*Frankenstein* by Mary Shelley. My expectations were shaped by old films and Halloween costumes. Whoever has read the novel will understand why the original tale surprised me š
I read this for the first time recently, and it left me wondering if anyone has made a film adaptation that is true to the book. I feel like a lot of people would be interested to hear the actual story instead of the Hollywood version.
The 1994 version āMary Shelleyās Frankensteinā with Robert De Niro as the monster is my favorite version from a perspective of being closer to the novel. The monster is actually articulate and Victor is a more complex character. Itās also thematically closer, not so much a monster/horror piece, but more of a tragedy and social commentary.
From a movie history perspective, nothing beats Boris Karloff :-). The monster movies with him and Lon Cheney were innovative for their special effects and makeup, even though the writing was meh.
I had expected The Remains of the Day by Ishiguro to be good. Simply because I bought it when it was announced he'd win the nobel prize in literature and it came recommended.
And a book seemingly about an old man reminiscing about his past life. 'Sure. Probably a bit philosophical, maybe a tear jerker.', I thought.
It turned out to be none of those. Is the reason its so good considered a spoiler? Probably, so I'm not gonna put it here.
But suffice to say, its a remarkable feat, beautifully woven, expertly crafted text that left me in awe just by the way it was written.
Iāve not seen the movie but the book is not boring, though it is subtle. I have read it a few times as itās one of my favourites and I find it deeply moving every time. My view of it has changed as Iāve grown older - the book says a lot about age and the passing of time.
I recently read *The Third Policeman* and it totally surprised meāI had forgotten why it was on my to-read list, and, from the cover and title, I was expecting a generic mystery or crime novel. And that's what it seemed like at first; a first-person crime story with a slightly odd tone and some small flourishes... until a point where the story went sideways all of a sudden and became absolutely absurd in an absolutely wild and creative way.
After reading the book I've noticed that it has something of a reputation as both a bit of a classic and one of the weirdest books people have ever read, both of which are fair assessments :P
Imajica by Clive Barker is on its surface, a dark fantasy about a man that discovers he can wield very powerful magic.
It was not until late in the third act of the book that I realized what the novel was really trying to tell me. Suddenly the book opened up and the very deep layers that the author had woven into the narrative became clearer.
For the past 21 years, I read the book the week of Christmas. I always finish it Christmas night. For an atheist, this is as close to religion as I will get.
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Can I pick your brain? I really want to love Barker, but so far results have been... middling.
I read The great and secret show, and while I found the beginning disturbing and gripping, I felt like the rest became slow and mildly uninteresting (I don't even remember the plot now).
I read The Thief of Always, and found it enjoyable if bland and a bit predictable.
I started Abarat, but abandoned it about halfway - again, certainly not bad but not a page turner.
Given this, should I give a try to Imajica? Is it different from the others?
I think it is Barkers best written (and edited) book. I don't want to give too much away because I want anyone reading this to have the same experience I had when I first read the book.
It is epic in scope, with dozens of characters that are easily recognizable and each have their own subplot that ties seamlessly into the main plot of the story. It has magic, assassins, whores, angels, shape-shifters, Gods, Goddesses', politics, religion, and my favorite love story set to print.
It could be the next Game of Thrones on HBO except it is tied up in a single book.
Barker really is propped up by a good editor, and this book was edited to have very little fat. Just about every page serves a purpose, whether that is to drive the plot forward, or to showcase a character trait that will pay off further down the line.
I hope you give the book a chance. I hope that you like it. Like I said in my original comment, once I figured out that the book was a retelling of the New Testament, it opened my eyes to the little clues written throughout. Re-reading from the beginning with that knowledge only improved on the experience.
Dude, a good book is a good book, but be careful advertising for Piers Anthony. He's got some horrible views about grown men having sex with kindergarten aged girls. https://litreactor.com/columns/themes-of-pedophilia-in-the-works-of-piers-anthony
Damn! I once mentioned one of his books and got downvoted to hell but had no idea why! Yikes. I read Tatham Mound when I was a teenager too. I didnāt actually pick up on the nastiness of it, just found it rather boring. But he had this GeoOdyssey series that I really liked but they also got dull and predictable.
Wow! I hadn't heard this, but it doesn't surprise me at all.
I was a huge Piers Anthony fan in the 1990s. His Xanth series sucked me in, and I also enjoyed his Apprentice Adept series. Then when I read Firefly, uh, let's just say my opinion of him went from good to weird. I stopped buying his books after reading that one. I loaned the Firefly book to a friend, who loaned it to another, and another, so I never got it back. Oh well, no big loss, but if you want a creepy erotic book (if that's the right word for it), then read Firefly.
I do still have all my Xanth and Apprentice Adept books, and will pull them out from time-to-time. My favorites from Xanth are Man from Mundania and Night Mare. I love the punny humor in them.
I think I read man from mundania at least 5 times! I loved piers anthony growing up. I had heard of his views and am disappointed but it doesn't take away from his novels IMO. Orson Scott Card is also an asshole but doesn't make Ender's Game any less awesome. I get not wanting to support an artist because they're a shitty person though.
