Books, if you love Firefly you will really love reading....

POSTED BY: Murkymerc
UPDATED: Friday, April 7, 2006 18:36
VIEWED: 24483
PAGE 1 of 1

MURKYMERC

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 2:48 AM (P)

I don't have an answer to the subject line, but hopefully you people here do. Help me...I need something new to read.

KAELE

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:42 AM (P)

Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell.

It's an entire series.

~Kaele

IVY

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:54 AM (P)

I don't think there is anything out there like Firefly - that's what makes it so unique. Since it's the people and their interactions that I love so much, I'll recommend some books with memorable characters and plots that suck you in. Again, not like Firefly but good characters.

Anything by Guy Gavriel Kay. He is a bit wordy and loves prose, but he can write people you care about. Tigana and A Song for Arbonne are particularly wonderful.

If you prefer something a little more light hearted - go for the 12 book series by David Eddings. The Belgariad (5 books), The Mallorian (5 books), Belgarath and Polgara. Not deep or terribly meaningful, but characters you will enjoy getting to know and hate letting go of (I admit it, I cried at the end...).

Tad Williams, Memory, Thorn and Sorrow trilogy (The Dragonbone Chair, The Stone of Farewell and To Green Angel Tower).

The classic (and my very favorite) Orson Scott Card's "Ender's Game" and the two that follow Speaker for the Dead and Xenocide. (Not a fan of the ones after that in the Ender series.)

Hey - can you tell I love books....I actually HATE TV!!!!

Ivy

I've been sane a long while now, and change is good...

SEJANUS

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:58 AM (P)

Well... I don't write much here, but there is a two book 'series' (think of it as cancelled before its time) by Robert Frezza that is full of witty dialogue, absurdities, thrilling heroics, crappy space ships, and frontiers. With an interesting take on the frontier and why people live out there.

This would be "McLendon's Syndrome" 1993, and "The VMR Theory" 1996.

Good luck finding them in used bookstores or online.

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:00 AM (P)

