Forums · Recommend me some good books, please.
| QUOTE (Neorantu @ Sep 15 2007, 06:03 PM) |
| Well I suggest you read this awesome book called "The Catterpillar" It is a great book about how a caterpillar eats and then turns into a beutiful butterfly, with awesome illustration and writing, it made me shed a tear. |
...No, just no...
| QUOTE (AgentParanoia @ Sep 15 2007, 06:27 PM) |
| I heard The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy was really good; I'll have to get on reading that. I stopped reading Harry Potter at the fourth book. Should I pick it up again? |
You should definitely pick up Harry Potter again; once you get past the "kiddie" aspect of it, it actually has a very intricate plot.
| QUOTE (Breloom @ Sep 15 2007, 06:18 PM) |
| Have you ever read "A Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy?" Great book, IMO. |
I just got that book for my birthday a couple months ago.
Actually I haven't bothered to look at it. Just laying on a shelf.
Is it really that good?
Wasn't there a movie named that? Was it like the book?
| QUOTE (Truthiness @ Sep 15 2007, 06:42 PM) | ||
I just got that book for my birthday a couple months ago. Actually I haven't bothered to look at it. Just laying on a shelf. Is it really that good? Wasn't there a movie named that? Was it like the book? |
I never did watch the movie, so I wouldn't know.
Although yes, the book is really good.
| QUOTE (Truthiness @ Sep 15 2007, 02:42 PM) | ||
I just got that book for my birthday a couple months ago. Actually I haven't bothered to look at it. Just laying on a shelf. Is it really that good? Wasn't there a movie named that? Was it like the book? |
Read the book, don't see the movie. The movie was pretty bad.
The Harry Potter books really pick up after the fourth book. Rowling's a good writer, nothing exceptional, but good. If you want to read books that will help you develop creativity and the kind of mind that would produce a world like that or like Middle-Earth, read the HP series, and read the LOTR series (including The Hobbit and The Silmarillion) and you'll get a good scope of what its like to be a fantasy/sci-fi writer that has to basically create a world, several languages and cultures, etc.
The Sword of Truth series is also very good. It's by Terry Goodkind - Sorcerers and dragons and such - much better written than any of the HP books or any of the LOTR books (which as stories, are rather dull). I believe there are 9 or 10 books in the series, the last one is about to be released. Average length of the book is 800-1000 pages aside from a prequel book that's only like 200. You won't notice how big the book is because you'll get hooked into it and keep reading. Great books. First one is Wizard's First Rule, definitely check it out.
A lot of my friends also like The Dark Tower series, written by Stephen King, who's quite an exceptional writer. The first book is Gunslinger. I couldn't get into it, but its very good.
Other recommendations: Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut, or anything else that he's written. The Stranger by Albert Camus (I believe that's his first name...), its translated from French, but its one of the most amazing books I've ever read. Difficult to get through, but remarkable.
I'll think of more, but I'm not a big book guy.
Dang, someone already mentioned Hitchikers.
Yes, Hitchhikers is EXCELLENT. Douglas Adams was one of the most creative/metaphorical writers in history. He has some of the best quotes ever.
Other books/authors.
Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit (You won't find a better story teller than Tolkien. There's a reason why 99.9% of fantasy after LOTR borrows so much from it)
Most of Kurt Vonnegut's(sp?) works.
Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers (really anything by Alexandre Dumas)
Harry Potter is a good example of effective story-telling without a very flowery/creative writing style (honestly, Rowling is not a fabulous writer, she is just a good storyteller)
There is so much more, but I can't remember a lot of it off the top of my head.
Yes, Hitchhikers is EXCELLENT. Douglas Adams was one of the most creative/metaphorical writers in history. He has some of the best quotes ever.
Other books/authors.
Lord of the Rings/The Hobbit (You won't find a better story teller than Tolkien. There's a reason why 99.9% of fantasy after LOTR borrows so much from it)
Most of Kurt Vonnegut's(sp?) works.
