Sure. See: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2011/06/reality-check-1.html

Note that my views fluctuate wildly. I have another singularity novel coming out this September 4th, co-written with Cory Doctorow: "The Rapture of the Nerds":

http://www.amazon.com/The-Rapture-Nerds-Cory-Doctorow/dp/0765329107/

^(Note: these are all books I've read and can recommend from experience.)

David Brin's Sundiver is a detective mystery. Likewise his Existence is a mystery about a recently discovered artifact, though its presentation with multiple perspectives lacks the singular detective tone of Sundiver. It's not as much of a mystery/thriller more of a mystery/adventure. It is also one of the overall best science fiction novels I've ever read; the writing is top notch, the characters superbly lifelike, the tone excellent, and the overall reading experience enjoyable and filled with a realistic optimism.

Gregory Benford's Artifact is an investigative mystery about a strange artifact. His Timescape is about a strange phenomenon.

Jack McDevitt's The Engines of God is an investigative mystery about a strange artifact.

Asimov's The End of Eternity is a classic mystery/thriller.

Alastair Reynolds' The Prefect and Chasm City are both standalone detective mysteries. His Revelation Space is similar, but does not have the same classic mystery tone.

Greg Bear's Queen of Angels and Slant are both standalone detective mysteries.

I seem to recall the Second Foundation (Foundation's Fear, Foundation and Chaos, Foundation's Triumph) trilogy by Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, and David Brin having some mystery aspects. I think one of them at least is a detective mystery, but I can't remember which right now.

Dan Simmons' Ilium/Olympos is a sort of detective mystery, but its tone is much more action/adventure despite the protagonist's undertakings to determine what in the world is going on.

Joan D. Vinge's Cat Trilogy (Psion, Catspaw, and Dreamfall) are detective mysteries.

Julian May's Perseus Spur is a detective mystery. It's pretty light-hearted and a lot of fun to read. Something you would pick up at an airport bookstore and not be at all disappointed with. I can't speak for the other two books in the trilogy, haven't read them yet. Just ordered them off Amazon for $4 a piece.

I could go on, but I think that should keep you busy for a while.

 

^(Edited to clarify the tone of some suggestions. Some are more traditional mystery/thriller, while others are more adventure/mystery, more alike to Indiana Jones than a noir detective.)

Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner

From Amazon:

> There are seven billion-plus humans crowding the surface of 21st century Earth. It is an age of intelligent computers, mass-market psychedelic drugs, politics conducted by assassination, scientists who burn incense to appease volcanoes ...all the hysteria of a dangerously overcrowded world, portrayed in a dazzlingly inventive style.

Review by Joe Haldeman:

> A wake-up call to a world slumbering in the opium dream of consumerisum; in the hazy certainty that we humans were in charge of nature. Science fiction is not about predicting the future, it's about elucidating the present and the past. Brunner's 1968 nightmare is crystallizing around us, in ways he could not have foreseen then. If the right people had read this book, and acted in accordance with its precepts and spirit, our world would not be in such precarious shape today. Maybe it's time for a new generation to read it.

The Difference Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. Leviathan by Scott Westerfeld. Boneshaker by Cherie Priest. Perdido Street Station by China Mieville. And more.

Doesn't look like it...

https://www.amazon.co.uk/Mosaic-17K-Christopher-Drake/dp/1521017220/ref=asap_bc?ie=UTF8

You do know these are based on books right?

​

This is most likely season 2


This is most likely season 3

Based on your list, it seems you're a video gamer, too. Nice, so some of your fiction titles reflect that.

• Phantoms by Dean Koontz -- I'm guessing you like Silent Hill or Resident Evil type games. While this book by Koontz doesn't involve zombies, it is centered around a mysterious town. Suddenly everyone in a small American town has disappeared and it's up to a visiting sister and a sheriff to solve the mystery. The plot ramps up quickly and escalates (big time), and it's one of my favorite books. Lots of action, too, with great mix of horror (and a little sci-fi). While Dean Koontz has written some clunkers, early Dean Koontz really rocked.
  
  Kindlie link: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B001RWQVSK/
  
  
• Andromeda Strain by Micheal Crichton -- One of Crichton's earliest novels and it deals with a team of scientists trapped in a facility as they try to contain a viral outbreak that can destroy the world, but they are running out of time. It's a really thrilling read and was made into a great film, too. Your titles you posted often deals with pandemics or viral attacks so I figured you'd enjoy this.
  
  Kindlie link: https://www.amazon.com/Andromeda-Strain-Michael-Crichton-ebook/dp/B007UH4EPS/
  
  
• Sphere by Micheal Crichton -- Since you mentioned Dead Space series so here's some sci-fi horror. Another one of my favorites from Crichton. While it does deal with aliens and a spaceship, it's actually set on Earth, where instead of something buried in ice (like with The Thing), an alien ship is deep underwater. A team of scientists have to delve deep into the ocean and try to breach the alien ship known as the Sphere.
  
  Kindlie link: https://www.amazon.com/Sphere-Michael-Crichton-ebook/dp/B007UH4G9C/
  
  
• Who Goes There? by John W. Campbell -- this is the horror/sci-fi short story that the The Thing and it's remakes were based on. While written in 1938, it's still a great read (and available on Kindle). The author, Campbell, was a giant figure in the Golden Age of Science Fiction as he was also the editor of Astounding Fiction Magazine, the landmark magazine that ushered in Isaac Asimov, Robert Heinlein, Theodore Sturgeon, AE Van Vogt, Henry Kuttner and other legendary sci-fi writers.
  