I totally agree with the David Eddings books. I loved all of them
:D

Also check out David Brin. His Uplift Series is very cool. I also loved his books Earth and The Postman (remember...don't judge a book by its movie).

~~~~~
"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

CALLMEATH

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:14 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Ivy:

Tad Williams, Memory, Thorn and Sorrow trilogy (The Dragonbone Chair, The Stone of Farewell and To Green Angel Tower).

Someone else has read this series? I thought my sister and I were the only ones. Great books!

It doesn't really compare to Firefly, (whatdoes?) but I'm currently reading the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.

Also, I highly recommend A Song of Fire and Ice, a series of books by George RR Martin. Not Firefly related, but a great read.

"Invader's blood marches through my veins like giant radioactive rubber pants. The pants command me! Do not ignore my veins!"

KAELE

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:16 AM (P)

Read the Myth series of books by Robert Aspirin. VERY good. And quirky. Like Firefly.

Oh, and since I'm in the convention mood, Bimbos of the Death Sun along with Zombies of the Gene Pool by Sharyn McCrumb.

~Kaele

NUCLEARDAY

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:56 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Kaele:
Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell.

It's an entire series.

~Kaele

Agreed, those are great ;p

My own pick: uhm... off the top of my head, the Stainless Steel Rat series by Harry Harrison. Not too much like the Firefly 'verse, but plenty of humour. (Plus gives many reasons to pick up Esperanto as a second language.)

________________________________________________
You can take my hope when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

TEALCANDTRIP

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 5:04 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Kaele:
Read the Myth series of books by Robert Aspirin. VERY good. And quirky. Like Firefly.

~Kaele

Well, if you're bringing up Robert Aspirin, I'm bringing up Jody Lynn Nye who wrote an excellent series of books: Mythology 101, Mythology Abroad, Higher Mythology, and Advanced Mythology.

Hilarious, quirky, with very memorable characters. The first three are collected into a trilogy called Applied Mythology and the fourth was written long after.

"I also hear that there's something called Firefly, which is either a canceled science-fiction television show or a new religion, I'm not clear on that. Either way, prayers for the resurrection are involved." – Lore Sjoberg

LVS2READ

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 5:11 AM (P)

The Honor Harrington series by David Weber or (my all time favorite) The Dragonrider series by Anne McCaffrey.

"I love my captain."

DAVESHAYNE

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 5:34 AM (P)

Not sure of any books that I would call particularly Firefly so I'll just rattle off a bunch of books I think everybody should read and enjoy. Not in any particular order.

The Phantom Tollbooth. (Yeah, it's a kids book. So what? It's fun.)

The Lord of the Rings. (The Professor sure could write the prose.)

Catch 22. (Perhaps the best novel ever writen. Seriously.)

Dune.

The Stars Like Dust, Foundation, Foundation and Empire, Second Foundation. (Asimov in his prime.)

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress. (Easily Heinleins best.)

The Shockwave Rider. (A John Brunner book with a happy - if contrived - ending; something of a rarity. Arguably the first cyberpunk novel.)

Neuromancer. (The first novel to be called cyberpunk.)

Ringworld. (Larry Niven at his best.)

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

BELOWZERO

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 5:50 AM (P)

Mike Resnick, Santiago and Return of Santiago. He is a browncoat for sure: look at the cover art on the second book and tell me who that guy and that ship remind you of!

I second Guy Gavriel Kay, I still love the whole Fionavar tapestry.
I love Diana Wynne Jones as well. Out of print book called Dogsbody is my fave. A kids' book but who cares?

Ditto on George R R Martin.

I also like Jim Butcher's Dresden Files series. This guy is a browncoat to the point of quoting Firefly episodes in his latest, Dead Beat. "We ar enot gonna die. You know why? Thomas is too pretty to die. I am too stubborn to die. And polka will never die."

I also like (and y'all can just shoot me for crossing genres) the Laurell K Hamilton Anita Blake series, Glen Cooke's Garrett the investigator series, and Black Company. Peter David has a couple of series: the King Arthur one and Sir Apropos of Nothing--that I recommend.

Kelley Armstrong is also highly recommended, as is Tanya Huff (hi-LARIOUS) and Mary Janice Davidson's Undead and... series (also just too darn funny).

I, uh, don't watch much TV either. Hasn't been much point, since nothing is on that comes close to Firefly.

Have fun! Raid your local library if you need to. Interlibrary loan has saved my butt more than once.

"Do not go gentle into that good night....
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. . ."
--Dylan Thomas

Though my soul may set in darkness
It will rise in perfect light.
I have loved the stars too fondly
To be fearful of the night.

CAB1729

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:09 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Kaele:
Sharpe's Rifles by Bernard Cornwell.

It's an entire series.

~Kaele

Great mil-fic. And Sean Bean in the TV series was soooo good. Sooo hot.

Um, what were we talking 'bout?

Oh books.

The Vlad Taltos/Dragaera books by Steven Brust. His sense of humor is very close to Joss's - sly, unexpected, a little sarcastic, with the occasional non sequitur. Start with Jhereg or if you can't find that, it's out in a trilogy with the first three books.

Plus, Brust has written his own darn Firefly novel which we're all hoping gets accepted by the Joss camp. He couldn't bear to write about after Serenity cuz he's a big Wash fan so he ignored the instructions and did one between Ff and Serenity. He read excerpts at a con here in Michigan and it was funny, exciting, true to Joss. No word yet on if it'll ever get published.

I really really want to read that book!

Anger on one side, sadness on the other.
Nobody knows about the third side.

ARCADIA

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:30 AM (P)

I recently read the first book in the Hyperion series and loved it. I'm going to read the second one over spring break. Look it up on amazon for a good description of what it's about. I think Firefly fans would like it because it is very character-oriented. The author structured it after the Canterberry Tales. It starts with seven characters coming together, and as they journey each is asked to tell their story (and their stories are the majority of the book). Since Firefly fans tend to like character driven works, I think you'd appreciate that.

Aside from that... hmm...

Well, there is a fun scifi series by David Gerrold that I like. It starts with the book "Jumping off the Planet". The premise is that Earth is overpopulated, and people are looking to get off the planet, either to live on the colony on the moon, or venture to new colonies beyond. These stories are told by Charles "Chigger", the middle of three brothers who are journying to the moon (and in later books, beyond the moon). Chigger, if I remember correctly, is 13/14, his older borhter is entering college age, and his younger brother is 8 or 10. I think a Firefly fan would like these books because 1) Chigger is funny, 2) Though the boys get caught up in some pretty big political issues, they are not big political figures. They're kids. Like our BDHs they rise to the occassions presented to them, but they don't seak them out the way that Star Trek chracters do, 3) Gerrold's portrayel of the future is just plain cool.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
"Objects in Space"
River: It's just an object. It doesn't mean what you think...

LEGOLAD

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 8:15 AM (P)

Okay, I just joined for the sake of adding to this thread. I'm sure you will have heard of these books:

His Dark Materials.

It's a trilogy, and it's as good as you've heard. Read them; you will not regret it. Most imaginative and epic fantasy since Lord of the Rings, which Dave was already good enough to recommend. They're not as humour-oriented as Firefly, but I love them both for the same reasons: believable characters struggling to get by in wondrous and deadly worlds, learning the big picture as they go along. Great stuff.

Also agree with Ivy; Ender's Game and its sequel are both fantastic, although the series kind of loses steam after that. Like Dune, come to think of it. Funny how we all seem to read the same books...

"We need a hood ornament."

NUCLEARDAY

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 8:29 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Arcadia:
I recently read the first book in the Hyperion series and loved it...

Oh yes, I'd forgotten about that one! Had the first book in the series gathering dust in my closet for years, and couldn't believe I'd waited so long to read it once I got past the first few chapters. That whole series is easily some of the best stuff I've read in recent years.

(Come to think of it... there's a couple of parallels between that series and Firefly, especially once you get to the last two books.)

________________________________________________
You can take my hope when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

GARIM

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 10:13 AM (P)

I can easily second the recommendation to read the Hyperion series and OSC's Ender books.

One series that hasn't been mentioned that is a very good read and also character driven (with some really disgusting bad guys and interesting good guys - with crews that get into trouble constantly) is The Gap series by Stephen Donaldson.

All of these three series are very good reads...

AUSSAY

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11:45 AM (P)

The Wednesday Next books by Jasper Fforde - funny and smart

and Dune is great

"Shake your head boy, your eyes are stuck"

www.fireflyfans.net
http://www.browncoatsriseagain.com/

JUGGLESGEESE

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:01 PM (P)

Great taste... I love these too. I didn't know anyone was reading them but me!

RHODRI

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:10 PM (P)

Anything by David Gemmell - he the Gorram Man!! But in particular "Wolf in Shadow", "The Last Guardian", "Waylander".
Gemmell is the Master of the Anti-hero.

Also check out George McDonald Fraser's "Flashman Papers", a Victorian scoundral with a hand in virtually every period event, and it ain't what you're taught at school either!

CYBERSNARK

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:20 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by BelowZero:
