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Conference noted::sf

Title:Arcana Caelestia
Notice:Directory listings are in topic 2
Moderator:NETRIX::thomas
Created:Thu Dec 08 1983
Last Modified:Fri Jun 06 1997
Last Successful Update:Fri Jun 06 1997
Number of topics:1300
Total number of notes:18728

98.0. "Authors/books worth reading" by JUNIPR::AGUENTHER () Mon Jun 25 1984 16:59


This is sort of a response to note 38, but different.

I, too, have read tons of science fiction and fantasy, and I, too, look for
things to read, though, baby raising has cut my reading down a bit.

I think a better question than Maxson asked in 38 might be "what titles/authors
are worth reading?"

So, here's my list of things worth reading.

Author			  My favorites
======			  ============
H. Beam Piper		  "Lord Kalven of Otherwhen" (paratime!),
			  and "Space Viking"

Bob Shaw		  "Orbitsville" (don't let the title put you off ( for
			  mystery enthusiasts, the ending is a zinger!)),
			  "Nightwalk", "The Medusa's Children"

Harry Harrison		  Deathworld trilogy

Jerry Sohl		  "Costigan's Needle"

Fredric Brown		  "The Mind Thing"

Michael Moorcock	  The Runestaff series

Mark Clifton		  "Eight Keys to Eden"

Murry Leinster		  "The Forgotten Planet"

Rex Dean Levie		  "The Insert Warriors"  (the only book I've see by
			  this author (ancient ACE paperback))

Michael McCollum	  "Life Probe", "A Greater Infinity" (another good
			  paratime novel, but needs a sequal!) BTW, if you
			  like Hogan, you'll probably like McCollum

George Henry Smith	  "Kar Kaballa"

Jack Vance		  "City of the Chasch" series, "The Blue World", etc

Stanley Weimbaun(sp?)	  everything, there is a volume of his collected works

James White		  "The Escape Orbit"

Gerold & Niven		  "The Flying Sorcerers"

=============================================================================

For those of you that don't like happy endings all the time, try

"The Lords of the Starship" by Mark Geston  (but don't read it if you are
depressed!
T.RTitleUserPersonal
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98.1REX::GETTYSTue Jun 26 1984 19:1015
	What type are you looking for?? There are so many different types of
SF that it is hard to tell someone which are worth reading and which aren't.
So here is a partial list of authors I think are good!


	Most anything by the following:

	Ann McCaffrey
	Andre Norton
	Robert Heinlien
	E.E. "Doc" Smith
	


My mind just went blank!!  I'll try to add to this later.
98.2JUNIPR::AGUENTHERThu Jun 28 1984 16:129
Re: .1   Anything.  I didn't want to recreate the "bests" from the earlier
note, just better than average.

John Brunner is another (might be in the bests list).  Books - "Shockwave
Rider" (lets here it for computer networks), "The Jagged Orbit" (paranoia
anyone), "Stand on Zanzibar".

							/alan
98.3PEN::KALLISTue Apr 16 1985 17:2814
An almost forgotten author, alas, is Eric Frank Russell.  try

	SINISTER BARRIER
	SENTINELS OF SPACE
	DEEP SPACE

for instance.  Another is John Taine (actually, mathemetician E. T. Bell)
for example --

	BEFORE THE DAWN
	FORBIDDEN GARDEN
	THE CRYSTAL HORDE

Steve
98.4NACHO::AGUENTHERTue Apr 16 1985 21:067
Thank you.

My collect includes a number of Russell's works.  WASP is pretty good too.

On the other hand, I haven't run across Taine. I'll have to look.

							/alan
98.5COUGAR::EDECKFri May 24 1985 18:302
	Anything by Cordwainer Smith--as long as it's his short stories!
They're hard to find, but worth it!
98.6Anything by P.K. DickCOMET::BELKNAPFri Nov 15 1991 15:184
  I see no mention of Phillip K. Dick. "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep"
was the novel that "BladeRunner" was based on.
;^}

98.7MILKWY::EDECKFri Nov 15 1991 18:239
    
    Speaking of whom, a collection of his short stories has
    just been issued in 5 volumes. Some of his earlier novels
    have also been recently reissued. I've seen _The World That
    Jones Made_ somewhere. I imagine that more of his novels will
    be issued soon, following the article in the NY Times Book
    Review last week.
    
