Great fiction books

[Grimlock]

Want to recommend a good read of fiction well this is the threat to do it, however give a reason why you think the books is worth spending time on reading.


The Horus Heresy series

Before i go into them i,´ll give a quick sum up what the Horus heresy was all about.

A being known as The Emperor (though he looked like a human he was so much more, explaining exactly what he was would take to long, so lets just say he was REALLY POWERFUL) created 20 Primarchs using his own genetic material as the blueprint They would be like avatars of him and each of them would lead a legion of super soldiers that was based on their genetic material.
Their mission to unite the mankind scattered over the galaxy and conquer the entire galaxy in the name of mankind.
However beings in an alternative dimension that although entirely different was still very much linked to ours saw these Primarchs as threat something that could potentially prove fatal to them.

So in a combined effort these four chaos gods abducted the young Primarchs, while they were still in mere babies in incubation tubes.
However even as babies these young primarchs proved to powerful for the chaos gods to destroy so instead they send each of them to a different planet, maybe in the hopes that they would remain divided for all eternity.

This was however not to be and the Emperor over the cause of many years found each of his primarchs who had all but a few become lords over the planets they were sent to.
Horus was the first of the primarchs to be found and as such he was the Emperors favorite.
All of the Primarchs had now been found and reunited with the space marine legions that borne their genetic material, and so began the great crusade.
A crusade with the intention to bring all of mankind together and to conquer the galaxy in their name.

For a time the emperor fought along his sons, but after some time the Emperor deemed that the time had come for him to leave his Primarchs and return to Earth/Terra to begin work upon a great project that would benefit all of mankind.

In his stead he promoted Horus to the rank of Warmaster a title that gave him the right to continue to lead the great crusade and his fellow primarchs and thus the Emperor left for Terra leaving Horus to continue the task of continuing the great crusade.

For a time things went well, sort of not all primarchs where equally happy to have Horus lead them, and some of them wasn,´t afraid to openly question Horus,´s orders.

Then disaster struck on a moon called of a planet called Darvin Horus was struck down by a traitor's lieutenant who, in rage of having been left behind to govern the planet, had turned his loyalty to the gods of chaos.
Horus mortally wounded was dying and there was nothing his legion could do to prevent it, so in desperation they turned to the people of the planet, who had promised that they could heal Horus.
They brought Horus to a great temple and the natives began a ritual to heal Horus,´s body.
However it all turned out to be a clever plan divided by the chaos gods and in his coma the chaos gods sent Horus falls visions of the future, where Horus was shown that the Emperor intended to sacrifice all of the primarchs and mankind in his quest for ascension into godhood.
Horus believing in the visions grew bitter and decided to start a revolution he would topple the Emperor and become Emperor himself thus saving mankind.
Slowly he began to wave other primarchs to his side and with them their legions till half of all the primarchs had turned traitor.

And so began the Heresy a bloody war where Primarch fought primarch and at least two of the Primarchs loyal to the Emperor was killed during the Heresy, worlds previously loyal to the Emperor decided to throw in their lot with Horus and began to fight the planets still Loyal to the emperor

The entire Heresy culminated in the siege of Terra and ended with the Emperor confronting Horus on Horus,´s flag ship.
In the beginning The Emperor tried to sway Horus back to his side, not wanting to believe that his favorite son had turned traitor for good thus he held back.
Horus,´s however had no such reservations and did not hesitate to mortally wound the Emperor with his new powers granted to him by the chaos gods.
It wasn,´t until Horus killed a lone Adeptus Custode guard, flaying him alive that the Emperor truly realized how far his son had gone and as such he released his true power upon Horus utterly obliterating Horus both in body and soul.
In his death moments Horus realized that he had destroyed all he had worked for and that even if the Emperor where to spare him the Chaos gods would just take possession of him again, and so he begged his father to destroy him.

In the wake of Horus,´s destruction each of the traitor primarchs forces fell into disarray and retreated into the eye of terror where each of them where elevated to the level of Demon prince (you a second only to the chaos gods themselves)

The Emperor though where wounded beyond healing, however as the Imperium of man would fall into chaos if he were to die, he ordered a special modifications made to his Throne that would keep some of his cells in his body alive and as such would allow his psychic powers to live on.
In his last moment before ascending to the golden throne he ordered all records of the traitor primarchs to be deleted from the imperial records.

In the years that followed all of the remaining loyal primarchs either disappeared or where killed off in battle with their Traitors brothers.

Thus leaving the continued existence of the imperium of men in the hands of their legions.

The Horus Heresy tells the story of events before, leading up to and during the Heresy.

