My Favorite Books
Douglas Adams
- Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Very funny.
- Long Dark Tea Time of the Soul - Very funny.
- The Hitchhiker's guide to the Galaxy - Very funny.
- The Restaurant at the End of the Universe - Funny, but I suggest you stop here. The remaining books in the series degrade.
Isaac Asimov
- Foundation’s End (Foundation Series) - I was fond of this whole series for its intriguing ideas. Some may find it too dry.
Lois McMaster Bujold
- Cordelia's Honor - Rich and colorful yet serious.
Orson Scott Card
- Ender’s Game - Loved it. Clever and believable.
Arthur C. Clarke
- 2001 A Space Odyssey - Surprisingly good.
Phillip K. Dick
- Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Bladerunner) - Loved it. Empathetic characters and great plot twists. A post-apocalyptic mix of philosophy, action, and humanity.
C. S. Friedman
- Black Sun Rising (Coldfire Trilogy) - Loved it. Extraordinarily memorable characters.
Neil Gaiman
- Neverwhere - Bizarre.
- Good Omens - The comedy is great, if only we could have avoided that end bit with the plot.
William Gibson
- Neuromancer - Loved it. The original cyberpunk.
Robert Heinlein
- Job A Divine Comedy - Loved it. Hilarious.
- Methuselah's Children
- Starship Troopers - Loved it. Interesting philosophical/political views.
- Stranger in a Strange Land - Loved it. Bizarre in a fascinating way. The writing is somewhat flawed.
- Time Enough for Love
Frank Herbert
- Dune - Complex, complete, and flawless in execution. A very believable world.
Robin Hobb
- Assassin’s Apprentice - Attractive and detailed.
Anna Kashina
- The Princess of Dhagabad - Bright and touching.
Guy Gavriel Kay
- A Song for Arbonne - Detailed, believable, and well constructed.
J. Robert King
Steven King
- The Eyes of the Dragon - Sad but good.
Rudyard Kipling
- Kim - Loved it. A wonderful tale of life and adventure set in colorful British India.
Fritz Leiber
- Lankhmar (Tales of Fafherd and the Gray Mouser) - Light, irreverant sword and sorcery. Highly entertaining. Beware the buyer, there are half a dozen collections published that overlap to one degree or another. I recommend Lankhmar and Theives House published by White Wolf. Don't bother with the others unless you love those.
Anne McCaffrey
- Dragonsong - If you read one Pern book read this one. It has all the richness of her other works and a more compelling story.
Walter Miller
- Canticle for Leibowitz - Loved it. Alternately sad, insightful, and painfully funny.
Paul Park
- Sugar Rain - Beautifully complex and bizarre. An extraordinary world and fine twisted plot.
Frederick Pohl
- The Gateway Trip; Tales and Vignettes of the Heechee (Heechee series) - Loved it. Believable characters dealing with the hardships of the future.
Terry Pratchett
- The Last Hero - Lovely though playful art. Similar plot.
Anne Rice
- Cry to Heaven - Beautiful and sad.
Clifford D. Simak
- City – Loved it. Very philosophical, spans eons, but possibly too dry for some.
- Shakespeare’s Planet – Primarily I liked the discussions between the ship minds in this book.
Robert Silverberg
- To Open the Sky
- Hot Sky at Midnight – Interesting ecological and social messages in a disturbing future earth.
Neal Stevenson
- Cryptonomicon - Perhaps the nerdiest book I've read. Not sure I recommend it.
- Snow Crash - A fun, light cyberpunk book. Cool idea, but somewhat rough.
J.R.R. Tolkien
- The Hobbit - Loved it. Gorgeous world, intriguing characters, and an epic plot.
- The Fellowship of the Ring (Lord of the Rings Trilogy) - Loved it. Gorgeous world, epic plot, can drag on a bit.
Mika Waltari
- The Egyptian (Translated by Naomi Walford) - Fascinating and detailed account of the tumultus life of Sinuhe the Egyptian set in 1400 BC.
Kid’s Books:
Isaac Asimov
- Odyssey (Robot City Series)
Susan Cooper
- Over Sea, Under Stone (The Dark is Rising Series)
Debra Doyle
- School of Wizardry - Only the first book of the series is any good.
Madeline L'Engle