Count of Monte Cristo, The Three Musketeers (really anything by Alexandre Dumas)
Harry Potter is a good example of effective story-telling without a very flowery/creative writing style (honestly, Rowling is not a fabulous writer, she is just a good storyteller)
There is so much more, but I can't remember a lot of it off the top of my head.
[/B]
I hope you honestly did not just say that. Harry Potter is not even in the same UNIVERSE as LOTR in terms of writing. Tolkien was an ACTUAL storyteller. It's true, LOTR may seem a bit boring to readers now-a-days who are more into Eragon than actual stories (btw Eragon was written by like a 15 year-old who stole the story for Star Wars and made it a fantasy book). LotR is not for ADD children, it's for people who enjoy reading stories filled with rich detail and character.
I've read The Sword of Truth series, and while good, is nowhere near the same caliber as LOTR. Besides, most of the creatures/races/etc were borowed from LotR.
Don't think so? Name me a bunch of things you think were created in The Sword of Truth that was created by Tolkien (or lore before him).
| QUOTE |
| The Sword of Truth series is also very good. It's by Terry Goodkind - Sorcerers and dragons and such - [B]much better written than any of the HP books or any of the LOTR books (which as stories, are rather dull). I believe there are 9 or 10 books in the series, the last one is about to be released. Average length of the book is 800-1000 pages aside from a prequel book that's only like 200. You won't notice how big the book is because you'll get hooked into it and keep reading. Great books. First one is Wizard's First Rule, definitely check it out. |
I hope you honestly did not just say that. Harry Potter is not even in the same UNIVERSE as LOTR in terms of writing. Tolkien was an ACTUAL storyteller. It's true, LOTR may seem a bit boring to readers now-a-days who are more into Eragon than actual stories (btw Eragon was written by like a 15 year-old who stole the story for Star Wars and made it a fantasy book). LotR is not for ADD children, it's for people who enjoy reading stories filled with rich detail and character.
I've read The Sword of Truth series, and while good, is nowhere near the same caliber as LOTR. Besides, most of the creatures/races/etc were borowed from LotR.
Don't think so? Name me a bunch of things you think were created in The Sword of Truth that was created by Tolkien (or lore before him).
Yes! I knew there were other Vonnegut fans here! Unfortunately, my brother has most of my Vonnegut books right now (he needs them for a college class), but I'll be able to read them later.
Animal Farm and 1984 were epic win.
Also, concerning the fantasy genre, I'm really not into it, and I really hate making up languages; learning real-life languages is enough. The only book were I really don't mind that is Watership Down.
And about Eragon, I don't really like it, but this guy thinks it's the best book ever and won't even let me say I don't like it without throwing a fit. He's a dragon furry. Go figure.
Animal Farm and 1984 were epic win.
Also, concerning the fantasy genre, I'm really not into it, and I really hate making up languages; learning real-life languages is enough. The only book were I really don't mind that is Watership Down.
And about Eragon, I don't really like it, but this guy thinks it's the best book ever and won't even let me say I don't like it without throwing a fit. He's a dragon furry. Go figure.
| QUOTE (Truthiness @ Sep 15 2007, 06:42 PM) | ||
I just got that book for my birthday a couple months ago. Actually I haven't bothered to look at it. Just laying on a shelf. Is it really that good? Wasn't there a movie named that? Was it like the book? |
The movie was similar to the book in many ways, but the order is a little different and there are things added.
The movie was panned by most people, but only because idiot Douglas Adams fans couldn't get over the fact that Mos Def was Ford Prefect and they didn't like the changes from the book, even though 80% of the movie script was written by Douglas Adams himself.
IMO, the movie was a very good adaptation of the book and adds much more character development (the first book at least doesn't have very much at all, but there is a reason for it).
