ryanr's Journal: Geek book meme

Side comment: I don't know if group activities qualify as a "meme", exactly. That's not the definition I first heard, maybe it's changed. Shrug.

So, I have next to no interest in the "classic" books. Here's a start to my list of classics:

The Hobbit/Rings triology
Shannara series
Dune series
Xanth/Adept series'
Strange in a Strange Land
Farenheit 451
Any Drizzt book
Any Weis/Hickman collaboration
Most William Gibson books
Cryptonomicon
Dragonriders series
Journey to the Center of the Earth
HHGTTG Series
Narnia series
Oz series
Ender series

There must be hundreds I'm not thinking of immediately. Please add more. I'm thinking mostly SciFi/Fantasy at the moment. I could totally go down the security geek or programmer geek path, too.

I'm much too lazy to look things up and spell them right/get the proper author/make a couple of bucks with Amazon links with my associate ID. :) If you don't know what something is, ask and I'll clarify.

BOOKS THAT MATTER

[mekkab]

Yeah, I think same and I are gonna start the "Books that matter" "meme." And its a meme because we say its a meme.

You're all fools! The MOB rules!

Classic books

[Tet]

You missed a few obvious[1] ones:

• Isaac Asimov -- The foundation series
• Piers Anthony -- Incarnations of immortality series (which I always felt to be far better than Xanth)
• Piers Anthony -- Macroscope
• E.E. Doc Smith -- Lensman series
• A.E. van Vogt -- The weapon shops/weapon makers
• A.E. van Vogt -- Empire of the atom / The wizard of Linn
• Vernor Vinge -- Across realtime
• Alfred Bester -- Tiger, tiger
• Joe Haldeman -- The forever war
• James Blish -- Cities in space

The only things I'd remove from your list ar

Re:Classic books

[ryanr]

Yes, the Incarnations series is a good one. I think better than Xanth is subjective. Well, yes Incarnations is a better written series, but I read the Xanth books when I was around 10-13, which is just about the perfect age to read them.

I probably should have included the Asimov, I haven't read them yet, though.

I don't think I've heard of most of the rest of your list, thanks for the pointers.

I've enjoyed most of the Gibson books I've read. I liked "Virtual Light" quite a lot, for example. I also hav

Re:Classic books

[Tet]

I probably should have included the Asimov, I haven't read them yet, though.

Splutter! What is this heresy? Get thee to Amazon, right about now! In order, they are:

• Foundation
• Foundation and empire
• Second foundation (even though it's the 3rd book)
• Foundation's edge
• Foundation and Earth
• Prelude to foundation
• Forward the foundation

Although the last two are chronologically earlier in the series than "Foundation", they were written later and IMHO you'll get more out of them if you read the rest of the serie

Missing

[lightcycle]

What I miss in the list: Anything by Philip K Dick Anything by HP Lovecraft Rendezvous with Rama by A.C. Clarke And I'd take Wheel of Time over Shannara anytime.

Re:Missing

[ryanr]

Good additions. I think I realized that I left off stuff that I haven't read personally yet. Right in my pile are a couple of Dick collections, and a Lovecraft collection. I haven't checked out any Rama yet, or Wheel of Time.

One of the things I really like finding is when the publisher puts out all the volumes in some set into one (relatively inexpensive) book. I got my Shannara set that way (though, I see there are more...)

I get a lot of the Dragonlance books that way. It's great having a straight 1

Salvatore

[orange_6]

Any Drizzt book

I'd actually have to half-disagree here. The first two series were very good (Icewind Dale and Dark Elf Trilogies) but about half way through Legacy it because more hack and slash than actual substance. Especially when Wulfgar comes back...sheesh...I guess if I was seeing Catti-Brie I'd come back too :)

Re:Salvatore

[ryanr]

Hmm... I guess I enjoy the hack and slash. :)

Yeah, a little corny bringing people back, I suppose.

Oh yeah.. spolier in the parent, don't read it. :)

Re:Salvatore

[orange_6]

Spoiler?

Wasn't he just coming back from the store :)