Reading list suggestions sought

[Uncle Yuan]

Soon I'm going to be heading off to India for a month.  And not just anywhere, but the rural-est of rural - a town of 3,000 or so and an 8 hour bus ride from the nearest city of consequence.  Needless to say, I'm going to be bringing a couple of books. 

I tend to find an author I like, read everything by them they write and then be kind of stuck until I stumble across someone else I like.  Generally speaking I read sci-fi and fantasy (prefering modern/urban sub-genre) for mindless fun, biographies and non-fiction of the scientific sort for mindful fun.

Authors and stuff I've enjoyed:
Ian S. Banks
Lois McMaster Bujold
Jim Butcher's "Dresden Files" (really don't like his fantasy series, though)
Charles DeLint
Neal Stephenson (I'm bringing Quicksilver - maybe this time I'll actually finish it!)
Niel Gaiman
Terry Pratchett
Stephen Brust

Stuff I don't like:
Robert Jordan
Terry Goodkind
Most of Orson Scott Card


It's safe to say that if I've listed an author I've read everything of significance by that author, but I would probably like something similar.  Any suggestions?

[bredon7777]

Laurel K Hamilton's early Anita Blake books are excellent.
(Only the first 4 or 5, though - then they basically turn into porn. And don't bother with her Meridith Gentry stuff. )

Larry Niven wrote 2 novels about the kind of game I'd love to play one day, but I'm fuzzy on the titles- I want to say "The Great Voodoo game".

Robert Aspen (sp?) MYTH series.

[thalaw2]

I would suggest grabbing one of those compilations of short stories in the sci-fi genre, because I can never get into a full novel when i travel. 

Do you like Arthur C. Clarke?

Maybe you can take a break from Sci-fi though and read a little E.M. Forester

[Panther_Gunn]

Larry Niven wrote 2 novels about the kind of game I'd love to play one day, but I'm fuzzy on the titles- I want to say "The Great Voodoo game".

That would be the Dream Park novels.  I believe the first one is just titled Dream Park, followed by The Barsoom Project, and the third is The Great California Voodoo Game.  Very excellent books.

Robert Aspen (sp?) MYTH series.

Asprin.  The first 8 books are all excellent, the ninth is a bit of a change (and longer), the tenth is back on track, and from there it's a little spotty.  I'm a huge fan, and have all of them, but on the last few he seems to have lost a lot of steam, or forgotten what the pacing used to be like......they're not bad, but it seems to have a little different dynamic than the first 8-10.  He is co-writing with Jody Lynn Nye, on the new ones, but I dont' know if that's an issue.  Also, don't forget his Phule's Company series.

Other recommendations:

Michael Moorcock, specifically the first 6 Elric books (you probably remember the thin, silver cover ones), the first Hawkmoon series (the second is good, as well, but can be read later), and both Corum series.  After that, you can branch further out into more recent Elric books, as well as other parts of the Eternal Champion "series" (central idea, many different characters/series)

Weiss & Hickman:  The Deathgate cycle, The Rose of the Prophet trilogy, The Darksword trilogy (plus 1), The Star of the Guardians trilogy (plus 1) - followed by a tenuosly related trilogy she did with Don Perrin.  Their Dragonlance stuff, of course.

Douglas Adams:  Hitchiker trilogy (didn't really care much for the additional 2), and the two Dirk Gently novels.

Fritz Leiber:  Fafhrd & the Gray Mouser series

Terry Brooks:  Magic Kingdom of Landover series (and Shanarra, if you want a ton of books to read).

Mary H. Herbert:  Dark Horse series

Jody Lynn Nye:  Mythology series (5 books, but I've not even been able to find the last two used).

Donn Kushner:  A Book Dragon

Kyle Crocco:  Heroes, Inc. , Heroes Wanted.

hope not too many of these are in the "duh" category.

[detourne_me]

Philip K Dick. 'nuff said.

[Ajax]

Neal Stephenson: Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, Diamond Age, and Zodiac are ones I can recommend personally. Oh and Big U, though it isn't his strongest novel.

Warren Ellis: Crooked Little Vein. Very quick read but very satisfying. Only if you are not easily offended should you read this. Also you must keep away from children.

