I'll admit I dont read as much as I'd like to. I mostly stick to Neil's work but I'm running low on stuff of his to read, and although Anansi Boys will be very fun to read, it'll also be the last of Neils non-comic book, books I have to read.

I need more, something good. Suggest stuff.

Ive picked up random books at bookstores and libraries and never finish them. I don't know why, I even bought a terry pratchet book, and couldnt get past the first ten pages. I have a mild case of dyslexia, which I think is my biggest problem. I end up having to stop, reread and figure out whats being written. Even online, simple words just don't make any sense to me half the time, so I read slow and get confused.

For what ever reason, this is very, very minimal when reading Neil's books. I don't know why, maybe because he forces you to pay attention and maybe its because I don't really mind rereading pages of his to understand them, when the need arises. I don't get frustrated.

Anyway, I need stuff to read that is as good, and as engaging so I can acctually finish them. I try to read alot of short stories, I prefer them over novels for some reason, but finding good collections of short stories is very difficult.

So please, leave selections for both and I'll take a look at them. Thanks.

quote:

I even bought a terry pratchet book, and couldnt get past the first ten pages

So that tells me you have good taste! LOL

Try William Gibsons short story collection, "Burning Chrome"
Clive Barkers "Books Of Blood"
The First 4 or 5 novels in the "Thieves World" series were GREAT!
The first 5 or 6 "Wild Card" books were awsome too!

I wish more, talented authors would take part in projects along the vein of Thieves World, and Wild Cards...

quote:

Originally posted by ClintonHammond:

quote:

I even bought a terry pratchet book, and couldnt get past the first ten pages

So that tells me you have good taste! LOL

Try William Gibsons short story collection, "Burning Chrome"
Clive Barkers "Books Of Blood"
The First 4 or 5 novels in the "Thieves World" series were GREAT!
The first 5 or 6 "Wild Card" books were awsome too!

I wish more, talented authors would take part in projects along the vein of Thieves World, and Wild Cards...

Well, about the pratchet book, I loved good omens so i figured, hey why not try right? wrong. waste of 5 bucks sitting on my book shelf

Ill look into those, thanks.

What do you like? Need context. I agree that Burning Chrome and Books of Blood are good, but I can't wrap my brain around liking those and Neil, but not liking Pratchett. I didn't like some of TP's books, but overall his output's good.

quote:

Originally posted by ZoneSeek:
What do you like? Need context. I agree that Burning Chrome and Books of Blood are good, but I can't wrap my brain around liking those and Neil, but not liking Pratchett. I didn't like some of TP's books, but overall his output's good.

I havent read much, hence this post. I don't really know what I like. I mean, I like supsense, and horror, and I like intricate stories that wrap them around themselves, but as for other books I can't realy say.

None Neil stories that I like are "The Maxx", and there was a dean koontz book i read a while back Intensity that was pretty decent. I acctually finished it.

I like stephan kings short stories, and Nelly Reifler's short story book "see through stories" was pretty engaging. Ive also got a book of short stories called "dark thirst" which is about black american vampires, written by black american writers who don't write horror stories, which was okay for the most part.

Hm, The Maxx, so you could try Aeon Flux then.

Short story anthologies are a good place to start, they don't require a lot of time or concentration. Then you could find what you like and try longer works. Short stories introduced me to a lot of my favorite writers.

And keep browsing. I can usually tell if I'll like a book within a few pages, and I'm rarely wrong. But it takes a while to tune the radar.

i remember the aeon flux tv show, it was way to sci fi/futuristic for me. Never read it though, and i was a kid when i saw it. I mostly just remember an eyeball with a fly on it.

You may wish to give War for the Oaks,by Emma Bull a try. An excellent book, Neil Gaiman himself recomended it.

Mostly anything by Michael Moorcock,specifically his character Elric.

Most of anything I have read from Peter S. Beagle wasn't bad either. ( The Last Unicorn,A Fine & Private Place,Tamsin).

Something wicked this way comes by Ray Bradbury is great as well.

From time to time I have liked Mercedes Lackey as well. Her work with Rosemary Edghill is rather good. ( The Bedlam's Bards novels).

