[color=#000000:post_uid0]I counselled 8th grade Scouts for a year a year or two ago... as a direct consequence, about half the religious Scouts in my city will answer "42" to just about any random question you give 'em, and often won't even wait for the question...

Things - Sorry, the Vornholt reference was Sa'ar's, not yours. Can't think why I made the mistake, other than the fact that I was writing at about 1am, with another dozen windows open. As to OSC, though, I believe you only mentioned an anthology he *edited* - i.e., "other people's stuff."

Read *him*. *Read* *him*!!! :mad: NOW!!!!!

(5 exclamation marks, for all ye Pratchettiers...)[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]Oh, and on a completely different note, Happy Birthday, Wonko! :D[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0][quote:post_uid0](5 exclamation marks, for all ye Pratchettiers...)[/quote:post_uid0]

Sign of a deranged mind, and an excuse for Zeke to express his disapproval of multiple exclamation marks.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]As for fantasy novels... well, there are a lot of those, aren't there...

The first one I always mention is George RR Martin, in his "Song of Ice and Fire" books. The man is AMAZING. Epic, complex and compelling plotlines, dozens of deep and interesting characters, and the best world creation I've seen in my life... Add all that to the dark, threatening mood, including examination of some of the crueler aspects of Knights and Kings and Wars, to the wonderful mood of confusion, danger and suspense... well, I could go on, but it'd get even more tedious. I should note that the books contain a fair amount of sex, and some gore as well - it's a part of the dark, gritty, *real* mood. Just so you know.

Similarly, I can heartily recommend the Farseer Trilogy (Assassin's Apprentice, Royal Assassin, and Assassin's Quest), by Robin Hobb. Also dark fantasy; much less complex than Ice and Fire, and lighter as well - view that as you wish. Really great storytelling. I was disappointed to see that Hobb only has another trilogy and a half printed - but then, to my joy, I discovered that "Robin Hobb" is one of the author's pseudonyms, and I can read more books she's written under the name Megan Lindholm.

Let's get a bit lighter... Pratchett has already been mentioned - he is brilliant, incredibly funny, and writes books that are just impossible to put down. David Eddings writes books that are pretty generic, but fun and well-written. I've been a fan of Weiss and Hickman's Dragonlance for many years, but - A) these are books I liked a lot more when I was 13 than I do today, and B) do not read ANYTHING Beyond the Chronicles and the Legends. Most of the other books stink. Well, actually, there are a few really good ones, but they kind of get lost among the hundred or so stinkers. The Chronicles and the Legends - especially the Legends - are worth reading.

Orson Scott Card weighs in here as well, with his "Alvin Maker" series, which presents an alternate history - the American colonies and the growing American nation, except that people have "knacks" - strange, magical skills, like lighting fires out of thin air or knowing the future. Wonderful characters, story, and themes, and also it's fun to look at the parallels between Alvin's world and history as it really happened.

That's all... for now...[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]Thanks for the 'happy birthday', Standback! :D[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0][quote:post_uid0]I've been a fan of Weiss and Hickman's Dragonlance for many years, but - A) these are books I liked a lot more when I was 13 than I do today, and B) do not read ANYTHING Beyond the Chronicles and the Legends. Most of the other books stink.[/quote:post_uid0]

Agreed. Right now I'm struggling through Flint, The King. I've read it once before and I don't remember it being this bad. The characters lack depth, the prose is halfway to being unreadable, the plot is fairly standardly formulaic for a D&D adventure, etc.

Also agreed on Pratchett. He's one of my favourite authors. This is where I insert my usual whine/pout sequence about having the chance to meet him and not finding out about it until a week after the fact.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0][quote:post_uid0="Standback"]Things - Sorry, the Vornholt reference was Sa'ar's, not yours. Can't think why I made the mistake, other than the fact that I was writing at about 1am, with another dozen windows open. As to OSC, though, I believe you only mentioned an anthology he *edited* - i.e., "other people's stuff."

Read *him*. *Read* *him*!!! :mad: NOW!!!!!

(5 exclamation marks, for all ye Pratchettiers...)[/quote:post_uid0]
I also mentioned Ender's Game.

Anyone who hasn't read it should. Right now. Instead of reading this.