Peter David has a couple of series: the King Arthur one and Sir Apropos of Nothing--that I recommend.

I second the Sir Apropos series. There are three books out; Sir Apropos of Nothing, The Woad to Wuin, and Tongue Lashing, and I'm sincerely hoping for a fourth, after the Whedonesque last paragraphs of book 3 (everything is resolved, the story's over, then we get a bombshell dropped matter-of-factly in our laps).

Peter David is also responsible for the Star Trek: New Frontiers series, which I'd recommend even if you dislike Star Trek. David is like the Joss of written work, and New Frontiers is unlike any Trek before or since.

-----
We applied the cortical electrodes but were unable to get a neural reaction from either patient.

SAB39

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:25 PM (P)

You'll laugh at me for this, but the only books that I've loved like I love Firefly are Harry Potter.

There's the same kind of "characters with mysterious pasts waiting to be revealed" aspect, a similarly detailed 'verse, humor and witty prose, characters you can fall in love with, action, drama, and heartbreak.

The balance of humor to serious drama is tilted further in favor of humor, and there's nothing as dark as the darkest moments of Firefly (but for "childrens" books, the later ones have some pretty dark stuff. An ear? Bah, how about a guy who voluntarily cuts off his own whole hand?)

If you've seen the movies and were unimpressed, give the books a chance - some of the movies are ok but as a whole they're pretty much video fanfic. Although, if you've seen the movies, you've gone and spoiled all the plot twists for yourself, which wasn't real smart ;)

GRIZWALD

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:28 PM (P)

Anne Rice's Mayfair Witches series. Start with "The Witching Hour," and see if it grabs you.

____________________________________________________
They could not take the sky from them -
Our Big Damn Heroes made a film!
I'm gonna see Serenity then
go back the next morning and see it again.
Cuz no one at Fox knew this show had no equal
C'mon Universal, and greenlight the sequel!

Click on my profile for my Annoyingly Long List of Firefly Links.

CORNCOBB

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:36 PM (P)

I'm surprised no-one here has yet mentioned the Dark Tower books by Stephen King. They're fantasy, with all the usual myth and magic stuff, but set in a western style world, with gunslingers in place of knights.
They Kind of remind me of Firefly. They blend Westerns with fantasy, whereas FF blends westerns with Science Fiction. They're brilliant and I'm currently addicted to them.

"Gorramit Mal... I've forgotten my line."

DAVESHAYNE

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:38 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Legolad:
Okay, I just joined for the sake of adding to this thread.

Welcome to the board. Post early, post often.

Quote:
Funny how we all seem to read the same books...

It's spooooky.

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

OLDFOGEY

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 3:48 PM (P)

One of my favorites is the Chanur books by C.J. Cherryh: Pride of Chanur, Chanur's Venture, The Kif Strike Back, & Chanur's Homecoming. Currently the first 3 books are sold as a trilogy and the 4th one is sold separately. Go figure.

Most of the story happens on spaceships or a space station. There's this merchant ship whose captain gets caught up in the matter of a wayward, stowaway human - it's the first human any of them ever saw, and threatens to crash the captain's own species' fragile peace with some nasty aggressor alien neighbors. Suddenly nobody knows where the space-borders are anymore.

There's action, smart dialogue with humor and galactic intrigue. There's a bunch of great characters who have to work together to solve problems so bad that only a really good writer could get them out of without dumbing down the antagonists. I totally love these books.

MAL4PREZ

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:03 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Arcadia:
I recently read the first book in the Hyperion series and loved it.

That's the first thing I thought of - Dan Simmon's Hyperion series. I've read all four of these books a few times and they're my absolute fave sci-fi.

Great characters, really interesting future world, super-cool ideas for technology (farcaster house, oh man do I want one of those!), a religion vs science vs mythology angle which I really liked, adventure, war, AI, romantic love, parental love, etc... I could go on.

The 4th book gets a little slow and heavy with the description, but it's worth getting through. I highly recommend these books!

m4p

I'm the president. I don't need to listen.

GRIZWALD

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:19 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Corncobb:
I'm surprised no-one here has yet mentioned the Dark Tower books by Stephen King. They're fantasy, with all the usual myth and magic stuff, but set in a western style world, with gunslingers in place of knights.
They Kind of remind me of Firefly. They blend Westerns with fantasy, whereas FF blends westerns with Science Fiction. They're brilliant and I'm currently addicted to them.

Okay, this is not a spoiler, just a warning: When you get to the end of the last book, when Stephen tells you to stop reading RIGHT NOW, please take his advice and do so. Do not read the last little bit he added.

Of course I know you'll read it anyway. But you'll regret it afterward. Trust me on this one.

____________________________________________________
They could not take the sky from them -
Our Big Damn Heroes made a film!
I'm gonna see Serenity then
go back the next morning and see it again.
Cuz no one at Fox knew this show had no equal
C'mon Universal, and greenlight the sequel!

Click on my profile for my Annoyingly Long List of Firefly Links.

PIZMOBEACH

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:22 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Rhodri:
Also check out George McDonald Fraser's "Flashman Papers", a Victorian scoundral with a hand in virtually every period event, and it ain't what you're taught at school either!

I read those many years ago and they were great fun, very witty and very enjoyable, especially if you like historical novels.

Along those lines I highly recommend the The Complete Aubrey/Maturin Novels by Patrick O'Brian. I would never have thought Napoleonic naval warfare would be such a great read but O'Brian is "wow." Amazon is running a special on the entire series right now too.

Science Fiction: Many great ones but one writer that tends to slip by under the radar is a Polish SciFi author, Stanislaw Lem. He wrote Solaris that the 2 films were based on. I liked the films ok but like a lot of films from books the books are better. And he writes short story collections as well. In a nutshell: great imagination combined with great humor. Try "The Futurological Congress: From the Memoirs of Ijon Tichy," for a start if you're curious. One reviewer at Amazon said:
"One of my all time favorites. I have read and reread this book so many times, and it never ceases to make me laugh...then think about how much more relevant this book becomes as the years go by...then I laugh and think some more.
This book is an essential read for anyone who wants to dig deeper into the nature of reality. Whether you're 13 or 33 (63) this book will wind your brain up and send it in all directions. So....read it!!!"

Scifi movie music + Firefly dialogue clips, 24 hours a day - http://www.scifiradio.net

MAL4PREZ

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:26 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by grizwald:
Okay, this is not a spoiler, just a warning: When you get to the end of the last book, when Stephen tells you to stop reading RIGHT NOW, please take his advice and do so. Do not read the last little bit he added.

Of course I know you'll read it anyway. But you'll regret it afterward. Trust me on this one.

I agree. I wish it'd ended different.

Of course, I'd still read the ending, warning or no!

I'm the president. I don't need to listen.

DESKTOPHIPPIE

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:40 PM (P)

First off, I second everything Legolad said about His Dark Materials.

Secondly, there's a fairly new book out called Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell which is well worth a look. The writer, Susanna Clarke, was guest of honour at a convention I attended last weekend. (P-Con, or The Phoenix convention. All about fantasy and sci-fi writing. ) She was asked at one point how she made her books so funny when so many dark things happened in them, and Susanna actually said that Joss' writing influenced her. She praised Joss' ability to temper very dark moments with humour and vice versa. My friend Aisling and I were grinning like idiots for the rest of that panel.

So when you're buying another copy of Serenity, pick up a copy of her book too, will ya?

IVY

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:41 PM (P)

OK - thanks everyone, I think you have just spent half of my next paycheck. I just copied and pasted a ton of posts into an email for myself. There will definitely be some book ordering going on when I get home!! (And BTW - I love kids books!)

I've probably read half of what was suggested, and that is GREAT because it means I've been missing some really wonderful fiction and I plan on catching up. (Forget about laundry or grocery shopping.)

Keep 'em comin'!!!

Ivy

I've been sane a long while now, and change is good...

RHODRI

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:56 PM (P)

Try David Gemmell - he's the master of the anti-hero. Of special interest are his Jon Shannow series; "Wolf in Shadow" and "Last Guardian".

Also try George Mcdonald Fraser's Flashman books; a Victorian scoundral dragged kicking and screaming (and wenching) into many key events of the 19th Century.

DESKTOPHIPPIE

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 4:57 PM (P)

Kids' books are GREAT! Some of the best fiction is in the Children's section of bookshops. I couldn't find the His Dark Materials trilogy for ages because it was hidden away in the kids department of every bookshop in Dublin. I had a look through the shelves when I finally found out where it was, discovered Garth Nix the very same day and haven't looked back since!

Oh yeah, that reminds me ... Garth Nix's books are good too :D

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 5:20 PM (P)

Got a question....

I am in a book club. I have exposed my friends to sci-fi and fantasy...genres they normally do not read. Some they liked, some they hated, but I want to have them read more.

Problem is that I tend to love books so thick you can use them as a chair, preferably with 6 parts...all equally long. This is NOT a good book for a book club of busy women that meets once a month.

So, I need a short to medium length sci-fi or fantasy book that is self contained (no 9 parts) that non sci-fi types would like OR would love to discuss.

Any ideas?

