Need help picking books

[lostrekkie]

Hey, everyone. My birthday is coming up and my parents have asked me for a gift list. I love to read, but I can't think of any good books to buy. Its not that their aren't any, its just that they are incredibly hard to find. Does anyone have some good books to ask for?

[Rico]

The Titan Book Star Trek series is fun to read.  I'm starting book 3 of that one now.  I also enjoyed the Golden Compass series of books by Pullman recently.

P.S.  And if you want to read a great classic book, get "Rendezvous with Rama" by Arthur C. Clarke.  Great book!

[lostrekkie]

Thanks Rico. I've read the Titan series but Golden Compass has been something I have been looking to read, but my family already has it. Rendezvous with Rama sounds very interesting though, just looked it up on amazon.

One book down for the list.

[Omra]

For Military Science Fiction- David Drakes Hammers Slammers series, Bolo series by Keith Lamer, Berserker series by Fred Saberhagen

Star Wars- The Thrawn Trilogy

Hard Science Fiction- The classic 'Known Space' book collection by Larry Niven, and of course his 'Ringworld' books,

Fantasy- Nine Princes of Amber series by Roger Zelazny (did I spell that right?) And the Lord of the Isles series by David Drake, and the Immortal series by Pierce Anthony especially 'Rides a Pale Horse' and you may even like his classic 'Xanth' series.

[lostrekkie]

Those all sound great! I am a huge Piers Anthony fan and have already read the Incarnations of Immortality series though, but that Ringworld series looks good. Thanks man.

[Ktrek]

I don't know if you are asking only for recommendations that are sci-fi books. If so then I would recommend:

Stranger In  A Strange Land - Robert Heinlein.
I Robot - Isaac Asimov
The Voyagers series - Ben Bova
Tarzan of the Apes - Edgar Rice Burroughs
War of the Worlds - H.G. Wells

If you don't really care about it being sci-fi then I believe that every person should read at least once:

Tale of Two Cities - Charles Dickens
Great Expectations - Charles Dickens
The Three Musketeers - Alexandre Dumas
Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky
The Plague - Albert Camus
1984 - George Orwell
Cry the Beloved Country - Alan Paton
Narcissus and Goldmund - Hermann Hesse
Siddartha - Hermann Hesse
Of Mice and Men - John Steinbeck
For Whom The Bell Tolls - Ernest Hemingway

I could add lots more but I think every person should be read in the classics before they read fluff fiction. Just my opinion of course and I'm not saying anything is wrong with fluff fiction either as I read my share but people should be well rounded and fluff fiction will not do that for you.

Kevin

[lostrekkie]

Thanks Kevin. Actually, I have read a lot of the other books you mentioned, like Of Mice and Men, The Three Musketeers, Siddartha, etc... But I haven't checked out Stranger in a Strange Land yet or 1984... Thanks again. Those two are added to the list. Thanks again guys.

[Meds]

Well for my recommendation and these are not fiction books are any travel books by Bill Bryson, his book down under made me laugh so much i cried, in fact i have read that three times.

http://www.booksattransworld.co.uk/billbryson/downUnderHome.html

His other travel books are great as well, they are so brilliantly wrote you want to buy them all (A Walk in the Woods, Notes from a small island, Notes from a big country, The lost continent and Neither here nor there).

I'm a bio fan and one book i always go back to is David Nivens the moon's a balloon. Pullmans trilogy as Rico mentioned are great though the second book is the weakest, of course Harry Potter is worth a bash but you've probably already read them. Anthony Burgess's A Clockwork Orange is very good. Hope that helps.

[Ricardocameron]

The Walking drum  by Louis Lamour
His best work ,IMHO...An adventure Novel..(NOT A WESTERN!!!)

Here is an historic adventure of extraordinary power waiting to sweep you away to exotic lands as one of the most popular writers of our time conquers new storytelling worlds. Louis L'Amour has been best known for his ability to capture the spirit and drama of the authentic American West. Now he guides his readers to an even more distant frontier -- the enthralling lands of the 12th century.

At the center of The Walking Drum is Kerbouchard, one of L'Amour's greatest heroes. Warrior, lover, scholar, Kerbouchard is a daring seeker of knowledge and fortune bound on a journey of enormous challenge, danger and revenge. Across the Europe, the Russian steppes and through the Byzantine wonder of Constantinople, gateway to Asia, Kerbouchard is thrust into the heart of the treacheries, passions, violence and dazzling wonders of a magnificent time. From castle to slave gallery, from sword-racked battlefields to a princess's secret chamber, and ultimately, to the impregnable fortress of the Valley of Assassins, The Walking Drum is a powerful adventure of an ancient world you will find every bit as riveting as Louis L'Amour's stories of the American West.


Old Man's War  by John Scalzi

Recommended by www.readmorescifi.com

'John Perry did two things on his 75th birthday. First he visited his wife's grave. Then he joined the army.

The good news is that humanity finally made it into interstellar space. The bad news is that planets fit to live on are scarce-and aliens willing to fight for them are common. The universe, it turns out, is a hostile place.

