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Apparently I enjoy near geeky near-future technothrillers with organised crime, money laundering and Internets. Preferably with a dash of self-awareness. I've read Neal Stephenson and Charles Stross and was wondering if there was anything similar. I guess it doesn't have to be near future. Just geeky capers in general.
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Jun 22, 2012 14:45
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Paxicon posted:I'd like some sci-fi involving human mutations, telekinetics, telepathics etc. Also interested in dystopias in which they operate. Something reminiscent of Babylon 5's Psi-Corp would be great, if it's out there! Babylon 5 you say? This may be stating the obvious but "The Demolished Man" by Alfred Bester (the name may ring a bell).
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Jun 22, 2012 14:51
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Gravy Jones posted:Alfred Bester Knew he was an author, but never knew he wrote something like that. Thank you!
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Jun 22, 2012 16:05
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Gravy Jones posted:Apparently I enjoy near geeky near-future technothrillers with organised crime, money laundering and Internets. Preferably with a dash of self-awareness. I've read Neal Stephenson and Charles Stross and was wondering if there was anything similar. Check out William Gibson's last trilogy: Pattern Recognition, Spook Country, and Zero History. They're pretty much exactly what you describe.
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Jun 22, 2012 23:02
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I'm looking for some real loving bummers. Books that will shatter my hope for the future and leave me a ruined husk of a human being, like The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I have no hope for the future and am terminally depressed so it's not like I have to worry about picking up the pieces of my life after I read the last page. Onward! I haven't actually read The Road yet (I've heard Things), but it's next on the list after I finish my current book. Got any suggestions? Bummey fucked around with this message at 07:38 on Jun 23, 2012 |
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Jun 23, 2012 07:34
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Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates. It's depressing on a more personal level but had me just as bummed out as when I read The Road, if not more.
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Jun 23, 2012 08:24
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The Remains of the Day - Kazuo Ishiguro isn't as dark as either The Road or Revolutionary Road, but I think it certainly has elements of what you're looking for. It's tone is light, bitingly satirical, and even funny sometimes but the reality of the protagonist's life is as unsettling as the situation the characters in Revolutionary Road find themselves in.
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Jun 23, 2012 09:12
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Bummey posted:I'm looking for some real loving bummers. Books that will shatter my hope for the future and leave me a ruined husk of a human being, like The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I have no hope for the future and am terminally depressed so it's not like I have to worry about picking up the pieces of my life after I read the last page. Onward! Thomas Hardy's Jude the Obscure was written for you. It is 10x as depressing as The Road. I love The Road, but in terms of depressing fiction, there's far too much love and hope underneath all of it. It's all about hope in the face of vast amounts of depressing circumstances. Jude the Obscure is not even tragic, and there's no hope. It's too lame and absurd, without dignity or grandeur, as in a tragedy proper. If you want your life to seem small and tiny and meaningless, Jude the Obscure is for you. Have fun!!!!!* * (Have something light planned for after. No, seriously. Like a comedy where everybody's happy at the end.)
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Jun 23, 2012 16:34
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elbow posted:Revolutionary Road, by Richard Yates. It's depressing on a more personal level but had me just as bummed out as when I read The Road, if not more. I second this. Very depressing. Also, Stewart O'Nan's A Prayer for the Dying. It's about a plague that hits a small town in the US just after the Civil War. Very beautifully written but so bleak.