  Kindlie link: https://www.amazon.com/Goes-There-RosettaBooks-into-Film-ebook/dp/B003XVYLGW
  
  
• Vault of the Beast by A.E. Van Vogt -- another sci-fi horror story from the Golden Age of Science Fiction, this one a short story (on Kindle for only $1.49). Van Vogt's stories are a huge influence on horror and sci-fi writers, influencing Stephen King, Koontz, John Carpenter and many others. I love this creepy tale that is a must for lovers of the The Thing. Here's the first line: "The creature crept. It whimpered from fear and pain, a thing, slobbering sound horrible to hear. Shapeless, formless thing yet changing shape and form with every jerky movement. It crept along the corridor of the space freighter [...]"
  
  Kindlie link: https://www.amazon.com/Vault-Beast-E-van-Vogt-ebook/dp/B001M0N0FO
  
  
• The Nightrunners by Joe R. Landsale or The Drive-In by Joe R. Lansdale -- since you like Evil Dead, Joe R. Lansdale is known for his mix of occasional humor and extreme horror. Like the Evil Dead films, he can get gory, but not at the sacrifice at making creative plots and great characters. Lansdale does also westerns, texas noir, crime novels, etc, which are all great, so he covers a ton of genres. Early Lansdale tended to do more horror, however, as you see from these two books. One of my favorite authors, and great if you want some hi-octane fun.
  
  Kindlie link Nightrunners: https://www.amazon.com/Nightrunners-Joe-R-Lansdale-ebook/dp/B00634UDHC
  
  Kindlie link The Drive-in (book 1 of 3): https://www.amazon.com/Drive-Joe-R-Lansdale-ebook/dp/B00H1L5D9E
  
  
• Natsuo Kirino horror novels (Real World / Out / Grotesque) -- Since you mentioned The Ring which was originally written by Japanese author Koji Suzuki, so maybe try some horror from other Japanese authors. Kirino's works are equally unsettling reads, so I'd recommend checking any of her titles out. You could also try Ryu Murakami, who writes some twisted stuff, like In Miso Soup or Coin Locker Babies.
  
  I also agree with others for their recommendations for Laird Barron, John Langan, Shirley Jackson, Dan Simmons, H.P. Lovecraft, Paul Tremblay, and of course Stephen King. For King, try the Dark Tower series as that's a mix of Western and horror, kind of like if Red Dead Redemption video game went into the horror territory but on an epic scale. Great series. Also check out The Stand which is epic post-apocalyptic tale. I quite liked The Shining as someone else has mentioned and I also liked Salem's Lot.
  
  Lastly, for a great (and free) short story that is a nice twist on The Thing, check out this story that has a similar premise, only it's from the alien's point of view. It was quite cool, and an interesting idea to see how things would look like from the alien's side.
  
  All the Painted Stars by Gwendolyn Clare -- available to read online here at Clarkesworld Magazine website
  
  
  

If your MIL is coming to visit, it probably would wouldn't hurt to have something like this casually laying around.

Edit: on phone, mistakes happen

• Applications for jobs in Yemen!
  
• Adoption papers for Chinese children
  
• Put her birthday into a calendar on your wall on the wrong day.
  
• Find out what she wants for christmas, leave an open catalogue with the item circled several times and then don't buy it for her.
  
• Nursing home brochures ordered in her name.
  
• Buy this book leave it out and then invite her to dinner.
  
• Or this book and leave it on your bookshelf.
  
• Buy a Koran.
  

There was a cyberpunk/dystopia book published last year where the flooding of the Ohio River was a major part of the background.

It's called Mosaic 17K. It's by Christopher Drake. I really liked it. Fair warning: It's a big book.

If you're looking for something really dark I'd suggest Harry Connolly's Twenty Palaces series. The first one is Child of Fire. I really enjoyed it and Jim Butcher has also recommend it. Keep in mind there are only 3 books and 1 prequel that Harry self published due to his publisher dropping him.

If you're looking for something stupid and funny I recommend John Dies at the End and it's sequel This Books is Full of Spiders: Seriously, Dude, Don't Touch It. I have to admit I'm a bit biased on those though, I won a free signed copy of TBiFoS by participating in an alternate reality game around the time of its release.

https://www.amazon.com/Murder-Your-Mother-Ellie-Haskell/dp/0553569511


Some fiction to keep it light? Lol

I have heard good things about Public Enemy Zero and it averages almost 5 stars out of 171 reviews on Amazon. It also has the advantage of only being $0.99, so pretty much anyone should be able to join in.

Edit

I just thought of another good book that should be in the ring...and the best thing is that this one is legally available for free. Accelerando, (non free link) by Charles Stross. Unlike Public Enemy Zero, I have read this one, and can attest to it's awesome. Manybooks (free link) has the book in pretty much every format you can imagine, for pretty much any reader device or software imaginable.

The Friends of Eddie Coyle is Higgin's best and an undisputed classic but he did a ton of other great books as well.

I'd also recommend the Spenser books by RBP.

Finally finished my ASoIaF re-read, though I think that was before December. AFfC and aDwD are so fucking underrated. I seriously have a hard time figuring out who the hell is reading that series in the first place that somehow doesn't get those two books.

