Usually when the weather gets really nice here in the northeast U.S., I like to spend some time on the back deck and get a few chapters in on a good book...I figured I'd start a post on some recommended titles (feel free to add some titles): books probably not as well known as Lord of the RIngs, but interesting reads you might wanna pick up cheap in a used bookshop...
In no particular order:
1) BOOK: "I Will Fear No Evil"
AUTHOR: Robert A. Heinlein
Other Works Of Note: "Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers"
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Rating: "R" (not for little ones)
Premise: In the near future, a very wealthy but dirty old man invests in creating a technology that will alllow his brain to be removed from his dying body and put in the body of a freshly deceased younger male. When unexpected complications speed up the old man's demise, the doctors are forced to transplant the dirty old man's brain into the first available donor: A 21 year old recently deceased beautiful woman. To top things off, an echo of her consciousness is still inside her head, making the old man go schizoid.
Comments: I read this a few years ago, and it just blew my mind. Not for all tastes, but it'll leave you thinking about it after you've put it down or finished it.
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2) BOOK: "On A Pale Horse"
AUTHOR: Piers Anthony
Other Works Of Note: "Xanth Series, Ogre Ogre"
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Rating: "R" (not for little ones)
Premise: This is book 1 of a 7 book series called The Incarnations of Immortality. The basic premise of all 7 books is that concepts like Death are actually jobs held by normal people. In Book 1, a new Death is appointed by the name of Zane, and he must learn his new job of collecting souls on the fly. He gets a cool flying horse that can turn into a car too. During his crash course training, he encounters Satan who tries to interfere with his new job any chance possible. All seven books are interconnected so read carefully for continuity. Last I heard, Disney's studio that makes films for older audiences bought the rights to this. Don't know if or when the movie is coming."
Comments: Great storytelling. When you get thru all 7 books, you realize how much of a genius the author is. Here is the list of all 7 books and the officeholders they involve:
I - On A Pale Horse = Death
II - Bearing An Hourglass = Time (he lives backwards!!!)
III - With A Tangled Skein = Fate (3 women take up this job)
IV - Wielding A Red Sword = War
V - Being A Green Mother = Nature
VI - For Love Of Evil = Satan
VII - ...And Eternity = God (3 person job)
if you don't get offended easily, this is a very good series...
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3) BOOK: "Battlefield Earth"
AUTHOR: L. Ron Hubbard
Other Works Of Note: "Mission Earth Series, Dianetics"
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Rating: "PG-13" (not for little ones)
Premise: In the late 1990's, a race of aliens called the Psychlos came to mine the Earth and leave it barren. Earth fought back with nuclear weapons (Hmm wonder where ID4 got its ideas from since this book was written in early 80's). The aliens repelled the bombs and mankind pretty much obliterated itself with only small pockets of humans scattered all over the world. Move ahead to 3000: the Psychlos have taken over the Earth, and one Psychlo has decided to use human survivors as trained labor. Big mistake: One human uses Psychlo technology to educate himself (information is burned directly into the brain at a very quick rate) and then escapes with the technology and educates the remaining humans. The result: Revolution. Humans versus Psychos for the planet Earth.
Comments: I read this in junior high and it was a very fun read. Over 1,000 pages but it reads like a screenplay. Forget the movie, it was horrible and not even close to what the book was about.
In no particular order:
1) BOOK: "I Will Fear No Evil"
AUTHOR: Robert A. Heinlein
Other Works Of Note: "Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers"
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Rating: "R" (not for little ones)
Premise: In the near future, a very wealthy but dirty old man invests in creating a technology that will alllow his brain to be removed from his dying body and put in the body of a freshly deceased younger male. When unexpected complications speed up the old man's demise, the doctors are forced to transplant the dirty old man's brain into the first available donor: A 21 year old recently deceased beautiful woman. To top things off, an echo of her consciousness is still inside her head, making the old man go schizoid.
Comments: I read this a few years ago, and it just blew my mind. Not for all tastes, but it'll leave you thinking about it after you've put it down or finished it.
--------
2) BOOK: "On A Pale Horse"
AUTHOR: Piers Anthony
Other Works Of Note: "Xanth Series, Ogre Ogre"
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Rating: "R" (not for little ones)
Premise: This is book 1 of a 7 book series called The Incarnations of Immortality. The basic premise of all 7 books is that concepts like Death are actually jobs held by normal people. In Book 1, a new Death is appointed by the name of Zane, and he must learn his new job of collecting souls on the fly. He gets a cool flying horse that can turn into a car too. During his crash course training, he encounters Satan who tries to interfere with his new job any chance possible. All seven books are interconnected so read carefully for continuity. Last I heard, Disney's studio that makes films for older audiences bought the rights to this. Don't know if or when the movie is coming."
Comments: Great storytelling. When you get thru all 7 books, you realize how much of a genius the author is. Here is the list of all 7 books and the officeholders they involve:
I - On A Pale Horse = Death
II - Bearing An Hourglass = Time (he lives backwards!!!)
III - With A Tangled Skein = Fate (3 women take up this job)
IV - Wielding A Red Sword = War
V - Being A Green Mother = Nature
VI - For Love Of Evil = Satan
VII - ...And Eternity = God (3 person job)
if you don't get offended easily, this is a very good series...
----
3) BOOK: "Battlefield Earth"
AUTHOR: L. Ron Hubbard
Other Works Of Note: "Mission Earth Series, Dianetics"
Genre: Sci-Fi, Fantasy
Rating: "PG-13" (not for little ones)
Premise: In the late 1990's, a race of aliens called the Psychlos came to mine the Earth and leave it barren. Earth fought back with nuclear weapons (Hmm wonder where ID4 got its ideas from since this book was written in early 80's). The aliens repelled the bombs and mankind pretty much obliterated itself with only small pockets of humans scattered all over the world. Move ahead to 3000: the Psychlos have taken over the Earth, and one Psychlo has decided to use human survivors as trained labor. Big mistake: One human uses Psychlo technology to educate himself (information is burned directly into the brain at a very quick rate) and then escapes with the technology and educates the remaining humans. The result: Revolution. Humans versus Psychos for the planet Earth.
Comments: I read this in junior high and it was a very fun read. Over 1,000 pages but it reads like a screenplay. Forget the movie, it was horrible and not even close to what the book was about.