Want to recommend a book, or a series of books?

[Mark CMG]

Thieves World? Certainly heard the name (mainly around here), but haven't read it/them. Anything specifically excellent about it that a person should know?

This site (much better than I) will give you a full overview of Thieves World, Old and New -

http://www.geocities.com/jillari1/menu.htm

I will add that the many authors involved, and the fact that it started up after D&D was fairly well known, gives this series some added Fan Cred (if you will) among gamers.

 

[Rackhir]

What no love for David Weber?

The first two books in his fantasy Series "Oath of Swords" and "The War God's Own" are very good fantasy and just as exciting as his Honor Harrington SF Books (The HH Books are one of my all time favorite series). The background is your standard good vs evil world, but a thousand years ago or so, the forces of Evil managed to gain an advantage and smashed a good part of the world. As part of that a new race was created, the Hadrani. They are essentially a race of berzerkers and while not innately evil are widely hated for what they were forced to do by the Evil Gods. The fact that they tend to suffer from berzerk rages hasn't improved their popularity any. The main character eventually winds up as almost exactly a D&D paladin of the War God and of course nobody ever believes he is one because of his race's reputation. The third book is much weaker than the first two, but still an enjoyable read.

I'd actually recomend pretty much anything by David Weber. He has a real talent for exciting battle scenes.

 

[frandelgearslip]

So far from this list I have checked out
Snow Crash by Niel Stephenson
Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny
book of the new sun by Gene Wolfe
Altered Carbon by Richard Morgan
Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay

They didn't have John Wright's first series but I checked out the first book of his new series because the concept appealed to me greatly.

I just finished Ender's game yesterday and am now working on the chronicles of Amber. After that I plan to read one of the shorter books before switching to Tigana. Let me just second the recomendation of Ender's game, a wonderful book and probably the best science fiction book I have read.

 

[John Q. Mayhem]

Fred Saberhagen's Berserker books. Wonderful sci-fi about a fleet of vast robotic warships who move into human-occupied space with the aim of destroying all life. The first book, Berserker, is a series of short stories, many of which are loosely connected into the main story; the second, Brother Assassin, is a single story about a planet with...strange properties. There's some time-travel going on, and the Berserker-robots going back to the past to destroy life in the present.

I saw Berserker in my local thrift store several times over the course of a few weeks, but didn't pick it up. I got to itchin' to read it, though, and when I got back it wasn't where I remembered it was! I found it, though, and am thankful to this day. Wonderful, wonderful book.

 

[Umbra]

Susan cooper - the Dark is Rising sequence. A bit English (Celtic? whatever) in flavour, but big themes and mythological references, if you're into that sort of thing. Easy to read and well paced.

These are a must. The first, Under Sea,Over Stone is very young adult. The second, The Dark Is Rising scared various substances out of me as a twelve year old.

I actually used these VERY loosely for a DnD campaign that ran for 18 months. The party had to track down the six signs of the Light before the final conflict with the Dark.


How much was I impressed by it - I can remember the prophecy 95% accurate from 30 years ago.

When the Dark comes rising, six shall turn it back
Three from the Circle, Three from the track.
Wood, Bronze, Iron, Water, Fire, Stone,
Five will return and one goes alone.

Iron for the birthday, Bronze carried long
Wood from the Burning, Stone out of song
Fire in the candle ring, Water from the thaw
Six Signs the Circle and the Grail gone before.

Fire on the mountain side shall find the Harp of Gold
Played to wake the Sleepers oldest of old.
Power from the Greenwitch lost beneath the sea
All shall find the Light at last, Silver on the Tree.

Loaded with adventure ideas!

 

[vulcan_idic]

I also vote for the Dark is Rising series. To piggyback onto what Hijinks had to say, I'm also a big fan of Stephen Lawhead's Arthurian series, the Pendragon Cycle.

I would also like to recommend:

The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander:
The Book of Three
The Black Cauldron
The Castle of Llyr
Taran Wanderer
The High King
The Foundling and Other Stories (Not technically part of the series, but fills in some of the backstory and so on)

These are written primarily for younger readers, but they speak to adults as well. On that same level, The Little Prince by Antoine de St. Exupery is also quite excellent.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare - I'm a big fan of Shakespeare and was just talking about this play with some coworkers the other day... and now that you asked for recommendations, I must recommend it as it also occurs to me a D&D game with similar plot elements to this (or most Shakespearean comedies) would be riotously fun!

I also really enjoyed reading the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce.

That's what comes to mind off the top of my head.

 

[Andelas]

If your looking for light-hearted short stories, Spider Robinson's Callahan's Crosstime Sallon, Time Travelers Strictly Cash, and Callahan's Secret are great books. So are the spinoffs, Callahan's Lady, and Lady Slings the Booze.

Oh, one warning....Spider LOVES puns...and has a lot of them in those books. Fair warning, some of them are truly awesome...or horrible...or awesomly horrible...

 

[Aus_Snow]

I would also like to recommend: The Chronicles of Prydain by Lloyd Alexander

There's a coincidence! I've been tracking down 2nd-hand copies of those books just recently, because they had such a strong influence on me when I was younger, and I wanted to a) recapture some of those feelings, and b) see what else is in there, that I no doubt missed as a little 'un.

The Foundling and Other Stories, though - is this as good? Regardless, I'll be looking for that too.

While I'm in that general area, I must get around to reading the 'Dark is Rising' sequence. I nearly did as a kid, but for some forgotten reason narrowly avoided it. I've only really heard quite good to very good things about it, and it's intrigued me since first hearing about it.

A Midsummer Night's Dream by William Shakespeare

Great play. Abominable movie (IMO). So far, I've enjoyed reading it more than seeing it in any other form.

it also occurs to me a D&D game with similar plot elements to this (or most Shakespearean comedies) would be riotously fun!

Indeed it would. By the way, I think some d20 company or other did put out at least one Shakespearean adventure, but darned if I know who or what. I believe though, that something along the lines of Ars Magica might be better suited.

I also really enjoyed reading the Song of the Lioness series by Tamora Pierce.

Anything that leaps out as a particular point of recommendation?

 

[sydbar]

One of my favorite books is Villian's by necessity by eve foreward. Its about a world where good has won the battle, and a group consisting of a thief, an assassin, druid, maneating sorcerer, black knight, and centaur spying for good have to work together to bring evil back into the world to prevent the destruction of the world. Its perfect for those that want to run a game of evil characters, without the backstabbing infighting that is usual in games with evil parties.

 

[vulcan_idic]

The Foundling and Other Stories, though - is this as good? Regardless, I'll be looking for that too.?

I loved it. The foundling is about young Dallben and how he came to possess the Book of Three to begin with. Other stories include, I think, something about the issue about the cow in the field from Taran Wanderer and also more history behind the farmer who claimed to be his father for a while in that book too... I could be wrong about that though - ages since I read it!

Anything that leaps out as a particular point of recommendation?

The whole series is good starting from the first. The overall plot arc is the story of a young woman in a patriarchical fantasy/medieval setting who sets her heart on being a knight. To do so she trades places with her twin brother - who goes to the magic school in her stead, and disguises herself as a boy to study to be a knight in the palace of the king. At the beginning of the series she's 9 or 10 I think and she goes through20 or 21... and as you can imagine there are some rather significant obstacles that spring up along the way. Even without the minor biological inconveniences that make her disguise more difficult to pull off, there are other plots and dangers awaiting - mysterious illnesses, wars with neighboring countries, quests for lost artifacts - all in all very good reads.