Hunter S Thompson

[Jakew]

Stephen R Donaldson

Edgar Rice Burroughs

[captainspud]

Heh... I have no idea if it's like any of the authors you've listed since I've read almost none of them myself, but I'd be happy to send you my copy of "Soon I Will Be Invincible", since I have failed utterly to convince anyone I know to read it. None of my family can get past, "Well, it's about this supervillain who..." ;)

It's a great book... it examines and acknowledges the contrivances of comic book lore, without over-analyzing them or mocking them. Probably a bit lighter than what you're aiming for though, so no worries if you're not interested. :)

And I'll toss in a mention for the first two Hitchhiker books, before they stopped being funny.

[zuludelta]

Suggestions:

- Most of Philip K. Dick's stuff (sci-fi)
- Robert Heinlein's "Job: A Comedy of Errors" (sci-fi/fantasy/social commentary, one of Heinlein's last published works)
- Oliver Sacks' "Musicophilia: Tales of Music and the Brain" and "The Man Who Mistook His Wife For A Hat" (should satisfy your science-based non-fiction needs)
- The Chomsky Reader (not exactly a biography or a "science fact" book, but it paints a good overview of the evolution of Noam Chomsky's political thought and his theories of neurocognition and human intelligence)
- Frederick Exley's "A Fan's Notes" (it's usually classified as fiction, but it's more of a fictionalized autobiography of Exley's struggle with mental illness, set against the backdrop of the New York Giants' run for an NFL championship in the mid-1960s... perfect reading in time for the SuperBowl)

[Cardmaster]

David Sedaris. Any and all. Easily the funniest, sharpest, and most heartfelt writing I have read in a long while. His stuff will make you laugh but seriously make you think as well.

He's just absolutely brilliant.

I suggest starting with "NAKED" or "Me Talk Pretty One Day."

[Mr. Hamrick]

ok, they are not sci-fi novels but . . .

Transpotting by Irvine Welsh and it's sequel which is called . . . actually I will not mention the title of the sequel here.   

[ow_tiobe_sb]

Flann O'Brien^*, The Third Policeman.  'Twill dissatisfy all your sci-fi/theological needs, and it comes with an unhappy ending!  Who could ask for more?

ow_tiobe_sb
Phantom Bunburyist and Fop o' th' Morning

^* I am rereading most of Flann O'Brien's (or Brian O'Nolan's or Brian Ó Núalláin's) works at present and having the craic every step of the way.

[Midnight]

Umm... It's Not News, It's FARK by Drew Curtis is a pretty entertaining look at the problem with the modern media. If you haven't read it, The Dark Tower series by Steven King is good stuff. I've also got a soft spot for William S. Burroughs' Junky.

[El Condor]

I'm not huge into sci-fi reading; I'll just assume you've read any Ray Bradbury that I have, but I really loved a lot of his stuff when I was in school (his short stories in particular). 

One book I read recently that is sci-fi-ish is Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro.  It's reeeeallly good, but doesn't reveal it's parallel-world angle until you get into it a bit.  Still, it's incredibly thought provoking and a good serious read if the feeling ever overcomes you  :).

I ditto the Hitchhiker books by Adams.  I only read the first two, but was constantly laughing and making unappealing snorting sounds throughout. 

Have an awesome experience, Yuan!  :thumbup:

EC

[Talavar]

If you like Neil Gaiman, you owe it to yourself to read Susanna Clarke's Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell.  Great Book.

Here's a second recommendation for Soon I Will Be Invincible; it was good, and a lot of fun

More traditional fantasy I've enjoyed has included George RR Martin's series, & the Lies of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch, Ellen Kushner, Naomi Novik's Temeraire books...

For fantasy that's a little harder edged, I can't recommend Michael Swanwick or China Mieville highly enough, particularly Swanwick.

Other classics I'd recommend are William Gibson's Neuromancer, Philip K. Dick, particularly the underappreciated Ubik, Roger Zelazny's Lord of Light, Michael Chabon's Amazing Adventures of Kavalier & Klay...

[BentonGrey]

I'm not really familiar with the authors that you've said you liked, but if you want some good, not too light, not too heavy reading, try Clive Cussler's NUMA series.  They are about a aquatic research/mission team, and there are some pretty good reads in the series.

[GogglesPizanno]

I'm a sucker for old cheesy pulp stuff.

• Any of the Conan books by Robert E. Howard
• The old Shadow stories by Walter Gibson
• Any of the James Bond Novels by Ian Fleming

Michael Stackpole Does some good non traditional Fantasy stuff:

• The Dragon Crown War Saga (4 books)
• The Age of Discovery (3 books)

[BentonGrey]

Ohh, a lot of those Howard Conan books are really good.