    E
98.8GAMGEE::ROBRSailing the seas of cheeze...Mon Nov 18 1991 04:2910
    
    re: .6
    
    wasnt some other recent movie also based on a work of his?  im think it
    was a schwartzenegger movie...  running man was king... anthony did
    total recall AFTER the fact... perhaps total recall was based on a dick
    work?  then he wrote a halfway decent book in conjunction with zelazny
    if i recall (deus irae or somethingl ike that)
    
    
98.9MILKWY::EDECKMon Nov 18 1991 18:205
    
    Total Recall was based on "We Can Remember It for You Wholesale"
    I think the title is (Haven't gotten to that volume yet :)  )
    
    "Flow My Tears, the Policemen Said" is also based on PKD.
98.10BSS::C_OUIMETTEHolographic Interference RepositoryTue Nov 19 1991 21:0811
    Re: .9,
    
>    "Flow My Tears, the Policemen Said" is also based on PKD.
    
         I believe that *is* the name of the PKD book, I've got it at
    home... Are you aware of another name, or (I'm hoping) that there's a 
    movie made from the book?
    
    						chuck
    
    
98.11RUBY::BOYAJIANHistory is made at nightWed Nov 20 1991 02:056
    re:.10 re:.9
    
    Yes, that's the title of the book. *I* wasn't aware that there was
    a movie made from it.
    
    --- jerry
98.12no movieMILKWY::EDECKThu Nov 21 1991 10:335
    
    Nope, not a movie. It's an opera or oratorio--something along those
    lines.
    
    E.
98.13< Other good reads....>KAOOA::HOLLISTERHOLLISTERThu Feb 13 1992 18:03247
        Here are some more Authors and Books that I will recommend to other
    Fantasy.
    
    
    Tom Deitz --->  Tales of David Sullivan
                    --->    Windmaster's Bane
                    --->    Fireshaper's Doom
                    --->    Darkthunder's Way
                    --->    Stoneskin's Revenge
    
    	This saga is about a young youth name David Sullivan who travel
    to the otherworld called Tir-Nan-Og the realm of the Sidhe and get 
    involved in the conflict against the forces of chaos and death with
    the help of moral and Faerie.
    
    
    Katherine Kurtz ---> The Legens of Camber of Culdi
                         --->    Camber of Culdi
                         --->    Saint Camber
                         --->    Camber the Heretic
                         --->    The Chronicles of the Deryni
                         --->    Deryni Rising
                         --->    Deryni Checkmate
                         --->    High Deryni
                         --->    The historyies of King Kelson
                         --->    The Bishop's Heir
                         --->    The King's Justice
                         --->    The Quest for Saint Camber
                         --->    The Heirs of Saint Camber
                         --->    The Harrowing of Gwynedd
                         --->    The Deryni Archives
                         --->    Lammas Night
    
    	Is the stories of a race of humans with strange, magical powers
    who fought perjuiced and other forces of evil.
    
    
    Melanie Rawn  --->  Dragon Prince:
                        --->    BOOK 1:  Dragon Prince
                        --->    BOOK 2:  The Star Scroll
                        --->    BOOK 3:  Sunrunner's Fire
                  --->  Dragon Star:
                        --->    BOOK 1:  Stronghold
                        --->    BOOK 2:  The Dragon Token
    
    	These books opened an enchanted gateway to a spellbinding universe
    of Sunrunner;s magic and sorcerous evil, of a ruler fighting to bring
    peace to a world of warring kingdoms, amd of the dragons - deadly 
    dangerous yet holding the secret to wealth beyond imagining.
    
    
    
    Jennifer Roberson --> The Novels of Tiger and Del
                          --->    Sword-Dancer
                          --->    Sword-Singer
                          --->    Sword-Maker
                          --->    Sword-Breaker
    
    	The Stories of Tiger and Del, he a Sword-Dancer of the South, she 
    of the North, each a master of secret sword-magic.  Together, they
    would challenge wizards' spells, each other, and other deadly perils on
    a desert quests, as well as, snow bound quests.
    
                          --->    The Chronicles of the Cheysuli
                          --->    Shapechangers
                          --->    The song of Homana
                          --->    Legacy of the Sword
                          --->    Track of the White Wolf
                          --->    A Pride of Prices
                          --->    Daughter of the Lion
                          --->    Flight of the Raven
                          --->    A Tapestry of Lions.
    
    	This superb fantasy series about a race of warriors gifted with the
    ability to assume animal shapes at will presents the Cheysuli, fated to
    answer the call of magic in their blood, fulfilling an ancient prophecy
    which could spell salvation or ruin.
    
