The Books thread.

Mandalorian FaLLouT GoD · Fri Oct 01, 2004 2:24 am

Theres also Ender's Shadow.

Doc Hill · Post by **Doc Hill** » Fri Oct 01, 2004 5:03 pm

Ender's Shadow was the best in my eyes, I have no idea why, but I really liked that book.

Franz Schubert · Post by **Franz Schubert** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 10:44 am

I still say Ender's Game is horribly overrated.

Doc Hill · Post by **Doc Hill** » Sat Oct 02, 2004 1:17 pm

THe original? Yes, only one in the series I liked was Ender's shadow.

Mandalorian FaLLouT GoD · Sat Oct 02, 2004 3:27 pm

Franz_Schubert wrote:I still say Ender's Game is horribly overrated.

That doesn't mean it isn't a good book though.

jetbaby · Post by **jetbaby** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 8:36 am

Franz Schubert wrote:I still say Ender's Game is horribly overrated.

Overrated, I couldn't tell you because I don't ask everyone, but that doesn't mean I didn't love reading it. The REAL question is did YOU like it. Apperantly not, judging by your statement. But still. I'm on to Xenocide. I have to read a bunch of Vonnegut for a class, but I got to page four of Sound and the Fury and I wanted to rip it to shreds and burn it on an altar dedicated to some god of hate and anger and books that suck and should never be read. I'm sick of books about slavery, womens rights, and other bullshit, overwritten topics. Maybe that's why modern scholars suck. They read shit and pass off modern fiction/sciencefiction as "trash" because they don't take the thirty seconds to read it and understand that, even if they weren't written about how it feels to be black and enslaved, or female and enslaved, it still remains that they are good, solid, well thought out, well written books (Dune, Enders', etc.).

P.S. Has anyone read Hyperion? Someone mentioned that to me a few years back, but I have yet to pick it up...

Megatron · Post by **Megatron** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 11:04 am

yo has anyone read dhargren because you might want to

Mandalorian FaLLouT GoD · Mon Oct 11, 2004 4:48 pm

jetbaby wrote:P.S. Has anyone read Hyperion? Someone mentioned that to me a few years back, but I have yet to pick it up...

Dune is a terrible fucking book. Never speak of it again.

I've got all 4 Hyperion books. Even though you can see the ending coming in the last book, they are good books overall. I have yet to find a set of books as odd, yet as good as they are.
I would recommend people read them if they like sci-fi.

P.S. - Hey Franz, whats it like dealing with amazon for books and such?

Franz Schubert · Post by **Franz Schubert** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 5:00 pm

The in-print book purchasing system CAN"T be beaten. You can find any book in print, they slap a 20% or so discount on it so + shipping and handeling it ends up being less than or equal to what you would pay in a book store, then you wait like 2 days and they ship it to your house... And if you buy $25 or more worth of merchandise, they pay for the S+H. The convenience is great, cause you can order basically anything (look at the section tabs on the top of the main page, you can get all sorts of things, not just books/music/dvds).

But the OOP (out of print) books is the best. Just search for the OOP book you want, then click on it. It will provide a link to the "Amazon Marketplace", a list of "Amazon Merchants", which is where the sellers post their copies of the books, usually for cheaper since there tends to be some wear and tear (but it's used and OOP, so that's standard). All of the Marketplace purchases are insured (up to like $2,500 or something), so don't worry about sending money and then getting shafted.

It's how I got Iron Dawn and Jericho Moon by Stover, which have been OOP for a couple years. Incredible fucking books by the way... Fantasy doesn't GET any better than that... if you've outgrown the Dragonlance/ForgottenRealms-fantasy, that is.

jerman999 · Post by **jerman999** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 6:37 pm

The Hitchhiker's series by Douglas Adams is amazing. I also quite enjoy the works of Umberto Eco (Baudolino, The Name of the Rose, The Island of the Day Before, Foucault's Pendulum, etc.).

