I need urgent help.I am a newbie in the world of literature.I don't know where to begin or what to read.The problem is that there is a massive amount of material and it is very hard to get started.I have been watching,reading or listening other mediums.Maybe if I can mention my favorites from other mediums someone can recommend me books that would appeal to me. Heres is my favorite material from other mediums: TV Lost: What I love about this show is the character development and the flashbacks. What I hate is that it drags too much. King Crab Space Crustacean: This show blew my mind. Is about a parasite and a space crew. Music I love punk rock and most of it´s subdivisions. I love classic punk rock, Ramones,The Clash and The Sex Pistols. Anime/Manga -Death Note: This is probably my favorite show.It is full of excitement and it grips the viewers and makes you keep on watching. -Code Geass:Similar to Death Note. It gets to the point and it is very addictive, the ending was pretty good too. -Monster:It is psycological and as we get keeping on reading we explore the past of the main antagonist. Movies Star Wars(Original Trilogy): Nuff said. Inception:Christopher´s Nolan best film in my opinion. Like monster, as the plot moves we get to explore the main character. Back to the future: I really love the idea of time travelling. What I would like to avoid is works of fiction that fall in the following categories: Cliché:Follow the same old hero story(Monomyth). Ambigious:The one the critics love. Yet they are very frustrating, they usually don't have a satisfiying conclusion. Draggy It is when the writers just keep on adding more and more content which makes the audience stay. Yet it eventually leads nowhere. Well I hope someone can help.
It would help to know what genre(s) you like. Based on the movies you said you like, I'm guessing that you're interested in science fiction, correct?
Odd that you want to avoid the cliche hero story (Monomyth), yet you're a fan of Star Wars, which is exactly that.
Yeah, but I watched Star Wars as a kid and that is the only monomyth that I like.There are a lot of Star Wars wannabes out there that I would like to avoid.
Some great sci-fi authors are Clarke, Heinlein, Wells, Asimov, Dick. Those are just some of the writers I've read and liked. I'm sure some of the other, more knowledgeable members can give you a more detailed list.
Consider: Roger Zelazny's works (Lord of Light and Creatures of Light and Darkness) for Science Fiction. Steven Brusts Vlad Taltos series for fantasy If you like Star Wars, there are tons of novels based on the Star Wars characters and universe. Harry Turtledove writes a lot of alternate history/SF related books. I really enjoyed is World War series. Just taking some estimated guesses, and suggested some classic and/or popular works as you gave only a bit to go on. Hope you enjoy whatever you decide to pick upm Future Unknown.
Hmm... Well, I think I'm obligated to recommend Robert A. Heinlein's works. He's most famous for Stranger in a Strange Land, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and Starship Troopers, but I'd actually recommend that you read Space Cadet first. It's premise is that a United Nations-like body has control of nearly all nuclear weapons, and it's troops -- who are from all countries and some of Earth's space colonies -- have the job of using those nukes if any country attacks any other with a nuclear weapon. Over time, this pseudo-U.N. becomes the pinnacle of diplomacy, solving problems between humans and aliens as well as between the colonies and Earth. The titular character joins up, and basically joins their version of Officer Candidate School, learning how to pilot spacecraft and settle disputes. It's really good, and not really dated despite having been written in 1947. If you liked Death Note the show, you might like the Manga of the same name. (I think the Manga came first.) Other than that ... Starswarm by Jerry Pournelle is pretty good. On Basilisk Station by David Weber (I think) is excellent, naval warfare with a space-based navy. Hmm. Unfortunately, I tend to favor hard sci-fi and intellectual-type sci-fi, which probably isn't good to start out with -- I mean, if you like dense stuff, go thee hence and purchase ye a copy of Dies the Fire for amazing alternate history spec fic, but it's not for someone with an average teen's vocabulary. Or Charles Stross's The Atrocity Archives, in which exploring the boundaries of theoretical mathematics leads to summoning Cthulhu, kind of. It's great. Or Lucifer's Hammer by Niven & Pournelle; it was a bestseller, only somewhat out of date, about what would happen if a large comet actually hit the earth. I guess that's enough for now. Enjoy.
The Autumn Rain Trilogy - (Mirrored Heavens, The Burning Skies, and The Machinery of Light). Really intense, edge-of-your-seat Sci-fi action novels. Sort of a Cyberpunk Tom Clancy. I highly recommend them.
For your interest in sci-fi that is non-ambiguous, draggy, and cliche, I highly recommend The Hunger Games and Ender's Game. And based on your interest in punk rock, I recommend Nick and Norah's Infinite Playlist. All 3 are fast-paced, exciting stories that will maintain your interest throughout.
Read Mockingbird by Walter Tevis. It's an odd and subtle parody of 1984 by George Orwell (which you should have read already; if not, read it). If you like convoluted and stylish sci-fi like "Inception," you will like this. I second Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card (you'll love it, even if I didn't) and the sequel, Speaker for the Dead, which is stranger and better.
I don't recommend Ender's Game. It worked as a short story in Analog back in the 70s, but the novelization is padded with a ridiculous subplot and really lays bare the flaws in the basic concept. I know it's very famous and celebrated, but IMO it doesn't deserve its reputation. There are many better SF stories. Go back to Clarke and Heinlein, and you probably won't go far wrong.
I do think Ender's Game is a good choice. Also, I second anything by Brust. Heinlein (particularly "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress"), Philip K. Dick (anything), Herbert's "Dune," Neal Stephenson's "Snowcrash." To name a few.
The Harry Potter series (7 books) by J.K. Rowling The Lord of the Ring series (3 books) by J.R.R. Tolkien The Hunger Games series (3 books) by Suzanne Collins That seems good enough to get you in the right tracks. Reading Harry Potter will indeed be a magical experience. Once you have immersed yourself into the readers' world, it will not be hard to find books that interest you; people will be talking about the best ones, and you will soon catch on with everybody else.
May be worth Google-ing: Best Science Fiction books/Authors Then look for names that keep appearing. Edit: LORD OF LIGHT - ROGER ZELANZNY
I would go with the muscular, direct short stories of Thom Jones. Literary punk rock, baby! Especially recommend Sonny Liston was a Friend of Mine (which is such a great title).
If you like short stories, John Cheever is a good pick. Also, Alistair MacLeod's collection "Island" is terrific.
Hmm.. For magic/fantasy, you might like "The Long Mynd" by Edward P. Hughes. For punk science fiction, you might like "Angel Station" by Walter Jon Williams... Lonnie Courtney Clay
It isn't sci-fi, but it is dark and mysterious - Banquet For The Damned, by Adam Nelville. It is a wonderful read There are some readers who say it genuinely gave them nightmares.
For scifi Dune and Hyperion are pretty good. If you like fantasy or alternate history stuff at all I'd defiantly read the Bartimaeus Trilogy it's one of the best fantasy series I've ever read.
I know exactly what you mean, which is why I recomend listening to Ender's Game rather than reading it. Orson Card is a playwrite, and his novels are written in a way that seems to need voice actors to make the characters and story pop. The audio version of the book is excellent.
A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess, because you like punk. Amazing book! Neil Gaiman is a good one to read because you like anime etc. Iain M Banks for the sci-fi. It goes beyond the cliched sci-fi genre if you ask me and the worlds he creates is epic
If you want a Really, Really good series, check the wheel of time by robert jordan. Really good books, but a tad slow. The story gets extremely good though if you get past the first book. Each book is about 700 pages, and theres about 13 of them!
