Looking for a few book recommendations

[cHodAX]

I have been reading vast amounts of books lately and have reached the point where I have pretty much read everything on my 'to-do' list. So, I was looking for some recommendations and the I remembered a great thread from BarrysWorld last year. Sadly with no archive of the old forum I can't remember all the old recommendations so decided to make a new thread to get people's opinions and see what everyone else is reading at the moment. I guess the best place to start is with my recommendations....


The Grail Quest - By Bernard Cornwell

A riviting trilogy of books based around the adventures of an English archer (Thomas of Hookton) during the 100 years war between England and France. This trilogy is a rollercoaster of a ride and steeped in historical fact regarding battles and mythology surrounding the 'Lance of St. George' and the 'Holy Grail', it ranks as Bernard Cornwell's finest work alongside The Warlord Cronicles which should be a MUST read for anyone interested in the legend of Arthur.

Lion of Macedon/Dark Prince - David Gemmell

Gemmell is best know for his awe inspiring series of books 'The Drenai Tales' which included the legendary 'Druss the Deathwalker' stories. With this new series of books he writes a compelling story based on Alexander the Great and it encompasses many of the Greek myths and legends. They rank as probably the greatest modern day fiction based on Greek history and mythology. The characters are extremly well written and combined with Gemmell's amazing ability to write battle scenes these two books take you on a stunning adventure following Paremnion and Alexander across ancient Greece and beyond.


So... now it's your turn

 

[DaveyJones]

If you like gemmel try his Rigante series if you havent read it allready.

 

[cHodAX]

If you like gemmel try his Rigante series if you havent read it allready.

Read a couple of them but they never really grabbed my attention, unlike the Druss books.

 

[Ezteq]

not sure if these are what your after but i've read a few crackers lately:
Ben Elton : dead famous (really funny take on the whole reality tv thing) high sociaty (very funny book about drugs in the uk) and a few others basically anything by him is likely to be funny and entertaining.

Wilbur Smith : his books about the courtney family are great set in africa when it was still wild and untaimed starts with one called "when the lion <does sommit or other, feeds, hunts something like that>" lots of big game hunting, gold mining, adventures onthe high sea's, bodice ripping the works, very good boys adventure books.

michael crighton : this is the guy that wrote the jurrassic park books he does really cool stories about all sorts of stuff a few i have read and enjoyed were congo, airfraime, timeline, prey (this ones great its about geneticlilly modified particals that escape and have a high intelligance).

john grisham : am reading the partner atm and enjoying it very much, also by him, the client, the pellican brief, the runaway jury (lots of books beginning with The and about courtroom drama).

richard laymon : he writes horror and most of his stories involve decapitations, dismemberments, chicks running about hot and sweaty semi or fully nekkid and theres usually plenty of graphic gettin it awn (boy girl but a lot of girl girl) and to think this dude used to be a librarian!!!!! do not read if you suffer from bad dreams though.

peter strawb: this dude works with stephen king a fair bit some of his books that i read and liked were, The throat, Mr X , mystery, the talisman, bleak house (these last 2 were written with s.king)

terry pratchett: um all of em.

stephen king: ive read most of his books and the two i recommend the most are It and the green mile, he did a series of short stories under the name of richard bachman the long walk and the running man are well worth a read but generally most of his stuff is good.

dean koontz: dragon tears, lightning, false memory, these are a few of his better ones though they are all a good read.

theres loads more but i forgotten em all now though my favourite book ever is watership down by richard adams.

 

[yaruar]

personally i'd reccomend any Haruki Murakami. Absolutely amazing author.

 

[Rubric]

Stephen King especially the Gunsliger books.

Michael Moorcock anything except the Jerry Cornelius stuff & his foray into Sci Fi. So basically the Eternal Champion stuff.

 

[Bunnytwo]

Yep deffo Terry Pratchett.

 

[Tua]

for something different, and not very historic based i can recommend the
Dune series by Frank Herbert, very entertaining and with an excellent universe, series consists of 6 books - and some additional preludes written by his son.

Oh and ofc The Dark Tower by Steven King

 

[Ormorof]

ive just finished reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons, very good book, even if you arent into Sci-fi its has some err mind bending ideas in it

started reading Assasins Apprentice by Robin Hobb (its 1st book in the Farseer Trilogy )

Dune series is always good too

 

[Deacan]

At the moment i am reading;

Warcraft: War of the Ancients Trilogy
Book One: The Well of Eternity

Mainly because i want to catch up on Warcraft lore for WoW

 

[tris-]

for someone who is not into books but would like to start, can anyone recommend books?

i just started reading the news paper (proper ones!) and now want something more hardcore for the quieter times

 

[cHodAX]

ive just finished reading Hyperion by Dan Simmons, very good book, even if you arent into Sci-fi its has some err mind bending ideas in it

started reading Assasins Apprentice by Robin Hobb (its 1st book in the Farseer Trilogy )