Kinda want to put some more fantasy/sci-fi in the rotation but over the last couple months I've made some attempts that remind me why I gave up most genre fiction. Started into Simmons' Hyperion and holy fuck if I never hear the word "cruciform" again . . . It seems like there could be a cool story under there, but the writing is clumsy as hell (yes, even after accounting for what's up with the stretch with all the "cruciform" bullshit). Listening to the audiobook might have aggravated the repetitiveness of some portions, but uggh. I feel like I'll eventually finish at least Hyperion just because of how much positive stuff I've heard about the story but I doubt it's gonna reel me in for the two sequels.

Also tried dipping my toe into the first of Sanderson's Stormlight books and goddamn I am not going to finish that one. Turns out everything in the world is a compound word, formed of the kewlest words Sanderson knows. Storm+light. Shard+blade. Oath+pact. "Oathpact." It's a compound word made out of fucking synonyms. It's super high fantasy, which makes me leery to begin with, but every other word is a proper compound noun that I would've made up for my D&D games when I was 11. Despite all the made up words there's still no useful descriptions of the world; I know the magic armor is scaled, but have no idea who the people being killed are or why I'd care. Like three chapters of this jargony bullshit and I still don't even know what the little fairies that apparently appear everywhere, constantly, in response to everyone's emotions, even look like. People sprinting across a battlefield can still casually converse about how clever their tactics are, even while too rushed to simply grip a shield. This is why genre fiction is a ghetto, people.

Got The Peripheral for my birthday a bit ago, and I'm about to be unemployed and sober for a bit so I'm going to be just straight blasting through this bitch. Got some book on a mathematical proof of natural selection for Christmas, should take about an afternoon it looks like.

After that I'm'a stack a couple serious sounding things -- Wittgenstein's Blue and Brown or Philosophic Investigations, go back and reread The Prince, like serious-taking-notes-and-shit style. Mebbe raid my buddy's library of political philosophy textbooks. And 1:1 salt in some lighter stuff -- still got a stack of Thompson's later shit to work through, still need to read Confederacy of Dunces, etc.

Here's a transcript and web audio / web video / download audio, 43MB MP3, 1hr 33min / download video, 197MB MP4, 1hr 41min of the full interview. He also reads a chapter from his upcoming novel The Peripheral, which you can now pre-order (Amazon.com / Amazon UK).

I'll tag in, then :) I'm Ino, I write primarily fantasy fiction but have some scifi stuff.

Mostly on RS I write Spark of Divinity, but for those who like that, check out Wanderer on my sub! It's book 2 of my urban fantasy series, Remnants of Magic, and while book 1 is only on Amazon, it's 99 cents for a limited stretch here :D

Remnants of Magic follows Jon through an increasingly chaotic series of conflicts as he both discovers magic is quite real and gets caught up in the middle of the wars surrounding it. Together with his drunk and irritable trusty sidekick, a thousand-year-old immortal, he's left to carve a home out of the madness.

Thats the premise of this book, though technically there not zombies. It's a really good book and a unique take,on the subject

http://www.amazon.com/Public-Enemy-Zero-Andrew-Mayne-ebook/dp/B0052ZUXPA/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1394933976&sr=8-1&keywords=Public+enemy+zero

The Twenty Palaces series got me through those extra months between Changes and Ghost Story; and seeing as how I found out about the series from Jim's website that ought to say something.

http://www.amazon.com/Child-Fire-Twenty-Palaces-Novel/dp/0345508890/ref=sr_1_4?ie=UTF8&qid=1318576688&sr=8-4

I am a big, big fan of the Twenty Palaces series by Harry Connolly. Pretty highly gritty IMO, but if that's what you like you should be fine. If you like Dresden Files, you may note that the first published book has a pull quote from Jim Butcher right up there on the front.

I like a lot of Non-Fiction and just finished Think Like A Freak, by the Freakanomics authors and really enjoyed it! If you like novels, I highly recommend The Peripheral

I think both are great, but the audio drama is probably slightly better. The movie falls apart towards the end, mostly because they felt a need to include some onscreen action, while the radioplay's ending has a better conceptual continuity to the plot.

The original book both are based on is hella cool and weird, too, although the movie only adapts the first of several linked narratives from it. As far as I know, though, the field of true literary fiction about zombies at this point comprises just Pontypool Changes Everything and Colson Whitehead's zombie book.

> Also, what are you reading lately?

I got the first Saga book (already had #2 and #3) and blew threw that today. Getting ready to start The Peripheral.

not completely military, but Rickard K Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs books are really good reads.

Altered Carbon

Broken Angels


Woken Furies

and there's his non Takeshi book:

Thirteen

I highly recommend The Difference Engine, cowritten by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling, in which novel Lord Byron's daughter figures highly.

Quoth Amazon.com: "A collaborative novel from the premier cyberpunk authors, William Gibson and Bruce Sterling. Part detective story, part historical thriller, The Difference Engine takes us not forward but back, to an imagined 1885: the Industrial Revolution is in full and inexorable swing, powered by steam-driven, cybernetic engines. Charles Babbage perfects his Analytical Engine, and the computer age arrives a century ahead of its time."

Je viens de terminer de lire Ready Player One de Ernest Cline.

C'est de la SF dans un monde qui est devenu tellement pourrave que tout le monde préfère vivre dans un univers virtuel qui s'appelle OASIS. Le créateur d'OASIS vient de mourir et lègue sa fortune à quiconque retrouvera les 3 clés cachés à travers cet univers.