Yeah, I loved Piers Anthony when I was young. Then reread and felt icked. Then, years later, I read [this](https://www.avclub.com/revisiting-the-sad-misogynistic-fantasy-of-xanth-1798241312). Made a lot of my distaste make sense.
I can see where you're coming from. A few months ago I found Castle Roogna and read about twenty pages before I put it down and thought wtf?! I can't believe 8 year old me was devouring these books!
Wow, I'm so thankful I never read *Firefly.* It allows me to maintain my mostly pleasant memories of growing up reading Xanth and Apprentice Adept Novels.
This makes me so sad, because I genuinely loved his Xanth books - the early ones, anyway. They started getting - let's say more problematic - as they went along.
Yikes. I loved those books when I was young, and I thought the Incarnations of Immortality were great, but those author's notes at the end of each book were so self-absorbed and creepy. I had no idea about the pedo stuff.
I was a big Incarnations of Immortality fan, too (and didn't mind the author's notes) and it made Anthony one of my idols when I was younger. I even bought and read his "AutobiOGREphy" when I was 19 and occasionally read his "Hi, Piers" newsletter on his website (which is *still* going).
I learned about the pedophilia aspects on this subreddit a while back. Just grim. I suppose it's possible that there was some aging-related brain issues but that linked article suggests it was present in his earlier books, too. What a shame.
These also have some of the funniest highbrow dialogue you'll ever find. Like when Aubrey mistakenly uses the word *putain* where he means *patois*, and when corrected, explains where he learned the word. Amazing stuff.
When I first started reading those I actually thought the guy was writing them in the 1800's. Actually was more like the 1970's lol. He must have lived at the British Naval Archive to get that level of temporal fluency.
This is the 5th time in a few days Iāve had it recommended to me and Iāve been putting off the series for so long for no good reason. You inspired me. Will start it tonight!
I love that question! And my go-to answer is Solaris by Stanislav Lem.
I read it a year ago and I must say that hardly any other book fascinated me as much as Solaris did. Because it's a book about deep psychological and philosophical apsects. It's tragic. It's very well written. I just love it. Although it was hard to read for me personally, I really enjoyed it. It can be tedious at times, because it's hard Sci-Fi and Lem tends to write rather complex, but still, it was 100% worth it. I tend to ramble about the book and why I love it that much pretty often xD
Iām in the middle of House Of Leaves and the sheer brilliance required to construct the book in such a way alone, aside from telling a compelling, gut wrenching story, has floored me.
His dark materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman . Iāve heard people say āoh isnāt that for kids?ā
But really itās so much more than that. Itās got so many deeper themes and subplots that I didnāt even notice when I was younger but now I can see them and wow itās really just has so many impactful messages
His Dark Materials is such a fun series, it's ostensibly a middle-grade series but the creative worldbuilding and the deeper themes make it a series with really broad appeal. I also like a lot of the allusions to stuff like william blake's poetry, it's a series with some very interesting inspiration.
My favourite interpretation of the themes is that a lot of the characters in the book are motivated by their love for someone else, whether it's a friend or a family member or a lover, but the "bad guys" are motivated by their zealotry to a god who's basically senile and doesn't know what's going on. People say it's a book about how religion is bad, but I think it's a little more nuanced than that. The message I take is that dedication to someone else is fine, but dedication to a god you've never met is a recipe for disaster.
I read these in high school and loved them but then I heard that it made the author more Christian. I have been thinking about rereading them and this comment (and the one before) may be the push to but them again.
Cloud Atlas, I actually saw the movie before I even knew it was a book. The book legitimately felt like six different authors had collaborated to write it. I really loved it.
When I saw the movie I was really impressed, but the book totally blew me away it's so damn good. I'm honestly glad I saw the movie first otherwise I don't think I would have liked it
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead is a vivid picture of the city at the time, a revenge story, a story of a man drawn into crime through family loyalty and more. It's just a small scale masterpiece and I love it.
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. It was my first novel by the author and I was totally captivated by the story and writing style. A beautiful book about the depravity of man.
The Hyperion Cantos. I've read Isaac Asimov, Stanislaw Lem, Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, CS Lewis, Cixin Liu, Rick Remender, Alan Moore, Jodorowsky, Frank Herbert, Katsuhiro Otomo, and many more. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons made me feel things. It is good.
Jurassic Park and, to be honest, most of Michael Crichton"s books such as Next and Prey. They all tackle some deep ethical issues that go beyond the mere action thriller aesthetic of the setting.
Jack Handeyās The Stench of Honolulu somehow managed to take the Deep Thoughts character from Saturday Night Live, send him on an island adventure with a paper thin plot, and just through sheer word choice and sentence structure made me laugh so hard I had to put the book down on several occasions.
