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On March 11 2012 18:15 Steveling wrote:Show nested quote +On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. I was gonna flame the trashy fantasy/scifi "literature" but then I read this post so I'm just gonna quote it. Here it is again, Show nested quote +On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults.
Hey, nothing wrong with an enjoying read. Sure, the classic novels are well-written and deep, but every book spins a different yarn of imagination, and the world of reading should not be confined to those who must deem every line a somber iteration of profound and ambiguous moral meaning. Sometimes, the imaginatino yearns for an adventure story.
And there's no reason why you can't have a book that does both. For the OP, try Neuromancer. I also should get to tracking down other books by Gibson, but haven't had time to do much reading for fun :/
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On March 11 2012 18:22 LlamaNamedOsama wrote:Show nested quote +On March 11 2012 18:15 Steveling wrote:On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. I was gonna flame the trashy fantasy/scifi "literature" but then I read this post so I'm just gonna quote it. Here it is again, On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. Hey, nothing wrong with an enjoying read. Sure, the classic novels are well-written and deep, but every book spins a different yarn of imagination, and the world of reading should not be confined to those who must deem every line a somber iteration of profound and ambiguous moral meaning. Sometimes, the imaginatino yearns for an adventure story.
Don't get me wrong, I understand that.
What I extremely dislike is that there are young people who only read these fantasy/scifi/whatever books.
They are wasting precious reading time while they could be educating themselves and opening new horizons.
Reading exclucively these kind of books is mind numbing imo.
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piers anthony and dragon lance books.
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I recommend 1Q84 by Haruki Murakami! Has a great plot which involves an alternate reality, a mysterious sinister cult, and much more. People seem to either can't stand it or end up not being able to put it down, and I was one of the latter. Also enjoyed Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman and City & the City by China Mieville. One fantasy/sci-fi series that I've seen recommended a lot is the First Law series by Joe Abercromie, you might want to give it a try.
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On March 11 2012 18:54 Steveling wrote:Show nested quote +On March 11 2012 18:22 LlamaNamedOsama wrote:On March 11 2012 18:15 Steveling wrote:On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. I was gonna flame the trashy fantasy/scifi "literature" but then I read this post so I'm just gonna quote it. Here it is again, On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. Hey, nothing wrong with an enjoying read. Sure, the classic novels are well-written and deep, but every book spins a different yarn of imagination, and the world of reading should not be confined to those who must deem every line a somber iteration of profound and ambiguous moral meaning. Sometimes, the imaginatino yearns for an adventure story. Don't get me wrong, I understand that. What I extremely dislike is that there are young people who only read these fantasy/scifi/whatever books. They are wasting precious reading time while they could be educating themselves and opening new horizons. Reading exclucively these kind of books is mind numbing imo.
yeah. i dont agree. i am an adult and i read sci-fi, fantasy books. its for enjoyment purposes. i like to get lost in my book and relax (not have to think about what im reading). if i wanted to read the "adult" books, which i did in college for classes, i would feel like im getting home from work only to have to work again.
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On March 11 2012 18:57 dAPhREAk wrote:Show nested quote +On March 11 2012 18:54 Steveling wrote:On March 11 2012 18:22 LlamaNamedOsama wrote:On March 11 2012 18:15 Steveling wrote:On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. I was gonna flame the trashy fantasy/scifi "literature" but then I read this post so I'm just gonna quote it. Here it is again, On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. Hey, nothing wrong with an enjoying read. Sure, the classic novels are well-written and deep, but every book spins a different yarn of imagination, and the world of reading should not be confined to those who must deem every line a somber iteration of profound and ambiguous moral meaning. Sometimes, the imaginatino yearns for an adventure story. Don't get me wrong, I understand that. What I extremely dislike is that there are young people who only read these fantasy/scifi/whatever books. They are wasting precious reading time while they could be educating themselves and opening new horizons. Reading exclucively these kind of books is mind numbing imo. yeah. i dont agree. i am an adult and i read sci-fi, fantasy books. its for enjoyment purposes. i like to get lost in my book and relax (not have to think about what im reading). if i wanted to read the "adult" books, which i did in college for classes, i would feel like im getting home from work only to have to work again.
That's how bad that kind of entertainment is for us, it makes you lazy mentally.
I have heard many times the "I just wanna have some fun and not stress myself" excuse before and it's from people with low cultural level as a common trait.
Anyway, sry if I come off as a wise ass.