~~~~~
"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

GRIZWALD

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 5:57 PM (P)

Unregistered, has your club read any Diane Mott Davidson? - She writes a detective series about a caterer who solves mysteries while cooking up fabulous food. You could read any of them as a stand alone book (though I would recommend starting with "Dying for Chocolate" if no one has read her before) -- they're fun to read, not really thick, and the best part is, she includes the recipes that Goldy Bear (the caterer, yes that's really her name) is cooking in the story. I always wind up with a tremendous appetite when reading the books. I'd heartily recommend "Dying for Chocolate" to your group.

Another book that probably would be too much for one month, but I'd also recommend to your group, is "Angry Housewives Eating Bon-Bons" by Lorna Landvik. It's a book about a book club. A bunch of women on a cul-de-sac in a Minneapolis suburb start a book club when they are all raising their young families, and the club follows them through their lives for 30 years, I think it is, through all that befalls them. Wonderful book.

EDITED TO ADD: Oops, you asked for sci-fi. I mixed up your "nons" and thought you wanted a non-sci-fi book.
____________________________________________________
They could not take the sky from them -
Our Big Damn Heroes made a film!
I'm gonna see Serenity then
go back the next morning and see it again.
Cuz no one at Fox knew this show had no equal
C'mon Universal, and greenlight the sequel!

Click on my profile for my Annoyingly Long List of Firefly Links.

BROWNCOAT1

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 6:09 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by CallMeAth:
Quote:
Originally posted by Ivy:

Tad Williams, Memory, Thorn and Sorrow trilogy (The Dragonbone Chair, The Stone of Farewell and To Green Angel Tower).

Someone else has read this series? I thought my sister and I were the only ones. Great books!

It doesn't really compare to Firefly, (whatdoes?) but I'm currently reading the Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind.

No, there is more than just you & your sister. I read the Tad Williams books years ago & loved them. May have to take them down & read them again.

I like Terry Goodkind's books, but stopped reading after "Faith of the Fallen" because the story seemed as if it were beginning to drag like Jordan's prolific Wheel of Time series.

__________________________________________

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Fans:

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/richmondbrowncoats/

http://www.richmondbrowncoats.org

IVY

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:18 PM (P)

Wow Browncoat1, I could have written the same post. I read the Terry Goodkind books up to Faith of the Fallen also and I bailed on the Jorden Wheel of Time books after Winter's Heart (or whatever it was called). It just seemed like it would NEVER END!!! (And I really needed some of those annoying women to DIE DIE DIE.) OK, I'm calm again.

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION - I totally understand about the big book problem, I do the same thing! You may want to check out "Cordelia's Honor" by Lois McMaster Bujold. It is the first in a series, but really is a stand-alone book with a very strong female. Another author who writes excellent fantasy about women (and social issues) is Sheri S Tepper. I would recommend "Beauty" and "Grass". They are not fluffy, easy reads..she makes you think and suffer, but I think they are worthwhile. Another young adult fantasy novel with a strong woman, that I love (and read over and over) is "The Blue Sword" by Robin McKinley. WONDERFUL!!! (There is also a prequel called "The Hero and the Crown".)

If they can handle some "edgy" stuff (like sex with vampires or a little bondage) I would also recommend the Anita Blake Vampire Hunter books (first book is Guilty Pleasures) by Laurell Hamilton and the Kushiel trilogy (first book Kushiel's Dart) by Jaqueline Carey. Great women characters and engaging plots.

Ivy

I've been sane a long while now, and change is good...

DAVESHAYNE

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:28 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by UnregisteredCompanion:
Any ideas?

You say you already introduced them to some books. Which ones did they like and which ones did they dislike? Might be easier to advise you if we know.

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

UNREGISTEREDCOMPANION

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:31 PM (P)

I read the Kushiel series. While I don't think the edgy bits would bother the club, first person narative is a BIG pet peeve for a lot of us. We hate it. I mean REALLY REALLY hate it. I was surprised I actually read the Kushiel books since it was 1st person.