Jack_Deth · Post by **Jack_Deth** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 6:42 pm

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade Runner) - Phil K. Dick
1945 - Newt Gingrich/Someother guy who wrote more of it than Newt - Alternate History of WW2
World at War Series - Harry Turtledove - Alternate History of WW2 with Aliens invading

Mandalorian FaLLouT GoD · Mon Oct 11, 2004 6:46 pm

Franz Schubert wrote:The in-print book purchasing system CAN"T be beaten. You can find any book in print, they slap a 20% or so discount on it so + shipping and handeling it ends up being less than or equal to what you would pay in a book store, then you wait like 2 days and they ship it to your house... And if you buy $25 or more worth of merchandise, they pay for the S+H. The convenience is great, cause you can order basically anything (look at the section tabs on the top of the main page, you can get all sorts of things, not just books/music/dvds).

But the OOP (out of print) books is the best. Just search for the OOP book you want, then click on it. It will provide a link to the "Amazon Marketplace", a list of "Amazon Merchants", which is where the sellers post their copies of the books, usually for cheaper since there tends to be some wear and tear (but it's used and OOP, so that's standard). All of the Marketplace purchases are insured (up to like $2,500 or something), so don't worry about sending money and then getting shafted.

It's how I got Iron Dawn and Jericho Moon by Stover, which have been OOP for a couple years. Incredible fucking books by the way... Fantasy doesn't GET any better than that... if you've outgrown the Dragonlance/ForgottenRealms-fantasy, that is.

Thats good to know. I think i'll try it when I get back to school. I was more worried about the independants who sell the oldies that I need. But you answered that so, I think i'm going to enjoy this.

As for books, I just read The War of the Flowers by Tad Williams. Now thats a damn good book.

Corpse · Post by **Corpse** » Mon Oct 11, 2004 6:59 pm

World at War and Colonisation by Harry Turtledove were great; I heard he also wrote an alternate history of the american civil war but I can't remember what it is called.

On Sci-Fi space operas I was particularly impressed by "The Nights Dawn Trilogy" by Peter Hamilton.

I am currently reading the Dune prequels and may proceed all through the Dune series for the fourth (or is that fifth) time. Though the prequels are good so far, they can't compare to the originals written by Frank.

Doc Hill · Post by **Doc Hill** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 4:01 am

Jack_Deth wrote:Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep (Blade
World at War Series - Harry Turtledove - Alternate History of WW2 with Aliens invading

Ah yes, Turtledove, there is an other who turns out impressive volumes Also check out his The Great Wart series, basicly, North lost the civil war, and it all goes to hell from there. Covers the first world war, and is moving onto the second now. It's rather inventive, and engrossing. Especially reading about the Canadian resistance, and A general Custer who was allowed to grow older (if not wiser)

fallout ranger · Post by **fallout ranger** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:54 am

Damnation Alley, Roger Zelazny.

When you think about this book, don't remind yourself of the movie, 'twas an abomination of the plotline.

Sol Invictus · Post by **Sol Invictus** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 2:39 pm

Movies often are. Timeline anyone? Ugh, what a fucking horrible movie, riddled with plotholes that didn't exist in the book.

S4ur0n27 · Post by **S4ur0n27** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 4:50 pm

Philip K. Dick. Anything.

Mandalorian FaLLouT GoD · Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:32 pm

fallout ranger wrote:Damnation Alley, Roger Zelazny.

When you think about this book, don't remind yourself of the movie, 'twas an abomination of the plotline.

I've got a near first edition paperback of Damnation Alley. Its a classic in any genre if you ask me.
The Long Tommorow by Leigh Brackett was damn good post-apoc reading too.

I just finished Planet of the Damned by Harry Harrison. Its not bad.

On a side note, I just got a 1953 copy of Exploration Fawcett and a 1945 edition of The Sacred Symbols of Mu.
Classics if you love the mysteries of history.

Mr. Teatime · Post by **Mr. Teatime** » Wed Oct 13, 2004 7:45 pm

Moved to the appropriate forum... and on the topic of books, the latest Terry Pratchett one (Going Postal) is pretty good so far.

Megatron · Post by **Megatron** » Thu Oct 14, 2004 2:52 pm

cool beans. Is it like thr truth/soul music or is it more of an original type story? I'm guessing the former