Saranthose Posted August 27, 2004 Share Posted August 27, 2004 i hope you have also read the required w b spencer books-resume with monsters and irrationalk fears . Infact I have. Each, excluding the return of count electra, and maybe I'll call anna : I have read four to five times, with hardcore style study in between. The return of count electra and maybe I'll call anna read very well, but written before Spencer grew into godly ability The man is a bonafied genuise!!!!!! I used to find his discrptions - before I was able to pull it off - leterally mind numbing to the degree I rolled my eyes at the claims on the back of some books that advertised uncanny ability for discrption. I have never found anything like his discrption other than my own work. I got to where I could balance divinity and earthlyness in all my writtings which was about 2 hours a page. I gave it up and have lost the ability, and I dont really care. Discriptions with writting in a whole - when unable to meet the eyes of an aduince - is nothing more than ego. So I write adventures, and inplace of the discrptions I focuse on encounters, which I do these fiarly desent. My players play them and enjoy them thourly - a shadow to what I was once capable of. Spencer served is place in my life for some years and I wish him all the blessings in the owrld for what he gave me - where ever he is (not on the book rack.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Star Drifter Posted August 28, 2004 Share Posted August 28, 2004 <font color='#ADA96E'>I picked up the first two books of James Clemens THE BANNED AND THE BANISHED series and placed them in my "looks interesting" pile. †Has anyone read them and are they worth moving to the top of the pile? I just finished plowing through the Banned and the Banished series by James Clemens. The first book was like a test of endurance. Picked up the second one just to hope that it would make reading the first worthwhile. Had to finish them after that. They did get better with each one, and had a definitive end after five books. The "five book" limit pleased me greatly. It just happened to fit what I was in the mood for, though. It would get good, sometimes above standard for fantasy. You could tell there was a scope, and that the author was writing with some passion. Then, something so horribly lame would happen, or some ridiculous wording would appear, and the books took the same compelling quality as a bizzare car wreck. I felt compelled, in some self-abusive manner, to continue reading to find the next passage to be dog-eared. They were certainly unique. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ech'Estar Posted August 29, 2004 Share Posted August 29, 2004 The Death of the Necromancer by Martha Wells was excellent, and a nice change of pace. JRR Tolkien, RA Salvatore, and Elaine Cunningham are very good authors as well, Tolkein easily being the best fantasy author ever. Some other decent authors I've read are Michael Stackpole and the author of Eragon wasnt bad (I fogot the guys name). Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Unglef Posted August 29, 2004 Share Posted August 29, 2004 Bogart, by A. M. Sperber and Eric Lax. Best biography I've ever read, except Frayed Ends of Metal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Faraday77 Posted August 29, 2004 Share Posted August 29, 2004 Well, most of the classics were already mentioned, so how about: William Goldman - The princess bride Peter S. Beagle - The last unicorn John Moore - Slay and rescue (light read for a rainy day) Michael A. Stackpole - Once a hero Simon Green - Deathstalker series (my only critique is that Green finishes most of his books in a explosion of violence - boring and sometimes unnecessary) And to add some variety: Shakespeare - Much ado about nothing/Romeo and Juliet/Midsummer nights dream/... Shamus Heaney - Beowulf Paulo Coelho - Manual of the warrior of the light Ambrose Bierce - The devil's dictionary Machiavelli - Discorsi / Principe Akutagawa - Rashomon Yamamoto Tsunetomo - Hagakure Sun Tzu - The art of war Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rogue_7 Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 I'd like to suggest for any Sci-Fi reader The Conqueror's Trilogy by Timothy Zahn Heir to the Empire (Star Wars) by Timothy Zahn Red Mars Series by Kim Stanley Robinson Anything by H.G.Wells The Planet Buyer by Cordwainer Smith (It's part of a series that I cannot find the rest of) Anything by Alister McLean (Mystery/Suspense) Anything by J.E.MacDonnell (WWII War) (can be expensive buying 2nd hand) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