Le bouquin raconte l'histoire d'un djeuns qui cherche ces clés tout en luttant contre la méchante corporation (Comcast) qui veut gagner ce jeu pour prendre le contrôle d'OASIS et le transformer en allocine.fr sans adblock.

Le bouquin est bourré raz bord de references à des elements de pop culture des années 80 dans lesquelles je ne me suis pas forcément retrouvé mais le livre est assez marrant, très facile à lire et super accrochant. Je l'ai lu quasiment d'une traite.

Verdict: 9/10

Avec du riz: 6/10. Le livre n'est pas comestible et le riz colle aux pages.

You should read "Kill decision" by Suarez - best scifi this year - and the main character is an ant researcher.
http://www.amazon.com/Kill-Decision-Daniel-Suarez/dp/0525952616

This has prompted me to read Ready Player One

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Ready-Player-One-Ernest-Cline/dp/0099560437

>It's the year 2044, and the real world has become an ugly place. We're out of oil. We've wrecked the climate. Famine, poverty, and disease are widespread.

>Like most of humanity, Wade Watts escapes this depressing reality by spending his waking hours jacked into the OASIS, a sprawling virtual utopia where you can be anything you want to be, where you can live and play and fall in love on any of ten thousand planets. And like most of humanity, Wade is obsessed by the ultimate lottery ticket that lies concealed within this alternate reality: OASIS founder James Halliday, who dies with no heir, has promised that control of the OASIS - and his massive fortune - will go to the person who can solve the riddles he has left scattered throughout his creation.

The last time I read this, around two years or so ago, it still a little far fetched but now VR akin to basic headset version in this book seems astonishingly plausible in the next 10 to 20 years let alone 30.

Broken Angels by Richard Morgan - Set in a future where humans download there minds and transmit them in stead of physically traveling across space due to never being able to break the speed of light with ships. Then download into new sometimes genetically engineered and enhanced bodies. A pilot hires Takeshi Kovacs to help retrieve an ancient alien artifact from the middle of a war zone.

Do you like mysteries?? I hope you do! Because I'm about to tell you about my favorite mystery series ever! =D

Check out The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie by Alan Bradley. It's the first in an absolutely amazing mystery series. Mysteries are my favorite books, but I'm weird and I'm really picky about them. So I promise this one is good!

To sum it up, the stories follow an 11-year-old girl who lives in a small village in 1950s England. She is very clever for her age and is very talented at chemistry. In particular, she is very fond of poisons. Long story short, a murder occurs and she helps solve it!

They're SO GOOD. I haven't heard many people IRL talk about these books, but according to the first couple of pages or so, they win awards and such. Anyway, I'd highly recommend this book and the whole series!

Thank you so much for this contest! =D

Not counting shipping, this is only a penny (but costs four bucks with), or there is this for 99 cents total.

This pretty purple dress is $36.99, free shipping.

Congratulations on having your first contest!! And thank you. :)

I too, like books. I think you'd like The Andromeda Strain. It's by the same author who wrote Jurassic Park.

For UK: Silvertongue (Remnants of Magic Book 1) https://www.amazon.co.uk/dp/B07NTR9YY4/ref=cm_sw_r_cp_api_i_yjZACbAK67GWN

Well done pal, great to see a dream come true! In the middle of a series right now but I love the concept, I’ll buy it and save it for later :)

The Friends of Eddie Coyle, one of the greatest Boston-based crime novels ever written.

It's definitely not a perfect movie; I read somewhere that Tony Burgess, the author of the novel on which the film was based as well as the screenplay, kept redrafting the script until finally the director asked for a copy on the first day of shooting. Had shooting started a few days later, the film might've ended up completely differently. My guess is that some of the ideas, especially the "May I see you in the morning" and etc. bits were remnants of some ideas that got lost as the writing of the script progressed.

Speaking of which, if you get a chance, read Pontypool Changes Everything (on which the movie's based) beacuse it's somehow enormously more insane than the movie. Grant Mazzy is a wholly different character in the novel and there's all sorts of weirdness in there...I loved it; it was nuts.

If you are willing to give it a shot and you have 16 hours to kill, I'd recommend starting the series A Song of Ice and Fire. Guaranteed to keep you engaged.
If you are looking for a short read about small time crime in Boston and trying to sleep for 14.5 hours I'd recommend The Friends of Eddie Coyle.
Also if you have not read Ender's Game or the companion series Ender's Shadow this would be your other option. A fantastic sci-fi series, just realize that the author is kind of a dick.
*edit added links

(page 3)



Question (revjeremyduncan):

> For someone who is unfamiliar with your work, what book would you suggest as a good starting point (if it's available for Kindle, I will get it as soon as I see your answer)?
>
> Any plans to follow in L. Ron's footsteps and start a religion?

Answer (cstross):

> I'm an atheist (subtype: generally agree with Richard Dawkins but think he could be slightly more polite; special twist: I was raised in British reform Judaism, which is not like American reform Judaism, much less any other strain of organised religion). So: no cults here.
>
> Starting points: for a sampler, you could try my short story collection "Wireless". Which contains one novella that scooped a Locus award, and one that won a Hugo, and covers a range of different styles.
>
> Otherwise ... if you like spy thrillers/Lovecraftiana, try "The Atrocity Archives", if you like space opera try "Singularity Sky"[], if you like singularity-fic try "Accelerando", if you like near-future thrillers try "Halting State".
>
> [] Which was originally titled "Festival of Fools"; the "Singularity Sky" title was imposed on it by editorial fiat ("hey, isn't the singularity kind of hot this month? Let's change the title!").