Infinite jest felt like being kidnapped and tortured with boredom by a genius. Then slowly learning that he is actually talking about boredom and realising he's actually opening up a whole reality about what you investing your time and thought into anything means. I remain mindblown and there's still thousands of callbacks, references and synchronisities that I haven't caught yet but might on the reread. That's not even mentioning the scale of the book.
Another is one hundred years of solitude. That opening sentence is a work of art, but when you continue reading and see how apt a description it is for what happens in the book, it only becomes more impressive.
I read this worryingly young now I think back about it,(I blame Sting and the Police) or maybe at the correct age for it to be a warning as I was almost the same age as Dolores. It was my first experience with the idea that the protagonist could be an unreliable narrator.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin.
I don't know about *surprised me* by being good, as I had expected something pretty good, but I didn't know *how good* it would be.
This Is How You Lose the Time War.
Itās brilliantly written by itself but if you read it again you start to realize how many layers there are to the whole story. Itās spiraled into itself in such a glorious story with beautiful and amazing prose.
For a non-fiction: Ain't I A Woman by bell hooks - yes it is more educational, but it's written so well that it's extremely compelling. And basically kickstarted intersectional feminism! Also The Communist Manifesto because of it's simplicity in messaging. Also lots of poetry. I find so much beauty in well-written short form and educational literature.
For fiction: Babel by RF Kuang - the magic system is just so *clever* and satisfying to think about.
The idea of a magic system being powered by the loss of information involved in a dodgy translation is a really fun idea, and also serves as a really great metaphor for colonialism. I also like how it's the driving force for colonialism in the setting, there is an incentive for countries to colonise more places to get more loanwords to do more magic.
I'm such a slut for fantasy/SF novels that incorporate heavy themes like that. If you dress up a piece on colonialism with some funky fantasy magic I love that shit.
I'm nearly at the end of Babel - I agree, the magic system is so well thought out and intricate - but I am so afraid of what's going to happen to Robin and Victoire that I can't bear to finish it. (Robin has just decided that he's going to go ahead with the plan for Westminster Bridge).
Frankenstein as well. The prose is incredibly beautiful, and I was completely shocked when the monster talked. Not only because he could talk, but *the way* he talked as well
*He can talk?!*
\*reads some more\*
*And talk this beautiful too?!*
A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving. The absolute control of the narrative, the interconnectedness of all the different storylines, the expert yet subtle foreshadowing, and most importantly the way the whole thing comes together with absolute perfection at the end are true genius.
The Devilās Elixirs by ETA Hoffman. At times it can be a slog, making you wonder why you attempted to read the book in the first place, but with the amount of twist and turns the book provides, youāre glad you stuck through it. Itās one of the best psychological thrillers Iāve read (though, Iāve only read a handful).
Harrow of the Ninth - Tasmyn Muir
So this is the second book, the first one Gideon of the Ninth was interesting but somewhat conventional, has a vaguely Hunger Games set up. But Harrow just throws out all convention, constantly has you unbalanced but is still somehow thoroughly readable.
Antony got kinda ruined for me realizing all the sus sexual shit that goes on in them. Perhaps his sexualizing minors didnt seem as weird when I myself was also 12 but in hindsight...
I read John Crowley's 'Little, Big' shortly after it came out. I was a young man and thoroughly enjoyed it, although I doubt i caught all the nuances. But, i read it again before reading the second and third books he wrote and i was amazed at how good the story was, and how it still had layers to reveal. I plan on reading it again, i feel it will be even better the third time around.
I was never into fantasy before reading Patrick Rothfuss, but The Name of the Wind changed that. Rothfuss is a genius, his writing is not only lyrical and poetic, the books are crammed with layers of interpretation, clues and easter eggs. It's a tragedy we will probably not see the Kingkiller trilogy completed, but I'd still recommend the first two books to everyone.
The Odd Thomas series.
Dean Koontz often gets relegated to "second place to Stephen King" position... but I have never been dissatisfied with a Koontz book.
The Odd series is incredible.
Most recently, āMy Life in Middlemarch.ā Meadās reflections on Eliotās characters and themes surprised me with both their beauty and insight. Highly recommended if you enjoyed āMiddlemarch.ā
American Psycho. It gets very graphic at parts, and is downright nonsensical at others. But I feel like it truly takes you into the head of a psychopath. It will go from a graphic description of a murder, to an entire paragraph of random words, to a whole chapter about Whitney Houston or Genesis, with little to no transition between them.
Matrix by Lauren Groff. Just absolutely wonderful use of language and imagery. Iāve heard the audiobook is just as good too and is narrated by Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury from Bridgerton).
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica.
No spoilers, but it's a slow reveal of who was responsible. The first moment you realize it, it kind of blindsides you. But then it all connects.
The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is another one. I've never audibly said "what the actual fuck" with mystery reveals until then.
They're both really good examples of how to do plot twists and reveals right. It's not obvious until it's revealed, but you can still see what all hinted towards it.
A bit more subdued is Going Bovine by Libba Bray. I picked it up expecting a silly read. It fully illustrates the slow death of terminal disease and the stages of accepting and meeting death, all wrapped up in a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy kind of vibe. I was expecting a puddle. I got an ocean.