    
    
    Glen Cook  --->       From the Files of Garrett P.I.
                          --->    Dread Brass Shadows
                          --->    Cold Copper Tears
                          --->    Old Tin Sorrows
                          --->    Bitter Gold Hearts
                          --->    Sweet Silver Blues
                          --->    Red Iron Nights
    
    	These book are a mix of mysteries and magic (sort of a Tomas Magaum
    meets Tolken) with a hard-boiled detective in a warring land of magic,
    elves, vampires and other deadly peoples.
    
    
    
    Robert N. Charrette-->Secrets of Power
                          --->    Shadowrun:  Never Deal with a Dragon
                          --->    Shadowrun:  Choose your enemies carefully
                          --->    Shadowrun:  Find you own Truth
    
    	In the year 2050, the power of magic has returned to the earth.  
    Elves, Mages and lethal Dragons find a home where technology and human
    flesh have melded into deadly urban predators.
    
    
    R.A. Salvator  --->   The Icewind Dale Trilogy
                          --->    BOOK 1:  The Crystal Shard
                          --->    BOOK 2:  Streams of Silver
                          --->    BOOK 3:  The Halfling's Gem
    
    	This trilogy is about of a group of adventures who sets out to rescue 
    a friend.
    
                   ---> The Dark Elf Trilogy
                        --->    BOOK 1:  Homeland
                        --->    BOOK 2:  Exile
                        --->    BOOK 3:  Sojourn
    
    	This trilogy is about a honourable and kind Dark Elf name Drizzt
    Do'Urden.  Who leaves the cruel and dishonourable Cities of Dark Elves
    to begin with a new live on the surface.
    
    
    
    Gary Gygax     ---> Gord the Rogue
                        --->    Saga of Old City
                        --->    Artifact of Evil
                        --->    Sea of Death
                        --->    Night Arrant
                        --->    City of Hawks
                        --->    Come Endless Darkness
    
    	These stories thakes place, in part, in the local described in the
    World of Greyhawk Fantasy Game Setting, which was created by Gary Gygax.  
    It revolves around a young theive who must find and vanquish the inhuman 
    beast who is working to unleash the power of Ultimate Evil.
    
    
    Teresa Edgerton --->The Green Lion Trilogy
                        --->    Child of Saturn
                        --->    The Moon in Hiding
                        --->    The Work of the Sun
    
    	The Trilogy is about a young Sorcess and a Young Werewolf Knight
    who batters a treacherous Princess, who is force for destruction.
    
    
    Tanya Huff  --->    Gate of Darkness, Circle of Light
                        --->    Child of the Grove
                        --->    The Last Wizard
                --->    The Fire's Stone
    
    	Aaron (Clan Heir), Darvish (Prince of Ischia),Chandra (Prices
    and Wizard of the Nine)--three strangers whose fates were about to become
    interwined.  For someone had stolen THE STONE, the magical talisman
    which stood between Ischia and the volcano's wrath.  And unless the
    tree could learn to work together on a quest to find THE STONE, Ischia
    whould drown in a sea of lava.
    
                --->    Blood Price
    	A Mystry involving a private investigator, and a vampire who try to
    solved homicides in the Toronto area.
    
    
    
    P.N. Elron  --->    The Vampire Files
                        --->    Bloodlist
                        --->    Lifeblood
                        --->    Bloodcircle
                        --->    Art in the Blood
                        --->    Fire in the Blood
    
    	A vampire Detective who with a human partner solve mystries.  
    
    
    
    Andre Norton --->   The Crystal Gryphon
                 --->   Flight in Yiktor
                 --->   Grphon's Eyrie
                 --->   The Witch World
                 --->   Tales of the Witch World 1
                 --->   Tales of the Withc World 2
                 --->   Four from the Withc World
                 --->   Tales of the Witch World 3
                 --->   Storms of Victory
    	She is the grand dame of all Fanstay writers.  A list on Andre 
    Nortons other book are in notes file 871 in this conference.
    
    Mercedes Lackey---> The Heralds of Valdemar
                        --->    BOOK 1:  Arrows of the Queen
                        --->    BOOK 2:  Arrow's Flight
                        --->    BOOK 3:  Arrow's Fall
                   ---> The Books of the Last Herald-Mage
                        --->    BOOK 1:  Magic's Promise
                        --->    BOOK 2:  Magic's Pawn
                        --->    BOOK 3:  Magic's Price
                   ---> The Mage Winds
                        --->    BOOK 1:  Winds of Fate(Hard Cover)
                        --->    BOOK 2:  Winds of Change *
                        --->    BOOK 3:  Winds of Fury *
                        ( * forthcoming form DAW books in Hardcover)
                   ---> The Mage Winds
                        --->    BOOK 1:  Winds of Fate(Hard Cover)
                        --->    BOOK 2:  Winds of Change *
                        --->    BOOK 3:  Winds of Fury *
                   ---> Vows and Honor
                        --->    BOOK 1:  The Oathbound
                        --->    BOOK 2:  Oathbreakers
                        --->    BOOK 3:  By The Sword
                   ---> The Lark and the Wren
                        --->    BOOK 1:  Bardic Voices
                   ---> Knights of Shadows and Dreams.
    