Question (danielwb):

> What's your favorite book and movie? :) Thanks for doing an AMA.

Answer (cstross):

> My favourite movie is: "Dr Strangelove". (I haven't seen any films released in the past 2-5 years, I'm afraid: I don't do TV/cinema).
>
> Favourite book ... that's a lot harder! I have a different one every day.



Question (AndrewDowning):

> Can you please expand on that?
> In what way did your views change?
> Accelerando is one of my all time favourites.

Answer (cstross):

> Sure. See: http://www.antipope.org/charlie/blog-static/2011/06/reality-check-1.html
>
> Note that my views fluctuate wildly. I have another singularity novel coming out this September 4th, co-written with Cory Doctorow: "The Rapture of the Nerds":
>
> http://www.amazon.com/The-Rapture-Nerds-Cory-Doctorow/dp/0765329107/



Question (JesusLasVegas):

> Did you end up with an American agent because all the British agents passed on you? Or did you actually want to do things that way?

Answer (cstross):

> A bit of both. I wanted an agent who would actually sell stuff. After two British agents failed comprehensively, I was reading Locus (the SF field's trade journal) and noticed a press release about an experienced editor leaving her job to join an agent in setting up a new agency. And I went "aha!" -- because what you need is an agent who knows the industry but who doesn't have a huge list of famous clients whose needs will inevitably be put ahead of you. So I emailed her, and ... well, 11 years later I am the client listed at the top of her masthead!



Question (slimme_shady):

> hahahha I'm 15 now. Every time when i have to do an assignment for school, i don't really know how to start, could you give me some advice, please?

Answer (cstross):

> Nope. Because I'm nearly a third of a century older than you, and any advice I could give you about school assignments would be slightly out of date ...!



Question (cheradenine_Zakalwie):

> Wow, I didn't realise the ideas flew in so fast. Is it morbid to ask if you worry about getting it all written before you die? (Im thinking of Terry Pratchett here...)

Answer (cstross):

> Yes, I worry about that. I'm 47. I reckon I can count on 30 more writing years, averaging a book a year (I can't keep up the 2-2.5 a year I used to do these days). And these days I've gotten round to wondering, for each new idea, "do I want to be remembered for this?" before I get to the point of spending a year on it.



Question (argibbs):

> I believe Roald Dahl used to keep a little notebook with all his ideas in, and would jot stuff down whenever and whereever the idea struck. (might not have done, it's been years since I read that nugget). Do you keep a stash of ideas on file (and if so in what format?), or is it simply you write whatever idea strikes most recently? (Related to but not the same as having extra books filed away for when writers block strikes.)

Answer (cstross):

> No, I don't keep anything on paper (except within an actual novel in progress, at which point I need a file to keep track of plot threads, characters, and so on). If an idea is compelling enough it'll stick in my head until I am forced to write it. If it's forgettable, who cares?



Question (DrLocrian):

> Hi!
> Would you consider Halting State and Rule 34 Cyberpunk? I was heavily reminded of Neal Stephensons early books (the craziness of Snow Crash mixed with more current-day themes like Cryptonomicon).
>
> While I love the Laundry books I consider A Colder War one of your best works, is there a chance that we will get another 'serious' story with Lovecraftian themes?
>
> Thanks!

Answer (cstross):

> "Halting State" and "Rule 34" are cyberpunk only insofar as we are living in a 1980s cyberpunk dystopia, and these are very much novels of our time (plus 10-20 years). What I've learned during my life is that the near future is 90% identical to the present -- if you buy a new car today, it'll probably still be on the road in 2022. Another 9% is predictable from existing tech roadmaps: Intel's projected roadmap for where their processors are going, SpaceX's order book for satellite launches, and so on. And 1% is totally bugfuck crazy and impossible to predict. (Go back to 1982 and the idea that the USSR would have collapsed and been replaced by hyper-capitalist oligarchs would have earned you a straitjacket, never mind a book contract. Go back to 1992 and the idea that the USA and Iran would be fighting a proxy war on the internet would have ... well, ditto.)
>
> Lovecraftian seriousness: well, book 5 or 6 of the Laundry series is due to get epically grim.



Question (ihateidaho):

> What was your biggest influence to get you to begin writing?
>
> Thank you for doing this AMA, by the way, I'm a big fan of your work.

Answer (cstross):

> Biggest influence: my mother.
>
> Who is one of those unpublished authors. But when I was about 6, I vividly remember her spending an hour every day hammering away on her typewriter on the kitchen table, trying to write a novel.
>
> She never finished it, much less sold it, but ihat I somehow internalized from this was that writing was something normal adults were allowed to do. And so it didn't look like an insane move when I was thinking of what I wanted to do when I grew up.



Question (canyouhearme):

> Nice to see a bit of social marketing, it will be interesting to hear how it compares to the publishers' marketdroid efforts in terms of sales (if you can tease out the stats).
>
> Now the important question, favourite beer?

Answer (cstross):

> My regular session beer is Deuchars IPA (http://www.caledonianbeer.com/deuchars.htm). It's not an American-style bitterness wars IPA; it's a light, Scottish ale with just enough hops to tell you what it is, and it's weak enough that you can keep drinking it continuously for hours without any risk of waking up in a puddle with KICK ME tattooed on your bum.



