Reading suggestions.

[saggs]

So who all in here reads a lot?

I read a lot and recently got a Kindle, which I love since it allows be to get books instantly. I've been on a sci-fi/fantasy kick lately, but have completely struck out on the last 2 books I've tried. Both where recommended to me.

Last one I just tried was The Hunger Games, which I had heard a lot about and got rave reviews. Well I've got through about 1/3 of it and can't take it anymore. It SUCKS... big time.   I haven't been this disappointed with a popular book since Eragon (this is worse). I do not understand all the positive reviews it has gotten. The plot has promise (even though it's kinda cliche) but the writing and execution is HORRIBLE. Written in 1st person present tense????? Seriously   Cliche single dimensional characters with no depth or development (how can you do character development in 1st person) forced dialog, forced sexual tension, it honestly reads like a middle school creative writing essay that scored a B-  yet somehow got dragged out for 300pgs.

So anyway I just got frustrated and deleted it (there's $6 wasted), now I need some recommendations. What's a good sci-fi or fantasy series? Something in the vein of Orson Scott Card's Ender series, or Larry Niven's Ringworld, or Arthur C. Clarke, or C.S. Lewis, or Tolkien, all of which I recommend.

[Mar]

I thought Septimus Heap by Angie Sage was pretty good, but I haven't read through the whole series yet.

Just be warned this is coming from a guy who wants to continue reading the Eragon series.
Frankly though I think Eragon himself is an idiot, I just want to see how Gallywag finally gets whipped.

[gunnss]

At Baen they have the free library. Included are instructions for Kindle downloads, 100 + novels, no DRM they are yours...

at Baen.com

Regards,
Kevin

[RTHolmes]

if you like scifi and havent read him yet - Iain M Banks (esp the culture novels.) start with Consider Phlebas and read in order - they get better along the way


edit: pretty much any Philip K Dick is worth reading too

[coombz]

sci fi on Kindle?

Culture novels as mentioned by Holmes are great

also make sure you check out Altered Carbon and the other two Takeshi Kovacs books by Richard Morgan  

fantasy...Patrick Rothfuss - The Name of the Wind and sequel are must reads

i've personally enjoyed the Game of Thrones books a lot as well ;d

[saggs]

Thanks for the tips, I'm taking notes.  

pretty much any Philip K Dick is worth reading too

Yup, I do like Philip K Dick.   I've read 3 of his;  A Scanner Darkly, The Penultimate Truth, and Do Android Dream of Electric Sheep?   Though that was several years ago, worth a reread... perhaps I'll look into more of his stuff as well.  Liked them, except for A Scanner Darkly I remember as being a little slow.


P.S. Has anyone read Isaac Asimov's Foundation series?   It sounds interesting.  The only Asimov I've read was I, Robot which is great, but it's short stories, so the entertainment isn't as long.

[RTHolmes]

Brian Aldiss's Heliconia Trilogy is pretty stunning, although massive in scale.

[B-17]

War and Peace--- long read, but a decent story after the first 300 pages.

[Dragon]

David Eddings - Belgariad series

Terry Brooks - Shannara series + Magic Kingdom of Landover series

Robert Jordan - Wheel of Time series

[mbailey]

Not much of a SciFi guy, but if you want any suggestions on WW2 era books that are available on the kindle, and that ive read, let me know.

Love my Kindle as well, I now dont have to keep buying bookcases for my house 
 ( i still buy some "actual" books,not near what i used to though)
Not to hijack, but does anyone get books thru audible.com for the kindle? Any feedback?

[coombz]

I get audio books through audible ;D   the Ricky Gervais Show podcasts are amazing

[ink]

some of the very best fantasy books every written are from Terry Brooks...The Shannara series....the first three books especially the third book, called the "Wishsong of Shannara" is about the best there is.

another great read is a book called "swansong" by Robert Mccammon very good book  

and the there is the "incarnations of immortality" by Piers Anthony 7 awesome books

for scify "Battlefield Earth" by L Ron Hubbard  The movie was atrocious but book is great

any Robert E Howard

or Edger Rice borrows

also a book done by Stephen King and Peter Straub called "The Talisman" great book 

you cant go wrong with any of these

[eagl]

I see you already know Niven's Ringworld series, so make sure you also read his Dream Park series (4th book in series released just last month).  They're in kindle.

For fun military sci-fi, try Jerry Pournelle's Falkenberg stories.  Both Niven and Pournelle are actively working on getting all of their works put on Kindle.

For fantasy, try Raymond Feist's Magician - Apprentice and Magician - Master.  Those are the first 2 books in a lengthy multi-branched series, but you can read those two and be satisfied.  The next few books in the series are good too, but the last half-dozen or so aren't nearly as well written.

If you want to grow up to be a girl someday, try Anne McCafferey's Dragonsong, dragonsinger, and dragondrums trillogy.  Those are fun to read but a bit juvenile.  She develops the world a lot more in other books based on the same planet, but those can be read by themselves and are quick and fun, if a bit girly and juvenile.  The same goes for McCaffery's Crystal Singer trillogy - girly and juvenile, but I thought the premise was interesting enough to be a fun read especially if you can find the book cheap.

They're way overpriced on kindle right now, but the first couple of "Spellsinger" books by Alan Dean Foster were fun too.  Get them for $.99 in used paperback instead of spending $9.99 on kindle...

Almost anything by Robert Heinlein, including his juveniles, are worth reading.  His last few books went weird but his early stuff up through "The number of the beast" are great.

For non-fiction, The Reagan Diaries are fascinating.

If you want to know why the Iraq and Afghanistan wars went stupid, get "The Seven Pillars of Wisdom" by T.E. Lawrence.  You'll get the picture in the first couple of chapters and then you'll continue reading just because it's like watching a 30 car NASCAR wreck in slow motion but with CNN current-events subtitles added by your own imagination.

I second the recommendation to try the Baen free library.  The Honor Harrington series could have been girly and juvenile... but they aren't.  Recommended.  Pournelle has a couple of books in the Baen free library, and they're both well worth the 30 seconds it takes to stick them on your kindle.

[ink]

eagle

spellsinger was a very good series

[eagl]

for scify "Battlefield Earth" by L Ron Hubbard  The movie was atrocious but book is great

or Edger Rice burroughs

^^^ This.  Battlefield Earth is a great book.  The movie has very little in common with the book, just like the movie Starship Troopers has almost nothing in common with the book, except the name.