    	Her style of writing is all her own.  Her characters are wide 
    range and themselves unusal.  If anyone that use to read Horse stories 
    will enjoy her first three series, The Last series "The Lark and the
    Wren" are about musicians.   I should warn parent that her books
    are NOT met for young adult (15 and under) because she deals with some 
    adult themes such as Rape, Death, War, Love, and Homesexuality.
    
    	She has also written books about a Witch decitive.  I do not 
    have the list of the books, but are also good reading.
    
    
     
    Elizabeth Moon---> The Deed of Paksenarrion
                       --->     BOOK 1:  Sheepfarmer's Daughter
                       --->     BOOK 2:  Divided Allegiance
                       --->     BOOK 3:  Oath of Gold
    	Her books listed above are similar to many women writers who have 
    a female as a main character and who are warrior.  Thou her characters 
    are not Superwoman or Amazons but who are treated the same as any warrior.
    
    
     
            Robert Jordan  --->The Wheel of Time
                                BOOK 1:  The Eye of the World
                                BOOK 2:  The Great Hunt
                                BOOK 3:  The Dragon Reborn (Hard cover)
    
    	This series is similar to the T.R. TOLKEN's Lord of the Rings
    and of David Eddings BELGARIAD and MALLOREON series.
    
    
    Enjoy!!
    
    Terry
    
98.14TORRID::leeAt least ROLL OVER once in a while!Thu Feb 13 1992 19:297
	Is "A Tapestry of Lions" out then?    I haven't seen it anywhere
	yet.  (but then, I haven't really been looking).



	*A*
98.15< A Tapestry of Lions >KAOOA::HOLLISTERHOLLISTERSat Feb 22 1992 02:0613
    RE: 98.14
    
    	Sorry to disappoint you but it has not come out yet,  I think she
    is working on another book of The Novels of Tiger and Del series.  
    
    	Personaly I like her Tiger and Del series much better than her
    Shapechanger series.  If you notice each new novel involved a new
    character, but the characters in the pervious novel always seems to
    die.  IT IS DEPRESSING!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
    
    	What do you think?????????
    
    Terry
98.16T & D over shapechangersTINCUP::XAIPE::KOLBEThe Dangerous DebutanteMon Feb 24 1992 19:589
I vote for another Tiger & Del. I really enjoy that series. I haven't read
LIONS yet. I bought and haven't been interested enough after the last one, whose
name I can't remember. I kind of like my protagonists to live. It may not be
very reality based but this *is* fantasy afterall. 

Tiger is a great character. He grows and learns. I was mighty disgusted with Del
for awhile. I wanted to smack and her tell her to straighten up and drop the
past. I guess the fact that I could feel so strongly about the character is a
mark of the quality I felt these stories have. liesl
98.17< Is Tiger the Thinker??? >KAOOA::HOLLISTERHOLLISTERWed Feb 26 1992 14:1711
    
    
    	I agree with you, I think Tiger is the most agreeable of the two
    characters.  Also. most of the time, he thinks thing through more often
    then Del, who is ready to go out and fight or whatever.
    
    	I like strong female characters, but Del doesn't know when to use
    her head and not her brawn.  But, I think her character makes Tiger
    think thing through more often.  What do you think?
    
    Terry
98.18< Tiger and Del's new book >KAOOA::HOLLISTERHOLLISTERWed Feb 26 1992 16:0611
    
    
    RE:17
    
    	I forgot to mention that she has come out with the Fourth book to
    the series of Tiger and Del.  If you want more information about the
    book check out Note 717.18 in this conference.
    
    Enjoy 
    
    Terry
98.19MILKWY::ED_ECKas in agED wrECKMon Mar 02 1992 11:477
    
    I saw an ad for the (final?) collection of Heinlein stories,
    so I guess it's out. Includes the story that became the movie
    _Destination Moon_, and a few other stories and novellets
    (Probably not __The Stone Pillow_, alas...)
    
    Ed E. (note the change in account name)
98.20Fionavar TapestryWOOK::LEEWook... Like 'Book' with a 'W'Thu Mar 19 1992 20:402
Guy Gavriel Kay wrote the Fionavar Tapestry which is one of the better fantasy 
trilogies.