Best mystery & suspense action books according to redditors
We found 1,712 Reddit comments discussing the best mystery & suspense action books. We ranked the 495 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
We found 1,712 Reddit comments discussing the best mystery & suspense action books. We ranked the 495 resulting products by number of redditors who mentioned them. Here are the top 20.
Check out The Atlantis Gene by A.G. Riddle it's a really fun sci-fi adventure concerning this incident.
It's been a while so I'm not 100% sure, but I think Soon I Will Be Invincible fits the bill. Literally superheroes/villains, I'd say comedy.
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton is a great novel, intense and clever. Quite different and much better than the movie. 📚
There was a Legends book titled Kenobi which is exactly this - based on Tatooine not long after he first arrives after the events of RotS.
Its one of the better EU books - no super weapons, so villians, nothing silly or outrageous. A few people have called it "a Star Wars Western".
Here's a few that won't get mentioned since it seems like people are only putting down books they had to read for school.
Shantaram - Fictional but based off author being an escaped Australian convict who joins the Bombay mafia.
Catch Me If You Can - Read this years ago. It's supposed to be true but apparently a lot of it is just tale tales. Don't care, most fun I've had reading a book.
Extra Lives: Why Video Games Matter - Finally, a smart book about video games that won't insult your intelligence. All gamers who care about the games they play should read this. It also does a great job on showing where the industry is failing creatively. God I loved this book.
Anything by Chuck Klosterman - He's funny, smart and writes on deep philosophical/sociological ideas by talking about Saved By The Bell and other pop culture ideas.
I love the Red Rising series. It’s in the future, sci fi, and has some bad ass women in it.
Star Wars Darth Bane Trilogy (Written by Drew Karpshyn):
This is the trilogy I recommend starting out on. It gives a lot of history and background on Sith culture and how modern Sith philosophy was (this would be Old Republic Era, just so you understand what I mean by modern) and towards the end of the trilogy brings about the creation of the rule of two and the revolutionized Sith philosophy created by Darth Bane (which would be the Sith you see in the movies and anything in the books after that).
Then I would recommend reading this. This book takes place about a millennium after the events of the Darth Bane trilogy were set in motion and will help you see how the Sith in the movie plot are connected to the Sith in history. I think reading these four books will help anyone interested in the Sith make the transition from "Evil villian bad guys that hurl lightning at Jedi just because" to "Human beings with feelings, goals, plans, and standards who are trying to achieve universal conquest at all costs" and bring Sith from other books you might read in full circle from being labeled as "psychotic evil sadist" to "unconventional anti-hero that probably has an actual story besides being conveniently evil for dat plot".
If you're asking about Star Wars books in general I still recommend reading the books I listed before first just because they give so much depth to a mostly uncovered concept in the Star Wars universe that many authors don't bother going into. You can read any series as long as you start at "Book One" of the series (to avoid confusion) and know where in the timeline the book you're reading is taking place (there is a timeline in the front of just about every Star Wars book that will tell you when the book takes place in relation to the movies and other series. I'll list a few series that I think everyone should read right now in preparation for the Disney Star Wars Movie (Sith help us, please let it be good).
First off and by far my favorite series is the Darth Bane into Darth Plagueis series (the ones I listed before). There will be a lot of Sith stuff going on in the new movie so it'd be important to have an understanding of them or at least get references, and this series is where you will learn that from.
The next series is the Han Solo Saga. These are two separate trilogies about Han Solo's adventures before the movies that were written by two different authors but one is written to follow and compliment the other trilogy, making it a full saga. This is a book of three short stories. Start out reading the first book in this trilogy: (Book 1, Book 2, Book 3) then alternate between book and trilogy story respectively.
The last one is what the new movie will actually be based off of and it isn't a series I enjoyed too much but wasn't bad either. Here it is, The Jedi Academy Series: (Book 1, Book 2, Book 3).
There it is, this is my list of "must reads" but you can really throw a dart at a list of all of the Star Wars books and find a good series. A lot of people really like the Republic Commando series (I have not yet read it) and a lot like the Red Squadron series, so it's really preference. The stuff they made to history-fill for SWTOR release is pretty good too and most are singles and not in a series if you don't like to read much. Enjoy! :)
In case you don't get the reference...
The book: https://www.amazon.com/Sphere-Michael-Crichton/dp/0061990558
& the movie: http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0120184/
The first novel I read was [Jurassic Park] (https://www.amazon.com/Jurassic-Park-Novel-Michael-Crichton/dp/0345538986/ref=tmm_mmp_swatch_0?_encoding=UTF8&qid=&sr=). It created in me a love for reading solid captivating novels that has lasted over the last 25 years.
What's really odd to me is that I can't imagine that the typical Trump supporter thinks that a lush, urban, minimally auto-friendly city would be their paradise. I'm imagining more of a cinematic wild-west type of homesteading, gun toting, rural locale with copious police presence and a lot of emphasis on masculinity would be more their speed. I mean, that's how Kurt Schlicter seems to see the kind of conservative utopia at least.
Shantaram
Shantaram
I hate to sound like a salesman, but this book has everything. It's a fugitive tale, a love story, an insight into the author's mind, a philosophical treatise, a war novel, an ode to India, and more. I've never read a book that had so much to give and so much to say. Brilliant.
As funny as it is tragic, as sentimental as it is harshly realist.
Reamde by Neal Stephenson has significant portions of it in Seattle.
The author lives in Seattle.
It's not a series, but I recently read The Girl With All the Gifts and thoroughly enjoyed it.
You should check out REAMDE! It nailed the whole ransomware phenomenon before it was on most folks' radars. Pretty incredible, and more fun and less technical than a lot of Stephenson's work.
Yeah Ready Player One is one of the biggest Sci - Fi novels written in the last decade. This is legit stuff but I'm usually more optimistic when I see a book is being made into a TV series or mini-series.
For another MMO related mainstream SCIFI novel, check out ReamDe by Neal Stephenson. You can probably find Ready Player One and ReamDe in your local library if you live in the USA.
Shantaram. Absolutely immersive.
Footfall by Niven and Pournelle
Ring of Charon by Roger MacBride Allen (Follow up - The Shattered Sphere)
Saturn Run by by John Sandford and Ctein
From the other linked discussion - One of my favorite scifi trilogies, The Chronicles of Solace (The Depths of Time, The Ocean of Years, The Shores of Tomorrow) by Roger MacBridge Allen, makes the lack of FTL -- and the necessary workarounds for maintaining an interstellar civilization -- a major plot point.
Red Rising Trilogy by Pierce Brown
Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan - No FTL, but consciousness can be beamed as data and downloaded into different bodies (called sleeves). Futuristic noir detective murder mystery.
--Best of luck!
Just started CS Friedman's This Alien Shore. Female protagonist on the run, from what she doesn't know yet. Set within a far future universe and also entails an exotic computer virus let loose within the systems of the net... as usual very dense in plot and I am getting drawn in so far. Only other novel of her's I have read was In Conquest Born and that was a very good psi-fi/space opera.
From there:
> "Conservatives are big pussies when their views are challenged in the media they consume (games, NFL, etc). They don't care if it's something they agree with."
The fuck we are, our opinions are challenged by literally every institution of note around us.
We get pissed when fuckheads like this snarky NeoGAF ass hole brings their snarky crap into sports because we are using sports as a way to find a moment of peace.
You know, after reading that sparkling gem of a comment, and reading the rest of them, I don't want dialog with people that disconnected from reality. I'm tired of dealing with people like that.
I want a divorce. (See this book: https://www.amazon.com/Peoples-Republic-Kurt-Schlichter-ebook/dp/B01M0H7WQZ)
Relevant
>Neal Stephenson, author of the #1 New York Times bestseller Anathem, returns to the terrain of his groundbreaking novels Snow Crash, The Diamond Age, and Cryptonomicon to deliver a high-intensity, high-stakes, action-packed adventure thriller in which a tech entrepreneur gets caught in the very real crossfire of his own online war game.
>In 1972, Richard Forthrast, the black sheep of an Iowa farming clan, fled to the mountains of British Columbia to avoid the draft. A skilled hunting guide, he eventually amassed a fortune by smuggling marijuana across the border between Canada and Idaho. As the years passed, Richard went straight and returned to the States after the U.S. government granted amnesty to draft dodgers. He parlayed his wealth into an empire and developed a remote resort in which he lives. He also created T’Rain, a multibillion-dollar, massively multiplayer online role-playing game with millions of fans around the world.