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Jun 23, 2012 18:18
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Poutling posted:I second this. Very depressing. Also, Stewart O'Nan's A Prayer for the Dying. It's about a plague that hits a small town in the US just after the Civil War. Very beautifully written but so bleak. I love O'nan, but didn't care for the first-person in APFTD. However, he has written other excellent/depressing books, most notably (for me) Songs for the Missing. Can't say I loved it, but Paul Auster's Man in the Dark is also pretty drat pretty grim. For some sad war stories, Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front and Marlantes' Matterhorn are great, and goon favorite Blindsight, by Peter Watts, scratches both the depressing and hard science fiction itches (and would also work nicely for the person who requested a "bad vacation" book!) EDIT- This is the Way the World Ends by James Morrow is a serious loving downer, couldn't think of it earlier VVV Been a while since I've read it, just remember the perspective bothering me VVV funkybottoms fucked around with this message at 02:42 on Jun 24, 2012 |
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Jun 23, 2012 19:20
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funkybottoms posted:I love O'nan, but didn't care for the first-person in APFTD. However, he has written other excellent/depressing books, most notably (for me) Songs for the Missing. Can't say I loved it, but Paul Auster's Man in the Dark is also pretty drat pretty grim. For some sad war stories, Remarque's All Quiet on the Western Front and Marlantes' Matterhorn are great, and goon favorite Blindsight, by Peter Watts, scratches both the depressing and hard science fiction itches (and would also work nicely for the person who requested a "bad vacation" book!) Prayer for the Dying was in 2nd person perspective, not first person, but yes I can see how it would be jarring. I didn't like it in Bright Lights Big City but I actually didn't mind it in O'Nan's book.
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Jun 23, 2012 20:47
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AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:17 on Jan 22, 2016 |
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Jun 23, 2012 22:31
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Bummey posted:I'm looking for some real loving bummers. Books that will shatter my hope for the future and leave me a ruined husk of a human being, like The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I have no hope for the future and am terminally depressed so it's not like I have to worry about picking up the pieces of my life after I read the last page. Onward! COnrad's The Secret Agent is a funny bummer, a sort of comedy of errors centered around a secret agent working in London. Jerzy Kosinski's The Painted Bird is an epic beatdown about a little boy wandering around war-torn Eastern Europe.
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Jun 23, 2012 22:33
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I have three requests, First I'm looking for a pretty standard fantasy book/series written in first person. Prefer longer books and prefer that there are only 1-2 main characters/POVs. In terms of specifics for this book I'm looking for one where the protagonist has a particularly interesting personality. Not really sure what else to specify, I really don't have a preference otherwise, anything is good. Second I'm looking for a book where the main characters are slightly insane. What I mean by this is not that they hallucinate or anything but just that they do things or have motivations that no reasonable person would do/have. This request is pretty vague so I'm not expecting all that much. Finally, a book where there is a non-human intelligence involved and tension is created due to the fact that it's nearly impossible to predict their actions/motivations. Examples of this off the top of my head would be David from Prometheus or the aliens from Blindsight (specifically in the beginning when they first communicated).
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Jun 23, 2012 22:52
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ErrantSystems posted:First I'm looking for a pretty standard fantasy book/series written in first person. Prefer longer books and prefer that there are only 1-2 main characters/POVs. In terms of specifics for this book I'm looking for one where the protagonist has a particularly interesting personality. Not really sure what else to specify, I really don't have a preference otherwise, anything is good.
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Jun 23, 2012 22:55
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Bummey posted:I'm looking for some real loving bummers. Books that will shatter my hope for the future and leave me a ruined husk of a human being, like The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I have no hope for the future and am terminally depressed so it's not like I have to worry about picking up the pieces of my life after I read the last page. Onward! Main Street (Sinclair Lewis; probably depends on how much your hometown resembles Gopher Prairie, though) The Age of Innocence and The House of Mirth (Edith Wharton) Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes) Brideshead Revisited (Evelyn Waugh; saying it's a total downer is stretching it a bit actually)
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Jun 24, 2012 02:53
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Bummey posted:I'm looking for some real loving bummers. Books that will shatter my hope for the future and leave me a ruined husk of a human being, like The Road by Cormac McCarthy. I have no hope for the future and am terminally depressed so it's not like I have to worry about picking up the pieces of my life after I read the last page. Onward! On The Beach by Nevil Shute is a novel about about a post-nuclear apocalypse. It's really depressing, but in a more emotional, personal way than The Road (which was also great). edit: I was literally crying while reading On The Beach. Day Man fucked around with this message at 04:55 on Jun 24, 2012 |
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Jun 24, 2012 04:52
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Wonderful! Thanks for all the suggestions. I grabbed a preview copy of every one that was available on Kindle (that would be a big amazon bill otherwise) but I'm going to have to hunt down a few paperbacks.RC and Moon Pie posted:Main Street (Sinclair Lewis; probably depends on how much your hometown resembles Gopher Prairie, though) I'm from a small Minnesota town. That seems about right. Bummey fucked around with this message at 06:19 on Jun 24, 2012 |
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Jun 24, 2012 06:15
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ErrantSystems posted:
Ian McDonald's River of Gods is a novel that matches your request. I don't want to spoil anything for you so I'll just say it's one of my favorite books of all time.
