[Dasilva]

Hey guys,

I really want to get into reading a lot more, I can count on one hand how many books I've ready in the last year.

I'm looking for good fantasy/sci-fi books that are in a similar vain a to the longest journey maybe? Something with character and intrigue. And I dont like Harry Potter, the movies put me off the books. lol. Once you have the movie image in your head its hard to shake off while reading.

Thanks guys. Its also apart of my new years' resolution to start reading all the great books out there.

[Gknight]

Originally Posted by Dasilva

Hey guys,

I really want to get into reading a lot more, I can count on one hand how many books I've ready in the last year.

I'm looking for good fantasy/sci-fi books that are in a similar vain a to the longest journey maybe? Something with character and intrigue. And I dont like Harry Potter, the movies put me off the books. lol. Once you have the movie image in your head its hard to shake off while reading.

Thanks guys. Its also apart of my new years' resolution to start reading all the great books out there.

Dasilva you should read the Lord of the Rings trilogy.

[Dasilva]

I never saw those movies, are the books really all that?

[Aj_]

I loved them, and still do, The Lord of the Rings has influenced many fantasy authors, perhaps the majority who are writing today. Of course, there's quite a clear reference in The Longest Journey to the books. Tolkien built languages, religions, myths, species, peoples, mountain ranges, the detail is vast, there's a history to everything, the world feels old like worlds should, it gives context to the epic story.

[portabello]

Vurt, by Jeff Noon is an excellent scifi read. It is a bit strange though. Chuck Palahniuk's Lullaby is a quick read and is kind of fantasyish. And Infinite Jest by David Foster Wallace is also pretty good. Its sort of scifi-ish, and very, very long (Just like the Longest Journey). Its sort of post-modern and confusing and some points but I believe it to be one of the greatest books ever written.

[Lucien21]

Originally Posted by Dasilva

I never saw those movies, are the books really all that?

Your better off with the movies. The books are mildly entertaining, but take too long to get going and full of useless diversions (Tom Bombadil I mean you).

Books are waaaaaay overrated.

[RLacey]

^ Agreed, though most people tell me that I'm wrong.

[Kolzig]

You are wrong.

[Jatsie]

I wouldn't recommend Lord of the Rings either.

Ever since reading the Hobbit as a child and loving it, I had intended to read the Lord of the Rings, and I finally did so a couple of years ago.

I must say I found it disappointing. It's possibly the most anticlimactic novel I've ever read. After slogging through hundreds of pages waiting for them to reach their destination, they conclude their task in less than a page.

[AFGNCAAP]

Originally Posted by Jat316sob

It's possibly the most anticlimactic novel I've ever read.

That's because Lord of the Rings should not really be approached as a "novel" at all. It's more of a romance, heroic epic, or literary transcription of a myth (though not a pre-existing one, as is usually the case).

[Karmillo]

If you liked Red Dwarf atall then you should read Rob Grants books.

[Melanie68]

G.R.R. Martin's Song of Ice And Fire series. I've only read the first but there are plenty of interesting characters and enough intrigue for 20 books.

[Squinky]

Originally Posted by Melanie68

G.R.R. Martin's Song of Ice And Fire series. I've only read the first but there are plenty of interesting characters and enough intrigue for 20 books.

Agreed wholeheartedly. I also recommend anything by Neil Gaiman.

Other fantasy novels I've been obsessed with at one point or another include Elizabeth Haydon's Symphony of Ages series and Terry Goodkind's Sword of Truth series. The latter has started to bug me in recent years with its blatant political overtones, though.

Also, it's worth mentioning that I don't have the attention span for Tolkien. At all.

[Spiwak]

Fuck all that shit, mang.

Kurt Vonnegut
Phil Dick
William Burroughs

are the writers you should be reading if you're into sci-fi/fantasy. Maybe not, but it's what I'm reading, at least.

A real "fantasy" writer you might like is R.A. Salvatore. Go through the Dark Elf Trilogy, then the Icewind Dale Trilogy, then the Cleric Quintet (not related to Drizzt), then the subsequent Drizzt books. I don't read D&D at all, but I read those and liked them a lot when I read them at around 12 years old.

[Manhunter71]

Originally Posted by Karmillo

If you liked Red Dwarf atall then you should read Rob Grants books.

Oh my god! I agree with Karmillo?????

Anyway, the Red Dwarf novels are absolutely hilarious - be warned though, they are British humour at its best!!

[Manhunter71]

If you're looking for a good sci-fi/fantasy author then you can't go wrong with Dan Simmons. His latest work involves a twist on Greek mythology, nmaely the Trojan Wars - its a hugely engrossing epic tale

[Manhunter71]

If you like vampires, then you might like to consider Laurel K Hamilton - she has written a series of books about a female vampire hunter (quite similar to Buffy I suppose, but still, enjoyable reading if you're into that sort of thing)

[portabello]

Originally Posted by Spiwak

Fuck all that shit, mang.

Kurt Vonnegut
Phil Dick
William Burroughs

are the writers you should be reading if you're into sci-fi/fantasy. Maybe not, but it's what I'm reading, at least.

Definately! For great scifi one must read sirens of titan.

[Intrepid Homoludens]

Two of the more though provoking tomes I've recently finished are by debut author Sam Harris, a philosophy graduate from Stanford and currently a candidate for a doctorate in neuroscience.

The End of Faith: Religion, Terror, and The Future of Reason (W.W. Norton & Co., 2004) - "...a startling analysis of the clash between reason and religion in the modern world. [Harris] offers a vivid, historical tour of our willingness to suspend reason in favor of religious beliefs - even when those beliefe inspire the wrost of human atrocities. While warning against the encroachment of organized religion into world politics, Harris draws on insights from neuroscience, philosophy, and Eastern mysticism to deliver a call for a truly modern foundation for ethics and spirituality that is both secular and humanistic."

New York Times best seller; Winner of the 2005 PEN/Martha Albrand Award for Nonfiction

Letter to a Christian Nation (Alfred A Knopf, 2006) - "Thousands of people have written to tell me that I am wrong not to believe in God. The most hostile of these communications have come from Christians. This is ironic, as Christians generally imagine that no faith imparts the virtues of love and forgiveness more effectively than their own. The truth is that many who claim to be transformed by Christ's love are deeply, even murderously, intolerant of criticism. While we may want to ascribe this to human nature, it is clear that such hatred draws considerable support from the Bible. How do I know this? The most disturbed of my correspondents always cite chapter and verse."

EDIT: And now I just realized you're looking for sci-fi in the Longest Journey vein. Sorry, I don't normally read sci-fi, but I do recommend John Buchan's novels - The 39 Steps; Greenmantle - if you want some intrigue and espionage.

[Lucien21]

Originally Posted by Manhunter71

If you like vampires, then you might like to consider Laurel K Hamilton - she has written a series of books about a female vampire hunter (quite similar to Buffy I suppose, but still, enjoyable reading if you're into that sort of thing)

Aren't they just hardcore Pron books these days.