>But T’Rain’s success has also made it a target. Hackers have struck gold by unleashing REAMDE, a virus that encrypts all of a player’s electronic files and holds them for ransom. They have also unwittingly triggered a deadly war beyond the boundaries of the game’s virtual universe—and Richard is at ground zero.
Based on your comment, I have determined you may be interested in REAMDE by Neal Stephenson.
Some personal favorites:
Reamde.
Agreed, except we really aren't overpopulated. The entire world population could live in individual 1000 sq ft apartments inside the state of Texas (so a family of 4 in a 4000 sq ft place); that leaves a whole lot of unoccupied space around the rest of the world, even if some of it was devoted to food and energy production. The current estimates are a peak population around 9 billion, before it levels off and may even reduce, due to the falling birth rate in modern countries.
The real problem is resource scarcity; or more specifically, people don't live within their local ecosystems. And some of the very wealthy capitalize on this for their own benefit (and have for centuries), to the detriment of others not in their immediate nepotistic circle.
I think a reputation based economy, after resource "scarcity" has been solved; is the real direction humanity should, and will go. It's projecting waaay into the future, but like The Culture.
A closer idea on the possibilities of how "virtual reality" will incorporate our reputations into our daily interactions and society are in two recent books, REAMDE and Ready Player One.
I, also, would recommend the Ex-Heroes series by Peter Cline.
I liked Austin Grossman's Soon I Will be Invincible which has chapters alternating between the POV of the main Villian and a Rookie who has just been drafted into their version of the JLA.
I have a few more recommendations if you want
Mumbai/Bombay is a slightly intimidating place for even the most rugged travellers. It can seem more if this is your first trip to India.
However, it still is one of the most amazing cities I have been to. It comes close to bringing the vastness of indian culture to one place, so forgive it when the chaos and the asymmetry get to you. Shantaram will enhance your understanding of the place a bit.
What are your plans though? Where all? How long?
If you liked Hunger Games, you'll likely enjoy Red Rising. The first book is very Hunger Games-esque, although the sequels branch out more.
Check out Red Rising by Pierce Brown. It is set in a future where we've colonized the solar system. Society has a strict hierarchy, like a caste system, and ancient Roman culture has been idealized.
I can't speak from a ton of experience over the list of novels in the EU, but I personally enjoyed Kenobi. Fits into Ben's time on Tatooine.
Could go for the new marvel comics as well, few decent reads in the bunch.
I really enjoyed the Han Solo trilogy myself. I really liked these (they even have a Kal'rathi / Vanduul type alien species): http://www.amazon.com/Paradise-Snare-Star-Wars-Trilogy/dp/0553574159/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375057832&sr=1-2&keywords=HAN+SOLO
http://www.amazon.com/Hutt-Gambit-Star-Wars-Trilogy/dp/0553574167/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375057832&sr=1-3&keywords=HAN+SOLO
http://www.amazon.com/Rebel-Dawn-Star-Wars-Trilogy/dp/0553574175/ref=sr_1_4?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375057832&sr=1-4&keywords=HAN+SOLO
I liked the thrawn trilogy. Zahn does a good job of putting some of the sci-fi genres people like into star wars. There is a hacker character and militarism and of course you get to see tiny tidbits of the clone wars and everything that people were dying to learn about at the time (the books came out before the prequel movies).
I sort of enjoy star wars that isn't the epic star wars. That is, a lot of the west end games short stories and other stuff that came out that let people explore the universe but without the galaxy ending ramifications most star wars stuff was about. You can find these stories in the Star Wars Journals. I think some of these ended up in the Tales books. Tales of the Bounty is probably the collection everyone likes the best.
Another book I liked was the novelization of the Dark Forces 2: Jedi Knight video game. It's a trilogy of books that came out with the game. I wouldn't say they are the best and maybe I only like them because of nolstalgia for the game but who knows, maybe you will like them.
I also really liked the Boba Fett trilogy, The Bounty Hunter Wars. I'm not really a huge Boba Fett fan like some people but these books were fun because they get away from whatever mischief luke and company are up to this week. You get to see parts of the galaxy you don't see elsewhere.
Also, the X-Wing books by Michael A. Stackpole were very good. I never read the books by Aaron Allston, although I met him at a convention once.
I didn't like the New Jedi Order series. It felt too. . .prepared I guess. I don't know how else to describe it. It was fun when I was reading it as a teenager but I sort of lost interest at some point and I think it's because NJO spends so much time giving you everything and not letting you use your imagination. That was always the best part about Star Wars for me. Imagining who I would be or what I would do and all that.
Has anyone heard of this oddball doorstopper tome Shantaram link to Amazon here? It's got a breathless cover blurb love note from Pat Conroy (who I love) but...a well meaning much older hippie dude pulled it out and was pressing it on me and I generally side eye books that people try to push on you (A Child Called It, The Shack, The Secret, Five People You Meet In Heaven, Heaven is For Real, etc). Any impressions?
Here's the back blurb/summary: (which is not encouraging, btw)
"So begins this epic, mesmerizing first novel by Gregory David Roberts, set in the underworld of contemporary Bombay. Shantaram is narrated by Lin, an escaped convict with a false passport who flees maximum security prison in Australia for the teeming streets of a city where he can disappear.
Accompanied by his guide and faithful friend, Prabaker, the two enter Bombay's hidden society of beggars and gangsters, prostitutes and holy men, soldiers and actors, and Indians and exiles from other countries, who seek in this remarkable place what they cannot find elsewhere.
As a hunted man without a home, family, or identity, Lin searches for love and meaning while running a clinic in one of the city's poorest slums, and serving his apprenticeship in the dark arts of the Bombay mafia. The search leads him to war, prison torture, murder, and a series of enigmatic and bloody betrayals. The keys to unlock the mysteries and intrigues that bind Lin are held by two people. The first is Khader Khan: mafia godfather, criminal-philosopher-saint, and mentor to Lin in the underworld of the Golden City. The second is Karla: elusive, dangerous, and beautiful, whose passions are driven by secrets that torment her and yet give her a terrible power.
Burning slums and five-star hotels, romantic love and prison agonies, criminal wars and Bollywood films, spiritual gurus and mujaheddin guerrillas---this huge novel has the world of human experience in its reach, and a passionate love for India at its heart. Based on the life of the author, it is by any measure the debut of an extraordinary voice in literature"
Reamde by Neal Stephenson!
From Amazon:
>In 1972, Richard Forthrast, the black sheep of an Iowa farming clan, fled to the mountains of British Columbia to avoid the draft. A skilled hunting guide, he eventually amassed a fortune by smuggling marijuana across the border between Canada and Idaho. As the years passed, Richard went straight and returned to the States after the U.S. government granted amnesty to draft dodgers. He parlayed his wealth into an empire and developed a remote resort in which he lives. He also created T’Rain, a multibillion-dollar, massively multiplayer online role-playing game with millions of fans around the world.
>But T’Rain’s success has also made it a target. Hackers have struck gold by unleashing REAMDE, a virus that encrypts all of a player’s electronic files and holds them for ransom. They have also unwittingly triggered a deadly war beyond the boundaries of the game’s virtual universe—and Richard is at ground zero.
>Racing around the globe from the Pacific Northwest to China to the wilds of northern Idaho and points in between, Reamde is a swift-paced thriller that traverses worlds virtual and real. Filled with unexpected twists and turns in which unforgettable villains and unlikely heroes face off in a battle for survival, it is a brilliant refraction of the twenty-first century, from the global war on terror to social media, computer hackers to mobsters, entrepreneurs to religious fundamentalists. Above all, Reamde is an enthralling human story—an entertaining and epic page-turner from the extraordinary Neal Stephenson.
Neal Stephenson knows about Hungarians. Your comment makes me think Csongor's character is surprisingly grounded in reality.
Link's for everyone's convenience:
Amazon
Wikipedia
Excellent book yes. But the most undeservedly overlooked book in my opinion is Shantaram, which is one of the best books written in English in the past 50 years.
You might like The Red Rising trilogy. It's sort of like Ender's Game meets Game of Thrones. Definitely on the lighter side of Sci fi, much more character and plot driven, but takes place across multiple worlds and has high technology, no aliens though.
Maybe something by Alistair Reynolds, House of Suns or Pushing Ice if you want something more solidly sci fi but, still very accessible.
