What are your favorite books/authors?

**redemption** · Oct 29, 2001, 00:36

i might as well make another one...

i read lots of fantasy books like Dragonlance, David Eddings, Raymond E. Feist, that kind of stuff... if i had to choose one i'd go with Dragonlance (i like Raistlin the most... like so many other pple)...

Tom Clancy also writes great stuff... Rainbow Six was good...

Michael Crichton too... Airframe, timeline,etc

**Aes** · Oct 29, 2001, 00:41

I really enjoy fantasy as well.

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is brilliant.

The Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling are fantastic.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien is a classic.

I think I'll give Dragonlance a try; sounds interesting.

**guysmy** · Oct 29, 2001, 01:01

I'm not one for fiction, but I do love anything by H.P. Lovecraft.

**tommatthews** · Oct 29, 2001, 01:18

My favourite author is Bill Bryson, a very funny travel writer.
He wrote Notes from a Small Island (about the UK), The Lost Continent (about the U.S,) and Down Under (about Australia and which I happen to be mentioned in!

)

**redemption** · Oct 29, 2001, 02:54

Originally posted by Aes
I really enjoy fantasy as well.

...

I think I'll give Dragonlance a try; sounds interesting.

you won't regret it... i recommend you start with the Dragonlance Chronicles series, then Dragonlance Legends and Raistlin Chronicles...

or just pop over to amazon.com for a quick look at the reviews...

**platinum** · Oct 29, 2001, 06:13

On top of my list is Robin Cook, great author, write medical thrillers. Ummmmm, and i really like michael Chriton WOAH and also Matthew Riely... wow he wrote Ice Station and The Temple, GREAT novels, but don't attempt them if you dont like books thicker than 10cm

Dont mind the odd Tom Clancy Book, and terrance ***** (writes DR. Who

) and of course that Flemming guy that writes the James Bond Books.

**Steelsun** · Oct 29, 2001, 09:01

Anything Heinlein is great (the greatest social/psych/political sci-fi writer).

Neal Stephenson's stuff, especially Cryptonomicon, Snow Crash & Zodiac. (I am now reading Snow Crash for the fourth time).

Clive Cussler for light reading.

H. Beam Piper (whenever I can find his stuff).

**dhtmlgod** · Oct 29, 2001, 09:13

Hmmm... I like al kinds of books and loads of writers, stephen king, dean knoontz, thomas harris, david eddings, J.R.R. Tolkien, john grisham. As for my favourite book... hmm... I don't really have one, but it would be a toss between stephen kinhs insomnia, and all of the david eddings books that had sparhawk in them.

**paroxysm** · Oct 29, 2001, 09:15

Haven't been reading for some time. Sigh. Anyway according to my last book reading session, I do like Wally Lamb. And I used to be crazy with Mary Higgins Clark, suspense author. I've basically covered all her books.

**Nicky** · Oct 29, 2001, 09:44

I read anything, I am not keen on fantasy (apart from Lord of the Rings of course) but I will read it. I love
Shakespeare, Keating, Yeats, Whitman, Thoreau, Beckett.

Kathy Reichs has taken my fancy lately, also C.S Lewis is fantastic, as is Douglas Adams, Dickens, Hardy. Phew, too many too mention.

I highly recommend Winston Groom as a modern author. at the moment I have on my bedside table - Captain Correli's Mandelin.

**Polymath** · Oct 29, 2001, 10:01

Neal Stephenson is great.
Usual stuff like Tolkien, Stephen King.
H.P. Lovecraft is wicked - I wrote a Cthulhu short story a couple of years ago, guysmy reminded me to dust it off with his post.
I really rate John Fowles - he switches styles from book to book, a very difficult thing to do. The French Lieutenants Woman is an amazing achievement.
Robert M. Pirsig - Zen and the Art.... is fantastic.
I also love hard s.f. (i.e. based on factual principles, not just waffled pseudo-science.)
I read alot of non-fiction - science and biology - anything by Richard Dawkins - stuff about astronomy, the sciences of ancient civilisations, etc.
Also I'll read any Forteana, which can be described as X-files stuff I suppose. If you don't know what the Fortean Times is, buy it and take a look. It's consistently entertaining and can be hilarious.
But for favourite author/book, I have to say:
Foucault's Pendulum by Umberto Eco

**russbellon** · Oct 29, 2001, 10:14

hp lovecraft is great, also bradbury, tolkien, borges, marquez, zelazny. anyone read "the emperors new mind" by roger penrose? it completeley lost me about halfway through (i think i'm math dislexic

)

**Polymath** · Oct 29, 2001, 10:18

"anyone read "the emperors new mind" by roger penrose?"

Yeah - I've got it at home - I thought the same as you - clear as mud!

**wot-Mike** · Oct 29, 2001, 16:21

I'll go for Robert Jordan's Wheel of Time series (does that spell wot-Mike?