Question (cuidadollamas):

> How long did it take you to become comfortable writing in the second person? I finished reading [Rule 34] (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Rule_34_(novel)) and it was the first novel i had read.
>
> I'm not counting the choose your own adventure book series since they're not traditional novels in my view.

Answer (cstross):

> It took me about a hundred pages of "Halting State" to get the hang of it, and another hundred pages to feel comfortable. I also needed a reason to start doing it (2nd person is the natural voice of the text adventure game -- "you are in a maze of twisty passages, all alike").
>
> Other writers have done this (Jay MacInery, "Bright Lights, Big City"; also chunks of Christopher Brookmyre's thrillers) but I must be weird or something because I'm doing an entire trilogy this way.



Question (plainsnailing):

> Asimov or Clarke?

Answer (cstross):

> Neither, although I'm marginally less averse to Clarke's style.



Question (vladimir_puta):

> How are your wrists doing?

Answer (cstross):

> When I stop answering questions here you'll know they've blown out.



(continued below)

Cant wait for Ready Player One xD

Weird reading all this considering I just started reading Daniel Suarez's Kill Decision: http://www.amazon.com/Kill-Decision-Daniel-Suarez/dp/0525952616/

>Linda McKinney is a myrmecologist, a scientist who studies the social structure of ants. Her academic career has left her entirely unprepared for the day her sophisticated research is conscripted by unknown forces to help run an unmanned—and thanks to her research, automated—drone army. Odin is the secretive Special Ops soldier with a unique insight into the faceless enemy who has begun to attack the American homeland with drones programmed to seek, identify, and execute targets without human intervention.

I quoted from Altered Carbon. There are two other Kovacs novels: Broken Angels and Woken Furies.

https://www.amazon.com/Broken-Angels-Novel-Takeshi-Kovacs/dp/0345457714

https://www.amazon.com/Woken-Furies-Takeshi-Kovacs-Novel/dp/0345499778

Something I want

Something I need

Something to wear

Something to read

Something to watch

Something to listen to

Once upon a time

There was a girl named Kristi

She liked surprises

:) Thanks for the contest ♥

Ignore the haters regarding Robin Hobb. I enjoyed all 3 books. There were some parts in the 2nd book I had to "just get through" but the conclusion of the 3rd is well worth it, trust me. Great fantasy.

Check out Kelly McCullough, notably his Webmage series!

edit: I highly recommend listening to THIS version of hobbs books.

Some suggestions to consider:

Non-fiction

Risk: The Science and Politics of Fear

The Master Switch: The Rise and Fall of Information Empires

Fiction

Little Brother

Ready Player One

:::

I'll try to buy ye a copy of something in the next day or two.

Hmm. I have Kindle Unlimited so Amazon won't let me easily look up if a book is in Prime Reading too, so this may or may not apply (sorry) but these were the best I've read recently:

• Nice Dragons Finish Last
  
• Super Powereds
  
• Silvertongue
  
• We Are Legion (We Are Bob)
  
  edit: Also why do so many of these Prime/KU requests always seem unpopular? "What are some good affordable books you can suggest" seems like a very reasonable question to me.

Addendum:

To get an ebook copy via Amazon Smile: Here.
To get a hard copy via Amazon Smile: Here.

"How do we know you're not a bamboozler?"

You don't. Aside of being able to say a book exists, link to it, claim I'm the writer, confirm it in the description of the book, and so on, there's nothing I can do to prove I'll donate. But what I can say is that unlike most of the nutters who try that shtick, and as a long time user, I take the following words to heart:

> "One of the things we learned pretty early on is 'Don't ever, ever try to lie to the internet - because they will catch you. They will de-construct your spin. They will remember everything you ever say for eternity." - Gabe Newell.

I like my name. I don't want to be a pariah, doxed and left without kidneys in an alley. If you still can't trust me but you still care, I urge you to go to the EFF's page and directly donate. If you're paranoid of tracking, they take bitcoin.

Public Enemy Zero. Mitchell Roberts discovers that everyone wants him dead, and he doesn't know why. I like it, keeps you on the edge of your seat, and you never know what twist will come up next.

It is a Kindle exclusive, though.

Dr. Max Tegmark, cosmologist and physics professor at MIT

• Permutation City, by Greg Egan (Powells) (Amazon)
  
  Dr. Jane Goodall, Primatologist
  
  
• The Story of Doctor Dolittle, by Hugh Lofting (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• Tarzan of the Apes, by Edgar Rice Burroughs (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• The Miracle of Life (not listed)
  
  Dr. Sean Carroll, Theoretical physicist at the California Institute of Technology
  
  
• Dragon's Egg, by Robert Forward (Powells) (Amazon)
  
  Dr. Temple Grandin, Animal scientist
  
  
• "I’m a Star trek fan..."
  