The Han Solo trilogy is a very good series for showing how the Underworld works for smugglers. It follows Han from his childhood, his rocky start into smuggling, joining and then leaving the Empire, acquiring the Falcon, all the way up until he sits down at the table with Obi-wan and Luke. The trilogy gives a look into the shady underbelly of the galaxy.
Scoundrels: A book more in line with a heist film, follows Solo again but this time after the destruction of the first Death Star. Trying to get credits to save his neck from Jabba he accepts a job to infiltrate a fortress and steal from a Black Sun Underboss. It is slow at times and not the best read but it is still a good resource for inspiration.
Gregory Benford might be to your liking, Eater hits a lot of those old hard SF buttons in particular. The Hyperion Cantos may also do the trick. C.S. Friedman's In Conquest Born and This Alien Shore are favorites that have that classic sci-fi feeling.
I would also give Stephenson another shot.. it's really good stuff, but yeah Snow Crash is a little over-the-top (very much so for the first chapter or two, but it does settle down a good bit). I mean, the main character is named Hiro Protagonist... there's obviously going to be a certain level of tongue-in-cheek, self-aware ridiculousness going on, but it's quite amazing how well he foresaw much of the modern computing world. Cryptonomicon is awesome and is one of those rare books that somehow feels like science fiction even though there's nothing out of the ordinary in it. Anathem and Zodiac are also quite good and more traditional in tone and style.
For something a little different but very absorbing check out Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.
There is a scene like that the Atlantis plague book series by a.g. riddle. I don't think it's until the 3rd book though and it's a smaller part of the overall story. I enjoyed the series though. https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/B00C2WDD5I/ref=dbs_a_w_dp_b00c2wdd5i
Check out Drood by Dan Simmons. I picked it up on a whim, and couldn't be happier that I gave it a chance. It's a total trip, and suspenseful in a laid-back / behind-the-scenes sort of way.
Also, I find anything by Michael Chrichton to be utterly "un-put-downable". I'd recommend starting with Congo or Prey, but definitely give Sphere a shot before you move on.
Edit: Sorry I meant Micro instead of Prey. Prey was "meh" but Micro is great. Also definitely check out Timeline! (Sorry, I'm basically obsessed with Chrichton)
Shadow of the Wind, by Carlos Ruiz Zafon, is another favorite of mine. But, it's been so long since I last read it that I can't really remember why. I'm going to be rereading that one again soon.
Shantaram by Gregory Roberts.
I've been reading through this book for a few years, but it so beautifully depicts Bombay that I so desperately want to visit.
It's also a lovely book.
I've been saying this a lot on reddit lately, but read this book mate: Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. It's about a guy who was forced to do this. probably the greatest novel I have ever read.
Trenutno citam:
Planiram i citati:
Evo moj 'library' :P
http://i.imgur.com/Xpe7Vk5.jpg
Moj tip za vas je Shantaram. //switch to English now, because it's a lot easier. It's about a guy who escapes from a prison and goes to Bombay. He starts off low and grows both spiritually and materialistically in the streets of Bombay. It's like GTA: Bombay but with more places (Indian countryside, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Africa). I've already been interested in India because of films like Darjeeling Limited, but this book sealed the deal: I want to visit that country.
Try Shantaram - it is a fictionalized memoir about an escaped Australian convict that travels to (and through) India, mixing with peoples ranging from the destitute, the criminal, and the famous along with mixing with a varying cast of other ex-pats.
I have never read anything else quite like it and I feel like it really captures the essence of its location very well.
If you're into India and amazing stories from jail you should read Shantaram. I read it several times!
And I agree with 'On the Road' as least favorite!
I dunno if these will float your boat but you can try:
Traitor - Amazing standalone book set in the starwars universe
Ender's saga - Philosphy, strategy
Dune series - Abstract philosophy, higher concepts
Ringworld - Haven't read it but I've heard it's worth a go. I'm going to start it as soon as I finish the bloody Sword of Truth series.
Hitchhikers - Need I explain?
I think it's important, at times like these, that we recognize the good stuff.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shatterpoint
https://www.amazon.com/Traitor-Star-Wars-Jedi-Order/dp/034542865X
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Luke_Skywalker_and_the_Shadows_of_Mindor
http://starwars.wikia.com/wiki/Star_Wars_Episode_III:_Revenge_of_the_Sith_(novel)
The Thrawn Trilogy isn't bad too, but those above four are stand-out, literary quality pieces among a sea of mediocrity that is the Star Wars expanded universe.
The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner.
This book has always been popular with the techy-geeky crowd, but, since it was first published in the '70s, it missed out on the cyberpunk revolution of the '80s. It's too bad, because this is a compelling story of a future world tied together by a universal data network, a world that could be our tomorrow. It's a tense place filled with information overload and corporate domination, and nearly everything is known about everybody. Except Nickie Haflinger, a prodigy whose talents allow him to switch identities with a phone call. Nickie plans to change the world, if only he can keep from getting caught.
Jurassic Park is a great read! I'm sure he'll love it.
Other works of fiction that contain the concept of a metaverse;
Books
Anime and Manga
Film
----
I know I haven't even begun to scratch the surface of the genre, because if there's one thing humans are good at, it's writing fucktons on what we like.
So feel free to comment additions to this list, or opinions on what I've currently included. I have by no means read/watched all of these, so having someone with actual experience with each of these weigh in would be nice.
I think you'll enjoy this.
http://www.amazon.com/Go-Go-Girls-Apocalypse-A-Novel/dp/1416552251
You have all the information you need, just type it into Amazon and there ya go.
Dumped from my ~/docs/books.txt file:
Jonathon Stroud - The Bartimaeus Trilogy
John le Carre - Little Drummer Girl
Sloan Wilson - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sloan_Wilson
Norman Mailer - The Naked and the Dead
Storm of Steel http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Storm_of_Steel
Karl Marlantes - Matterhorn http://www.amazon.com/Matterhorn-Novel-Vietnam-Karl-Marlantes/dp/080211928X
Sharon Kay Penman
Neal Stephenson - Reamde: A Novel http://www.amazon.com/Reamde-Novel-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0061977969
Guns, Germs, and Steel by Jared Diamond
1493 by Charles Mann
The Passage by Justin Cronin
The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell
The Storm of War by Andrew Roberts
The Worst Day by RJ Davin http://www.amazon.com/Worst-Day-RJ-Davin/dp/1921791624/ref=sr_1_7?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1324288263&sr=1-7
Starship Troopers
Christopher Stasheff
Books by James Rollins http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_Rollins
Noah Gordon
The Physician
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Physician
Books by Sheri Holman http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sheri_Holman
Books by Barry Eisler http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Barry_Eisler
Claire Messud - The Emporer's Children
Norman Rush
Robert Stone
James David Duncan
Cormac McCarthy
Zadie Smith
The Forever War - Haldeman
Flowers for Algernon - Keyes
The Prestige - Priest
LoTR - Tolkien
Sphere - Crichton (One of the first "real" books I read as a kid, and was my favorite for years. It isn't the best in the world, but it is an extremely fun page turner and means alot to me)
There are also three books I've read in the last couple of years that I want very badly to say are in my top five (to replace some of those listed above). But it has not been long enough for me to make a decision, and I probably need to re-read them. Those three are:
The Passage - Cronin
Cloud Atlas - Mitchell
Wolf Hall - Mantel
REAMDE is is an extremely enjoyable experience
You're doing this wrong. If you approach books as a task for self-edification that you view as a duty, you're going to hate it. Read whatever you want, for entertainment. Read funnystuff. Read thrillers. Read fantasy. Read weird science fiction. Heck, read history, economics, and science.
TL;DR: Read whatever the hell you feel like, and I guarantee you you will feel better about yourself than you would have by forcing yourself through Ulysses or War and Peace.
Don't get me wrong, he's talented and I've never failed to get through one of his books (I'm looking at you Stephenson - odd, I usually love his novels but that I could not get through). I do find myself thinking "Oh, get on with it. Let's have some more story already" quite often.
Seconding Soon I Will Be Invincible.
After The Golden Age was pretty good.
I have a copy of Powerless in my classroom, and my kids seem to enjoy it. It's a YA novel.
You might enjoy Soon I Will Be Invincible.
One thing I like in fanfic is deconstructions. Two deconstructions I've enjoyed are Soon I Will Be Invincible and Redshirts.
