ERIC'S READING POST

ERIC's READING POST

BOOKS

Specific books I recommend to everyone are below. Click on the title to order. The first three are, by far, the three best books I've ever read. For your reading pleasure, I've included a brief summary next to each work.

THE VERY BEST BOOKS OF ALL TIME: (top)

The Lord of the Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien; This is the best book ever written. It created, defined, and cast in stone forever the high-epic-fantasy genre. Everyone else copies this work, though all are but poor imitations in its wake. I highly recommend the leather bound edition with all three volumes put into one book. However if it's out of your budget, any set will do. (In late 2001, a movie was released based on the books, the first of a trilogy. It wasn't too bad, and you might want to check it out after you read the book.)
Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card; I fell in love with this book the first time I read it. I liked a book where I felt like I could identify enough with one of the main characters. Ender Wiggin is so real, you'll find it hard to believe he isn't living somewhere nearby. Ender is eerily like me in many ways.
Ender's Shadow, Orson Scott Card; Most sequels are invariably insufferable. This is the first time I thought a sequel (actually this is a parallel novel and the fifth in the series) was better than the original. In fact, it makes the original -- which I love very much -- look like a poorly written work. You can read this right after the first book. I identified with Bean as much as I did with Ender. If you put Bean and Ender together as a person you're halfway to me. I'm not sure if it's a good thing or not. You decide.

REALLY KICK-ASS BOOKS (or THE BEST OF THE REST): (top)

Youth In Revolt, C.D. Payne; This book is general fiction. It's rather twisted and depraved. It's a series of events as experienced by Nick Twisp, a 14 year-old boy from Oakland, California. Every time he tries to lie his way out of one situation it gets worse: and funnier. It's a really great book and the kind of book I'd normally not read. That I've suggested it is a testament to its value. Special thanks to Christin Keck for introducing me to this unique and unforgettable book.
Neverwhere, Neil Gaiman; This book is part general fiction and part fantasy. I can't really describe this book except to say it's very well done. I was expecting a lot of things when I read this book. I was disappointed on all counts, which may be why I liked this books so very much. The book takes place in London both above and below ground and numerous and various locales. To say more would be to give up the plot. I'd also like to add that he's co-written a book with Terry Pratchett which is very good. Thanks to Maury Wilkinson for introducing me to Neverwhere.
Underground, Tobias Hill; This book is general fiction, perhaps even suspense or mystery. This is a dark book that takes place in the tube. If you're an aficionado of subways, London, or the Underground, you'll like this book. I can't recommend this book for everyone. But every now and again something different is a good idea. This book is certainly different! (This item is not currently available in the United States. You can order it from amazon.uk).
1984, George Orwell This book is general fiction. You know this book. They assigned it to you in high school and you probably didn't read it because you thought it would suck. You'd be wrong. This work is a classic. I read it before 1984, so I was one of those people who wondered if 1984 would be like the book. Millions of people bought an Apple Macintosh after the 1984 commercial stating "Why 1984 won't be like 1984." This book is an amazing look at what might one day be our future. It's going to scare you to see how much already is true. It'll scare you more if you don't look at the copyright date until after you read it. If this isn't prescient, I don't know what is.
Huckleberry Finn, Mark Twain; This book is general fiction. You've all probably read this book, but if you haven't, you should. A wildly entertaining children's story that really isn't for children. It's a scathing indictment of racism, slavery, and the ills of society in the days of Samuel Langhorn Clemens. For a book that's so old, it's very current. One for the shelf.

AUTHORS
(Alphabetical Order)
(top)

Dave Barry is a Pulitzer Prize winning journalist. Everything he's written is funny. Like most humour authors some of his books are funnier than others. If you're new to Dave, try one of his collections of columns, or maybe his travel guide. Save his Cyberspace book for last.
Steven Brust is a great author when he's focused. His books are difficult to categorize. They are science-fantasy and murder-mystery rolled into one. He's not the easiest read you've ever had, but he's worth the effort. His Vlad Taltos series is where you should start. Thanks to Paul Jackson for introducing me to this author.
Herb Caen was another Pulitzer Prize -- what he calls a pullet surprise -- winning journalist and the inventor of three-dot journalism. He's perhaps one of the most famous columnists to live. The San Francisco native added the word "beatnik" to our vocabulary, coined the phrase "Baghdad-By-The-Bay" and was a genuinely awesome guy. If you've ever been to the City by the Bay, you will love his works. If you've never been, some of the subtle nuances of his writings may be lost on you. The collections of columns are awesome. Pick any of them for a good sampler. It was a very sad day for me when he died.
Orson Scott Card is one of the best writers in any genre, and the best science-fiction writer of all. He makes all other authors look like hacks. I might suggest Songmaster as another of his really good books after you've read the two Ender books above. Thanks to Lavona Rann for introducing me to this author.
David Eddings is another good author for those of you looking for the typical Epic Fantasy. Like most authors in this field he does tend to get in a rut and tell the same story over and over which leads to that irritating predictability that is so pervasive in this field. The Belgariad is a good trilogy if you want to make a go of him.
Raymond E. Feist is another talented writer. Like his contemporary David Eddings, he has the "it sold well so let's do it again" syndrome. This doesn't stop him from telling a good tale, though. It just makes it hard for him to surprise you after the fourth book. That doesn't necessarily mean it's bad.
Mercedes Lackey is a very talented writer who has overextended herself lately and fallen into the cliché-ridden seek-and-slay fantasy realm. However her earlier stuff is amazingly good and very different. She's a quick writer: by this I mean, she doesn't spend much time on detail. She tells the story very faced paced and you will find yourself breezing through her works. I like this style very much and most authors simply can't do it. Start with the Magic's Price/Pawn/Prophecy trilogy. Thanks to Paul Jackson for introducing me to this author.
Terry Pratchett is one of the funniest writers in the science-fantasy genre. I've enjoyed all of his works. He's funny, witty, satirical, and off-the-wall. Many of his books haven't made it across the pond to the US yet, so if you're looking for his really old stuff or his really new stuff, amazon.uk is the place for you. Most of his work is available here though.
Melanie Rawn is a solid writer and she's got good credentials. Her work is typical of the fantasy genre but has many original elements that keep it from being a bore. Start with the Dragon Star and Dragon Prince trilogies.
Robert Silverberg is classic science-fiction writer. All of his books are good. Some are great. You can be certain you never know what to expect. This author may use a cliché here and there but it is only to guide you into something you'd never expect. His Majipoor books are his best and his worst: it depends on the volume you get. Start with Lord Valentine's Castle which is a classic.
JRR Tokien is the best storyteller of all time. The Lord of the Rings is the greatest story every told. He's also written many other books, none of the nearly the equal of this book even when added together. Many of them are obtuse and erudite, however if you can read past the high-handed style you may even enjoy them. He's also written some marvelous children's books, The Hobbit being chief among them.
Tad Williams, simply put, is great. While it's hard to avoid the occasional cliché, at least he doesn't present many of them. He tells a richly detailed story without being so obsessed with his tangents that he loses the original story. When you've read as many of these fantasy novels as I have, you grow to appreciate these things.