Dune series is always good too

Yup, heard excellent things about Hyperion. Got it on my wish list at Amazon

 

[cHodAX]

for someone who is not into books but would like to start, can anyone recommend books?

i just started reading the news paper (proper ones!) and now want something more hardcore for the quieter times

If you like DAoC then I strongly suggest The Winter King, Enemy of God and Excalibur. All 3 books form the Warlord Cronicles and are written by Bernard Cornwell. It covers much of the Albion mythology that Mythic 'borrowed' for it's game and it is a bloody good read as well Plus I like the idea that Merlin was infact a dirty leachrous old bastard

 

[tris-]

is there anywhere i can buy all 3 of these in a set?

 

[Sissyfoo]

The Flashman Chronicles by George MacDonald Fraser!! Fucking awesome series of books!

As well as being damned funny you also learn a hell of a lot about 19th century history. There are about 11 books in the series and I'm on book six after picking up the first one 3 weeks ago!

 

[Shagrat]

Robert Rankin's Brentford Trilogy: funnier than pratchett

Peter F Hamiltons Nights Dawn Trilogy: top class sci fi story about a conflict between mankind and the undead

 

[Conchabar]

no hardcore readers collection is complete with out touching the great works of james joyce

 

[cHodAX]

is there anywhere i can buy all 3 of these in a set?

Amazon sell them seperatly but they are only £4 or so each in paperback so it won't break the bank.

 

[mirieth!]

If you like DAoC then I strongly suggest The Winter King, Enemy of God and Excalibur. All 3 books form the Warlord Cronicles and are written by Bernard Cornwell. It covers much of the Albion mythology that Mythic 'borrowed' for it's game and it is a bloody good read as well Plus I like the idea that Merlin was infact a dirty leachrous old bastard

agreed! absolutely AMAZING series, read each book 3 times now.. just finished again and each time it's brought a tear to my eye at the end .

on the same lines, from a very different point of view:

the mists of avalon by marion zimmer bradley (you can also get this from amazon).

 

[Daws]

If you're interested in grammar at all, I can recommend, "Eats, shoots and leaves" By Lynne Truss. It's a great read.

 

[TeaSpoon]

Grab "Plays unpleasant" by Bernard Shaw.

3 great Ibsenist plays in one dealing with different social standpoints, situations and frictions. Brings up some thought provoking views on the social rights and behaviour of men and women

 

[Escape]

for someone who is not into books but would like to start, can anyone recommend books?

i just started reading the news paper (proper ones!) and now want something more hardcore for the quieter times

Really depends on what you like. For fantasy, these are the three series I'd recommend to any one.

1. Song of Ice and Fire (George Martin)
Superb series with genuine plot twists, treachery and realistic characters. Some of the best fantasy books out there, leagues ahead of other crap. My only problem is, the 4th book's been delayed by over a year :x

2. Malazan Book of the Fallen (Steven Erikson)
Very imaginative author, these books have some of the best characters you'll ever meet. Many different and unique races(no elves/dwarves etc), different realms accessed by sorcerers/healers for their powers. There's so much going on and plots/twists on many different levels, to keep you guessing all the way through. These aren't easy reading though, you're thrown straight into the world and there's no explanation of any of the terms, or any kid of background at all. You just have to listen to all the talk and a few hundred pages later, the pieces will fall into place.

At least read the first two books before you decide if you like it or not.

3. Assassin's Apprentice (Robin Hobb)
Easy going and pretty good triology. Follow the life of an apprenticed assassin
Semi-related to the Liveship Traders, which are 'ok'... and concludes in the Tawny Man triology. The first of these is quite good, but Fitz becomes too emotional in the last two, I'm not sure what the author was doing here but it didn't work for me.

There's also a books forum with more recommendations there.

 

[Ctuchik]

Anything written by David Eddings imo.

theres 14 books in one serie (excluding the studies he released after the last book was released) and then theres a smaller series containing 6 books. they are absolutly wonderful (thats where i got my name from btw )


if u like magic and trolls and stuff u should deffo get those 2 series...

and lets not forget Roger Zelazny, also a very very good fantasy writer...