I could add to this list all night so I think I'll quit while I am ahead, hope you find a few things you like.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: T.Hunter,

quote:

remember the aeon flux tv show, it was way to sci fi/futuristic for me.

Then you probably won't like the William Gibson Stuff....

"not liking Pratchett.... overall his output's good."

I don't like his 'forced' humour... he has always come off to me as wanting, trying sooooo hard to BE Douglas Adams but not even coming close.... I was reading Diskworld as they were coming out at a friends sugestion and after the 2nd or 3rd, I told him, "o.k.. that's it... no more... these suck.", and I've never gone back to them....

But that's just me eh... :-)

There's no doubt that the first couple of Discworld books suck utterly, the first two in particular. (And they convinced me to avoid any further Rincewind books like the plague). After that though Pratchett started finding his tone and the feel of his world a bit better.

Some good stand alone volumes that you can investigate if you want to would include Mort, Small Gods, Thief of Time, and even Nightwatch. (Technically Nightwatch is part of a series of books centering on the City Watch of Discworld's largest city, but most of the events are removed from other Watch books, so it's effectively a stand alone).

My personal favorite series out there right now is the A Song of Ice and Fire series, a very gritty and gripping Medieval fantasy series where all the characters are extremely realistic and gray, where sometimes the good guys get their heads mounted on a spike, and events often take very different turns than you'd imagine. The first book in the series is A Game of Thrones, and the author is George R. R. Martin.

Another medieval fantasy worth taking a look at is Bernard Cornwell's Warlord Trilogy. Starting with The Winter King, the series is a very realistic retelling of the Arthurian legend. (And accurate to the time period in which Arthur is suppossed to have lived, so no plate mail, no jousting, no grand palaces, and magic is minimal, and in almost all cases, debatable whether it is real or clever trickery).

Reoger Zelazny's Amber series is a solid one too, about the machinations and plotting of an immortal, world travelling royal family looking to rise to the throne. Now there, are two different Amber series, which have completely different stories, main characters, and styles. I only reccomend the first one, which is five books long and starts with the book Nine Princes in Amber.

For non fantasy stuff, one of my favorite picks is Pat Conroy's Beach Music, a story dealing with a lot of things, but especially loss, family, relationships, death, and damaged souls.

Good luck, and let us know how the reading goes.

I second Ronins comments on finding the 'right' pratchett book to start with, and that the first few are not the ones.

how about the following which I've enjoyed.

The Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold
The Gate to Womens Country - Sherri S Tepper
Shadows Fall and/or blue moon rising - Simon R Green
The Jungle Books - Rudyard Kipling

Shadows Fall may be my favourite ever book.

thanks again, guys.

I read Mort.. it left me cold as ice.... It was the last Pratchett I read with the exception of Good Omens (And I'm never reading that again...)

"A Song of Ice and Fire"
Abso-frigg'n-lootly, but I wouldn't reccommend them to someone who admits to haveing difficulty paying attention... they are VERY thick, and very dense...

Okay ClintonHammond, you hate Pratchett, we get it. Unless you can articulate what you dislike and why, it might be best to let it go.

Hey Eldi: If you looking for easy, quick reads that keep you turning the page try Dean Koontz.

Many many people, including myself, never really read anything till they found him. Almost any book you find of his will probably be great with Watchers, The Face, Odd Thomas, Hideway, By The Light Of The Moon and One Door Away From Heaven being a few of my favorites and there are many, many more.

T.Hunter: Thanks for the recommendations - I'll keep an eye out for them.

Oh ya.. another light-ish page turner... Ummm... Ray Feist... and the book is called.... ummm.... "Faiery Tale"!

If they made a movie outa the book it'd be like Legend meets The Exorcist....

A damn fun read!

quote:

Originally posted by rigpig:
Hey Eldi: If you looking for easy, quick reads that keep you turning the page try Dean Koontz.

Many many people, including myself, never really read anything till they found him. Almost any book you find of his will probably be great with Watchers, The Face, Odd Thomas, Hideway, By The Light Of The Moon and One Door Away From Heaven being a few of my favorites and there are many, many more.

T.Hunter: Thanks for the recommendations - I'll keep an eye out for them.

Yeah, as mentioned i have read a Koontz novel, Ill check the others out.