Posted on 08/01/2015 1:29:27 PM PDT by EveningStar
Science fiction and fantasy offer a rich legacy of great books--but that abundant pile of reading material can also be daunting. So sometimes, it's easier to fake it. We asked some of our favorite writers, and they told us the 10 books that everyone pretends to have read. And why you should actually read them.
From Asimov to Pynchon, science fiction contains some fantastic, ambitious works of genre fiction. But a lot of us get overwhelmed. And it's not that hard to fake a first-hand knowledge of these books, because they're everywhere, and we've heard people talk about them so many times. We SF fans are good at pretending. But these books are classics for a reason -- and they're worth reading.
(Excerpt) Read more at io9.com ...
Wow. Big time appreciation. +100
Nueromancer was ground breaking. I’m of the opinion one should authors. Peruse books by a writer and pick one that strikes your fancy.
In this group, in no particular order;
Asimov
Powers
Zelazny
Orson Scott Card
Wells
Verne
Gibson
Crichton
and since it is sci fi and fantasy Tolkien.
I have several hundred in my collection and due to space contraints i can safely say i’ve owned well over a thousand over time.
That’s closer...but as I remember the post, this book began with a SETI broadcast and response. It seemed to have a “be careful what you wish for,” theme to it.
Just recently, Stephen Hawking wrote a screed about the unintended (negative) consequences of a SETI contact.
“Gormanghast Trilogy”
Wow! I remember enjoying that for some reason!
I think you have to take Asimov’s style in context of the 1950’s when most of it was either written or formulated. Look at what passed for sci fi on film back then.
I still own Pebble in the Sky by him which i bought at a school book fair in 3rd grade. Thats 1963 if my math is right.
bfl
Anyone read City by Clifford Simak?
“Thank God they Left Stranger in a Strange Land off the list.”
Gotta agree with you there, my entire 8th grade class voted to drop it and read something else.
You know what I thought was a pretty good book, everyone seems to have forgotten it “The Man Who Fell to Earth” and I never even saw the movie.
In hindsight I’m guessing it was lefty trash, but I enjoyed it at the time. There was a good bit about things (like coffee) not smelling so good in that future world, that bit stuck with me.
Hubby and I think the government has ruined all crackers, etc. with their transfat mania. Everything seems to just be like cardboard lately. I even bought my old favorite Wise potato chips, they are supposed to be greasy, salty and delicious, yet they seemed dry, lacking in salt and flavorless.
If you like Weber you’ll like David Drake as well. I prefer Drake to Weber. Much the same stuff.
Mother, monogamy, romance. High spurts the fountain; fierce and foamy the wild jet. The urge has but a single outlet. My love, my baby. No wonder these poor pre-moderns were mad and wicked and miser- able. Their world didn't allow them to take things easily, didn't allow them to be sane, virtuous, happy. What with mothers and lovers, what with the prohibitions they were not conditioned to obey, what with the temptations and the lonely remorses, what with all the diseases and the endless isolating pain, what with the uncertainties and the pover- ty-they were forced to feel strongly. And feeling strongly (and strongly, what was more, in solitude, in hopelessly individual isolation), how could they be stable?
Of your list I have only read
Animal Farm
1984
TThe Long Walk
Sorry to say I don’t read as much fiction as I used to.
“Clockwork Orange”
I love anthony burgess, clockwork orange was a great reading experience, esp. as you learn the lingo of the hoolingans.
Another one of his I love is “one hand clapping”.
I would prefer “Creature From the Black Lagoon” and “Forbidden Planet” to 95% of science fiction movies in the last 10 years.
Heck I would even pick some of the giant spider etc. movies.
“Fahrenheit 451.Great,great book...great,great film.”
I should read that (did I read it? I don’t think so).
Love the movie, Oskar Werner, what a heartthrob!
I read a bunch of the Posleen series and enjoyed it but also found out juvenile in a sense.
Scouts Out! Cavalry Ho!
“I did enjoy The Hunger Games series”
Hubby and I listened to them all as audio books and we enjoyed them very much.
OK, you gotta get over that whole children murdering each other thing, which I guess some folks might not be willing to get over. But suspending disbelief on that it was a great series.
Hubby always picked our audio books, even though I’m the reader in the family and when he picked that he came to me and said: I don’t know about this, I ordered it but now I’m seeing it says it’s a “Young Adult” book, I hope I didn’t screw up!
But I had been reading references to it over at the Ace of Spades blog and I said, I wouldn’t worry, the Ace of Spades guys seem to like it a good deal.
Another good one we listened to that fits in this catagory (I think) was World War Z, by Max Brooks. That was just excellent and I would normally hate stuff like the Zombie Apocalypse!
Consider all this; and then turn to this green, gentle, and most docile earth; consider them both, the sea and the land; and do you not find a strange analogy to something in yourself? For as this appalling ocean surrounds the verdant land, so in the soul of man there lies one insular Tahiti, full of peace and joy, but encompassed by all the horrors of the half known life. God keep thee! Push not off from that isle, thou canst never return!
Well, it's certainly prime "pretend to have read" material!
“I am not sure where One Hundred Years Of Solitude would fit in.”
LOVED that book, there is one I should read again.
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