Yeah, they are a picky lot, but you have given me some ideas already. Any more out there?

~~~~~
"Funny and sexy. You have no idea. And you never will."

SIGNYM

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 7:56 PM (P)

WHOO HOOO!!

Second vote for CJ Cherryh except I would add "Downbelow Station". It's very much like FF- a space story of human migration and colonies, and the forces that drive them to part from the "old world" (although in this case, the Alliance is the colonies and they win).

And second vote for Brust! While I don't find all of his books of equal quality I really enjoyed the first of his Taltos series. Brust, BTW, is Hungarian and it shows.

And a second for for Stanislaw Lem! (Except I found "Memoirs Found in a Bathtub" to be overwhelmingly claustrophobic).

Firefly combines the best of science, fiction, and politics in an unsanitized, unperfected future. Along those lines, I'd like to recommedn the following:

Gene Wolf's "The Shadow of the Torturer" and his short story "The Death of Dr Island". "The Shadow of the Torturer" is set in the distant future where WE are the distant (geological) past: there is a passage in the book where Severian is climbing a cliff, and embedded in the sedimetnary rock are bright shards of tile. "The Death of Doctor Island" is a true tragedy. It's indescribable, but it's a quick read.

"Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card (but not the remainder of the series) is another socio-political science-fiction story.

EDITED TO ADD: And I confess to a weakness for the Darkover novels by Marion Zimmer Bradley. They contain elements of fantasy, which I usually dislike, but the characters, setting, history and societies are so thoroughly realized that I can't stop reading them once I start! I think thees books would do well for a book club.

PS- I read, but didn't particularly like, "Kushiel's Dart". The society lacked something... it wasn't realistic enough to inform the present day, but it wasn't imaginative enough to be anything other than the usual proto-feudal stand-in that you find in most fantasy genres.

------------------------
Free as in freedom, not beer.

CORNCOBB

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 8:15 PM (P)

Thanks for the advice. Cant think why Stephen would add a bit at the end and then tell us not to read it - got me puzzled. But say thank ya.

"Gorramit Mal... I've forgotten my line."

IVY

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 8:19 PM (P)

Very interesting about your loathing for first-person narrative (which I respect). I think that is what I loved so much about the Kushiel series. I like to see the world through Phedre's eyes.

Ivy

I've been sane a long while now, and change is good...

GRIZWALD

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 8:21 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Corncobb:
Cant think why Stephen would add a bit at the end and then tell us not to read it - got me puzzled. But say thank ya.

Because he's a MEAN, MEAN MAN, that's why!

Well, not really, but he certainly enjoys yanking the chains of his fans.

I also think he has turned into a different person since his accident. Not always a pleasant person, but hopefully a sober person who will live to get to know his greatgrandkids rather than ending up in an early grave.

____________________________________________________
They could not take the sky from them -
Our Big Damn Heroes made a film!
I'm gonna see Serenity then
go back the next morning and see it again.
Cuz no one at Fox knew this show had no equal
C'mon Universal, and greenlight the sequel!

Click on my profile for my Annoyingly Long List of Firefly Links.

IVY

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 8:44 PM (P)

SIGNYM - by chance are you a geologist? You were very enthusiastic about the sedimentary rock? (I am a geologist - so I understand)

Ivy

I've been sane a long while now, and change is good...

SIGNYM

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 8:57 PM (P)

NO, but my sister is. That detail really... really.. stuck in my mind. I think far-future-writers assume that what we built will disappear. I have never before or since seen a sci-fi writer embed our legacy into geology.

---------------------------------
Free as in freedom, not beer.

SAB39

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 9:04 PM (P)

Quote:
I have never before or since seen a sci-fi writer embed our legacy into geology.

Not exactly the same thing, but did you ever read Terry Pratchett's Strata?

LEGOLAD

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 9:09 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by sab39:
You'll laugh at me for this, but the only books that I've loved like I love Firefly are Harry Potter.

LEGOLAD

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 9:12 PM (P)

Okay, apparently I don't know how to use quotes. How embarrassing. Give me time; I've been here a day. For now, let's try that again; sorry about that:

Sab39, there's nothing wrong with Harry Potter, aside from its disgusting level of popularity. Personally, I tried to avoid reading the books for a long time; when I finally did, I realized why they're so successful: they're freaking addictive -- I read all six in a row. They're like a disease! But seriously, they're fine books, entertaining if not very original; Rowling really uses the conventions of the genre well. Agree with you about the films, though; absolutely terrible -- except the third one, which I was actually really impressed with. No Serenity, mind you...
obviously...

Desktop, glad you managed to track down His Dark Materials. Definitely worth the effort. You know the first one's being made into a film? That kind of scares me. There are so many ways to mess it up. Ah, well.

And thanks for the welcome, David; happy to be here!

"We need a hood ornament."

SIGNYM

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 9:50 PM (P)

I've got to add the first book from the "Rissa Kerguelen" series "Young Rissa" by FM Busby.

Quote:
In a dystopian Earth, Rissa Kerguelen loses her parents and is sent into 'total welfare,' the virtual enslavement of the majority of the earth's population. By winning the lottery she buys her way out, but will she be able to stay away from the corporate government which now dominates Earth?

Like many series, (Dune, Ender's Game etc) the promise of the first book isn't borne out by the remainder of the series. I also have an issue with the focus on Rissa as part of a very small elite who save the world. In that way, very much like "Atlas Shrugged" but with an opposing view of corporatism. But it is incredibly insightful and predictive look at how the vast majority might enslaved (some would say: already are).
---------------------------------
Free as in freedom, not beer.

IVY

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 10:21 PM (P)

WAIT A MINUTE!!! I didn't realize what "His Dark Materials" was. I read them a couple of years ago...they are SO NOT children’s books. There is no way I would want my kid reading them. Dark, scary, disturbing (not to mention the kids having sex). All that being said, I thought they were really good and that ending...wow, just kills me. I'm a parent now, so I think it would bother me even more if I read them today. Those poor children...

I can't see that being made into a movie. I think I'd skip it. I've heard many times over the years that Ender's Game was being made into a movie. They will never get it. It will just be all action/adventure and CG in the battle room. No thanks. I generally (with the exception of Firefly and the BDM) stick to books!

And Harry Potter is totally crack for the eyes!

Ivy

I've been sane a long while now, and change is good...

20THCENTFOXHATER

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 10:43 PM (P)

Not sure if anyone has mentioned any of these, but I will still mention them anyway.

The da Vinci Code- I mean, come on. You have to read this book. It may not be entirely factual, and you may not agree with it's theory of Jesus, but just read it for the sake of reading it. It's a very fast paced thriller that keeps you on the edge of your seat at all times. If you have a spare day or two, read this because you will love it.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- A bit (OK, maybe A LOT) on the strange side of things, but it is a throughly enjoyable and light hearted read.

Fight Club- Need I say more? This is the book the movie is based on, except it may be better than the movie. A social satire in the fullest sense of the word.

Band of Brothers- If you like the whole war-buddy bond, and the perils they go through, this is your book. Based on actual accounts of the real people, and is MUCH better than the mini-series.

Anything by H.P. Lovecraft. If you're into the macabre and horror, this is good stuff.

"1984". "Brave New World", the "Halo" series (yes, they are actually good, considering they are based on a video game).

"The Warlord Chronicles" by Bernard Cornwell. Some of his lesser known works, these are actually incredibly well written and engaging real-life realization of the Arthur myths. Nothing like the movie, and the movie was not based on these great movies. There are 3 books in this series: "The Winter King", "The Enemy of God", and "Excalibur".

and "Starship Troopers" by Robert A. Heinlein.

Happy Reading!

"I aim to misbehave."
"Can't do something smart, do something right".

HOMER: "Oh Lisa, you and your stories; Bart is a vampire, beer kills brain cells. Now lets go back to that... building thingy... where our beds and T.V.... is".

DAVESHAYNE

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 10:59 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 20thCentFoxHater:
The da Vinci Code

I actually liked Angels and Demons better - at least up to the very end when it got very silly indeed. The puzzles were more puzzling and the history isn't nearly as dodgy. Still DVC is worth a read if only to annoy those that are annoyed by people reading it.

Quote:
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy- A bit (OK, maybe A LOT) on the strange side of things, but it is a throughly enjoyable and light hearted read.

I can't believe I left this out of my list. Be sure however to pick up The Restaurant at the End of the Universe while your at it. Otherwise you'll only be getting half of the core story. Alternately see if you can get ahold of the BBC radio series - that's the definitive version of H2G2.

Quote:
"Starship Troopers" by Robert A. Heinlein.

I find I have to disagree on this. It was the first Heinlein book I'd ever read and I found it to be thouroughly disagreeable. I very nearly never read anything else of his because of that horrid book. Which would have been a shame as he has written many other quite wonderfull tomes.

David

"A lot of people are asking me, you know, what exactly is Firefly? It's a tv show you morons!" - Joss Whedon

20THCENTFOXHATER

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11:05 PM (P)

Just to follow up on Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, I was refering to the entire series, not just the first book.

And for Starship Troopers, it seems that it's either a "You Love It" or "You Hate It" type of book with most people.

There's also "Time Enough For Love", also by Heinlein. It is about a man so in love with life, that he refuses to die, and in turn becomes his own ancestor.

"I aim to misbehave."
"Can't do something smart, do something right".

HOMER: "Oh Lisa, you and your stories; Bart is a vampire, beer kills brain cells. Now lets go back to that... building thingy... where our beds and T.V.... is".

GRIZWALD

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11:17 PM (P)