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Jun 24, 2012 09:18
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I'm looking for an as-close-to-the-truth-as-possible- history of the CIA. If there are any good biographies of CIA agents you can think of, that would be great too!
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Jun 24, 2012 21:05
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Where should I start with E.O. Wilson?
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Jun 24, 2012 21:32
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E.O. Wilson the biologist? I have only read (some of) his insect stuff and only one of those I would recommend for a general reader is the Journey to the ants: http://www.amazon.com/Journey-Ants-Story-Scientific-Exploration/dp/0674485262 Really fascinating stuff about bizarre alien-like societies that can be found even from our backyards. No idea, though, how good his general biology / science books are...
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Jun 24, 2012 22:39
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ErrantSystems posted:
Obvious recommendation: American Psycho by Bret Easton Ellis. I also really enjoyed The Watcher by Charles MacLean, which is sort of a psychological thriller I guess? Your criterion is pretty broad, basically almost any book with an unreliable narrator would fit it.
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Jun 24, 2012 23:12
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ErrantSystems posted:Second I'm looking for a book where the main characters are slightly insane. What I mean by this is not that they hallucinate or anything but just that they do things or have motivations that no reasonable person would do/have. This request is pretty vague so I'm not expecting all that much. This is very common in Post Modern fiction as motivation is a fictional construct that must be overcome. Try any Don DeLillo.
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Jun 24, 2012 23:15
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Is Wolf Hall any good, as a fan of historical fiction?
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Jun 25, 2012 03:17
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Short answer: yes. I finished it tonight and overall I really enjoyed it. The writing is excellent (though the author has a weird quirk with the pronoun "he" - any time it's not attributed to anyone, you have to assume she's talking about Cromwell) and it's a fresh look at the Henry the VIII/Anne Boleyn story that isn't a bodice ripper. It's a little tough to keep the names and titles straight, though.
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Jun 25, 2012 05:44
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Okay, I need some new recommendations for work. My job entails sitting around until a customer pulls up, I give them a brief speech, then I go back to reading. The problem is that thee interruptions make reading deep books hard, as I lose my place and get distracted. Anyone have recommendations for some good, light, adventure-y stories? Something maybe with some big drat heroes who slay the villain. Just something to kill time on work days where I don't have to think too terribly hard. Fantasy or sci-fi would be a plus, but I'll read anything. I don't want to have to re-read John Dies at the End again  (mostly because I already did yesterday)
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Jun 25, 2012 19:33
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Doomsayer posted:Okay, I need some new recommendations for work. My job entails sitting around until a customer pulls up, I give them a brief speech, then I go back to reading. The problem is that thee interruptions make reading deep books hard, as I lose my place and get distracted. Anyone have recommendations for some good, light, adventure-y stories? Something maybe with some big drat heroes who slay the villain. Just something to kill time on work days where I don't have to think too terribly hard. Fantasy or sci-fi would be a plus, but I'll read anything. I don't want to have to re-read John Dies at the End again If you haven't read Dresden Files, read Dresden Files. If you have read Dresden Files, try maybe Roger Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber, Robert Asprin's Myth series (first five or six books only), maybe some Terry Pratchett. Hell, go back to the source and read Robert E. Howard's original Conan stories. Gil's All-Fright Diner Johannes Cabal the Necromancer Jim Hine's Goblin Quest books The Misenchanted Sword by Lawrence Watt-Evans Bridge of Birds
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Jun 25, 2012 19:49
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Hieronymous Alloy posted:If you haven't read Dresden Files, read Dresden Files. Thanks! I already have the Dresden Files which I'm working my way through (though you did remind me to start the next book), and I've read every Discworld book I think at least three times now, haha! I will definitely check out the others though!