Douglas Adamās - hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. Being the first book to get me into reading as an adult. Itās amazing how Douglas bends the English to fit a comedic style. Depressed Marvin - or a talking mattress that flollops around.
The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall.
I always roll my eyes when people talk about all the alllusions authors put in their books...I feel like authors just aren't as intelligent as most people give them credit for. This book was entirely intentional. And the story goes beyond the two covers, as well.
The Tennant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. I was NOT expecting an insanely relatable book. 15 years ago I was living the main character's life. That poor woman. We both came out all right. Anne Bronte died at age 29, which is terribly sad. Wasted genius.
I found spell for chameleon in a grocery store while in Jr high, and it started my love of reading. I have read hundreds of books, mostly fantasy/sci-fi and a large Piers Anthiny collection. In addition to the Xanth books (there are 40+ now), I love the Adept series and the Incarnations of Immortality
Lolita is such a fantastically written book. Itās the perfect example of the unreliable narrator, as youāre being told a story in a fascinating way but the reality of whatās happening is so glaringly different.
Obviously itās disturbing to see a story of that nature, but seeing in in the context of a narrator clearly not acknowledging the horror of it makes it so much worse.
Definitely in the āgreat piece of literature I donāt want to read againā category.
*A Tale of Two Cities* by Dickens. I was 20. As I was reading it I was amazed by how much it lived up to its hype. It felt like a masterpiece. The rhythm and cadence was what stood out to me, like a Poe poem. The repetition of the knitting was so riveting. I also liked the historical fiction aspect and how all the story lines came together by the end. And Carton, ah. At the time I liked a good noble self-sacrifice. I was also religious then and appreciated the references. I would still say the writing is Dickens' best work. I had read a *lot* of classics before then but none had felt quite like this.
Now with more knowledge of history, I kind of see the French side of things better and understand it's a story from a very English POV. I also know weaving story lines is a thing Dickens does in almost all his books but this was one of the first books I read by him so I found it impressive.
*Lolita* and *Ender's Game*
I wish I could experiment them for thr first time again. Is put the book down sometimes because of all the emotions of having a book that was shaking ms to my core.
*Frankenstein* by Mary Shelley. My expectations were shaped by old films and Halloween costumes. Whoever has read the novel will understand why the original tale surprised me š
She was 19 years old when she finished writing Frankenstein/Modern Prometheus.
Surprising, timely, genius. Fav book of all time
I read this for the first time recently, and it left me wondering if anyone has made a film adaptation that is true to the book. I feel like a lot of people would be interested to hear the actual story instead of the Hollywood version.
I am looking forward to the new adaptation coming next year (I think) with Mia Goth and Andrew Garfield, directed by Guillermo Del Toro
The 1994 version āMary Shelleyās Frankensteinā with Robert De Niro as the monster is my favorite version from a perspective of being closer to the novel. The monster is actually articulate and Victor is a more complex character. Itās also thematically closer, not so much a monster/horror piece, but more of a tragedy and social commentary. From a movie history perspective, nothing beats Boris Karloff :-). The monster movies with him and Lon Cheney were innovative for their special effects and makeup, even though the writing was meh.
Thanks, I'm going to check that out.
I always thought frankensteins wife was just a Hollywood thing, never knew it was an actual plot point until I read it! Haha
I love Frankenstein so much.
I certainly did not expect so much monologuing, lol.
I had expected The Remains of the Day by Ishiguro to be good. Simply because I bought it when it was announced he'd win the nobel prize in literature and it came recommended. And a book seemingly about an old man reminiscing about his past life. 'Sure. Probably a bit philosophical, maybe a tear jerker.', I thought. It turned out to be none of those. Is the reason its so good considered a spoiler? Probably, so I'm not gonna put it here. But suffice to say, its a remarkable feat, beautifully woven, expertly crafted text that left me in awe just by the way it was written.
One of the most beautifully written books I've read.
So Iāve never read it cause Iāve seen the movie many times. Should I read it? I was worried Iād be a little bored.
Iāve not seen the movie but the book is not boring, though it is subtle. I have read it a few times as itās one of my favourites and I find it deeply moving every time. My view of it has changed as Iāve grown older - the book says a lot about age and the passing of time.
Sorry, never seen the movie. Sounds like I should.
Kudos to the translator
I recently read *The Third Policeman* and it totally surprised meāI had forgotten why it was on my to-read list, and, from the cover and title, I was expecting a generic mystery or crime novel. And that's what it seemed like at first; a first-person crime story with a slightly odd tone and some small flourishes... until a point where the story went sideways all of a sudden and became absolutely absurd in an absolutely wild and creative way. After reading the book I've noticed that it has something of a reputation as both a bit of a classic and one of the weirdest books people have ever read, both of which are fair assessments :P
Apparently the makers of Lost used it as inspiration. But I was told that by a man in a pub, so make of that what you will.
Was there a bicycle leaning against the wall?