Guess I'm a lover... of Starship Troopers. I could hardly stand to have the movie in my house after reading the book. So much depth! The movie is practically a parody of itself!

And how many books are there in the Hitchhiker "trilogy"? Five, aren't there?
The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Restaurant at the End of the Universe
Mostly Harmless
So Long, and Thanks for All The Fish

Probably out of order there and I can't remember the 5th one. If there is a 5th one. It's been awhile!

____________________________________________________
They could not take the sky from them -
Our Big Damn Heroes made a film!
I'm gonna see Serenity then
go back the next morning and see it again.
Cuz no one at Fox knew this show had no equal
C'mon Universal, and greenlight the sequel!

Click on my profile for my Annoyingly Long List of Firefly Links.

GRIZWALD

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11:20 PM (P)

Ooh!Ooh! I just thought of another goodie! Joe Haldeman's "The Forever War."

____________________________________________________
They could not take the sky from them -
Our Big Damn Heroes made a film!
I'm gonna see Serenity then
go back the next morning and see it again.
Cuz no one at Fox knew this show had no equal
C'mon Universal, and greenlight the sequel!

Click on my profile for my Annoyingly Long List of Firefly Links.

20THCENTFOXHATER

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11:21 PM (P)

ya, there are five in the Hitchhiker's series. Hitchhiker's is #1, Restaurant is #2, Life, the Universe and Everything is #3, Fish is #4, and Mostly Harmless is #5.

I actually liked the movie Starship Troopers as well being that I saw it before I read the book. It was good in it's own right, and MOST movies that have gory graphic violence and nudity is fine with me.

"I aim to misbehave."
"Can't do something smart, do something right".

HOMER: "Oh Lisa, you and your stories; Bart is a vampire, beer kills brain cells. Now lets go back to that... building thingy... where our beds and T.V.... is".

20THCENTFOXHATER

Tuesday, March 14, 2006 11:22 PM (P)

sorry for the double post, I double clicked the post button.

DC4BS

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 1:52 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by 20thCentFoxHater:
There's also "Time Enough For Love", also by Heinlein. It is about a man so in love with life, that he refuses to die, and in turn becomes his own ancestor.

Hehe...

You like twisted time travel tails?

Try "The Man Who Folded Himself" if you can track down a copy.

It's a monster brain bender. Guy inherits a time travel device from his "uncle" (his older self). Eventualy, ends up becoming his own father and raises his "son/himself" by telling him his parents died and that he is his uncle...

The main character falls in love with himself in this book as well...

The story of his life as he travels around the "time loop" back to the beginning/ending is wild.

He sets up a party one summer at a private mansion where every guest is himself at various ages. Even tries to cheat at poker by remembering what he had in his hand last year when he was sitting in the other chair at the table, etc...

Really wild and cool concepts in the book and interesting takes on paradoxes and time travel/alternate universe theory.

------------------------------------------
dc4bs

CAB1729

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 2:29 AM (P)

Trying to keep myself to great one-off books:

SF:
Doomsday Booke by Connie Willis:
Beautifully written time travel story about a grad assistant who gets sent back in time to the middle ages - but there's an error in the program and she goes back to the year the black plague hits the area and the people she's supposed to meet up with are... Well, can't give anything away. Won both Hugo and Nebula Awards.

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card:
Yes it starts a whole series but the first book can be stand-alone. Another double winner. Such a good book. To save money, you could pick it up in the YA section but it's not YA, it's a classic.

Expendable by James Alan Gardner:
In the far future they have perfected human genetic manipulation - and those who aren't perfect are expendable. Some end up as planetary explorers whose famous last words are "oh shit". Also starts a series but most of the books don't have the same main character. 'Trapped' is the 4th or 5th book but my favorite and almost completely stand-alone. (I wasn't even sure it was part of the series until almost the end.)

Fantasy:
As stated before, Robin McKinley. There's a large-format paperback out including Blue Sword, Hero and the Crown, and Spindle's End, only $11 on amazon. Also, Beauty is the best retelling of Beauty and the Beast I've ever read.

Earthsea books by Ursula K. LeGuin:
Pitdragon Trilogy by Jane Yolen:
Each book in both of these is pretty slim so conceivably you could read all 3 books in one month. The Earthsea books are up to ... 5? I think. The Yolen books are considered YA but the characters mature alot over the course of the trilogy.

This is probably waaay more info than you wanted but I get excited when I can get people started on great books. :) Enjoy!

Anger on one side, sadness on the other. Nobody knows about the third side.

Hobbes: How come we play war and not peace?
Calvin: Too few role models.

ECGORDON

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 2:40 AM (P)

Almost anything by David Gerrold is great. You should also try When Harlie Was One, The Martian Child, the Dingilliad series (Jumping Off the Planet, Bouncing Off the Moon, Leaping to the Stars), The War Against the Chtorr series (A Matter For Men, A Day For Damnation, A Rage For Revenge, A Season For Slaughter) and the Star Wolf series (Voyage of the Star Wolf, The Middle of Nowhere, Blood and Fire).

Another great series is by E. E. Knight, collectively called The Vampire Earth. Four books so far, although I have only read the first three (Way of the Wolf, Choice of the Cat, Tale of the Thunderbolt, Valentine's Rising). Set on a near-future Earth that has been invaded by a vampire-like alien species known as Kurians, it is a tale of the struggle by a small band of humans to overthrow them. The main character, David Valentine, is a remarkable achievment by a writer of such little experience as Knight.

As for UnregisteredCompanion's request for a short book that her club might like, I would suggest The Free Lunch by Spider Robinson. Not connected to any other of his story sequences, it is as much fantasy as science fiction, and boasts two very well-drawn characters.

wo men ren ran zai fei xing.

LEGOLAD

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 3:18 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Ivy:
WAIT A MINUTE!!! I didn't realize what "His Dark Materials" was. I read them a couple of years ago...they are SO NOT children’s books. There is no way I would want my kid reading them. Dark, scary, disturbing (not to mention the kids having sex). All that being said, I thought they were really good and that ending...wow, just kills me.

I know what you mean; they're tricky books to market. They start off as a fairly innocuous children's fantasy, with hints of something vaster and darker, but it's not till the end of the first book that the story really takes off. Some of the themes and subject matter definitely become a bit heady for younger audiences but I think if they can handle it, they'd enjoy it (and to be fair, the sex is left implicit; it's up to the reader to decide what happened). And yeah, it took me a while to recover from the ending too. You feel kind of exhausted after finishing it. But in a good way. Who here can say they didn't feel drained when they walked out of Serenity for the first time? That's what I thought.

"We need a hood ornament."

KAYNA

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 3:48 AM (P)

Have you tried anything by Mercedeys Lackey? Her Diana Tregard novels aren't too long, niether are Tarma and Kethry (Oathbound, Oathbreakers). I don't know, I'll have to check my bookshelf.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Op: You're fighting a war you've already lost.
Mal: Yeah, well I'm known for that.

KAYNA

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 4:09 AM (P)

You should try "Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency" by Douglas Adams (the guy who wrote H2G2).
It's very funny but also kind thoughtfull and, added bonus, many references to Samuel Taylor Colridge (the man who wrote the Rime of the Ancient Mariner) and some mention of the albatross. This boo introduced me to Colredge's poetry and is the only reason I got the refernce in the BDM.
Also try "Good Omens" by Niel Gaiman and Terry Pratchet (I may have spelled that name wrong) It's similar to the stuff by Adams in style and oddness. It's about the biblical apocalypse...kind of.
Also by Gaiman, "Neverwhere" to quote the cover, "a dark, urban Alice in wonderland". A completely average guy ends up in a rather extraordinary place called London Below. It's where the people who fall through the cracks in the world go. There are a lot of interesting characters and I especially like the villans.
Mr. Gaiman also has a new movie in the stores (if you can't tell, I really love his writing right now). It's an indie called Mirror Mask. Imagine The Labirynth and The Neverending Story but with a goth flavor.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Op: You're fighting a war you've already lost.
Mal: Yeah, well I'm known for that.

ROCKETJOCK

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 4:19 AM (P)

I'd highly recommend any of Robert A. Heinlein's Juvenile novels; from a Browncoat point of view I'd particularly emphasize "The Rolling Stones" (a family wandering across a mostly-frontier solar system); "Farmer in the Sky" (Terraformation and colonization of Jupiter's moon Ganymede); and "Citizen of the Galaxy" (A sprawling, Dickensian adventure that cuts across several wonderfully detailed future societies--storytelling on a broad canvas.) From his adult novels, "The Moon is A Harsh Mistress" details a revolutionary movement on a Lunar colony oppressed by an Alliance-esque government.

I'd also give a hearty thumbs-up to almost anything by H. Beam Piper, especially his "Fuzzy" trilogy ("Little Fuzzy", "Fuzzy Sapiens", and "Fuzzies and Other People"). Piper had a fine feel for the logic of life on a frontier. Also of note by Piper is his novel "Lone Star Planet" (AKA "A Planet for Texans"), which is not only a cowboys-in-space saga extraordinaire, but also a magnificently satirical look at politics.

" If you’re leaving scorch marks...you need a bigger gun." -- The Seven Habits of Highly Effective Pirates

LEGOLAD

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 5:12 AM (P)

Quote:
Kayna wrote:
Also try "Good Omens" by Niel Gaiman and Terry Pratchet (I may have spelled that name wrong) It's similar to the stuff by Adams in style and oddness. It's about the biblical apocalypse...kind of.
Also by Gaiman, "Neverwhere" to quote the cover, "a dark, urban Alice in wonderland". A completely average guy ends up in a rather extraordinary place called London Below. It's where the people who fall through the cracks in the world go. There are a lot of interesting characters and I especially like the villans.
Mr. Gaiman also has a new movie in the stores (if you can't tell, I really love his writing right now). It's an indie called Mirror Mask. Imagine The Labirynth and The Neverending Story but with a goth flavor.

Neil Gaiman! How could I forget about Neil Gaiman? Good Omens is fantastic. I suppose we could mention Pratchet's Discworld series as well, but be warned that it NEVER ENDS, and the earlier books are far better than the more recent ones.