There is this really good book called Soon I Will Be Invincible about Superheroes in the same realistic vein that Worm resides in. It's told from alternating POV's of a Super villain and a new Superhero.
> However I do think superheroes in film have had essentially no evolution the way other genres have, and they've stagnated massively. Essentially every Marvel film is identical, and for some reason the few unique ones all choose for the ultra edgy grimdark path. At least with Westerns, a similarly long-beloved genre, new ones are expected to innovate. Not so with superheroes.
I think thats a combination of the superhero genre only becoming really big recently and the monopolization of the films under the Marvel/DC label. Marvels had success with making their films light so theyve become hesitant to step outside their wheelhouse with regards to film (TV is completley different however) and DC seems to think that darkness is the only way to react to the "fun" of Marvel. My hope is we'll see more interesting films play with the concept as the "superhero age" drags on someone will take on the melancholy Soon I will be Invincible or the bleak realism of Worm and succeed outside of the Marvel/DC wheelhouse and hopefully impact the genre for the better
Half of Soon I Will be Invincible is from a supervillains point of view, aaaand it's awesome, full of gems like:
>You don't build a 100 ft robot out of nothing.....there's rumors and gossip, trace evidence. There's a shadow economy out there, where these things get done.
and
> Once you get past a certain threshold, everyone's problems are the same: fortifying your island and hiding the heat signature from your fusion reactor.
Shantaram. Actually, I think it would be better as an HBO/Showtime series since I don't think they could condense the whole movie into 120 mins.
I wasn't too keen on White Tiger - it just came across as a bit pretentious - very makey-uppy. But I can see how it would shock and awe the non-Indian readers as a lot of stuff that Indians can gloss over could be positively disturbing to average Western reader.
I am currently reading (nearly finished) Shantaram by Greogry David Roberts. I don't know how much of that is fact, and how much fiction, but man, I am stunned by the international dimension of Mumbai underworld. I had heard of names like Chotta Rajan, Shakeel, Dawood Ibrahim etc, but I could have never guessed how diverse the activities of the Mafia are. Drugs and narcotics seems to be just the tip of the iceberg, if you read this book. I would seriously recommend this to other desi readers.
This is pretty random, but if anyone has read the book Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts...This is pretty much how I imagined Prabaker was almost all the time.
Also, if you haven't read that book and you want to read an engaging, albeit LONG story, it is quite worth it. 10/10 would read again!
Shantaram
Pappillion
Reading this, I was reminded of a passage from one of my favorite books (Shantaram):
> Justice is a judgement that is both fair and forgiving. Justice is not done until everyone is satisfied, even those who offend us and must be punished by us. You can see, by what we have done with these two boys, that justice is not only the way we punish those who do wrong. It is also the way we try to save them.
If she enjoys reading at all, get her a copy of this book. It's intimidatingly big for non-readers, but every line is poetry. It made me want to visit India- not the rich, luxurious parts, but the slums, the dirty parts with real people.
I think Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts might be what you're looking for. I usually read fantasy also but I've never been sucked into a novel like Shantaram... truly a special book.
If that doesn't sound like your thing, The Alchemist by Paulo Coelho gets suggested in the sub a lot, its also very good.
Try Shantaram.
Guy escapes from an Australian prison to India. Story details the whole process of becoming familiar with a completely foreign culture.
Amazon
It was called Traitor.
Sunshine and The Blue Sword by Robin Mckinley
Star Wars: Traitor by Matthew Stover
The Twelve Kingdoms: Sea of Shadow by Fuyumi Ono
[Nine Princes in Amber] (http://www.amazon.com/Nine-Princes-Amber-Chronicles-Book/dp/B008R63HH2), maybe? There are more books in the series, but it stands alone just fine and is a quick read. I also loved [Shockwave Rider] (http://www.amazon.com/The-Shockwave-Rider-John-Brunner/dp/0345467175/ref=sr_1_sc_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1375051918&sr=1-1-spell&keywords=shickwave+rider), which may be dated in some ways, but is also all too relevant in others...
the Shockwave Rider by John Brunner.
This is a lovely way to remember your mom :) She sounds like she was a lovely person and raised a lovely child :)
My Mom is always cool and calm, and always ready for a laugh. She takes shit from nobody, and doesn't give a rats ass what you think about her. I strive to be more like her :)
this book is about dinosaurs and I haven't read it yet :) Used, please!
"Hey Bean!"
Sounds like a plan! I can't remember what got me hookedon reading. It may have been the Percy Jackson series that make me looove books.
And if you haven't read it, I highly recommend Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton. Greatr ead. Currently my favorite book.
This Lost World edition is from 2012, and is probably the newest one. Amazon's stupid review system seems to have mixed it up with Doyle's Lost World though, haha.
Here's a similar edition of the first book.
Right. I get all that. I was just pointing out that there are many books where you see things like this:
http://www.amazon.com/Girl-Who-Played-Fire-Millennium/dp/0307949508/ref=sr_1_3?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373500736&sr=1-3&keywords=girl+on+fire
http://www.amazon.com/Jurassic-Park-Novel-Michael-Crichton/dp/0345538986/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1373500809&sr=1-1&keywords=jurassic+park
Michael Crichton; he does a lot of books like The Martian. His books are based on real scientific points that blur into fiction to make it more realistic. I like to describe them as "approachable science fiction."
He's most famous for his books-turned-movies: Jurassic Park, Timeline, Congo, and 13th Warrior.
But he also has great approachable ones like Andromeda Strain, The Terminal Man, and Next.
Edit: I just realized how retarded I am and that you were looking for 2016 books. Sorry about that. These are all relatively new though, and great reads.
I see you read Dalzelle's Black fleet trilogy. For something similar but with better tactics, an interesting perspective on differences in technology advancement, and a more expeditionary style conflict, including actual interactions with alien beings, try Evan Currie's Odyssey One series.
Another good Mil-Scifi is Michael Hicks In Her Name series. I've linked the last of the books chronologically but they were the first published and how I read them; so I feel its a good introduction to the series. It focuses on the main character who plays a central role in the human's conflict with a race of blue skinned, Amazonian-like warriors who prefer close quarters combat despite technological superiority(sounds cheesy I know, but the character and culture development is very well done). The middle trilogy is much more military oriented but focuses less on open space naval battles and more on ground battles across multiple planets. The "first," newest trilogy, chronicles the establishment of the Empire that humans are at war with (I haven't read this one yet). The series has some elements of science fantasy, which is all I can say without giving away too much.
My most recent favorite and I can't recommend enough is Pierce Brown's Red Rising trilogy. It's kind of hard to pin down this one into a specific genre. It seems like it would be YA, but it is not. It has eugenics, enhanced humans, an interesting caste system, space battles, ground battles, high technology, low technology, decent character development, and just a ton of other elements. It's sort of Game of Thrones meets Hunger Games meets Harry Potter meets Brave New World meets Roman history in space. It is very well told and is a New York Times best seller for good reason.
I recommend the Red Rising Saga (a trilogy).
They're a "near-future" Sci-Fi series, where humanity has begun to colonize other planets in the solar system. The story follows a "Red" miner of Mars and his story of revenge. The first book reminded me of a mash up of Hunger Games and Ender's Game. Highly recommend the saga as I couldn't put them down once I started reading them. Quickly became one of my favorite book series.
The first book has a 4.5 out of 5 stars on Amazon review with over 3,700 reviews. And a 4.26 on goodreads with over 14,000~ reviews.
I read through the series once then went back and listened to it on Audible later. I would recommend the audio-book as well as it was also well done.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown.
Half a King by Joe Abercrombie.
> Questions of fate, duality, and loyalty, evolve in a cruel test of war... By turns brutal and heartfelt, Red Rising is nonstop action with surprising twists and unforgettable characters.
Not even close to the right book, but it almost fits! :)
In seriousness, here's what the OP refers to... from the year (2012) it might be outdated but looks worth reading for fans and has a great cover!
http://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-Washington-Capitals-Story/dp/1770411054/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1451281550&sr=8-1
I'm reading Red Rising now, and I'm digging it (heh.) It's set on Mars, but it's far enough in the future that it's more fantasy than scifi. Much of the book gives off a Potteresque vibe to me, even if the plot sounds entirely different. There's also a lot of references to Greek and Roman mythology if you're a fan of that.
I also just read the Martian, which was really good (I guess I'm on a Mars kick.) It's basically the Hatchet but on Mars (it follows an Astronaut stranded on Mars having to survive.) I expected it to be sort of dry, but it was the opposite - extremely entertaining and often pretty hilarious.