House of Dexter Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 Armor by John Steakley Disk World Series by Terry Pratchett Robert A Heinlein's books Robert McCammon's Horror Stuff...especially Swan Song. 3 Musketeers by Alexandre Dumas...just fun reading. Gordon Dickson Dorsai Series Soldier of the Mist and Soldier of Arete by Gene Wolfe(character has no long term memory...and you are reading his memory from a scroll he writes every nite...before he forgets it) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheBachelor Posted August 31, 2004 Share Posted August 31, 2004 I'm currently reading the excellent biography of Harry S Truman by David McCullough. I highly recommend it. The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald is my all time favorite book. So, I recommend that as well. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mourningcloud Posted September 1, 2004 Share Posted September 1, 2004 actually i have not been able to find Maybe Ill Call Anna. its been out of print longer than the others. I guess i could just go order it, but that would be too easy. different from the wb spencer genre of humurous pseudo-cthulhu/bacchanalian romps is nancy collin's sonya blue-you like descriptive? she is as minimalist as it gets, but as descriptive as you could want, with beautiful yet succinct prose that keeps you up late for weeks strait. more serious than spencer, but her vision is just as vivid. no joke-her stories have a dark, gritty yet romantic flavor that will leave you basking in the afterglow when you are finished. Bon Apetite Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mourningcloud Posted September 1, 2004 Share Posted September 1, 2004 ahem well there seem to be alot of constructive posts in this thread, and a few well....... heres a few librams i have mentioned elsewhere : Sharyn Mccrumb.bimbos of the death sun and zombies of the gene pool will make all of us who post here squirm uncomfortably at the insights into our shared hobbies. (see my post ont the "a good book"thread.) Joel Rosenburg-again with the stuff i mentioned waaay back on the a good book thread (and nobody responded-proof no one reads my too,too lengthy posts...) William Browning Spencer: post modern, tongue in cheek, cthulhu/bacchanalian psychofantasies. great stuff. enjoy thoroughly. Nancy Collins-i too worked in a book store, and as opposed to chasing people away from perceived "crap",i saw their interests and gave them something more worthwhile -ie steered them from Anne Rice and Laurel k Hamilton to (the former being unreadable past the first two books and the latter, though entertaining, rather derivative of-) Nancy Collins (and Poppy Z Brite-a little bloodthirsty and quite vampire-sexy, but a good read). White Wolf copied Nancy's universe and tone, Mrs Hamilton drew on her characters and ideas, but none match her for vampire slaying goodness (pre Buffy-even the movie. maybe mr whedon is a fan as well?) Harry Potter.no lie-read it and find out what kids everywhere know-there truly is magic in those books. single shot-Mathemagics by Margaret Ball-hillarious, exciting, and, er, mathematic? well worth the read (goes cheap on ebay-cool elmore cover too!) besides Feist's riftwar and serpentwar ( i didnt like the empire stuff he co-wrote) the one shot Fairy Tale. modern day fairy troubles. dark and kinda scary. despite scowlings meaningless drivel, a few good game related books: the greyhawk books by Paul Kidd (white plume mountain, descent to the depths, and queen of the demonweb pits). great characters, hilarious hijinks, and old skool monster bashy goodness. please read, then email wotc for more. the Gaunts Ghosts books by Dan Abnett. i cant give them a higher accolade. they make the warhammer 40k universe a fun place visit. best stuff out there. also the Eisenhorn series by ol Dan-best first person stories ive ever read. the Spearwielders Tale by Salvatore. not game related, but hey we all equate salvatore with a certain elf... . another modern day,through the magic gate to fairy-tale land story, but very entertaining. the first ravenloft book, Vampire of the Mists by Christie Golden. suprisingly well written, and the most tragic vampire youll ever encounter (wihought trying too hard, a la that silly white wolf game.) since you guys are doing the real classics: eddie allen poe-still the master, and one of lovecrafts main influences (along with lord dunsany-read him too if you can find him) ambrose bierce-good dark sometimes scary, always poignant american literature. Guy de Maupessant-french gothic lit. i believe one of poes influences(or vice versa, i forget) M R James-the father of the modern ghost story. still scary-you have been warned. j d salinger's catcher in the rye. for the misunderstood in all of us. dracula. the first, the best. (also sheridan lefanu's Carmilla) oh yeah, and pick up the comic Dork Tower. funnier and better art than knights of the dinner table, and its self (gamer) pointed daggers are just as sharp. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reverend Slick Posted September 1, 2004 Share Posted September 1, 2004 A couple I would recommend is the DragonLance Cronicles which have been noted. There are also the Harry Potter Books as well. I also would recommend Rainbow Six by Tom Clancy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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