But back to Gaiman... Neverwhere was good, especially the climax, but in terms of sheer gritty beauty, I liked American Gods much better. The prose was better, the characters were better... I particularly liked Wednesday; best con man character since those guys in Hucklebury Finn -- to bring classics into the mix here.

And I actually did see Mirrormask, which was bewildering but amazingly unique visually. Worth seeing just for the surreal scene where the protagonist receives a makeover from a bunch of automated female frankensteins singing "Why do birds suddenly appear..." I'm not joking. Kayna, back me up here.

Gaiman has one of the most bizarre and fascinating imaginations out there. And, point of interest, he wrote the English version of Princess Mononoke, my personal favourite animated film of all time. I've also heard he writes excellent comics, but have yet to track them down. So he seems to like jumping between genres and media, like someone else we know... who could that be?

"We need a hood ornament."

BELOWZERO

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 7:01 AM (P)

*whaps self on head* HOW could I have forgotten Gaiman? Anything and everything including the graphic novel series Sandman. Hang in there if you read them in order, which is the best way; the first one is a bit gory for my taste.

Also Kate Elliott's series, and I did enjoy Robin Hobb's works as well. I think we have expanded your library considerably here.

And I am astounded at how many of you have read the same stuff I have!!!

"Do not go gentle into that good night....
Rage, rage against the dying of the light. . ."
--Dylan Thomas

Though my soul may set in darkness
It will rise in perfect light.
I have loved the stars too fondly
To be fearful of the night.

BROWNCOAT1

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 1:04 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by Ivy:
Wow Browncoat1, I could have written the same post. I read the Terry Goodkind books up to Faith of the Fallen also and I bailed on the Jorden Wheel of Time books after Winter's Heart (or whatever it was called). It just seemed like it would NEVER END!!! (And I really needed some of those annoying women to DIE DIE DIE.) OK, I'm calm again.

Now that is a might unsettlin'. I stopped reading the Wheel of Time series after Winter's Heart too.

There is a such thing as too much. Apparently no one ever informed Mr Jordan or Mr Goodkind.

__________________________________________

"May have been the losing side. Still not convinced it was the wrong one."

Richmond, VA & surrounding area Firefly Fans:

http://tv.groups.yahoo.com/group/richmondbrowncoats/

http://www.richmondbrowncoats.org

NUCLEARDAY

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 1:26 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by BrownCoat1:
Now that is a might unsettlin'. I stopped reading the Wheel of Time series after Winter's Heart too.

There is a such thing as too much. Apparently no one ever informed Mr Jordan or Mr Goodkind.

Yeah, I'm stalled in the Wheel of Time series at Fires of Heaven, so I didn't even make it as far as you guys ;p Traded off in favor of David Drake's "Lord of the Isles" series: quite similar but with what I feel are slightly less annoying characters ;p (Even Rand was starting to annoy me, much less most of the female cast :) Plus I'll buy anything David Drake does. He mostly does hard military sci-fi, so a fantasy novel from him, with firm historical backing, is a nice change of pace.

For that matter: any of the Hammer's Slammers books by Drake is a good read. Plenty of good examples of 'anti-heroes.'

________________________________________________
You can take my hope when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

KAYNA

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 2:30 PM (P)

I've read all of the Wheel of Time so far. I will admit that he kind of stalled for a bit (most of the women annoy me as well and Rand has gotten out of hand) but with the latest book I think he got back on track.
He's finally started to tie up some loosew ends and fulfilled some of the prophecies we've been hearing about since the first couple of books.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Op: You're fighting a war you've already lost.
Mal: Yeah, well I'm known for that.

STILLTHEREWAITING

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 2:51 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by aussay:
The Wednesday Next books by Jasper Fforde - funny and smart

I second this nomination, however, you might have more success looking for the Thursday Next books.

Also The Fionivar Tapestry by Guy Gavriel Kay has amazing characters. Even though the characters are never really described, I knew exactly what they looked like. Kay is a wonderful writer. He worked with Christopher Tolkein in preparing The Silmarillion.

Also gotta second the first couple of Ender Books by Card and the Foundation Tilogy by Asimov.

I will also add the Honor Harrington books by David Weber. Some of the best Military SF out there.
For Military fantasy also check out The Deed of Paksennarian by Elizabeth Moon.

And no book list evangelizing by me would be complete without my adding:

The Sot Weed Factor by John Barth
Gravity's Rainbow By Thomas Pynchon
Ridley Walker By Russell Hoban
The Public Burning by Robert Coover

Every SciFi fan should read Ridley Walker. The best handling of Post-appocalypse ever written.

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy.

If I were you, I'd run!
If you were me, you'd be good-looking

GRIZWALD

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 3:03 PM (P)

Just had to say this is a great thread! My PayPal account has been drained dry as a bone because I'm terrible at interlibrary loans, I gotta own a book if it's a good one. (You should see my house. We're always going to build bookshelves and not getting around to it, so I have giant blue Rubbermaid tubs of books all over the place.)

____________________________________________________
They could not take the sky from them -
Our Big Damn Heroes made a film!
I'm gonna see Serenity then
go back the next morning and see it again.
Cuz no one at Fox knew this show had no equal
C'mon Universal, and greenlight the sequel!

Click on my profile for my Annoyingly Long List of Firefly Links.

HERO

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 3:13 PM (P)

If you want that real 'Firefly' flavor I can think of two sources that I don't think have been mentioned:

First, John Ringo.

Second, the Classic Battletech novels...specially the older ones like the Grey Death Legion Trilogy and 'Wolves on the Border' and such. Also I highly recomend any of the Battletech novels written by Michael Stackpole. Battletech has the humor, politics, shiny bigger-then-life technology, and gritty frontier feel. You'll like them.

H

JCW

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 3:14 PM (P)

I loved reading The DArk Tower Series by Stephen King. The books aren't much like Firefly, but they're great reads.

STILLTHEREWAITING

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 3:26 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by grizwald:
Just had to say this is a great thread! My PayPal account has been drained dry as a bone because I'm terrible at interlibrary loans, I gotta own a book if it's a good one. (You should see my house. We're always going to build bookshelves and not getting around to it, so I have giant blue Rubbermaid tubs of books all over the place.)

I understand totally. Fortunately I've already got most of the books listed here, but I understand the storage issue. We just bought what I think is our 13th bookcase. This one had to be nice because there is no more room in the "Library" (all melamine). So the latest is on the 2nd floor landing and is a 4'x6' cherry. Quite nice actually.
The problem is, that every year here in Memphis, there is a book sale in support of the Memphis Literacy Council. They sell new, current books at $1 for paperbacks, $2 for large format PB and $4 for hardcover. It's a great way to find new authors. Last sale I spent $160 and came away with about $1100 worth of books by cover price. We are currently working our way through those boxes.
Unfortunately, I doubt I'll catch up to my brother who, at last count, had more books than his local public library, but he's had 5 extra years on me.
Curse our literate parents!

Laugh while you can, monkey-boy.

If I were you, I'd run!
If you were me, you'd be good-looking

KAYNA

Wednesday, March 15, 2006 8:41 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by StillThereWaiting:
Last sale I spent $160 and came away with about $1100 worth of books by cover price.

I know what you mean. I don't see many sales quite that good but there are two exchange book stores in my area. It's way too easy to spend money at those places! Last week I bout half a dozen books for $7 at one! The only reason I didn't spend more was thst I'd purposefully left my checkbook at home and $7 was all the cash I had on me.
This thread could very well lead me to bankruptcy. There are so many good sounding books on here. Some that I've noticed but haven't been able to get to yet. Arrrggg!

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Op: You're fighting a war you've already lost.
Mal: Yeah, well I'm known for that.

AUSSAY

Thursday, March 16, 2006 9:39 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by StillThereWaiting:
Quote:
Originally posted by aussay:
The Wednesday Next books by Jasper Fforde - funny and smart

I second this nomination, however, you might have more success looking for the Thursday Next books.

Whoops!

My favoutite books and I confuse the main characters name!

"Shake your head boy, your eyes are stuck"

www.fireflyfans.net
http://www.browncoatsriseagain.com/

WHISPER

Thursday, March 16, 2006 2:57 PM (P)

I love the Thursday Next series, by Jasper Fforde. Very clever and funny books. I third(?) the recommendation for those.

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher is another excellent series, especially if you like sarcastic main characters. Check out the authors website. You can read sample chapters of each of the books.
http://www.jim-butcher.com/books/dresden/

Want Firefly/ Serenity/ BtVS/ Angel desktop wallpapers? Take a look at the ones I've created at:
http://www.whispergraphics.net
Now hosting the Firefly Extended Gagreel
I have added a forum to my site and now I need some members!

MILFORD

Friday, March 17, 2006 3:56 AM (P)

I recommend the following:

William Gibson- The Difference Engine
Neil Gaiman- American Gods

There's tons of other books I like but they're not related to FF/S in any way. Check these out and let me know if you like them.

Leaning into the wind that used to carry me-Stavesacre

TENTHCREWMEMBER

Friday, March 17, 2006 6:23 AM (P)

I just scrolled on down, so if I repeat something, just consider it another endorsement! ;P

*The Killer Angels (its the book that inspired Joss to write Firefly)

*If you can find anything by John DeChancie, read it. He's my very favorite author, and if you can track down the award winning Starrigger Trilogy (Starrigger, Red Limit Freeway, Paradox Alley) and read it BEFORE you read the Castle Perilous series, you're in for a nice treat around book 8 or 9. His wit is very fresh, like Joss.

*Anything Robert Aspirin. Like DeChancie, a very singular wit that ranks up there with Joss.

*Sword of Truth (I've only read the first one thus far, and it was awesome)

*Time's Eye by Arthur C. Clarke and Stephen Baxter. It's book 1 in the "A Time Odessey" series. I am currently reading book 2, Sunstorm. A fellow Browncoat (Dragon Mama a.k.a. Beans) turned me on to these.

and I could go on, but this'll get you started.

BWAH!
TCM

