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Message: <blockquote data-quote="Gizzard" data-source="post: 238721" data-attributes="member: 527">Continuing my trend of seconding recommendations instead of making new ones: ;-)> The Anubis Gates by Tim PowersI've read Last Call, Expiration Date, and Declare by the same author.  I really liked the first two; Powers puts together a world that runs by different rules than a lot of common fantasy; you wont get the feeling that you've read these stories before.  In some ways, it reminds me of Peter Beagle's writing in terms of tone and scope.  Which reminds me, The Last Unicorn by Peter Beagle is another classic fantasy book.  I think there is a thread somewhere else in this forum with people talking about how excited they are that it might be made into a movie.  > Doomsday Book by Connie WillisMmmm, yes.  Connie Willis is very funny.  I've read To Say Nothing of the Dog, Bellwether and Passage (which is nominated for the Hugo this year also).  Doomsday Book is on my never-ending list of things to read "next".  ;-)  Her plots are often a bit light; but complaining about that is like saying "the plot in Gullivers Travels is a bit stretched".  I consider her 1/3 humorist, 1/3 social satirist and 1/3 SF writer.  > Brian Kernighan and Dennis Ritchie: /The C > Programming Language/ >> ... But in the end it's just too much work to try to understand > sentences like  main(v,c)char**c;{for(v[c++]="Hello, world!> \n)";(!!c)[*c]&& Less work than reading James Joyce!  ;-)> Dan Simmons - HyperionI think this recommendation has already been seconded, so I will "third" it.  Strangely, my expectations may have been unrealistic for this book; the (many) people who recommended it were pretty fervent, so when I actually read it I was a bit disappointed because it wasnt the "best book ever!".  (I had a similar experience with Dune; yes, its a really good book, but is it the "best book ever!"?)  Still, its definitely worth a read and if you enjoy the world the author has reworked some of his ideas in Endymion and Fall of Hyperion.  > Neal Stephenson's Snowcrash, Bruce Bethke's Headcrash > and Gibson's IdoruYes, when I read Snowcrash back when it came out it gave me the same thrill that reading Gibsons Neuromancer or Burning Chrome gave me - the feeling that cyberpunk was totally new and on the cutting edge - watching a new style being born.  Of course, now, 15 years later, cyberpunk has mostly flamed-out, leaving only its influence behind on a new generation of authors.  Idoru doesnt feel fresh and new anymore; though I think its better than the other later Gibson books like Virtual Light.Actually, I'll take part of that back.  This year a new (?) author named Charles Stross put out three novellas that reminded me of the density and energy of a young William Gibson.  They are a lot more "cyber" than "punk", but I enjoyed the heck out of them.  One of them, Lobsters, is available free on <a href="http://www.asimovs.com." target="_blank">www.asimovs.com.</a>  (edit: the story contains some disturbing elements of both sex and violence; viewer discretion is advised.)</blockquote>

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