  Dr. Seth Shostak, Senior astronomer and director at the Center for SETI Research
  
  
• Golem XIV, by Stanislaw Lem (Powells) (Amazon)
  
  Dr. Chris Stringer, Anthropologist at the Natural History Museum in London
  
  
• Brazil, the movie (YouTube)
  
  Dr. Jack Horner, Paleontologist at Montana State University
  
  
• Jurassic Park, the movie) (IMDB)
  
  Dr. Adam Riess, astrophysicist at Johns Hopkins University
  
  
• Contact, by Carl Sagan (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• The Fountains of Paradise, by Arthur C. Clarke (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• Childhood's End, by Arthur C. Clarke (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• Foundation series, by Isaac Asimov (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• The Silo saga, by Hugh Howey (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• The Stand, by Stephen King (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• Watership Down, by Richard Adams (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham (Powells) (Amazon)
  
  Dr. Steven Strogatz, professor of mathematics at Cornell University
  
  
• The Andromeda Strain, by Michael Chriton (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• Colossus: The Forbin Project, the movie (IMDB)
  
• 2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke (Powells) (Amazon)
  
  Dr. Ainissa Ramirez, materials scientist
  
  
• Parable of the Sower, by Octavia Butler (Powells) (Amazon)
  
  Dr. Mario Livio, astrophysicist at the Space Telescope Science Institute
  
  
• Around the World in Eighty Days, by Jules Verne (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• Journey to the Center of the Earth, by Jules Verne (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, by Jules Verne (Powells) (Amazon)
  
• 2001: A Space Odyssey, the movie (IMDB)
  
• Dr. Strangelove, the movie (IMDB)
  
• Close Encounters of the Third Kind, the movie (IMDB)
  
  Olympia LePoint, rocket scientist
  
  
• Gravity, 2013 (IMDB)
  
• Back to The Future, 1985 (IMDB)
  
  Dr. Danielle Lee, biologist
  
  
• Dune, 1984 (IMDB)
  
  Dr. Michael Shermer, historian of science
  
  
• The Day the Earth Stood Still, 1951 (IMDB)
  
  Neil deGrasse Tyson, astrophysicist
  
  
• The Day the Earth Stood Still, 1951 (IMDB)
  
• 2001: A Space Odyssey, 1968 (IMDB)
  
• Planet of the Apes, 1968 (IMDB)
  
• The Terminator, 1984 (IMDB)
  
• The Quiet Earth, 1985 (IMDB)
  
• Contact, 1997 (IMDB)
  
• Deep Impact, 1998 (IMDB)
  
• The Matrix, 1999 (IMDB)
  
• The Island, 2005 (IMDB)
  
• Watchmen, 2009 (IMDB)
  

• The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie is the first book of the Flavia De Luce mystery series. I quickly fell in love with the heroine and the authors writing style draws you in easily.
  
  
• Note to self: don't read sad books while you're on an airplane
  
  *Done
  
  Thanks for passing on the literary enjoyment!

Have you checked Web Mage by Kelly McCullough?

wiki
amazon .
This is the book that does the most explanation of the author's concept of demarchy which, in many ways, is like what you wrote.

Wife got me the book Pontypool Changes Everything for Christmas.

Stand On Zanzibar and The Sheep Look Up are two books I've pushed on countless people, including two English professors. Highly underrated science fiction. And for general creepiness, I still have bad dreams about The Land of Laughs.

http://www.amazon.com/WebMage-Ravirn-Book-Kelly-McCullough/dp/0441014259/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1309619091&sr=8-1 It isn't the best written series in the world but it is good and its unique. Science fantasy is an under-explored genre for sure.

Try Harry Connolly's "Twenty Palaces" series. I'd suggest starting with Child of Fire and Game of Cages. Neat magic system and world building. Fair warning, the series is incomplete, but I think the existing books work well as is.

1. A homophone for "whine". Young children can be very whiny. I teach young children and would love to have this turtle puppet for the kids in my class. Puppets are very helpful, particularly when kids are in a "whiny" mood.
   
   
2. Brooms have bristles. So do toothbrushes. I could use a new toothbrush. I mean, do ya'll want to sit in Potions class next to the girl with stinky breath?! Didn't think so.
   
   
3. This rabbit in a hat puppet is not only super cute but a good introduction to transmogrification (I think that's the right word, but classes haven't started yet so how should I know?!)
   
   
4. Books have words and words have power. Pontypool Changes Everything is a book about the power of words and how they change people. BTW, it's PontyPOOL not PONTYpool, Weasley!
   
   
5. These elephant harem pants are not only adorable but will help keep the junk in my trunk nice and toasty in RAoA's big old drafty castle. I'm assuming we're all moving into a castle, right? RIGHT?!
   
   B) Every good superhero needs a specialized weapon. As a budding witch, I would like a sonic screwdriver to aid in my superhero-ish shenanigans. Did I mention this particular screwdriver has a super secret uv pen and uv light so I can write super secret messages to my super secret companions?! If that's not magic, I don't know what is!

Here are all the local Amazon links I could find:


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

Beep bloop. I'm a bot to convert Amazon ebook links to local Amazon sites.
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.

Check out the Flavia de Luce mysteries by Alan Bradley. While they do feature murder they're light, humorous, and quick reads. There are only 4 currently in print, but I think there'll be something like 7 in total. Bradley is pushing them out pretty quick.

Mosaic 17K by Christopher Drake definitely fits this description. Near future, dystopian SF. It's the author's first novel and, imo a damned good read. I've read it twice so far. Right now it's free through Kindle Unlimited not sure for how long though.

Hey Sean,
I have it on good authority that the Writer of FRACTAL is down to do Hot Ones. Will you have him on as a solid to me?
Thanks in advance,
Tony Ortiz :)

https://www.amazon.com/FRACTAL-Time-Travel-Tony-Ortiz-ebook/dp/B07PXZJNH2/ref=sr_1_fkmrnull_1?keywords=fractal+a+time+travel+tale&qid=1554068990&s=gateway&sr=8-1-fkmrnull

That was... The Difference Engine by Gibson and Sterling.