Ah, in that case:
Clone Wars Era:
Shatterpoint
The Cestus Deception
Darth Vader (and other Darth) Flavored:
Dark Lord: The Rise of Darth Vader
Darth Bane Trilogy
Shadow Hunter: Darth Maul
Original Trilogy Era
Han Solo Trilogy
Lando Trilogy
Highly recommend reading the Han Solo Trilogy for a really good look into what a younger Han could be like.
I believe he was simultaneously trying to escape while a second group was trying to rescue him... It's been a while since I read the books, but here is the book that discusses his escape
As I commented on the post, the Bounty Hunter Wars was about equal to the Han Solo trilogy. Important books for any Fett fans.
This Alien Shore is one of those single books that actually make me want to read more in that universe.
Stranger in a Strange Land is controversial, thought provoking, and while a couple of characters will show up in later Heinlein books, it isn't part of a series.
+1 Anathem (2008) by Neal Stephenson
+1 The Speed of Dark (2002) by Elizabeth Moon
I would suggest C. S. Friedman. She has a lot of the flawed character thing going on in many of her books. She does a bit more sci-fi than fantasy, but honestly either way she's great.
This Alien Shore is good, and a stand-alone:
http://www.amazon.com/This-Alien-Shore-C-S-Friedman/dp/0886777992/ref=la_B000AQ1TUO_1_9?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410005630&sr=1-9
Feast of Souls is the start of a good trilogy:
http://www.amazon.com/Feast-Souls-Magister-Trilogy-Book/dp/0756404630/ref=la_B000AQ1TUO_1_5?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410005630&sr=1-5
And Black Sun Rising is also the start of a good trilogy:
http://www.amazon.com/Black-Rising-Coldfire-Trilogy-Book/dp/0886775272/ref=la_B000AQ1TUO_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1410005630&sr=1-1
Really good sci-fi book that plays around with this question.
Just have these few off the top of my head
Lucifer's Hammer
Go Go Girls of the Apocalypse (pretty funny too)
The Afterblight Chronicles pretty good and there are spinoffs in the same universe with other authors
Try Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse. Definitely a B-movie type book and surprisingly good.
I'm currently reading Go-go girls of the apocalypse by Victor Gischler.
So far I'm enjoying it. I would say that it's more similiar to the fallout universe than perhaps "The road by Cormac Mccarthy" (Great book, read it!) and the Metro series. It's not necessarily an ultra-realistic shot at what the world would be like after the nuclear holocaust, but then again neither is Fallout. Despite that I'd say it's a rather believable world, atleast so far as I've read. As for the quality of his writing I'm afraid I'd be a lousy judge. Yet I'm enjoying it immensely.
Link for the lazy: http://www.amazon.com/Go-Go-Girls-Apocalypse-A-Novel/dp/1416552251
p.s. Reamde IS available in US on Kindle.
http://www.amazon.com/Reamde-A-Novel-ebook/dp/B004XVN0WW/ref=ntt_at_ep_edition_2_1?ie=UTF8&m=AG56TWVU5XWC2
I would add this: You really have to be interested in the history he talks about to bother with the series. I enjoyed it enough to put in the effort, but I can only give it a half-hearted thumbs up.
If you find the history of science and economics interesting, go for it. If not, I'd say that even the good parts aren't enough to make it worthwhile.
And fwiw, you might want to check out Reamde. It gets relatively poor reviews compared to his other books, but I thought it was great. It's less about big ideas and more about just telling a great story. It has the same humor and brilliant writing as his others, just in a very accessible thriller format.
Sounds a lot like Neal Stephenson's Reamde novel.
TL;DR - You need to have a story a lot of people think is good. Your story will become more visible as people pump you up with good reviews. That's how horribly stupid books still get attention: somehow they still get positive reviews.
Long story:
I don't know how some of the self-published authors on Amazon make any money. I'm not at all published, and am nowhere near it yet, so what the hell do I know, right?
However, as a reader of fiction, I can say that I have read PLENTY of dumb books by unknown authors who somehow make it into the Amazon Books of the Month, or books that go on clearance sales. I think the secret behind it is the number of 4 or 5-star Amazon reviews received versus the total number of reviews. If 90%+ of readers give it a 4 or 5 star, and there are 800 reviews, then I think Amazon's super smart computer algorithm guesstimates that the book will generate some revenue. Then the book gets bumped to the top in terms of advertising and running deals on the book.
However, I don't understand how most of the 4 or 5 star reviewers think. Are these people able to tie their own shoes in the morning? An example is the book by self-published author A.G. Riddle The Atlantis Gene: A Thriller. It has a TON of awesome acclaim, averaging 4 stars with 8,000+ reviews. I thought that this must be a great story. It's a conspiracy, science fiction, has historical references...great! I read the whole damn thing and I just couldn't see it. I didn't see what they were talking about. How did this guy get up in the ranks???? Somebody must have already passed out the magic koolaid and I showed up late to the party after it ran out. Or maybe I'm in the minority. Who knows.
I'm not going to buy the other 2 or 3 books in his series. I guess I get what I pay for when I make a $1.99 purchase.
Have you read The Atlantis Gene (Book 1) and the Atlantis Plague (Book 2)?
I actually just finished them.
the entire basis for the two novels The Atlantis Gene and The Atlantis Plague
I actually just read an interesting book about that concept.
Archives for the links in comments:
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For Pynchon, I like Against the Day. It captures a lot of the sort of science-y weirdness that Stephenson always uses.
Go ahead and pre-order Reamde! I just need to read through Anathem one more time and make sure I haven't missed anything.
http://www.amazon.com/Reamde-A-Novel-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0061977969
Yeah came out last year I believe. It's pretty good, but not as insightful as some of his others. This one is a little more suspenseful and focuses a bit more on the real plot rather than the subplot like in his other books. Still a pretty good read!
What about Sphere by Michael Crichton?
Or The Legacy of Heorot?
Hope that helps! If not, let me know and I can keep searching. :)
Not my favorite book, but Michael Crichton's Sphere was an incredible page-turner
It's been over a decade but how about Michael Crichton's Sphere http://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0061990558/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?qid=1464396892&sr=8-1&pi=SY200_QL40&keywords=sphere+michael+crichton&dpPl=1&dpID=51uD6r8D1BL&ref=plSrch
While it wasn't Seattle-centric, Neal Stephenson's Reamde had a scene or two in Seattle. Some of the other locations in the book are in British Columbia and the wilderness between BC and Seattle.
Ream.de by Neal Stephenson. My favorite living sci fi author. It’s not his best ( I preferred Snow crash, cryptonomicon, anathem, seven eves and the baroque cycle, and put this on par with Diamond Age and Rise and Fll of Dodo (which he co-authored)), but it is very very good, and one of the few with no true “sci-fi” elements (as in, it takes place today and there is nothing supernatural and all technology in the book exists and is in use). It’s a crazy story involving a crypto virus, the Russian mob, and terrorists - I won’t say more because that would be giving it away. If you like techno thrillers, I recommend it highly. Even though it is among my “least favorite” of his works, we are talking about literally my number 1 favorite living writer. Ream.de is better than all Tom Clancy novels combined - and I’ve read a ton of those - he basically slam dunked the entire genre in a single book and then moved on. For any other author it could easily be a fitting magnum opus, but so much of the stuff Stephenson has written is so insanely creative, compelling, mind blowing and expertlt crafted - I mean how many people can keep you on the edge of your seat for 900 pages of a story about a cryptolocker virus? That’s ream.de, and like I said, it’s among his less compelling works. His first major novel, Snow Crash, is on par with neuromancer as an all time sci-fi greatest hit. It’s “cheesy” but it is so much fun and alarmingly - alarmingly - prescient.
Anyway, yeah. He is good.
I'm going to throw in REAMDE by Neal Stephenson.
Reamde by Neal Stephenson link
A young man steal credit card numbers for the mob. The middle-man in the deal got his computer hijacked by a virus relating to an insanely popular MMO that the yourn man's girlfirend's uncle owns and develops. They then have to track down the hacker to get the computer virus removed to save them from the mob.
It is a really interesting book and a great, fun read.
I'm 63 years old, and I was involved in the Internet before Tim Berners-Lee invented the WWW. My son is currently a PhD candidate in Comp Sci, and will go to work for Google next spring. I have some familiarity with the Internet. Let me tell you a couple of things about it. First, it can't be "cleaned up". Second, it shouldn't be "cleaned up".