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Jun 25, 2012 19:58
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I read Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami. What book of his should I read next?
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Jun 25, 2012 22:52
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I'll second Johannes Cabal the Necromancer. Loved it!
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Jun 26, 2012 02:53
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Day Man posted:I'll second Johannes Cabal the Necromancer. Loved it! I'll third that one, I adored that book. Still need to pick up the sequels. I'll second the Robert E. Howard recommendation as well. All his short stories of all his characters are good, but I think Conan is his best creation. The Bloody Crown of Conan is my favorite collection, but that's mainly because it's the one set in the Middle East and India and I love stuff set there, you really can't go wrong with any of them.
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Jun 26, 2012 03:09
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I'm looking for some horror that is NOT: comedy, zombies, sci-fi, King, Lovecraft, Straub, or Barker (nothing against them, I've just read most of their stuff already). I know that still leaves a pretty broad category but I'd like to hear some favorites, especially recent ones. It's just hard to sift through all the trash in this genre to find something interesting.
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Jun 27, 2012 04:39
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StarkRavingMad posted:I'm looking for some horror that is NOT: comedy, zombies, sci-fi, King, Lovecraft, Straub, or Barker (nothing against them, I've just read most of their stuff already). Have you read any Matheson? If not, he's a classic you should definitely check out. He's best known for the twice-adapted I Am Legend, but he wrote many other excellent works.
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Jun 27, 2012 06:11
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PeterWeller posted:Have you read any Matheson? If not, he's a classic you should definitely check out. He's best known for the twice-adapted I Am Legend, but he wrote many other excellent works. I read a collection by Matheson which included I Am Legend and a few other stories. Good call though, I'll see what else I can find by him.
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Jun 27, 2012 06:27
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StarkRavingMad posted:I'm looking for some horror that is NOT: comedy, zombies, sci-fi, King, Lovecraft, Straub, or Barker (nothing against them, I've just read most of their stuff already). You might of read it already but the Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a classic.
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Jun 27, 2012 11:31
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nate fisher posted:You might of read it already but the Haunting of Hill House by Shirley Jackson is a classic. Also a good one, but I have read it. I guess maybe I should have asked for more recent works since I've probably read well-known older stuff in this genre. But thanks for the suggestions.
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Jun 27, 2012 18:39
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StarkRavingMad posted:Also a good one, but I have read it. I guess maybe I should have asked for more recent works since I've probably read well-known older stuff in this genre. But thanks for the suggestions. You did request recent stuff, so it's really our fault for recommending classics.
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Jun 27, 2012 19:33
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StarkRavingMad posted:Also a good one, but I have read it. I guess maybe I should have asked for more recent works since I've probably read well-known older stuff in this genre. But thanks for the suggestions. It sounds like you have ran into the same problem I have with horror. Since it was one of my first loves as a reader I have read most of the classics or must reads. Now almost anything I read is a derivative of something I read before. Also tons of garbage out there. I just reread the Books of Blood because of a lack of new horror worth reading. Just curious have you gave Joe Hill a spin? I really enjoyed Horns and Heart Shaped Box. I don't find his stuff that scary, but I like his story telling. Another book I liked was the Birthing House by Christopher Ransom. It was different enough to keep my interest and be creepy sometimes. Heck give me some suggestions. I would love something creepy as hell.
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Jun 27, 2012 19:38
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StarkRavingMad posted:I'm looking for some horror that is NOT: comedy, zombies, sci-fi, King, Lovecraft, Straub, or Barker (nothing against them, I've just read most of their stuff already). Try Laird Barron, Simon Strantzas, Thomas Ligotti, Joe Pulver, and Caitlin Kiernan. Or pick up one of Ellen Datlow's Best Horror of the Year and/or Stephen Jones's Mammoth Book of Best New Horror anthologies.
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Jun 27, 2012 20:22
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