 

[Binky the Bomb]

Here's a good list
Terry Pratchett (all)
Robert Rankin (all)
Larry Niven (Ringworld (Inspired Halo), Kzin wars (Inspired Wing Commander), Legacy of Herot (inspired the alien films))*
Jerry Pournel (Any you can find, v rare)
Douglas Adams (Hitchhickers guides, starship titanic, the deeper meaning of liff)
Isaac Asimov (Foundation series, but recomend all)
E.D.Doc Smith (Lensman)
The aliens books (Darkhorse books, v good)
Criag Thomas (Firefox (Made a film of), Firefox Down (Sadly, never saw the silver screen))
Predator: Concret jungle (Book that inspired Pred2, but only has a few similarities)
Tom Clancy (Heavy weight reading, but still good. Not everyones tastes though.)
The Dune books (Good reading, v enjoyable, but expensive as the storyiline is that imense. Yu cant just read one.)
Do androids Dream of electric sheep? (Find out by reading, v good)
Robert Grant (Colony, Incompetence (spelled wrong on the cover))
The Red Dwarf Novels (Excellent books)
Twenty Thousand Leagues under the Sea (Classic)
Roald Dahl (Any and all. Fantastic books, fuck the political correctness brigade. There was an 'un-official' ban in the shops during the 90's with his books cos of those bastards. If you see these books anywhere, buy them!)
Tom Baker's "The boy who kicked pigs" (He was the doctor who with the long multi-colored scarf. Brilliant author though!)

Thats all i can think of, off the top of my head. Hope it helps.

 

[Fana]

I also want to recomend Steven Erikson's - Malazan Book of the Fallen series. Some really original stuff in it, very high scale epic fantasy, but still with intersting individuals that dont just fade to grey in the greater picture.

Tad Williams - Otherland.
A series of 4 books about a group of people that are traped in a virtual reality network so sophisticated that you cant tell it from reality. One of my favourite works.

Tad Williams - Memory Sorrow and Thorn
A 4 book fantasy series. Perhaps not very original in plot but with great characters and great storytelling. Really drew me in.

Ian Irvine - The View from the Mirror.
4 books fantasy. Lots of originality, great storytelling, great characters, strong plot. This one has most of what you could wish from a fantasy series.

Sara Douglas - The Crucible.
3 books alternative-history fantasy. Set in the 1300th centuary it follows the battle of a monk against dark forces trying to corrupt the church and nobility of europe. Very strong plot, and with believable, flawed, human characters. Really enjoyed this one. Pretty much read the last book in one sitting

Steven Pressfield - Gates of Fire.
Historical fiction about the last stand of the spartans at the pass of Thermopylae against the persian army, and the events leading up to it. Very epic, realistic and strong.

Raymond E Feist - Magician (etc)
Nice high-fantasy/adventure, fast paced and action filled books. The entire series is long but starts with 2 books (Magician: Apprentice, and Magician: Master) about a young man discovering his abilities in a tumultous world. Was many years since i read them but i remember i enjoyed them alot.

 

[Krait]

Posted this on the guild forum a while ago,but a few more recommendations to add to the list.

George RR Martin.
Another involving writer who keeps you guessing what will happen next,although his style is more gritty and down to earth ,which suits his medieval fantasy world setting.(based loosely on The War of The Roses).
He also likes killing off characters...especially some of the likeable ones...and keeps the nasty characters going.....Tyrion Lannister is the best realised character in any book that i've ever read.

Steven Erikson
A totally different way of writing fantasy ,which is set in the usual fantasy-type world ,but a place where ordinary characters can become demi-gods (may be based on D+D in that sense).
What sets him apart is his frenetic writing style and his attention to detail in battle scenes which actually make you think you're there in the middle of it.The fights that occur during Coltaines March in the second book are exceptional.
As with most books that i like and re-read there is a lot of subterfuge and conspiracies going on throughout the series.

Peter F Hamilton
A science fiction writer with the setting in earths future when we've conquered all nearby space.His style is more easy going and simple with nicely rounded characters which makes him a pleasure to read even when i'm not really in the mood.
The Reality Disfunction series is part horror/part space opera that blends really well together when it becomes a space-encompassing problem (would make a really great film or trilogy of films).

And finally something on a different topic.......

Jang Chung (spelling may well be wrong )
The book was called Wild Swans and was a biography/auto-biography about 3 generations of One family from a womans point of view (Grandmother,mother,author).
The family were from China and the points of perspective were set pre-communism,Beginning of communism and Mao,and Post-Mao to the modern era.
A beautiful book that gives such a sense of how much China never changes even though different people and ideoligies come into being.
It's also a sad and heartrending book,when you actually read what the chinese people have had to endure in the 20th Century from their own leaders.

Apart from those authors ,there's hundreds of others that are worth a read.... Feist,Eddings,Julian May and Robin Hobb amongst them.

 

[Case]

the new Gemmell books are good white wolf i think it`s called and there`s a new druss book out that kicks ass aswell

and of The Rigante books for the win

 

[civy]

Give Bill Bryson a go if you are after a change of genre.

 

[Linnet]

no hardcore readers collection is complete with out touching the great works of james joyce

Just make sure you don't try to read 'em

edited to add:

My recommend for today is Iain M Banks (he uses the M for his sci fi books). Especially "Player of Games."

 

[Ezteq]

ooh yeah he's good.