Sci-Fi and Fantasy Books

[Carnage]

I read Dune and Dune Messiah about 10 or 12 years ago, both great. I never got around to reading the rest, even though I bought them all around that time.

Philip K. Dick - read A Scanner Darkly and Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, plus if you can track down his short story collections (there's a five volume, chronological series), they're pretty good too.

Another shout for Arthur C. Clarke, his standalone novels are just as good as his series (though 3001 was crap).

Mary Doria Russell's The Sparrow is fantastic, my favourite book. As much a character study as sci fi, but it's quite compelling. The follow-up (Children Of God) is good too.

[Pedrito]

I read Neuromancer again last year.  I wanted to get though Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive, as I'd never read them, but it had been a long time since I'd read Neuromancer, so needed to reacquaint myself with it. Gibson's writing style is pretty dense with details so it almost warrants multiple read throughs anyway.

Dune though is one of the high points of the genre. I even had a read along book and record as a little kid that piqued my interest very early on.  Its crazy in this day and age to think that they attempted a kid friendly line of merchandise and action figures for the 1984 movie. Sought out the movie on VHS a few years later, which inevitably led to the book much later. I got as far as God Emperor of Dune in the sequence and gave up short ways into Heretics for some reason that I can't recall...

That's mental I used have a load of them action figures because they used be sold off quite cheap in Dunnes or somewhere I can't recall when I was a kid. Haven't even thought about them since then

[Carnage]

I had the sticker album!

[Pedrito]

I could be mixing stuff up here, I might be thinking of Battlestar Galactica or something similar. There was definitely a load of Dune sticker albums and colouring books and the likes doing the rounds. Can't imagine how much all that junk would be worth now.

[Necr0rceN]

I've been going back over my Brian Lumley books and have started the Necroscope series again. On book 2 now and for the life of me can't remember reading this when I was in my late teens and early 20s'. Good fantasy with a little horror.

[Carnage]

I've got a pile of thise that were my old man's, never got near to reading them (I have 100+ unread books of my own on the shelf).

[Pedrito]

Just finished Dune...christ that was good. The novel had an effect on me in so many ways, an incredible piece of work. The ecological element of the entire work made me entirely question my combined  blasé, laissez faire attitude to the environment. There's so much in there, politics, philosophy, psychology, religion, sociology. It works on levels that so much that is labelled 'great' or 'genius' sadly does not work on. Can't recommend it highly enough. I have the second book ready and waiting to read.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

One I just saw on my bookshelf which I haven't thought about for a while but I remember being absolutely unique in the genre is A Canticle For Leibowitz. Definitely check it out Peter.

[Emphyrio]

I read Neuromancer again last year.  I wanted to get though Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive, as I'd never read them, but it had been a long time since I'd read Neuromancer, so needed to reacquaint myself with it. Gibson's writing style is pretty dense with details so it almost warrants multiple read throughs anyway.

Let me know how the following two books go. I'm a bit over halfway through Neuromancer but I'm not blown away just yet. I can see where The Matrix got its influence from and it has a cool sort of noir feel but the story isn't exactly riveting so far.

[Kunt 4 Life]

If you've a Kindle and like a good scfi novella then you can download my book for free this weekend.
The Martian Journal

http://amazon.co.uk/dp/B00CX9LFYQ


On the 31st January 2178, a life pod from the Hercules XXI, which was on a delivery mission to the Clarke station orbiting Mars, was picked up by a rescue ship. The location of the pod was in the vicinity of a recent explosion, the source of which has not been identified or revealed.
Onboard the pod was one survivor in a serious but stable condition. A deceased crew member was found in a body bag. The cause of death is currently unknown.
A journal of the last few weeks has been found and is currently being inspected.

[Thanatos]

I read Neuromancer again last year.  I wanted to get though Count Zero and Mona Lisa Overdrive, as I'd never read them, but it had been a long time since I'd read Neuromancer, so needed to reacquaint myself with it. Gibson's writing style is pretty dense with details so it almost warrants multiple read throughs anyway.

Let me know how the following two books go. I'm a bit over halfway through Neuromancer but I'm not blown away just yet. I can see where The Matrix got its influence from and it has a cool sort of noir feel but the story isn't exactly riveting so far.

Neuromancer, and the subsequent companion novels all follow those multiple, seemingly disperate, narratives that only really come together towards the end.  There's also the point that Gibson is so heavy on details, and throws in a lot of his own made up nomenclature for imagined pieces of technology, slang etc that's not really explained - you kind of have to figure it out as it goes along. I had to stop and start Neuromancer a few times when I first read it. Thought I might have zoned out on the detail and missed something important while reading.

If you get to the end of Neuromancer, and it all comes together for you in the end, give the follow ups a go. They're pretty much more of the same. Still some obscure weirdness in there, but they're maybe a little more direct on their plot lines.

There's always Richard Morgan's Takeshi Kovacs series of books which are more straight forward Cyberpunk stuff. Nothing special, but three enjoyable books that you'd barrel though in no time. There's a ropey Netflix adaptation of Altered Carbon which deviates a lot from the book.

[Emphyrio]

Christopher Tolkien has passed away. I reckon his genius is only very marginally behind that of his da. He deserves huge credit for The Silmarillion amongst many others.

[Pedrito]

The work he did was amazing. Neil Peart and Christopher Tolkien in the space of a few days...what an imprint both left on my life and countless others.

[Black Shepherd Carnage]

He didn't quite make it to his eleventy-first birthday, but some innings all the same! The pride and joy of his father's legacy, no doubt.

[Pedrito]

Reading LOTR currently having only finished it a few months back. Got a couple of the illustrated versions by Alan Lee from back in 1991..The Fellowship and Return of. Couldn't find the Two Towers. I have the full massive illustrated version from Harper Collins but want the 3 separate books. Like good artwork on an album it just enhances the whole reading exprience. Also have an illustrated Silmarillion back home that I'm itching to read again. The paperback is on the shelf but it's just not the same. A real masterpiece, been years since I read it..an amazing piece of work by both father and son.