And multiple exclamation points is not a good way to endear yourself to Zeke. ;)[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0][quote:post_uid0]Sign of a deranged mind, and an excuse for Zeke to express his disapproval of multiple exclamation marks.[/quote:post_uid0]

[quote:post_uid0]And multiple exclamation points is not a good way to endear yourself to Zeke.[/quote:post_uid0]

All right, all right already! ;) Does it help to say I overpunctuate only when I mean it to be funny? :bigsmile:

[quote:post_uid0]I also mentioned Ender's Game.[/quote:post_uid0]

Ach. Third time I look over it, and you know? You did. I [i:post_uid0]really[/i:post_uid0] need to start reading your posts more carefully, don't I?

[quote:post_uid0]Thanks for the 'happy birthday', Standback![/quote:post_uid0]

Anytime, Wonko. Or once a year, at any rate.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0][quote:post_uid0="PointyHairedJedi"]I wonder how many jealous stares I'd get if I were to mention that the book I'm reading at the moment is the Hitch-hikers 'Trilogy in five parts'?[/quote:post_uid0]
I read through the whole post and squealed every time Douglas Adams' name turned up! He is fantastic, the absolute best!

Okay okay, so you guys are talking about SERIOUS scifi :)

William Gibson probably tops my list, followed by Connie Willis (The Doomsday Book kick major ass!) and Alfred Bester. Bester is gooooood. And Orson Scott Card! The Ender's Game series is absolutely FANTASTIC!! Who else? Asimov and Clarke are the masters, I actually don't mind the Mars Trilogy, Dune ROCKS, and there are more than three "Wrinkle In Time" books. There were four or five, last I counted.

Peter David is my favorite Trek author, hands down. He is dead funny, and he also writes B5![/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]Has anyone mentioned Tom Holt yet? He's quite good too; his writing style is somewhat similar to Adams' non-Hitch-hiker books.

I finished the tenth [i:post_uid0]Dune[/i:post_uid0] novel recently (The Butlerian Jihad), otherwise known as the first of the new 'Legends of Dune' trilogy. It's really very good indeed, though it made me wonder if the 'Prelude to Dune' trilogy wasn't just an exercise by K.J. Anderson and Brian Herbert to see if they could write the [i:post_uid0]Dune[/i:post_uid0] universe (though to be fair they were well written and had some rather ingenous plot points).

I've now just started on [i:post_uid0]Red Mars[/i:post_uid0] (after a brief Banks interlude with [i:post_uid0]Canal Dreams[/i:post_uid0]), though it was a hard choice. I've also got copies of [i:post_uid0]2001[/i:post_uid0] (which I've read) and all it's sequels (which I haven't), plus Tolkien's [i:post_uid0]Unfinished Tales[/i:post_uid0], which I'm dying to read.

So many books, so little time.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0][quote:post_uid0]Has anyone mentioned Tom Holt yet? He's quite good too; his writing style is somewhat similar to Adams' non-Hitch-hiker books.
[/quote:post_uid0]

I've met him over Fidonet. He thought I was from Florida 'cause I was telnetting into a BBS there and "Florida" appeared at the bottom of all my messages. I even had the honour of writing a filk with him (OK, it was a line each, but it's still a brush with fame. Someone else's fame, yes, but fame nonetheless). I think I even know his email address (assuming it hasn't changed in 5-odd years).

Modern Alien Entity

In case I've neglected to put my real name in the profile, my line starts off the second verse, and Tom's finishes the third.

[quote:post_uid0]I've now just started on Red Mars [/quote:post_uid0]

Gah...don't read that. Kim Stanley Robinson can't write. All the little futuristic scientific gizmos and gadgets appealed to me in a Clarkian sort of way, but the horrible prose and stiff dialogue make it almost unbearable to read. It makes even less sense if you read the second book first. I've got to stop doing that.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]I've read roughly eighty pages and I know what you mean all too well. But, as Magnus Magnusson used to say, "I've started, so I'll finish".[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]I know, eh? I struggled through Red, Green and Blue Mars to find out what became of the intricate plot.

Plot of the story, not some scheme hatched by the characters.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]Speaking of Douglas Adams, the first episode of the new BBC Cult Doctor Who story (aka Shada) is online. Theres a couple of quite funny [i:post_uid0]DGHDA[/i:post_uid0] references, my favorite so far being 'one lump or two?'

It uses Flash so you don't need to worry about flaffing around with RealPlayer.[/color:post_uid0]

[color=#000000:post_uid0]Well, I've given up un [i:post_uid0]Red Mars[/i:post_uid0] for the moment - I'm concentrating on [i:post_uid0]2001[/i:post_uid0] instead. I'd forgotten just how good a novel it really is.[/color:post_uid0]