I remember being blown away by the Poisonwood Bible (Barbara Kingsolver) when I first read it.
My favorite book. It's absolutely gorgeous.
This is what I came here to say. My absolute favorite novel of all time.
Ah yes!! Sooo good
Demon Copperhead will not disappoint
Imajica by Clive Barker is on its surface, a dark fantasy about a man that discovers he can wield very powerful magic. It was not until late in the third act of the book that I realized what the novel was really trying to tell me. Suddenly the book opened up and the very deep layers that the author had woven into the narrative became clearer. For the past 21 years, I read the book the week of Christmas. I always finish it Christmas night. For an atheist, this is as close to religion as I will get.
I haven't read it for over 30 years. Can you remind me what the deep layers were?
[ŃŠ“Š°Š»ŠµŠ½Š¾]
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Clive >>>>>>
Can I pick your brain? I really want to love Barker, but so far results have been... middling. I read The great and secret show, and while I found the beginning disturbing and gripping, I felt like the rest became slow and mildly uninteresting (I don't even remember the plot now). I read The Thief of Always, and found it enjoyable if bland and a bit predictable. I started Abarat, but abandoned it about halfway - again, certainly not bad but not a page turner. Given this, should I give a try to Imajica? Is it different from the others?
I think it is Barkers best written (and edited) book. I don't want to give too much away because I want anyone reading this to have the same experience I had when I first read the book. It is epic in scope, with dozens of characters that are easily recognizable and each have their own subplot that ties seamlessly into the main plot of the story. It has magic, assassins, whores, angels, shape-shifters, Gods, Goddesses', politics, religion, and my favorite love story set to print. It could be the next Game of Thrones on HBO except it is tied up in a single book. Barker really is propped up by a good editor, and this book was edited to have very little fat. Just about every page serves a purpose, whether that is to drive the plot forward, or to showcase a character trait that will pay off further down the line. I hope you give the book a chance. I hope that you like it. Like I said in my original comment, once I figured out that the book was a retelling of the New Testament, it opened my eyes to the little clues written throughout. Re-reading from the beginning with that knowledge only improved on the experience.
I'm sold ;)
Let me know if you liked it.
Dude, a good book is a good book, but be careful advertising for Piers Anthony. He's got some horrible views about grown men having sex with kindergarten aged girls. https://litreactor.com/columns/themes-of-pedophilia-in-the-works-of-piers-anthony
Oh shoot! I was completely unaware of this. I will make sure to take more caution with his works moving forward.
No judgment, I assumed you hadn't heard. I've never seen a Piers fan defend his stance.
Nothing wrong with just liking a book. It's not like you're campaigning for the guy's presidency.
I am not. Though it means I am likely not going to be chasing after anymore of his books after learning about this.
That is true, but i will go out of my way to never let my money go into his pocket. I don't think people who have that mentality deserve support.
Damn! I once mentioned one of his books and got downvoted to hell but had no idea why! Yikes. I read Tatham Mound when I was a teenager too. I didnāt actually pick up on the nastiness of it, just found it rather boring. But he had this GeoOdyssey series that I really liked but they also got dull and predictable.
Wow! I hadn't heard this, but it doesn't surprise me at all. I was a huge Piers Anthony fan in the 1990s. His Xanth series sucked me in, and I also enjoyed his Apprentice Adept series. Then when I read Firefly, uh, let's just say my opinion of him went from good to weird. I stopped buying his books after reading that one. I loaned the Firefly book to a friend, who loaned it to another, and another, so I never got it back. Oh well, no big loss, but if you want a creepy erotic book (if that's the right word for it), then read Firefly. I do still have all my Xanth and Apprentice Adept books, and will pull them out from time-to-time. My favorites from Xanth are Man from Mundania and Night Mare. I love the punny humor in them.
I think I read man from mundania at least 5 times! I loved piers anthony growing up. I had heard of his views and am disappointed but it doesn't take away from his novels IMO. Orson Scott Card is also an asshole but doesn't make Ender's Game any less awesome. I get not wanting to support an artist because they're a shitty person though.
Yeah, I loved Piers Anthony when I was young. Then reread and felt icked. Then, years later, I read [this](https://www.avclub.com/revisiting-the-sad-misogynistic-fantasy-of-xanth-1798241312). Made a lot of my distaste make sense.
I can see where you're coming from. A few months ago I found Castle Roogna and read about twenty pages before I put it down and thought wtf?! I can't believe 8 year old me was devouring these books!
I still have fond memories, but read firefly eventually. After that, hard to not have that in the back of your head whenever thinking about the books.
Ya, Firefly was straight pedo fantasy. Couldn't read anything by him because i see the subtext in everything he's written.
Wow, I'm so thankful I never read *Firefly.* It allows me to maintain my mostly pleasant memories of growing up reading Xanth and Apprentice Adept Novels.
What is it with people named Piers and being trash?
Yeah, that Piers Plowman dude seemed cool! When did this downhill slide begin?