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If you are into fantasy, you gotta read Death Gate Cycle. It is an amazing series, one that I've read numerous times. It is a 7 book series, so it's gonna keep you occupied for quite a while. The best thing about the series is that it's supposed to be the diaries and the personal notes the protagonist have collected, so at the end of each book there are detailed descriptions and sometimes songs, drawings and explanations regarding the realm where the series take place. It feels so immersive that way.
The series has amazing characters, such as Hugh the Hand, my personal favourite. The basic story of the series is that there are two very powerful races of wizards, Sartans and Patryns. After a period of war with each other, Sartans think that the best way to deal with the issue is to shatter the realm into four sub realms, Fire, Water, Earth and Air. They also create a "correction center" as they call, which is actually a prison for their enemies, Patyrns. Then they disappear mysteriously, and the prison, called the Labyrinth, starts to brutally murder the Patryns, for generations. This brews a deep hatred towards Sartans. Eventually, some Patyrns start to escape, and then they settle at the city next to the Labyrinth, called Nexus. The Patyrn Lord Xar, sends Haplo, his spy, into each sub world for a scouting mission, to find out about what Sartans are doing, and to prepare the worlds for the Patryn conquest. That's the basic story. It is amazingly immersive, I'm sure you'll love it if you're into fantasy books.
Another recommendation, is The New Jedi Order series from the Star Wars Expanded Universe. There are something like 20 books, so it's a long read, but worth it. It brings a new, different enemy against the New Republic, and things get heated quite wildly.
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lagmaster
United States374 Posts
I suggest:
The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfus
It's not too long (though I like the longer books) and it's not too short and I thought both it and the 2nd book were great.
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@Steveling I'm 16. I don't read between the lines for epiphanies and cleverly hidden code. I read to keep myself entertained on the train/bus.
I don't know what you would mean by having a low cultural level. Does it mean that I am a general dumbass? If that is so, I think that everyone thinks that people who don't see things the way they do, are dumbasses. Don't get think my way? Fine.
If I want to learn something, I'll read a book with that topic. Not a novel that I have to study, cross reference, make notes on, and spend my waking days thinking about to even find the hidden message in the first place.
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On March 11 2012 18:54 Steveling wrote:Show nested quote +On March 11 2012 18:22 LlamaNamedOsama wrote:On March 11 2012 18:15 Steveling wrote:On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. I was gonna flame the trashy fantasy/scifi "literature" but then I read this post so I'm just gonna quote it. Here it is again, On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. Hey, nothing wrong with an enjoying read. Sure, the classic novels are well-written and deep, but every book spins a different yarn of imagination, and the world of reading should not be confined to those who must deem every line a somber iteration of profound and ambiguous moral meaning. Sometimes, the imaginatino yearns for an adventure story. Don't get me wrong, I understand that. What I extremely dislike is that there are young people who only read these fantasy/scifi/whatever books. They are wasting precious reading time while they could be educating themselves and opening new horizons. Reading exclucively these kind of books is mind numbing imo.
I could get behind what you're saying if you suggested people should be reading more actual educative (non-fiction) material.
If you're suggesting other fiction of any sort, then your argument is extremely flawed to begin with. Fiction in general has little real value when it comes to education, and often emphasizes very biased philosophical and political views and incomplete and often inaccurate descriptions of the setting/environment.
There's no inherent greater value in reading classical novels. There's value in studying classical novels and literature in general, which is something entirely different, and not something that everybody is interested in doing or needs to spend their time doing.
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On March 11 2012 19:50 Talin wrote:Show nested quote +On March 11 2012 18:54 Steveling wrote:On March 11 2012 18:22 LlamaNamedOsama wrote:On March 11 2012 18:15 Steveling wrote:On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. I was gonna flame the trashy fantasy/scifi "literature" but then I read this post so I'm just gonna quote it. Here it is again, On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. Hey, nothing wrong with an enjoying read. Sure, the classic novels are well-written and deep, but every book spins a different yarn of imagination, and the world of reading should not be confined to those who must deem every line a somber iteration of profound and ambiguous moral meaning. Sometimes, the imaginatino yearns for an adventure story. Don't get me wrong, I understand that. What I extremely dislike is that there are young people who only read these fantasy/scifi/whatever books. They are wasting precious reading time while they could be educating themselves and opening new horizons. Reading exclucively these kind of books is mind numbing imo. I could get behind what you're saying if you suggested people should be reading more actual educative (non-fiction) material. If you're suggesting other fiction of any sort, then your argument is extremely flawed to begin with. Fiction in general has little real value when it comes to education, and often emphasizes very biased philosophical and political views and incomplete and often inaccurate descriptions of the setting/environment. There's no inherent greater value in reading classical novels. There's value in studying classical novels and literature in general, which is something entirely different, and not something that everybody is interested in doing or needs to spend their time doing.