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DONTCALLMELAWRENCE

Friday, March 17, 2006 7:41 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by TenthCrewMember:
*The Killer Angels (it’s the book that inspired Joss to write Firefly)

New to the whole internet community thing, but have been with firefly from the beginning.

I've been watching this thread and am glad someone finally mentioned The Killer Angels

Aside from being the spark that lit the fire that is ... Firefly... it is an amazing book, and you don't really need to love the American Civil War to enjoy it.

Also, if you all are looking for books with similar plot lines and character dynamics I'd recommend checking out some westerns.

Lawrence

CAB1729

Friday, March 17, 2006 9:21 AM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by UnregisteredCompanion:
Got a question....

I am in a book club. I have exposed my friends to sci-fi and fantasy...genres they normally do not read. Some they liked, some they hated, but I want to have them read more.

Problem is that I tend to love books so thick you can use them as a chair, preferably with 6 parts...all equally long. This is NOT a good book for a book club of busy women that meets once a month.

So, I need a short to medium length sci-fi or fantasy book that is self contained (no 9 parts) that non sci-fi types would like OR would love to discuss.

Any ideas?

Thought of another one. I think someone mentioned Tepper before but:

The Gate to Women's Country by Sheri S. Tepper.

Very much a feminist outlook in SF, but she's known for that. In the far future, women are secretly striving to breed out man's destructive aggressiveness - and are doing it right under the men's noses. Boggles the mind, doesn't it? One of my favorites of hers. Her books go in and out of print sporadically but this one happens to be in print right now.

___________________________________________
Hobbes: How come we play war and not peace?
Calvin: Too few role models.

PATSRULE

Friday, March 17, 2006 6:43 PM (P)

I didn't see anyone mention the conquerers trilogy from Timothy Zahn (more famous for some of his StarWars books). The conquerer's trilogy is a space adventure featuring a war between humans and aliens. The first book is from the perspective of one of the humans. The second book follows the first, but from the perspective of one of the aliens. The final book is a hybrid of perspectives. I really enjoyed them.

Also, I followed one of the recomendations from this board and got into the George R.R. Martin books. Fantastic...it was a great recomendation from my perspective.

UKSOUTHBROWNCOAT

Saturday, March 18, 2006 4:38 PM (P)

I second Glen Cook! His Garret books (Private Investigator in a fantasy world - and who wouldn't love Morley Dotes??) and his Black Company I think are quite unique and my copies are completely dogeared after years of re-reading.

DIANASPR

Saturday, March 18, 2006 5:29 PM (P)

im just posting so i can follow this

IMNOTHERE

Saturday, March 18, 2006 5:34 PM (P)

Try Iain M Banks - esp. "Consider Phlebas", "Excession" and "Against a Dark Background".

Space operas with outbreaks of really dark humour and bursts of excessive violence. Often at the same time.

Despite a healthy supply of strange new worlds, gadgets, big damn guns and and really big damn spaceships (with silly names), the plots normally turn out to hinge on the motivation and murky history of the characters (even if some of the characters are also big damn spaceships).

Sounds about right?

MURKYMERC

Sunday, March 19, 2006 2:27 AM (P)

I finally read the book treatment of Serenity. I have to say, I loved it, not only did it included many of the scenes that were cut from the movie, but it also jumped from perspective to perspective so you got a little more insight of each character.

I really love the 'verse.

NAUGHTYMAN

Sunday, March 19, 2006 6:01 AM (P)

I'll second most of Ivy's picks.Loved Guy Gavriel Kay's Summer Tree and the rest of that trilogy too.My favorite Orson Scott Card book would have to be Songmaster.
Also,I'm with JCW on the Dark Tower series.It's so unlike anything else Stephen King has written.Be sure to check out The Road to the Dark Tower-exploring Stephen King's magnum opus!
Now,one of my all-time favorites is definitely M.John Harrison's Pastel City.British sci-fi at its best!

"get busy livin' or get busy dyin'"

KOVU65

Sunday, March 19, 2006 9:50 AM (P)

I had the same problem a while ago, now Ive got a backlog of books. I keep buying them before I read them all. Anyway, a couple suggestions for what I think are really good series':
Jim Butcher - The Dresden Files
F Paul Wilson - Repairman Jack books (The Tomb, Legacies, Conspiracies, All the Rage, Hosts, The Haunted Air, Gateways - I think in that order)
Marc Scott Zicree - Magic Time (this guy wrote episodes of Star Trek TNG, DS9, Babylon 5 and Sliders)
S L Viehl - Stardoc series

I think that should hold you over for a while. It totals around 20+ books. I have more so if you like any/all these let me know. I love to share what I think are really good, fun books. Thanks for that. Happy Reading.

KOVU65

Sunday, March 19, 2006 9:58 AM (P)

Oh Yeah!! I forgot the Pullman series (His Dark Materials) The only problem I had was buying the second book - it was in the young adult section. The Borders drone was looking at me funny!
It was worth it when I read it all that same day.

RABBIT2

Sunday, March 19, 2006 11:16 AM (P)

Quote:
Second vote for CJ Cherryh except I would add "Downbelow Station". It's very much like FF- a space story of human migration and colonies, and the forces that drive them to part from the "old world" (although in this case, the Alliance is the colonies and they win)

Third vote from me for just about all of her `Merchanter` novels.

An honorable mention is deserved for "Rimrunners", "Merchanters Luck" and "Finitys End" since they concentrate on characters trying to survive in the "Post War" period after the end of the events described in "Downbelow Station". Very similar to Firefly.
There are oblique hints in the Chanur novels that they are set in the same universe at a later date.

--------------------------------------------------
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Flight Instructor: Son, know what the first rule of flying is?
Me: Don`t crash?

OBSESSEDWITHFIREFLY

Sunday, March 19, 2006 1:49 PM (P)

I'll just add some authors that haven't been mentioned. Anything by Michael McCollum is terrific. He has his own website:
www.scifi-az.com
You can get his novels downloaded, but I have preferred to order the trade paperbacks. For Firefly fans, I would specifically recommend the Antares trilogy, but once you start, you'll probably end up reading everything.
Another author is Jack McDevitt. Either start with A Talent For War and follow the Alex Benedict character or Follow Hutch starting with Engines Of God.
What about Charles Sheffield? If I remember the titles correctly, Cold As Ice, The Ganymede Club, and Dark As Day were my favorites that go together.
If you like "hard" sci-fi, The Giants novels by James P. Hogan, starting with Inherit The Stars and the Rama books by Arthur C. Clarke are as good as it gets.
Enjoy, and thanks for everyone else's advice.

NUCLEARDAY

Sunday, March 19, 2006 2:52 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by obsessedwithfirefly:

If you like "hard" sci-fi, The Giants novels by James P. Hogan, starting with Inherit The Stars and the Rama books by Arthur C. Clarke are as good as it gets.

Oh, I forgot about James P. Hogan... that was a really good series.

And Rama... if ever there was a science fiction book that should have spawned a religion, that's gotta be it :P Clarke's theory for life, the universe, and everything is probably the most comforting one I've ever come across :)

________________________________________________
You can take my hope when you pry it from my cold, dead fingers.

PALLAS

Thursday, April 6, 2006 11:52 AM (P)

MirrorMask? I'm very jealous! I'm going to have to save my pennies to order the DVD.

On topic, I'd have to recommend the Caine books by Matthew Stover (Heroes Die and Blade of Tyshalle). Don't let the Heroes Die cover put you off. It's an a$$-kicking adventure. Caine is probably my favourite anti-hero heroes. I love his attitude to life. To paraphrase one of my favourite quotes, "keep your head down, inch towards daylight, and never surrender."

DONCOAT

Thursday, April 6, 2006 7:02 PM (P)

Here's one that isn't science fiction but should still appeal to FF/S fans. I just recently read it, and thought it was quite excellent:

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The author's name is Gregory Maguire.

It's sort of a retelling of the Wizard of Oz (movie version) from the point of view of the Wicked Witch. It's beautifully written, and turns Oz into a far richer and more complex place than the movie does. There are many themes that resonate with the Browncoat in me: what is the nature of evil? How does one individual fight against tyranny? Are we anything beyond what others perceive us to be?

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
I don't disagree on any particular point.

BSCPANTHERFAN

Friday, April 7, 2006 3:19 AM (P)

Just linking to this to get new reading ideas. I just moved, so all my books are in a couple of hundred boxes(at least I got some exercise), so until I get some of them unpacked, I don't want to list yet.

So who is he?
He's my husband.
Well who in the damn galaxy ain't!

JEHANE

Friday, April 7, 2006 5:57 PM (P)

I haven't read all the postings in here so if I mention books that have already been brought up, please ignore

I'd also recommend Guy Gavriel Kay - especially The Lions of Al-Rassan and the Fionavar Tapestry, but basically you can't make a mistake picking up any of his books (just make sure you got enough tissues at hand). They're all great. And highly addictive
For those of you who love fantasy: You might want to give The Last Rune-series a shot. It's by Mark Anthony and consists of six books, one of them including a time-travel to the wild west. It's not that inventive as far as the genre is concerned but it's got some great characters and an exciting story.

Also a great read if you enjoy really wacky stuff is Tom Holt - Flying Dutch is a hilarious take on the legend of the Flying Dutchman, Faust among Equals deals with hell, the most sought man in history and the reason Troy really was destroyed. It also features a theme park in hell based on Hieronymus Bosch's paintings

Almost forgot one of my favourite series: The Warlord Chronicles by Bernard Cornwell, the most interesting take on the Arthurian legend I've ever come across. And I just love the way Lancelot is portrayed.

How's business?
None of yours.

MECTURTLE

Friday, April 7, 2006 6:36 PM (P)

Quote:
Originally posted by DonCoat:
Here's one that isn't science fiction but should still appeal to FF/S fans. I just recently read it, and thought it was quite excellent:

Wicked: The Life and Times of the Wicked Witch of the West. The author's name is Gregory Maguire.

If you liked "Wicked," you might want to check out some of Maguire's other books. He's about got a cottage industry going reworking fairy tales. There's "Mirror, Mirror," which retells Snow White as set in the early 16th century and features Lucrezia and Cesare Borgia as main characters (creepy folk). And there's "Confessions of an Ugly Stepsister," which was probably my favorite of the three. It's a Cinderella tale set in 17th century Holland. Lots of artists, tullips and a little arson as well.
He also has a sequel to "Wicked" out called "Son of a Witch." Enjoy!

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WASH: Psychic though? That sounds like something out of science fiction.
ZOE: You live on a spaceship dear.
WASH: So?