By all means learn security. Learn how to keep people's data safe. That is a skill that will be in great demand from here on out. Forget about this whole "justice" thing though. There is no justice. There are just people who don't want to get fucked over, and people who want to fuck them over.
Addendum: If you haven't already, you should read Reamde.
My goal for the year is to read 50 page a day. I've been on or ahead of pace for every day except two so far this year. I go through books quite quickly and I'm itching to read a long book. May I offer Reamde? I read his Anathem this year already. It is one of the few long books I've read that held my interest. It has renewed my faith in reading longer novels. Sadly, it is not much cheaper used.
If I may, the next book I would like to read is the sequel in the Thursday Next series. Just finished the first and I can't wait to start the second. This is another rarity as I generally dislike series. This book can be purchased much cheaper used ;)
Would be really interested in a game that plagiarizes the economic system in Reamde, which was otherwise a mediocre novel: http://www.amazon.com/Reamde-A-Novel-Neal-Stephenson/dp/0062191497
Basically all money and other resources need to be 'mined' in-game first, like Bitcoin, before it exists. There's a finite (but large) amount of resources in the world. There's no need to spawn players with money if they have some kind of capability that other players might find useful.
Firstly, what are you reading? Are you feeding your mind? You have a professional obligation to be reading voraciously. Required reading, Soon I Will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. A very cute tongue in cheek novel about a superhero and a supervillain, but also a very compelling page-turner.
As deeper research, you might want to read Mutants And Mystics, a book of essays about the origins of superhero comics. Did you know a lot of the guys who create the superhero genre were themselves having profound mystic/supernormal experiences? Back in the 50's, if you told people you were having a "kundalini awakening" like they talk about in yoga classes these days, guys in white coats would show up in a van and cart you off to the nearest asylum. So they had to sublimate these stories into fiction as a way of working out what in heaven was happening to them.
On a more fundamental level, I'd start outlining your characters. Not just their powers, but who they ARE as people. For instance, maybe your strongest superhero is really strong, but he's a health freak. He's a 100% raw vegan who only eats organically grown fruits, vegetables, nuts and seeds. And it's complex. He has to get a certain amount of calories, or (psychosomatically) he believes he'll lose his superpowers. And if you know anything about raw vegans, it's hard to get enough calories eating that way. Fruit is basically just water. Many people binge on raw nut butters and then pass out from all the fat, or sit around eating dozens of bananas at once, and then crash from the sugar. (30 bananas a day is an online community for raw vegans). This is just one example. Tie in your superheros with real life things people do to try and be superhuman. You could have a super-genius superhero who hangs out with "Masters Of The Universe" on Wall St. And maybe he believes that he has to make $250,000 per day on the stock market or he'll lose support of the big corporations who are doing dark rituals or something to empower him. Maybe his power comes from the "mastermind" council of these corporate overlords, and if he doesn't maintain that profitability with his supermind, they'll stop doing the ritual and he'll be cut off, or killed or something.
These are just some examples. It's just raw creativity, man. Like a painter or a tattoo artist (hopefully) grinds their own ink, you have to sit down and grind on your characters. As you learn more about them, the story ins and outs will become at least clear enough for you to get started. I wouldn't invest a lot of time in a super duper detailed outline of the whole book, because as you're writing more things will occur to you, and that will pull you off your outline. Stay agile. Be willing to go on digressions. Just get to a point where your characters are dynamic and fun enough to write and then play jazz with the story, you can always fix inconsistencies in post.
Funny you should ask. I'm a novelist in this genre as well, and I've done a bit of research on the market. As you might imagine, this is a fairly niche space. I'd probably be making more money if I wrote vampire romances, but you gotta write what you love, right?
Anyhow, the advice about the Fantasy>Superheroes category on Amazon is real good. There are a lot of books directly tied to licensed properties, like DC and Marvel characters, but I can't tell you much about those since I work in my own universe. There are also excellent lists on GoodReads. Here are some of the examples I used to figure out my keywords and categories (I haven't read any of these yet, but they're on my list):
Soon I will Be Invincible by Austin Grossman. I hear this is awesome.
Confessions of a D-List Supervillain by Jim Bernheimer.
Good Intentions: A Supervillain Story by Michel Crider.
Meta by Tom Reynolds.
The Second Super by Logan Rutherford.
ULTRA (The Last Hero Book 1) by Matt Blake.
And, I hope this isn't a violation of the self-promotion rules (if it is, please let me know and I'll edit this out), but I can't help but add my own novel, The Hero Beat!
Soon I will be Invincible made me laugh, its told from the villains point of view.
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.
It's an investment of time (i.e 944 pages) but the first line is:
"It took me a long time and most of the world to learn what I know about love and fate and the choices we make, but the heart of it came to me in an instant, while I was chained to a wall and being tortured."
It's a (slightly fictionalized) account of an escaped convict who creates a new life in Bombay. One of the few books that I deeply regretted finishing.
Shantaram
and The Ballad of the Whiskey Robber
Shantaram, just started but its great. About an australian guy that escapes prison and becomes a criminal in India (I think so far). I think about 50% or more is true: http://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330529
Check out this book http://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330529
It is basically GTA Mumbai.
Read the book Shantaram, It's about a foreigner who discovers India and it's Good, Bad and ugly side!
I'm sure you'll enjoy it
Shantaram
http://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330537/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1322162176&sr=8-1
I'm going to go with Shantaram. Probably one of my all time favorite books, has some of the most beautiful prose ever committed to paper. I'm not really sure why it isn't more well known. Those who have read it seem to gush about it.
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts (http://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330537/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1265074018&sr=8-1) - the best book i've ever read and more than likely will ever read.
Shantaram by Gregory David
This book about the Mumbai(Bombay) criminal world from a Westerners perspective/involvement. Great read. Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts http://www.amazon.com/Shantaram-Novel-Gregory-David-Roberts/dp/0312330537
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts.
For a quick read: Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Great story, hilarious, lots of layers, if you want to go looking for them. Fun read even if not.
Two excellent novels that you might identify with. Both long, but fantastic:
Matterhorn by Karl Marlantes. Novel about a young officer in the Vietnam war (around your age), based on the author's experiences. Great book, long, but very engaging and entertaining read.
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts: Just go to the amazon page, can't do it justice here, fantastic book.
A cool part about these is that each could be considered a "Roman a clef" (should be some accents there), at least loosely, as both are based to some degree on actual events in the author's lives. Though liberties are certainly taken, still neat to remember.
Even though the central theme of the book have been effectively retconned away, Traitor is probably my favorite Star Wars book of all time. Mathew Stover has written some of the best Star Wars fiction around.
While I agree that most of the EU books are poorly written, I would make a few exceptions. These are ones I've read and can personally vouch for:
Deceived is optional, but Dark Lord is where you really see Anakin embrace and become Vader. Darth Bane is a cool series to see how the Sith turned from being many to just Master and apprentice.
I'm currently reading Darth Plagueis but haven't finished, so I can't comment yet. But it's also supposed to be one of the greats, and also essential to understanding the movies from what I've read.
Shatterpoint, Traitor, and Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover also seem to get rave reviews here on Reddit. I've gotten about halfway through RotS, and what I can say is that it explains things much better than the film did.
Did you know Amazon will donate a portion of every purchase if you shop by going to smile.amazon.com instead? Over $50,000,000 has been raised for charity - all you need to do is change the URL!
Here are your smile-ified links:
https://smile.amazon.com/Traitor-Star-Wars-Jedi-Order/dp/034542865X
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These kinds of articles remind me of John Brunner's prophetic 1975 sci-fi novel Shockwave Rider in which people are literally a code that serves as their identity and their credit and their complete personal history and potential future. The main protagonist is so gifted that he is able to change his code, thus changing his identity and his credit, and he does so to evade capture by the very group that educated him.
Does the whole WikiLeaks situation remind anyone else of The Shockwave Rider by John Brunner?
For those unfamiliar with the 1976 novel, the main character writes a worm whose job is to sniff out the kind of material WikiLeaks has been publishing, and to send that info directly to citizens.
I think this novel is ripe for the big screen.
Book!
My son doesn't need this, but he would love to read it. He loves the movies. Thanks for the offer.
This one. Although, I can't seem to find the exact edition I read. It had a different cover.