So: we fight. To defend Earth (a target for our new enemies, should we let them get close enough) and to stake our own claim to planetary real estate. Far from Earth, the war has gone on for decades: brutal, bloody, unyielding.

Earth itself is a backwater. The bulk of humanity's resources are in the hands of the Colonial Defense Force, which shields the home planet from too much knowledge of the situation. What's known to everybody is that when you reach retirement age, you can join the CDF. They don't want young people; they want people who carry the knowledge and skills of decades of living. You'll be taken off Earth and never allowed to return. You'll serve your time at the front. And if you survive, you'll be given a generous homestead stake of your own, on one of our hard-won colony planets.

John Perry is taking that deal. He has only the vaguest idea what to expect. Because the actual fight, light-years from home, is far, far harder than he can imagine-and what he will become is far stranger.'
http://www.scalzi.com/books/omwpreview.html



Ender's Game  by Orson Scott Card

Real War.  Kids. Real Fighting With Video Games.  Need I say more? 

Editorial Reviews
New York Times
Intense is the word for Ender's Game. Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species. To make sure humans win the next encounter, the world government has taken to breeding military geniuses -- and then training them in the arts of war... The early training, not surprisingly, takes the form of 'games'... Ender Wiggin is a genius among geniuses; he wins all the games... He is smart enough to know that time is running out. But is he smart enough to save the planet?

[Ricardocameron]

Oh, and how could I forget, the HILARIOUS Comic Crime novels of  Mystery writing GrandMaster Donald E. Westlake!!??
The "Dortmunder Novels" are my faves:

Good Behavior 

John Dortmunder's one of the slyest burglars going. But by God, he has bad luck! While fleeing the police during his latest caper, he falls through the roof of the Silent Sisterhood of St. Filumena -- and tumbles into the lap of trouble. It's an act of God, the sisters exclaim. Only the Creator himself could have sent this criminal just when they need him. Sure, they'll shelter him from the cops. But there's a price: He must help them to retrieve their youngest and newest member from her father's clutches. This promises to get sticky. Dear old dad hates the Sisterhood like the plague. And he happens to have an odd hobby: putting together mercenary armies. Why can't Dortmunder just catch a break?

"Westlake's most entertaining yet." (Publishers Weekly)


Bank shot
by Donald E. Westlake

About this title: With the help of an unusual set of cronies, bank robber John Dortmunder puts a set of wheels under a trailer that just happens to be the temporary site of the Capitalists' & Immigrants' Trust and hauls it away. But when the safe won't open and the cops get close, Dortmunder realizes he's got to find a place to ditch the "bank".

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Donald_E._Westlake

[Ktrek]

I have to agree with Ricardo on Enders Game. A fine fine novel. You'll really enjoy that one!

Kevin

[Omra]

I was always fond of the 'Stainless Steel Rat' series myself.

[wraith1701]

A fairly recent book series that I enjoy is the Vampire Earth series by E.E. Knight.  Don't let the title fool you; the books aren't Anne Rice-style gothic books.  Rather, they could best be described as 'Post Apocolyptic Sci Fi'.

The series takes place in the near future.  The earth has been invaded by a race of super-advanced aliens via the use of ancient transportation portals (kind of like stargates).  These aliens live off of the aura generated by living beings, the most potent form being that possessed by sentient races (like humans).  The aliens, while possessing impressive telepathic abilities, are physically fragile, and hide safely within heavily armed fortresses.  When it comes to physical conflict, they use an army of genetically engineered avatars called Reapers, which are superhumanly strong, almost invulnerable humanoid monsters.  The Reaper's only weakness?  Sunlight. 

In the past, the aliens had limited success conquering ancient earth civilizations, giving birth to the legends of vampires and gods.  After a civil war, the portal to earth was sealed, allowing us to advance to the level of technology we poses today.

In the story, the aliens eventually manage to open a new portal, and use 20th century mankind's new technology against him, leading to a successful invasion.  Much of the earth is ravaged, and civilization crumbles.   The few scattered remaining humans are reduced to roving bands of resistance fighters, struggling to cobble together the remains of technology to combat their alien overlords.  Either that, or they live in the Controlled Zones, basically serving as cattle to sate their master's appetites. 

The few free humans are aided by a benevolent sister-race of the invaders.  These benign aliens have a procedure that they use to aid humanity.  The procedure typically ends in painful death, but for a select few, it gives the subject super-human strength, senses, and reflexes.  These select few serve as the backbone of humanity's resistance movement. 

These books are fantastic!  One reviewer described the first book in the series as being "H.P. Lovecraft meets The Red Badge Of Courage."  I think of them as being a sort of mix of Cthulu-style horror and military sci-fi.  Highly recommended!

[lostrekkie]

I have to agree with Ricardo on Enders Game. A fine fine novel. You'll really enjoy that one!

Kevin

Thanks, but I already read it. Thanks for all the help guys.

[lostrekkie]

A fairly recent book series that I enjoy is the Vampire Earth series by E.E. Knight.  Don't let the title fool you; the books aren't Anne Rice-style gothic books.  Rather, they could best be described as 'Post Apocolyptic Sci Fi'.

Wow, I checked this series out and it looks great. That is going to the top of my list. Thanks Wraith.