Anyways, anyone who can come with lines like "There is an art to flying, or rather a knack. The knack is learning how to throw yourself at the ground and miss." is pure awesomness.
| QUOTE (AgentParanoia @ Sep 15 2007, 07:36 PM) |
| Yes! I knew there were other Vonnegut fans here! Unfortunately, my brother has most of my Vonnegut books right now (he needs them for a college class), but I'll be able to read them later. Animal Farm and 1984 were epic win. Also, concerning the fantasy genre, I'm really not into it, and I really hate making up languages; learning real-life languages is enough. The only book were I really don't mind that is Watership Down. And about Eragon, I don't really like it, but this guy thinks it's the best book ever and won't even let me say I don't like it without throwing a fit. He's a dragon furry. Go figure. |
I HATE, absolutly HATE Eragon fanboys.
Yes, in theory, Eragon IS a great story. But it's not a good story because it was written well, it's a good story because it's the SAME as Star Wars, which itself is combination of the most popular myths/legends/character stories of ancient history.
The actually book itself is dumb. If you want to read some good current fantasy, The Sword of Truth and Robert Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series are excellent.
Not that Eragon crap.
Eragon can only be considered good by association, and even then, it's so poorly written it's not worth reading. Just watch Star Wars and pretend the spaceships are dragons, light sabers are swords, and laser beams are arrows and such.
There is something to be said about Rowling's masterful use of language. Whether or not it's in the same league as the timeless classics is hard to tell, but there is no denying that she's somehow created one of the most enrapturing fantasy worlds of all time, and is probably the most famous author of our generation. I never was a huge fan of her style, but there is something very distinct about her use of details and her ability to combine real-world elements with her fantasy universe.
The best display of linguistic eloquence that I have ever seen is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. The narrator is a wordsmith and poet himself, and Nabokov takes such great pleasure in transforming his twisted lovestory into a poem more romantic than the best of Shakespeare. This is, in my opinion, the ultimate love story gone wrong.
If you're more modern (contemporary, cutting-edge) and less of a classicist, go pick up every book by Chuck Palahniuk. Fight Club, Diary, Lullaby, Invisible Monsters, etc. No one can paint so vivid a picture with such stark images as Palahniuk.
Personal favorite: The Everworld series by Katherine Applegate. I'm not sure why I love this book series, but I really do. The characters' internal conflicts just work for me, even if they aren't so believable.
The best display of linguistic eloquence that I have ever seen is Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. The narrator is a wordsmith and poet himself, and Nabokov takes such great pleasure in transforming his twisted lovestory into a poem more romantic than the best of Shakespeare. This is, in my opinion, the ultimate love story gone wrong.
If you're more modern (contemporary, cutting-edge) and less of a classicist, go pick up every book by Chuck Palahniuk. Fight Club, Diary, Lullaby, Invisible Monsters, etc. No one can paint so vivid a picture with such stark images as Palahniuk.
Personal favorite: The Everworld series by Katherine Applegate. I'm not sure why I love this book series, but I really do. The characters' internal conflicts just work for me, even if they aren't so believable.
While Harry Potter my not fall into the same category as LoTR, to be honest, how many books do? LoTR, The Silmarillion and The Hobbit are perhaps the best fantasy books written in the last century, and paved the way for just about every fantasy story ever written. Tolkien created a world, he populated it with races with intricate histories and speakable languages, and created a mythology for that land. How many authors did that?
However, Harry Potter is a great series, and when you look below the surface slightly it just gets better. Sort of like the Pokemon games, if you just play for the story line it's meh, but if you get into the metagame and competitive battling it becomes amazing and you can't put it down. The same goes for Harry Potter. Especially the books after the fourth one.
However, Harry Potter is a great series, and when you look below the surface slightly it just gets better. Sort of like the Pokemon games, if you just play for the story line it's meh, but if you get into the metagame and competitive battling it becomes amazing and you can't put it down. The same goes for Harry Potter. Especially the books after the fourth one.
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