It's where the movie came from. I would recommend it. It gets more into the science part of the science fiction than the movie does, and it's also more graphically violent. Plus, there are several pretty epic parts that didn't make it into the movie, and a lot of the characters are more fleshed out.
https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0345538986/ref=tmm_mmp_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=1540518292&sr=8-18
> https://www.amazon.com/gp/offer-listing/0345538986/ref=tmm_mmp_used_olp_sr?ie=UTF8&condition=used&qid=1540518292&sr=8-18
I actually have the Kindle version of it on my device. I've got all Crichton novels. I've just never got around to reading it for some stupid reason.
Have you read Red Rising by Pierce Brown? It's a sci-fi dystopia book that I've described to friends as featuring a hemospectrum-like class system.
It's a few hundred years from now, and humans have begun to colonize the solar system. The Red caste labor beneath the surface of Mars, working to terraform the planet so that the other castes can make the journey from earth. However, one Red worker discovers that the planet has already been terraformed, many years ago, and the rest of the colors are living in luxury above ground. He then infiltrates the ruling caste, starts a rebellion, all sorts of lovely things.
I'm currently in the middle of the last book in the trilogy, and so far I'm loving it. There's a bit of a Hunger Games vibe in the first book, but it quickly loses the similarity. There's a lot more politics, and the characters are far more interesting(Sevro. Bloodydamn Sevro. Enough said). I highly recommend it, and apologize if the ending of the last book sucks, because I haven't gotten that far yet!
Red Rising by Pierce Brown. A film adaptation is in development.
Check out Red Rising By Pierce Brown, who is a much better author than I will ever be. Martians, super soldiers, twist endings, pretty awesome stuff.
Red Rising by Brown
"A lot happens in this first installment of a projected trilogy. Darrow, living in a mining colony on Mars, sees his wife executed by the government, nearly dies himself, is rescued by the underground revolutionary group known as Sons of Ares, learns his government has been lying to him (and to everybody else), and is recruited to infiltrate the inner circle of society and help to bring it down from within—and that’s all inside the first 100 pages. .."
How about instead we instill a caste based Society where the rulers all have really awesome Roman names and the castes are all color coded. Source
If he likes Sci-Fi, he should definitely check out Red Rising. It's a pretty easy read and sort of morphs into a sci fi game of thrones later on, where there are multiple groups fighting to rule over the galaxy.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-Pierce-Brown/dp/034553980X
morning star is the 3rd book in the red rising trilogy by pierce brown. while more sci fi than fantasy it is AMAZING and i cant recommend it enough, it starts with red rising
great story, amazing pacing. if you like a story where the plot moves along rapidly while still filling in the details nicely do yourself a favor and give it a shot.
There isn't a movie of these yet, (hope there will) but The Testing Trilogy and the Red Rising Trilogy are very similar (in being an arena) to Hunger Games. I like them both too.
It's a future dystopian/hard-ish sci-fi novel that is not YA. It's amazing and I highly recommend you read it.
I'm actually doing a contest concerning this book which ends tomorrow night at midnight CST.
Pierce Brown - [Red Rising] (http://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-Book-Trilogy/dp/034553980X)
It came out in July and is awesome. Book 2 just came out, too.
Red Rising by Pierce Brown is right up your alley. And it's only $1.48 for Amazon Kindle right now. The sequel, Golden Son, just came out too.
If you haven't read the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown, I think you should give it a go. Stick through the first 50 pages, and you won't be sorry. The second in the trilogy is actually better than the first, and Goodreads called it the best SF of the year.
The First Fifteen Lives of Harry August by Claire North.
On My Way to Paradise by David Farland.
Star Wars: Kenobi on Amazon.
It's pretty much a western only with Kenobi instead of Clint Eastwood. Not a bad read, but probably a little different feel than you might be expecting.
Have you read the Kenobi book? Your story is not so dissimilar.
if they did this i say they make it on the book
http://www.amazon.ca/Kenobi-Star-John-Jackson-Miller/dp/0345546849/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1418264719&sr=8-1&keywords=kenobi
You have basically described the plot of this book!
http://www.amazon.com/Kenobi-Star-Wars-Legends/dp/0345546849/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1452286962&sr=8-1&keywords=obi+wan+kenobi+book
And until Disney releases anything that dispute what is legends, i consider it still canon.
There is actually a book already out, Star Wars - Kenobi , detailing that story although its probably not canon anymore...
Get the bountyhunter wars it was my favorite staring bobba fett
http://www.amazon.com/The-Mandalorian-Armor-Star-Wars/dp/0553578855
Those are great. I also enjoyed this one:
The Mandalorian Armor (Star Wars: The Bounty Hunter Wars, Book 1) https://www.amazon.com/dp/0553578855/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_apa_Jj9XBbKK39KXY
This is an interesting series of novels. Not really necessary to read them in any particular order, but set in the same universe with some really neat ideas. Expendable, James Alan Gardner. I'm a stickler, so I like to read in order and this is the first.
http://www.amazon.com/Expendable-League-Peoples-Bk-1/dp/038079439X/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267371733&sr=8-8
I'd also add C.S. Friedman, This Alien Shore
http://www.amazon.com/This-Alien-Shore-C-S-Friedman/dp/0886777992/ref=sr_1_8?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267371906&sr=1-8
And if you haven't read them, the Halo book series is surprisingly good.
http://www.amazon.com/Books-Flood-First-Strike-Reach/dp/0345473043/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1267373681&sr=1-4
Have you read This Alien Shore by CS Friedman? It might cover some of what you are thinking of.
This Alien Shore by C. S. Friedman. I'm not sure how many people have read it, but I don't see it mentioned very often, which is a shame because it's a great book.
David Brin's Uplift Series is exceptional (at least the first three are: Sundiver, Startide Rising, The Uplift War)...Startide won the most awards, but imho it's the least fun of the three.
There is a really interesting stand alone that a lot of people haven't heard of called This Alien Shore, by C. S. Friedman...It's a hell of a book, and not as well known as it deserves to be.
Go Go Girls of the Apocalypse
http://www.amazon.com/Go-Go-Girls-Apocalypse-A-Novel/dp/1416552251
Its light, and funny as hell, and there's even some deeper issues hidden in this tale of the rebirth of civilization.
Good book for cleansing your palate after "The Road".
Other books to explode your brain with awesome.
Crooked Little Vein http://www.amazon.com/Crooked-Little-Vein-Novel-P-S/dp/B003F76I1K/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1314238590&sr=8-1
Kiss Me Judas, Penny Dreadful, and Hells Half Acre http://www.amazon.com/Phineas-Poe-Judas-Penny-Dreadful/dp/159692151X/ref=sr_1_2?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314238655&sr=1-2
Go Go Girls of the Apocalypse http://www.amazon.com/Go-Go-Girls-Apocalypse-Victor-Gischler/dp/1416552251/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1314238751&sr=1-1
These are just some of my favorites.
Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse.
http://www.amazon.com/Go-Go-Girls-Apocalypse-A-Novel/dp/1416552251
I don't believe this is what you're looking for but it put me in mind of this:
http://www.amazon.com/Go-Go-Girls-Apocalypse-A-Novel/dp/1416552251/
Yeah I'm sure it's pretty unheard of I'm always getting books and things form friends, if you enjoy that one THIS is simply a masterpiece.
There's this post-apocalyptic Mad Max style novel called Go Go Girls of the Apocalypse, and the main character holes up in a bunker to wait out the end of the world much like you describe. He decides to burn all the pornography soon after entering hibernation after he realises he's spent nearly 10 days in a row doing nothing but masturbating.
Rico Slade Will Fucking Kill You
Probably anything by Carlton Mellick
And one of my favs... go-go girls of the apocalypse
shantaram is a great book he might enjoy!
Shantaram Such an amazing book that you won't notice how long it is.
happy birthday man, time to end boredom
for me it was playing music. My friend randomly told me one day I should get a bass because he played guitar and my other friend played drums. fast forward 10 years and it's essentially my profession.
as for the wishlist item, how about this
it's a book that's been on my to-read list for over a year now, just haven't had the chance to get to it because of so many other awesome books.
Shantaram by Gregory David Roberts. A great story too, but I'm amazed at his style and how effortless it is. He's one of the few authors that, as another writer, I'm envious of.