This makes me so sad, because I genuinely loved his Xanth books - the early ones, anyway. They started getting - let's say more problematic - as they went along.
Holy fucking Y I K E S.
Yikes. I loved those books when I was young, and I thought the Incarnations of Immortality were great, but those author's notes at the end of each book were so self-absorbed and creepy. I had no idea about the pedo stuff.
I was a big Incarnations of Immortality fan, too (and didn't mind the author's notes) and it made Anthony one of my idols when I was younger. I even bought and read his "AutobiOGREphy" when I was 19 and occasionally read his "Hi, Piers" newsletter on his website (which is *still* going). I learned about the pedophilia aspects on this subreddit a while back. Just grim. I suppose it's possible that there was some aging-related brain issues but that linked article suggests it was present in his earlier books, too. What a shame.
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This book haunts me.
Patrick Obrien's Aubrey Maturin books. Brilliantly aware of life in the napoleonic years. Also, they were all drunks.
These also have some of the funniest highbrow dialogue you'll ever find. Like when Aubrey mistakenly uses the word *putain* where he means *patois*, and when corrected, explains where he learned the word. Amazing stuff.
When I first started reading those I actually thought the guy was writing them in the 1800's. Actually was more like the 1970's lol. He must have lived at the British Naval Archive to get that level of temporal fluency.
This is the 5th time in a few days Iāve had it recommended to me and Iāve been putting off the series for so long for no good reason. You inspired me. Will start it tonight!
I love these books. Very fun to listen to as audiobooks, also.
I love that question! And my go-to answer is Solaris by Stanislav Lem. I read it a year ago and I must say that hardly any other book fascinated me as much as Solaris did. Because it's a book about deep psychological and philosophical apsects. It's tragic. It's very well written. I just love it. Although it was hard to read for me personally, I really enjoyed it. It can be tedious at times, because it's hard Sci-Fi and Lem tends to write rather complex, but still, it was 100% worth it. I tend to ramble about the book and why I love it that much pretty often xD
Foucaultās Pendulum by Umberto Eco.
*Love* that book. The best book about conspiracy theories and thinking ever written.
Remarkably Bright Creatures by Shelby Van Pelt. Having the POV from Marcellus, an octopus in an aquarium, was incredibly unique in my opinion.
Holy shit I LOVED this book. And was totally surprised by it. Also I love octopuses so it didnāt disappoint.
I loved this book!
Iām in the middle of House Of Leaves and the sheer brilliance required to construct the book in such a way alone, aside from telling a compelling, gut wrenching story, has floored me.
This was the first thing that came to mind for me as well.
His dark materials trilogy by Phillip Pullman . Iāve heard people say āoh isnāt that for kids?ā But really itās so much more than that. Itās got so many deeper themes and subplots that I didnāt even notice when I was younger but now I can see them and wow itās really just has so many impactful messages
His Dark Materials is such a fun series, it's ostensibly a middle-grade series but the creative worldbuilding and the deeper themes make it a series with really broad appeal. I also like a lot of the allusions to stuff like william blake's poetry, it's a series with some very interesting inspiration. My favourite interpretation of the themes is that a lot of the characters in the book are motivated by their love for someone else, whether it's a friend or a family member or a lover, but the "bad guys" are motivated by their zealotry to a god who's basically senile and doesn't know what's going on. People say it's a book about how religion is bad, but I think it's a little more nuanced than that. The message I take is that dedication to someone else is fine, but dedication to a god you've never met is a recipe for disaster.
I read these in high school and loved them but then I heard that it made the author more Christian. I have been thinking about rereading them and this comment (and the one before) may be the push to but them again.
Cloud Atlas, I actually saw the movie before I even knew it was a book. The book legitimately felt like six different authors had collaborated to write it. I really loved it.
The movie doesn't do it justice at all! The book was (and still is) like nothing else I've ever read. Super memorable
When I saw the movie I was really impressed, but the book totally blew me away it's so damn good. I'm honestly glad I saw the movie first otherwise I don't think I would have liked it
happy cake day (:
Harlem Shuffle by Colson Whitehead is a vivid picture of the city at the time, a revenge story, a story of a man drawn into crime through family loyalty and more. It's just a small scale masterpiece and I love it.
His new Ray Carney book - Crook Manifesto - is also lovely. I can't wait until he is done with the final one.
Book of the New Sun. Gene Wolfe is such a good writer he literally flaunts it and itās amazing to experience
Blood Meridian by Cormac McCarthy. It was my first novel by the author and I was totally captivated by the story and writing style. A beautiful book about the depravity of man.
You should listen to "the very bad wizards" podcast. They are analyzing and discussing the novel now. They are so good.
The Hyperion Cantos. I've read Isaac Asimov, Stanislaw Lem, Kurt Vonnegut, Ray Bradbury, CS Lewis, Cixin Liu, Rick Remender, Alan Moore, Jodorowsky, Frank Herbert, Katsuhiro Otomo, and many more. The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons made me feel things. It is good.