)

But I read other fantasy and science fiction as well. I recently saw a great book which was written by Azimov. Don't know the title, or even what it was about exactly, but I've read it many years ago, and when I saw it again I realized it was one of the best science fiction books I've ever read. Now where did I see it?!
And of course Dan Simmons(?) has done great stuff...

**Justin S** · Oct 29, 2001, 16:27

Originally posted by Aes
I really enjoy fantasy as well.

The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan is brilliant.

The Harry Potter series of books by J.K. Rowling are fantastic.

The Lord of the Rings trilogy by J.R.R. Tolkien is a classic.

I think I'll give Dragonlance a try; sounds interesting.

Ditto. LotR is not only classic, but also brilliant and fantastic as well.

**aspen** · Oct 29, 2001, 16:57

The best story I ever read is Dragonlance.

And the saga isn't about Tanis, it isn't about Raistlin, its about a relatively unassuming little kender named Tasslehof. Who has appeared in more dragonlance books than any other character.

My recommended reading order for Dragonlance is:

Dragons of Autumn Twilight
Dragons of Winter Night
Dragons of Spring Dawning

At this point you can vary and read whatever, you can read some of the historical books, the meetings and preludes sextets, the legend of huma should be read as well.

Then read the legends trilogy:

Time of the Twins
War of the Twins
Test of the Twins

Then there are two short story collections you need to read.

1. The Magic of Krynn (specifically the last story "The Legacy")
2. The Second Generation (specifically the last story "The Sacrifice")

At which point you'll be able to read what is in effect the last book for this set of characters:

Dragons of Summer Flame

I cried when I read the ending of it too. I won't ruin it for you and tell you why though.

Then I suggest rereading them all again.

Personally I've got about 40 or so dragonlance books, I've read them all atleast twice, some 3 or 4 times.

**Archbob** · Oct 29, 2001, 21:35

"The Lord of the Rings" by J.R.R. Tolkien

"The Earthsea cycle" -- Ursa lea guin(I think)

"The Shannara series"---Terry Brooks

"Homecoming series"----Orson Scott Card

"Ender's Game"--Orson Scott Card

"War of the Worlds"---H.G. Wells

I'm completey Sci-Fi and fiction

**Technosailor** · Oct 29, 2001, 21:49

I have read all the Dragonlance books up until the Magic of Krynn trilogy came out. Then my life got busy.

I am a fan of Tom Clancy. Always wanted to be involved with special ops. Of course there's JRR tolkien, CS Lewis but I read alot of non-fiction stuff now. I read alot of Christian books to help enhance my spiritual life

Now my favorites are:

The Bible--top of the list!
The Unquenchable Worshipper - Matt Redman
When God Seems Unfair - Joel Freeman
Pilgrimage to Personhood - Fount Shults
and a slew of others...

Sketch

**redemption** · Oct 29, 2001, 22:26

Originally posted by aspen
The best story I ever read is Dragonlance.

And the saga isn't about Tanis, it isn't about Raistlin, its about a relatively unassuming little kender named Tasslehof. Who has appeared in more dragonlance books than any other character.

what book would that be? cmon tell me...

my favorite recently is the series about Commander Kang and his Draconians... it really tells a good story about them dracos... amazing plot too....

**Silence** · Oct 30, 2001, 00:03

Michael Crichton (all of his books minus Eaters of the dead)
James Patterson (Love the Alex Cross series)
Dean Koontz can be good.

And I loved a Simple Plan. Good book.

**redemption** · Nov 4, 2001, 05:19

just a little bit of trivia here...

the thread on What's your favorite movie? garnered almost a 100 replies, whereas this managed only a measly 19...

goes to show how "unpopular" the written word is nowadays...

**freakysid** · Nov 4, 2001, 07:32

On Ray Bradbury, there was rumour that "Fahrenheit 451" was going to be made into a movie. Does anyone have info about that (guess I could search the net - but I figure that the sitepoint membership knows everything there is to know).

On Tolkien and the Rings Trillogy - "yes my precious". I will never see the movie(s) and hope to somehow shield myself from exposure to any of the promotional collatoral or merchandising. Although I don't know how. I wonder if I do get exposed whether I would have grounds for suing the responsible parties for mallicious damage to and theft of my imagination.

My two favourite authors are both nobel prize winners:

Herman Hesse
favourite book, "The Glass Bead Game"
also, "Siddhartha", "Narcissus and Goldmund"

Gabriel Garcia Marquez
favourites "One Hundred Years of Solitude", "Love in the Time of Cholera".

**platinum** · Nov 4, 2001, 07:34

Originally posted by freakysid
On Ray Bradbury, there was rumour that "Fahrenheit 451" was going to be made into a movie. Does anyone have info about that (guess I could search the net - but I figure that the sitepoint membership knows everything there is to know).

There is a very old movie on it

I had to do an assignment on the book for school, thus the need for the video. But i wouldn't waste your time watching it though, montag even had a german accent