Sounds like Reamde
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I currently look here: amazon.com, amazon.co.uk, amazon.ca, amazon.com.au, amazon.in, amazon.com.mx, amazon.de, amazon.it, amazon.es, amazon.com.br, amazon.nl, amazon.co.jp, amazon.fr, if you would like your local version of Amazon adding please contact my creator.
It seems like these 3 codes are all interrelated:
https://www.amazon.com/Atlantis-Gene-Thriller-Origin-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00C2WDD5I
https://www.amazon.com/Atlantis-Gene-Thriller-Origin-Mystery-ebook/dp/B007FG9LIE
https://www.amazon.com/Atlantis-Gene-Thriller-Origin-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00L3U9OCG
Anyone ever read The Atlantis Gene series? It's fictional but has a lot of these theories in it about Antarctica and the global elite and ancient beings. Fun read.
https://www.amazon.ca/Atlantis-Gene-Thriller-Origin-Mystery-ebook/dp/B00C2WDD5I
This is a good trilogy. It is a thriller and some sci-fi throw in.
The Girl WIth All The Gifts by M.R. Carey
> NOT EVERY GIFT IS A BLESSING.
> Melanie is a very special girl. Dr Caldwell calls her "our little genius."
> Every morning, Melanie waits in her cell to be collected for class. When they come for her, Sergeant keeps his gun pointing at her while two of his people strap her into the wheelchair. She thinks they don't like her. She jokes that she won't bite, but they don't laugh.
> The Girl With All the Gifts is a groundbreaking thriller, emotionally charged and gripping from beginning to end.
Hi ID10TU53R,
You should have fun wit any of these:
Pines by Blake Crouch - A secret service agent finds himself in a strange mountain town. A mix of Twin Peaks, The Fugitive, and The Twilight Zone.
11/22/63 by Stephen King - A high school teacher finds a portal to the past and tries to prevent the JFK assassination.
The Girl With All The Gifts A teacher tries to tame infected children in the zombie apocalypse.
The Martian by Andy Weir - The story of an astronaut stranded on Mars. Feels a lot like Apollo 13 or Gravity.
The Dinosaur Four by Geoff Jones (me) - A b-movie time-travel thriller about ten people trapped in the Cretaceous.
Best,
Geoff Jones
Author of The Dinosaur Four
Several of the ones I would recommend have already been mentioned, but I also enjoyed The Girl With All the Gifts by M.R. Carey and The Reapers Are the Angels by Alden Bell. Another good one is The Forest of Hands and Teeth by Carrie Ryan. It's YA, and it is the first in a series. I haven't read the other books in the series, though. I think it works fine as a stand alone and just haven't had the desire to read the others.
If you're interested in YA, you might also enjoy the Uglies series by Scott Westerfield.
Satisfying endings? Damn it, I am coming up short on examples. A lot of the books I've read recently have had unsatisfying endings, either because they're rushed or don't address all plot points or don't quite fit with the tone of the books.
One ending/epilogue that made a huge impression on me was the continuation of Aragorn and Arwen's story in The Lord of the Rings. That still ranks as one of the most depressing things I've ever read.
I'm still coming up short on satisfaction. I have definitely read plenty of 'first in a trilogy' books where I've gone on to read the second (and usually third) for one reason or another, but I think that's because I give so much leeway to the second book in a trilogy. I already know the characters, so I'm less critical of character development. I've read the first book, so I know the tone and writing quality ahead of time and can usually pick it up in the right mood. The series isn't 'finished' yet, so I can let bad science and plot holes slide on the assumption that they'll be addressed in the third and final volume... I am often sadly disappointed by the third's finale.
Hmm, maybe Rae Carson's The Bitter Kingdom would rank as a wholly satisfying ending? The book kept up with the previous books and addressed the major plot and subplots as it ended. However, there was a certain amount of ambiguity about politics and relationships (not "These two got married and lived happily ever after") to fuel fanfiction or speculation or give a backdrop to a related series, and a minor character (
MulaRed Sparkle Stone) was propped up to take the reins on a sequel by hinting that she's going to do something big and has something to do with an enduring origin mystery.Maybe I am just a fan of ambiguity in endings in general. Going through my list, I have decided that Eleanor & Park, Fangirl, Two Boys Kissing, and The Girl With All The Gifts claim the accolades for having wholly satisfying endings, and the unifying theme there was that they were all low-key and somewhat ambiguous. You know how the Climax was addressed, but not whether the Solution actually works out or not. You're left still thinking about the books and what would logically happen to each character.
As for the last question... When I officially finish, I'll let you know about the celebrations. I'll assume it will involve beer and bragging on the internet. And kudos from the two real-life people who care.
Fantasy is my usual choice, but my book club recently read The Show Child and I really enjoyed it. It's a nice mix of realism and fairy tale set in 1920s Alaska.
We also read The Rosie Project which was surprisingly entertaining and sweet. I didn't expect to enjoy it but I did. I just saw there's a sequel to that one I'll be checking out.
I'm also a huge fan of M.R. Carey's post-apocalyptic The Girl with all the Gifts.
...maybe? 🙀
Sounds like "People's Republic" to me.
How the hell is this site STILL not blacklisted from here? This isn't an article, it's an advertisement.
>The Democrats of all stripes seem intent on creating the hellish nightmare I describe in my action-packed yet highly amusing novels about the United States’ split into red and blue countries, People's Republic, Indian Countryand Wildfire. These quality tomes are hated by liberals and the sad Loser Boat crew from the failed Weekly Standard as “Appalling,” so you need no further validation.
Ahem.
This article is pure gold
And the columnist's novels look like great reads as well. Looks like I will be checking it out
There are so many I have no idea how someone can not be aware of them.
Just go through the wikipedia article and follow the references that interest you.
To skim over it a bit. We could accidentally put in a gene that damages the soil, put in something that messes with the soils bacteria ecosystem, put in something that kills an insect that is an important part of the ecosystem, create an invasive species that becomes impossible to control, accidentally leak GMO material into non-GMO plants which is happening to a lot of corn in the United States, cause the plant to produce an allergen it wasn't producing before, it goes on and on.
Which is how you know that anyone who thinks there's nothing to worry about with GMOs is either completely ignorant about science or a shill. This unexplored territory and we should use caution as we explore it instead of economically exploiting it as quickly as possible like idiots.
This is a very common theme in Michael Crichton's books about the recklessness of capitalism with scientific discovery. This is stressed in the book version of Jurassic Park, read that if you don't understand the general risks that come with any new technology.
This is literally the premise of Red Rising.
Don't worry guys, I'm here for the ultra-nerdy Extended Universe explanation of why, despite this not being at all the point, this post defies the true nature of Han and Chewie's brohood.
You see, before his days of lawless smuggling and being a handsome vagabond, Han Solo was an officer in the Imperial Navy. Han was given an order to execute Chewbacca, a 200+ old Wookiee Imperial slave. Han refused and was summarily discharged from his military service. According to the customs of the Wookiees of Kashyyyk, Chewbacca swore a "life debt" to Solo to the point where he would readily surrender his own life to spare that of his friend's.
All this, and many other nerdgasmic details are described or alluded to in the very enjoyable Han Solo Trilogy by the talented author Ann C. Crispin.
You're welcome.
I really can't recommend "Go-Go Girls of the Apocalypse" by Victor Gischler enough. It's an awesome post apocalyptic novel that revolves around a man who became a hermit and comes back to "civilization" after it has crumbled, and in it's place a new post-apocalyptic society has formed.
It's VERY fun & funny. Action-packed and pretty crazy. Recommend it 100%
Okay, this is a bit of a pet peeve for me; please excuse me. The idea that humans originated occurred on another planet is implausible. This idea might have sold back in the Golden Age of science fiction, but based on the current state of science, it's naive.
Aliens could have visited us at sometime in the past, and perhaps kidnapped our ancestors & ported them off-world. Damocles by SG Redling.
Or they might have messed with our ancestor's genes here on Earth The Atlantis Gene by AG Riddle.
But we didn't evolve on another planet. We are too similar to our closest relatives, and the fossil and genetic evidence of our Earth origins is too overwhelming to suggest xenogenetic origins.
when truth stranger than fiction
This is not exactly what you're looking for, but it deals with issues of perfection in society. Check out the Red Rising series by Pierce Brown.
https://www.amazon.com/Red-Rising-Pierce-Brown/dp/034553980X
Tell that to this guy: https://www.amazon.com/Peoples-Republic-Kurt-Schlichter-ebook/dp/B01M0H7WQZ