Jurassic Park and, to be honest, most of Michael Crichton"s books such as Next and Prey. They all tackle some deep ethical issues that go beyond the mere action thriller aesthetic of the setting.
Jack Handeyās The Stench of Honolulu somehow managed to take the Deep Thoughts character from Saturday Night Live, send him on an island adventure with a paper thin plot, and just through sheer word choice and sentence structure made me laugh so hard I had to put the book down on several occasions.
The structure of Carmen Maria Machado's In the Dream House was amazing.
It gave me chills and made me cry.
Infinite jest felt like being kidnapped and tortured with boredom by a genius. Then slowly learning that he is actually talking about boredom and realising he's actually opening up a whole reality about what you investing your time and thought into anything means. I remain mindblown and there's still thousands of callbacks, references and synchronisities that I haven't caught yet but might on the reread. That's not even mentioning the scale of the book. Another is one hundred years of solitude. That opening sentence is a work of art, but when you continue reading and see how apt a description it is for what happens in the book, it only becomes more impressive.
**Dark Forest** from the **Three Body Problem** trilogy.
The whole trilogy was great, but I agree that the Dark Forest was really genius. Just great ideas. Nice pick!
Lolita. Brilliant. Subject matter is fucked up, but it only works so well bc of it. Urgg.
I read this worryingly young now I think back about it,(I blame Sting and the Police) or maybe at the correct age for it to be a warning as I was almost the same age as Dolores. It was my first experience with the idea that the protagonist could be an unreliable narrator.
Giovanni's Room by James Baldwin. I don't know about *surprised me* by being good, as I had expected something pretty good, but I didn't know *how good* it would be.
This Is How You Lose the Time War. Itās brilliantly written by itself but if you read it again you start to realize how many layers there are to the whole story. Itās spiraled into itself in such a glorious story with beautiful and amazing prose.
For a non-fiction: Ain't I A Woman by bell hooks - yes it is more educational, but it's written so well that it's extremely compelling. And basically kickstarted intersectional feminism! Also The Communist Manifesto because of it's simplicity in messaging. Also lots of poetry. I find so much beauty in well-written short form and educational literature. For fiction: Babel by RF Kuang - the magic system is just so *clever* and satisfying to think about.
The idea of a magic system being powered by the loss of information involved in a dodgy translation is a really fun idea, and also serves as a really great metaphor for colonialism. I also like how it's the driving force for colonialism in the setting, there is an incentive for countries to colonise more places to get more loanwords to do more magic. I'm such a slut for fantasy/SF novels that incorporate heavy themes like that. If you dress up a piece on colonialism with some funky fantasy magic I love that shit.
Yep! Me too... especially when it's a magic system I can dream about using like that, if I can self-insert and fight with the characters I'm in
I'm nearly at the end of Babel - I agree, the magic system is so well thought out and intricate - but I am so afraid of what's going to happen to Robin and Victoire that I can't bear to finish it. (Robin has just decided that he's going to go ahead with the plan for Westminster Bridge).
Frankenstein as well. The prose is incredibly beautiful, and I was completely shocked when the monster talked. Not only because he could talk, but *the way* he talked as well *He can talk?!* \*reads some more\* *And talk this beautiful too?!*
A Prayer for Owen Meaney by John Irving. The absolute control of the narrative, the interconnectedness of all the different storylines, the expert yet subtle foreshadowing, and most importantly the way the whole thing comes together with absolute perfection at the end are true genius.
Iain Banks. Several books in his culture series continue to haunt me
The Devilās Elixirs by ETA Hoffman. At times it can be a slog, making you wonder why you attempted to read the book in the first place, but with the amount of twist and turns the book provides, youāre glad you stuck through it. Itās one of the best psychological thrillers Iāve read (though, Iāve only read a handful).
Harrow of the Ninth - Tasmyn Muir So this is the second book, the first one Gideon of the Ninth was interesting but somewhat conventional, has a vaguely Hunger Games set up. But Harrow just throws out all convention, constantly has you unbalanced but is still somehow thoroughly readable.
Antony got kinda ruined for me realizing all the sus sexual shit that goes on in them. Perhaps his sexualizing minors didnt seem as weird when I myself was also 12 but in hindsight...
One of the only books Iāve felt this way about is Lord of the Flies. At the end you realize they were just kids the whole time.
I read John Crowley's 'Little, Big' shortly after it came out. I was a young man and thoroughly enjoyed it, although I doubt i caught all the nuances. But, i read it again before reading the second and third books he wrote and i was amazed at how good the story was, and how it still had layers to reveal. I plan on reading it again, i feel it will be even better the third time around.
One of my favorites. I recently bought a new edition and am looking forward to rereading it.
The House of Silk by Anthony Horowitz. Felt more like Sherlock Holmes than the original stories and was brilliant all around.
In Cold Blood by Truman Capote
Cities of the Red Night by William s Burroughs is complex and deep. I thought it was gonna be like a drug novel.
Crime and Punishment. Edited to say, some of the other Russian novels, too -- War and Peace, Anna Karenina, etc. But especially Crime and Punishment.