Edit: Alright, could be wrong, since you mentioned a short story. "The Difference Engine" is a full-length novel.

>Do you know of books comparable to The Diamond Age by other authors? I really liked that one.

Shockwave Rider by John Brunner's a pre-cyberpunk cyber-punk novel. Slightly dated but a good read.

I don't mind if some sci-fi seems outdated, I tend to read them only as alternative views of the future or technology. Brunner's other dystopian works are like that, but they are still worthy reading.

Raven intelligence is exploited for fun and profit in Kill Decision, a book about autonomous drones being mass-produced and used against the US.

Well, I could be a wag and say The Meditations, since they were written about 40 years later... ;-)

Actually, I'd recommend Steps to an Ecology of Mind (by Gregory Bateson).
That book blew my mind so wide open in so many ways - this was my introduction to cybernetic thinking, in linguistics, biology, psychology, etc.

For science fiction/fantasy:
Stand on Zanzibar by John Brunner. The White Deer, by James Thurber. Lord of Light, by Zelazny, absolutely, and Triton, by Samuel R. Delany.

Gilgamesh, for sure (do yourself a favor and read the narrative verse by Herbert Mason, or the poetic rendering by David Ferry. Way more enjoyable than the academic translations, even the John Gardner version, as much as I hate to say it, because I'm a real fan of his, but the Ferry or Mason versions are simply more fun.)
Gilgamesh is the oldest epic, and it has it all - sex, power, death, brotherhood, gods, humanity. Give it a try.

Ready Player One

What might have been.

Those books are insanely awesome!!

The Sweetness at the Bottom of the Pie

'Soul' is now available from Amazon in print and kindle.

https://www.amazon.com/dp/1092960295

https://www.amazon.com/Soul-Dave-Blackwell-ebook/dp/B07QCJZR6G/


A snowstorm. A body with the cause of death unknown. A bloody crime scene. A missing elderly woman. An unidentified young girl.

A young girl found naked and covered in blood at a crime scene harbours a powerful gift and a traumatic past that changes the lives of Marie and her foster daughter in ways they couldn't imagine.

Death is only the beginning.

This is the story of Kimimela.

Problem Solved

On the same wavelength, the Ravirn series by Kelly McCullough is about a supernatural coder. Ravirn is a descendant of the Fates, and uses code to accomplish magical effects. Not as low level as Wiz Biz, but not bad, either. WebMage is the first book, and there are currently 4 in the series.

FRACTAL: A Time Travel Tale

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07PXZJNH2

FREE until April 21st

> What could be more right than correcting a wrong? That's the decision that Hector Herrera finds himself having to make circa 2015 when he taps into the ability to skip through time via his dreams.

> When you feel as if the world is changing around you, with or without your input, people like Hector are the architects of that change. Do they have your best interest at heart? That's a matter of perspective and up to each and every one of us to decide. But ask yourself this: If you had the opportunity to toggle through time and righteously fight the injustices of the past, do you think you would rise to that challenge?

---

The 14-day DASH Diet Meal Plan: Healthy Low-Sodium Recipes for Lower Blood Pressure and Weight Loss

https://www.amazon.com/dp/B07QDG54ML

FREE until April 21st

> If you are overweight with high blood pressure, your doctor may have ordered a low sodium diet with less saturated fat.

> Didn’t sound like fun, did it? However, you don’t have to lose the great taste of food when you cut the fat and salt. The DASH diet for weight loss lets you follow your doctor’s orders while still pleasing your palate, with no need to give up smoothies, muffins, or pizza, while you lower blood pressure, drop pounds, and reduce the risk of several diseases.

> The 14-Day DASH Diet Meal Plan: Healthy Low-Sodium Recipes for Lower Blood Pressure and Weight Loss will make this change in eating painless for your wallet, as well as your taste buds, by focusing on kitchen staples.

OMG I need to choose just one?? Blergh.

uhm - this one - and used would be totally more than okay if I happened to win.

Obligatory: http://www.amazon.com/Kill-Decision-Daniel-Suarez/dp/0525952616/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1368031436&sr=8-1&keywords=kill+decision

The Prefect by Alastair Reynolds explores this concept.

https://www.amazon.com/gp/aw/d/0441017223/ref=mp_s_a_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1483490567&sr=8-1&pi=AC_SX236_SY340_QL65&keywords=the+prefect+alastair+reynolds&dpPl=1&dpID=51iQJzpWbDL&ref=plSrch

OP, I think you posted link to paperback book instead of Kindle edition.

I think this is the right link:

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B07QCJZR6G/

FYI, there is a semi-sequel that just came out a few days ago: http://www.amazon.com/The-Rapture-Nerds-singularity-posthumanity/dp/0765329107 It was a joint effort between Stross and Cory Doctorow (who bears a strange resemblance to Macx)

I knew him when his first novel came out, before all the fame.
http://blogs.indiewire.com/theplaylist/sxsw-watch-the-trailer-for-adaptation-of-anthony-bourdains-bone-in-the-throad-with-ed-westwick-tom-wilkinson-20150313
His favorite comic book series of all time is ''The Spirit''.
http://www.willeisner.com/spirit/index.html
He had the meanest cat ever seen by man, and gigantic oscar fish.
He told me that this was his favorite book:
http://www.amazon.com/The-Friends-Eddie-Coyle-Novel/dp/031242969X
That is all.