Maybe I will make a blog about that subject(how cheap art influences our lives) but let's not derail this thread anymore.
If you wanna discuss further pm me.
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I would personally recommend Iain Banks' "The wasp factory", a story about a mildly disturbed 16-year old child.
He also writes excellent science fiction under the pen name Iain M Banks and if you want to read one of those I think "The player of games" is a good story to start with.
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On March 11 2012 19:17 Steveling wrote:Show nested quote +On March 11 2012 18:57 dAPhREAk wrote:On March 11 2012 18:54 Steveling wrote:On March 11 2012 18:22 LlamaNamedOsama wrote:On March 11 2012 18:15 Steveling wrote:On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. I was gonna flame the trashy fantasy/scifi "literature" but then I read this post so I'm just gonna quote it. Here it is again, On March 11 2012 18:01 Catch]22 wrote:
How about you stop taking all these advices for teens and adolescent books and start reading adult books like Brave New World, Lolita, Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, 1987, We any other actual good books for adults. Hey, nothing wrong with an enjoying read. Sure, the classic novels are well-written and deep, but every book spins a different yarn of imagination, and the world of reading should not be confined to those who must deem every line a somber iteration of profound and ambiguous moral meaning. Sometimes, the imaginatino yearns for an adventure story. Don't get me wrong, I understand that. What I extremely dislike is that there are young people who only read these fantasy/scifi/whatever books. They are wasting precious reading time while they could be educating themselves and opening new horizons. Reading exclucively these kind of books is mind numbing imo. yeah. i dont agree. i am an adult and i read sci-fi, fantasy books. its for enjoyment purposes. i like to get lost in my book and relax (not have to think about what im reading). if i wanted to read the "adult" books, which i did in college for classes, i would feel like im getting home from work only to have to work again. That's how bad that kind of entertainment is for us, it makes you lazy mentally. I have heard many times the "I just wanna have some fun and not stress myself" excuse before and it's from people with low cultural level as a common trait. Anyway, sry if I come off as a wise ass.
I could talk about the great writers or their works for days on end.
But if you think bragging rights or intellectual enrichment are their sole purpose, you are gravely mistaken.
Those works are studied because after many years we have concluded those to be the best works of those generations. By studying them intensely you gather a greater understanding for writing and what makes good writing good and bad writing bad.
People like yourself tend to confuse the educational value that those books have in that regard, with some hidden vault of knowledge that springs open if you simply let your eyes slide past the words or read one facebook post about how deep it is.
Those works are popular for a good reason, but to pretend that they breed intelligence displays the opposite of intelligence.
So no, not everyone should spend all their time, or even any time, reading these older works. If you have a deep passion for literature it is a good way to gain a deeper understanding. This, not just because of the quality of the works, but also the depth of the analyses that one can find.
Suggesting one should always go and read the old classics is silly and already displays a lack of understaning of their purpose. In a way you have let your eyes roll past the words, but you failed to read the books. Perhaps the thought of being clever was proving too much of a distraction for you, causing you to miss out on the books themselves.
It is akin to suggesting to everyone who asks for a good movie, to go and watch Citizen Kane.
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Don't know why you are personally attacking me zalz, anyway your post is based on falce leaps of logic, you are assuming things I didn't say, you are offtopic and Citizen Kane is a fucking good movie, xP.
I will only respond to pms from here on, so please refrain from quoting me, so I don't have to make these silly posts, Q_Q.
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On March 11 2012 15:53 Thaniri wrote:
I do not shy away from a book with difficult language, or a book that is very long. If the story engages me at all in the first few chapters I will demolish it within a few weeks.
Based solely on this and disregarding everything else you've said.. I'd say you should try out Infinite Jest. It's written by some guy who commited suicide last year or so. Not sci-fi nor fantasy though.
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If you want to read some fantasy stuff you have never ever read before, then I recommend you: "The city of dreaming books" of Walter Moers. But only read this if you really like books.
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Go for some Jasper Fforde, that guy has some of the craziest imagination i know of. Probably best to start with the Thursday Next series, since it's got most books in it so far, and you are going to want to read more as soon as you are finished 
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EPT