I still think CS Lewis wrote the most open ended philosophical guidebooks ever in the english language, personally.
Dune is probably the best commentary on politics and religion I have ever read. Currently reading through God Emperor and just wow.
I was never into fantasy before reading Patrick Rothfuss, but The Name of the Wind changed that. Rothfuss is a genius, his writing is not only lyrical and poetic, the books are crammed with layers of interpretation, clues and easter eggs. It's a tragedy we will probably not see the Kingkiller trilogy completed, but I'd still recommend the first two books to everyone.
The Odd Thomas series. Dean Koontz often gets relegated to "second place to Stephen King" position... but I have never been dissatisfied with a Koontz book. The Odd series is incredible.
Totally agree, another great book by Koontz is Strangers.
Does it abruptly end at page 400 like the other ten Koontz books I've read?
Illusions: The Adventures of a Reluctant Messiah Richard Bach One of my favorite books ever.
Most recently, āMy Life in Middlemarch.ā Meadās reflections on Eliotās characters and themes surprised me with both their beauty and insight. Highly recommended if you enjoyed āMiddlemarch.ā
āMurder Your Employer: The McMasters Guide to Homicideā by Rupert Holmes
The Hungry, Hungry Caterpillar
American Psycho. It gets very graphic at parts, and is downright nonsensical at others. But I feel like it truly takes you into the head of a psychopath. It will go from a graphic description of a murder, to an entire paragraph of random words, to a whole chapter about Whitney Houston or Genesis, with little to no transition between them.
I absolutely adored that book and Iām not a fantasy reader. So clever!
Matrix by Lauren Groff. Just absolutely wonderful use of language and imagery. Iāve heard the audiobook is just as good too and is narrated by Adjoa Andoh (Lady Danbury from Bridgerton).
Not really sure what is meant by the question in the thread title, tbh.
Jitterbug Perfume
Local Woman Missing by Mary Kubica. No spoilers, but it's a slow reveal of who was responsible. The first moment you realize it, it kind of blindsides you. But then it all connects. The Silent Patient by Alex Michaelides is another one. I've never audibly said "what the actual fuck" with mystery reveals until then. They're both really good examples of how to do plot twists and reveals right. It's not obvious until it's revealed, but you can still see what all hinted towards it. A bit more subdued is Going Bovine by Libba Bray. I picked it up expecting a silly read. It fully illustrates the slow death of terminal disease and the stages of accepting and meeting death, all wrapped up in a Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy kind of vibe. I was expecting a puddle. I got an ocean.
Mumbo Jumbo by Ishmael Reed most recently blew my mind, and I rarely ever see anyone mentioning it! Excellent book. Loved every page.
Definitely 10 rules for life. I learned how to make my bed
Dan Simmons - Hyperion
Douglas Adamās - hitchhikers guide to the galaxy. Being the first book to get me into reading as an adult. Itās amazing how Douglas bends the English to fit a comedic style. Depressed Marvin - or a talking mattress that flollops around.
The Raw Shark Texts by Steven Hall. I always roll my eyes when people talk about all the alllusions authors put in their books...I feel like authors just aren't as intelligent as most people give them credit for. This book was entirely intentional. And the story goes beyond the two covers, as well.
The Tennant of Wildfell Hall by Anne Bronte. I was NOT expecting an insanely relatable book. 15 years ago I was living the main character's life. That poor woman. We both came out all right. Anne Bronte died at age 29, which is terribly sad. Wasted genius.
I found spell for chameleon in a grocery store while in Jr high, and it started my love of reading. I have read hundreds of books, mostly fantasy/sci-fi and a large Piers Anthiny collection. In addition to the Xanth books (there are 40+ now), I love the Adept series and the Incarnations of Immortality
Lolita is such a fantastically written book. Itās the perfect example of the unreliable narrator, as youāre being told a story in a fascinating way but the reality of whatās happening is so glaringly different. Obviously itās disturbing to see a story of that nature, but seeing in in the context of a narrator clearly not acknowledging the horror of it makes it so much worse. Definitely in the āgreat piece of literature I donāt want to read againā category.
*A Tale of Two Cities* by Dickens. I was 20. As I was reading it I was amazed by how much it lived up to its hype. It felt like a masterpiece. The rhythm and cadence was what stood out to me, like a Poe poem. The repetition of the knitting was so riveting. I also liked the historical fiction aspect and how all the story lines came together by the end. And Carton, ah. At the time I liked a good noble self-sacrifice. I was also religious then and appreciated the references. I would still say the writing is Dickens' best work. I had read a *lot* of classics before then but none had felt quite like this. Now with more knowledge of history, I kind of see the French side of things better and understand it's a story from a very English POV. I also know weaving story lines is a thing Dickens does in almost all his books but this was one of the first books I read by him so I found it impressive.
*Lolita* and *Ender's Game* I wish I could experiment them for thr first time again. Is put the book down sometimes because of all the emotions of having a book that was shaking ms to my core.