continues to get better over time. So much detail becomes visible as my height in years and experience increases. It’s big, it’s a Quest, it’s Good versus Evil, one fall, for the whole enchilada. There’s fear, wonder, battles, treachery, heroism, quiet heroism, and growth.
Much emulated (I’m being kind; I could say nigh-plagarized), but still cham-peen; don’t settle for lesser imitations! Go straight to the good stuff.
I could talk (and have) for hours on LotR, so I won’t go all out here. It’s a favorite subject of conversation, though I’m mostly just versed in only the Hobbit and LotR proper, rather than all the ephemera. Points I do want to make are:
Discuss.
An enjoyable "magic-as-tech" story, in the style and flavor of Poul Anderson's Operation Chaos. Turtledove runs some fun changes on the world as it would be if magic worked, following the adventures of an EPA (Environmental Perfection Agency) agent. Occasional lapses into punny territory (Djinnetic Engineering) fortunately don't mar the story. At least, not as much as your typical Xanth book.
Lyonesse: Lyonnesse: Suldrun’s Garden, The Green Pearl, and Madouc.
Psuedo-pre-Arthurian chivalrous romanctic comedy of manners, told with Vance’s trademark intricate, lyrical, beautiful prose. Interesting, subtle plotting, a flair of fairy-tale, a dash of Nordic/Icelandic saga, all three Lyonnesse books are good food for your brain. Vance’s magic and fantastic creatures, especially the faeries, are delightful. The dialogue is exquisite, humorous and powerful at turns. Do yourself a favor and seek these out.
Billy Pilgrim had come unstuck in time. A wonderful, painful SF story of one man’s reaction to the firebombing of Dresden. There’s a whole lot of other stuff in there, alien abduction, drawings of body parts, views on art and life… All rendered in Vonnegut’s distinctive voice.
Cat’s Cradle is probably my favorite novel by Vonnegut, just beating out Slaughterhouse-5. In many ways, I think this book has Vonnegut at his most inventive, coming up with not only a new science fiction McGuffin (Ice-9), but also socio-religio-anthropological terms and constructs that may or may not have some relevance in the Real World ™. It’s fun, thought-provoking, and (unsurprisingly) acerbic. A little bitter taste for flavor.
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It is an interesting effect reading select books in sequence. Often, there are strong thematic ties which can be intentional or unintentional. Sometimes, certain books are written as responses to earlier works. Here is a selection of works I feel go together like chocolate and peanut butter.
Can you think of any more? If so, email me, and I'll add it to the list!
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Last Modified: September 28, 1998