Try Guards Guards ( its part of the Discworld "series" but its a pretty loosely connected series of books rather than epic; theyre comedic) Its about the captain of the steadily inebriated Night Watch and his run-in with a Dragon. Its funny, in the British sense so if you like Ricky Gervais and the like you should give it a try.
Also All The Kings Men, its about 1930s corrupt southern politics and i love it, totally on the other end of the spectrum from Guards, Guards! though.
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http://img.imgcake.com/nio/81edpngej.png The one and only Underdog Millionaire and UCA CORPORATE Champion
I'm in that groove where reading is more fun than watching movies, TV shows, or video games so I'm working on creating a huge backlog. I'm actually in that point where I can go through a book a week so I'm kinda proud. I asked for recs last year and got a bunch (and I still have the list) but I need more.
- I missed out on almost EVERY classic in school somehow so those are always good recs. - Try to limit it to one or two books. - If you're recommending a series please tell me it's a series! - If you're recommending me an author make sure to recommend me a good entry book. - I'm open to anything but it doesn't hurt to say why the book rocks :D - "Book - Author/Translator" format please.
I like books in a dystopian settings and I'd like to read more horror so if you have recs that are genuinely terrifying post!
Also if you have a Goodreads account and want to share I can browse that and see how your taste compares to mine and go from there.
yeah Guards Guards is where Sam Vimes makes his debut and hes one of the central characters of the universe, so its always my recommended starting point.
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http://img.imgcake.com/nio/81edpngej.png The one and only Underdog Millionaire and UCA CORPORATE Champion
The first in a loose trilogy of books about a (violent, fungus-encrusted) fictional city called Ambergris. This, the first book, is a collection of novellas and short stories in various forms (some are more traditional, but one story is an in-universe historical pamphlet with snarky footnotes; another is a lengthy bibliography with annotations that gradually reveal their author's backstory) that show Ambergris through several lenses and at several points in history. It is excellent, as are its sequels, Shriek (a manuscript written by a character from CoSaM and interrupted by comments from another) and Finch (a detective novel set in the conquered city's future).
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"What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others." - Diogenes the Cynic
A collection of brilliantly-written short stories by, arguably, the greatest writer of the 20th century. Insightful, witty, sometimes tragic, but always delightful. Short, too.
The Flame Alphabet - Ben Marcus
Recent dystopian novel where language (specifically, language spoken by children) is a virus, infecting anyone near enough to hear it. The climax is a bit flat but the journey there is enjoyable.
Also, while Pratchett and Gervais are both witty and British, that is where the similarities end. Their humour is nothing alike. If you're going to compare Pratchett to anyone, it's either Wodehouse or Adams - not Gervais.
Also, also, McCarthy is brilliant.
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The first in a loose trilogy of books about a (violent, fungus-encrusted) fictional city called Ambergris. This, the first book, is a collection of novellas and short stories in various forms (some are more traditional, but one story is an in-universe historical pamphlet with snarky footnotes; another is a lengthy bibliography with annotations that gradually reveal their author's backstory) that show Ambergris through several lenses and at several points in history. It is excellent, as are its sequels, Shriek (a manuscript written by a character from CoSaM and interrupted by comments from another) and Finch (a detective novel set in the conquered city's future).
i was going to recommend this but i always do, so...!
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The Stand is absolutely the best book I've ever read; tons of great characters, interesting concept, writing that's not too hard to read, and pretty damn long (the uncut version is 1100+ pages long; the amount of deleted material alone was about 150000 words or 500 pages)
like the rest of Stephen King's stuff ranges from meh to good, but The Stand is miles ahead of everything else he wrote
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http://24.media.tumblr.com/tumblr_m2hsv6ataW1qfu8w8o1_1280.jpg KrahenProphet and Kana are on opposite ends of the Awesome Spectrum.
Oh, and here's one even icon wouldn't recommend...
Vurt - Jeff Noon
Takes place in a run-down s***-hole future Manchester where anything can breed with anything and junkies get high on shared-hallucination feather-drugs called vurt. The main character is in love with his sister, and is on a quest to bring her back after she got lost in the vurt and her place in reality was taken by an amorphous blob of drug-flesh called the Thing from Outer Space. It's ... it's a weird book.
It's technically also the first in a series, though they're loosely connected. The sequel, Pollen, is about a lethal hayfever epidemic and the goddess Persephone; the prequel, Nymphomation, involves lotteries and the discovery of magic lube and math having sex. There's also a tangentially related fourth book that also serves as a third Alice (as in, in Wonderland) book, Automated Alice.
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"What I like to drink most is wine that belongs to others." - Diogenes the Cynic
From: crazyisgood | #013 Sword of Truth Series I would warn you against this suggestion. Everything I've heard from numerous people suggests it's absolutely terrible.
As for a positive suggestion, "A Fire Upon the Deep" and "A Deepness in the Sky" by Vernor Vinge. Really interesting sci fi - both won the Hugo award for their year. Both of them kind of combine a plotline that's set in space with one that's based on an alien world, but they're pretty different.
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"Congratulations Thomas and Sylvia! But their happiness does not continue long..."