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Author Topic: Good Authors  (Read 417 times)

Offline Estes

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« on: February 03, 2004, 03:44:11 PM »
I've read all of Simmon's work (mysteries anyway) not much into the sci-fi stuff.  I've read all of Evanovichs books too.

I just got a William Bernhardt novel, going to give him a try. Anyone read any of his or can reccomend any others?
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Offline deSelys

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« Reply #1 on: February 03, 2004, 06:50:18 PM »
I highly recommend Donna Tartt's 'The Secret History' and 'The Little Friend'. Both are extremely well written and hard to put down. I should've finished the 2nd by the end of the week.

I enjoyed Simmons Hyperion and Endymion books a lot.
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Offline Nash

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« Reply #2 on: February 03, 2004, 09:31:36 PM »
I think I read 'The Secret History' a while back. Is that the one where the 1st sentence is something along the lines of "It wasn't until the snow had melted and the body began to smell that we realized the full gravity of our situation."? Or like that. If that's the right book, it's about the only thing I remember about it... (not a comment on the book, but my memory).

To contribute.... I'll toss in Sometimes a Great Notion by Ken Kesey.
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Offline lasersailor184

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« Reply #3 on: February 03, 2004, 10:22:50 PM »
I just started the 4th book in the Dark Towers series from Stephen King.
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Offline Creamo

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« Reply #4 on: February 03, 2004, 10:32:26 PM »
Anything by John Sandford in the "Prey" series. Good serial killer stuff solved by a Toad like detective character.

Stephen King "The Stand", "The Shining" or "Salem’s Lot".

WWII? Samurai! You want to see a pilot take a beating and know why the Japs were way superior, just overwhelmed? Read it.
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Offline GtoRA2

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« Reply #5 on: February 03, 2004, 11:04:38 PM »
WEB Griffins the Corps, Series is a good read.
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Offline deSelys

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« Reply #6 on: February 04, 2004, 04:45:26 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Nash
I think I read 'The Secret History' a while back. Is that the one where the 1st sentence is something along the lines of "It wasn't until the snow had melted and the body began to smell that we realized the full gravity of our situation."? Or like that. If that's the right book, it's about the only thing I remember about it...
 


I don't have the book near me, and I've read it in french, but you're half right about the melted snow and the body...
;)

Too bad you forgot about the rest....or maybe it's a blessing, so you can discover it a 2nd time...


I forgot to mention that I'm an avid reader of Paul Auster's stuff. My favs are 'Leviathan', 'Mr. Vertigo' and 'The Book of Illusions'...
« Last Edit: February 04, 2004, 04:47:33 AM by deSelys »
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Offline DYGCaps

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« Reply #7 on: February 04, 2004, 05:05:23 AM »
At the risk of sounding completely stupid as I don't know what kind of books the authors you speak of write, I'm going to reccomend my favorite.

Gary A. Linderer, he wrote a series of books about LRRPs in Vietnam, I've read all of em, I think theres like 6 (?) books total and there all awesome.  Great tales about combat on LRRP patrols in vietnam, it was hard to put any one of them down.
« Last Edit: February 04, 2004, 05:07:36 AM by DYGCaps »
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Offline Maniac

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« Reply #8 on: February 04, 2004, 05:32:12 AM »
Douglas Adams.
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Offline Dowding

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« Reply #9 on: February 04, 2004, 05:49:08 AM »
Derek Robinson - His three WW1 RFC and two WW2 RAF air combat novels are great. He also did one involving early war bombers - haven't read that. Piece of Cake and Goshawk Squadron are perhaps the most well known.

Len Deighton - if you like spy novels, he is the daddy. Forget LeCarre et al, his Samson series is superb. He also wrote The Ipcress File (the film with Michael Caine as Harry Palmer). His Bomber novel is excellent, describing the last flight of a Lancaster in 1943.

Willi Heindrich (?) - wrote Cross of Iron. The book is much better than the film with Coburn in it. You really get a feeling for being on the wrong side of the Eastern Front (if there was a right side).

Bernard Cornwell - the Sharpe series is really good stuff, if a little formulaic. His descriptions of battle are definitely the best I've read of any conflict - he really knows how to sustain the pace of the action over many pages. Sharpe's Waterloo and Sharpe's Rifles are two of my favourites. There's 19 books in the series, IIRC - read them all but can't remember exactly.

Patrick O'Brian - creator of the Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin series of book set in the Napoleonic Royal Navy. Master and Commander the film is based on two of the books. Just started reading them and am really enjoying it.

C S Forester - creator of Horatio Hornblower. As detailed as Parick O'Brian in terms of historical accuracy. You really get a feeling for how difficult handling a tall-ship was and how tough life on board was. Hornblower is nothing like the TV series character. He's much less likeable; a pretty harsh character in some ways.

Joseph Heller - if you haven't read Catch-22 you really should check it out. A long book, but the kind novel you'll read in a couple of days because it is simply so engaging. You'll probably read it again straight afterwards. The sequel, Closing Time, is dissappointing - but that was to be expected. His other books are interesting, but Catch-22 is his masterpiece.
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Offline Angus

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« Reply #10 on: February 04, 2004, 06:18:22 AM »
Nice list Dowding.
I recommend Roald Dahl, - all his stuff. His children books are good for children, and his darker side has produced some of the best there is for us grown-ups  :D
From WW2 authors, one must not miss Cornelius Ryan's "The longest day". From pilot autobiographies I highly recommend "Shot down in Flames" by Geoffrey Page and dancing in the Skies by Tony Jonsson. For the Spit dweeb, "Spitfire, a test pilots story" by Jeffrey Quill is a good book. I have yet to get my hands on Adolf Galland's "The first and the last", but I am told it is a piece well worth reading.
Len Deighton is indeed very good in the Spy books, although in my mind John Le Carré's "The spy who came in from the cold" remains in my mind as the creepiest spy story I read. Len Deighton also wrote "Fighter", a scrutiny about the BoB, however it has some odd parts in it. I rather prefer his work "Blood tears and Folly", - full of interesting bits.
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Offline Pooh21

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« Reply #11 on: February 04, 2004, 07:47:41 AM »
Bernard Cornwells Grail Quest series

fun in the 14th century 100 years war. the protaganist isn't a 20th century girly man.
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Offline lasersailor184

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« Reply #12 on: February 04, 2004, 08:25:56 AM »
I second Roald Dahl.



Did you know that he was a fighter pilot?  I bet you didn't...


I can't remember the book, but he has a biography that describes it.
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Punishr - N.D.M. Back in the air.
8.) Lasersailor 73 "Will lead the impending revolution from his keyboard"

Offline ravells

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« Reply #13 on: February 04, 2004, 08:34:10 AM »
Dowding,

I'm reading the O'Brien novels too.  I got the following reference books which I found to be really good companions to the novels:

A Sea of Words: A Lexicon and Companion for Patrick OBrians Seafaring Tales

and

Harbors and High Seas: Map Book and Geographical Guide to the Aubrey/Maturin Novels of Patrick O'Brian  

Ravs
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Offline gofaster

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« Reply #14 on: February 04, 2004, 09:19:29 AM »
Quote
Originally posted by Maniac
Douglas Adams.


Nice choice.  I read his books in high school and got a real kick out of the intelligence and the wit of his humour.

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Hemingway.
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