In the First three Books
"¢ Horus Rising - Dan Abnett
"¢ False Gods - Graham McNeill
"¢ Galaxy in Flames - Ben Counte

Follows a space marine captain in the Lunar Wolves called Garviel Loken and his experience in the events leading up to the heresy how Horus slowly changes from begin a leader everyone look up to, to becoming this dark brooding character who slowly changes his chapter for the worse and culminating in Garviel fighting for survival on a planet called Isstvan III where he and everyone else Horus and three other primarchs did not expect to would follow Horus in his coming revolution against the emperor to die in a trap set by Horus himself.

The Forth Book Flight of the Eisenstein by James Swallow

Is set around the same time and beyond the Third book and follows a Death guard captain called Nathaniel Garro and tells of his experience in fighting in the great crusade with his chapter the Death Guards, as things would have it Garro is wounded on Isstvan III and as such escapes the imitate trap that would otherwise have put his fate with the rest of the chapters down there.
When he learns of the Warmasters plans to betray the Emperor he and 3 survivors from the Horus,´s flagship commanders a small flagship called the Eisenstien and set their course toward Terra in order to warn the Emperor of Horus,´s betrayal.

Fulgrim by Graham McNeill the fifth book tells of the chapter know as the Emperor Children of how they beginning with wanting to active perfection in their every action slowly degenerates into a chapter seeking only physical pleasure.

All of the five books (i,´ve only just started on the sixth novel Decent of the angels from what I can tell it tells of how the Dark angels where before the coming of the emperor.) are extremely well written and filled to the breaking point with hardcore action through and through but without sacrificing the story to it at any point, though the strongest books are defiantly the ones written by Dan Abnett and Graham McNiell.
Dan Abnett having an insane talent of describing the environment so that it is almost as being there yourself, and McNeills talent for writing overall great stories with equally great characters.

The other authors out there is defiantly not to be underestimated either, all I all if you like action novels and great stories plus equally interesting characters and if your just the tiniest bit interested in the Warhammer 40.000 universe The Horus Heresy series is defiantly not a series you should miss.

 

[Mapp]

I'm a huge fan of post-apocalyptic and particularly post-nuclear fiction. As a modern American historian it provides a great image of the evolving concepts of nuclear war in society, especially when read chronolgoically.

Start with On the Beach. Written in 1957. This book single-handidly changed American consciousness about the Bomb, especially after it was made into a movie. It focuses on a group of people in Australia after a total nuclear war has wiped out America, Russia and Europe. They think they're fine, until they discover a massive cloud of fallout that will essentially wipe out all life in Australia. They then have to decide how to spend the last days of their lives.

Then I recommend Alas, Babylon. Written in 1959 it tells the story of a small Florida town in the wake of a limited nuclear war with the USSR. In many ways it's kind of a post-nuclear Swiss Family Robinson, as people in the town get on without dealing with nasty things like fall out, burns and utter devastation. It also presents the bizarre notion that nuclear war is winnable. These two books together provide an interesting contrast about views of nuclear war and its consequences, when the American public was still just learning the details of the implications of the new weapon.

Then check out my all time favorite Canticle for Leibowitz, (1960) which picks up a few hundred years after nuclear war has reduced society back to a medieval state. It represents a great discussion about the nature of civilization, the nature of knowledge and memory and the responsibilities of science.

Last pick up the most recent addition, The Road by McCarthy. Which throws into total environmental devastation as well as the standard post-nuclear scenarios. It's less about the survival of humankind and more about the survival of humanity, i.e. the things that make us human.

All of these are excellent reads, but when taken in sequence they provide an interesting glimpse into the evolving psyche with regards to the use of nuclear weapons.

 

[Ozymandyus]

I'm a big fan of fiction - almost all genres.

Favorite fiction authors are Vonnegut, Neil Gaiman, Neal Stephenson, Chabon, Orson Scott Card with occasional guilty pleasures of fantasy like T. Goodkind, R. Jordan or S. King.

For authors not everyone has read:
Daniel Suarez - Daemon, a bit like Stephenson's Snow Crash.
Dave Eggers - A Heartbreaking Work of Staggering Genius, similar in style to Augsten Burroughs but better writing and less insane/focused on shock value

 

[You]

Last pick up the most recent addition, The Road by McCarthy. Which throws into total environmental devastation as well as the standard post-nuclear scenarios. It's less about the survival of humankind and more about the survival of humanity, i.e. the things that make us human.

Seconded. I read this one about a month ago. Very moving, especially if you have kids.

 

[Mapp]

BTW, I just finished Pride and Prejudice, and Zombies. I have to say it's an excellent book. Not only does it stay faithful to the original style, but it actually adds to the story. It's not just that they place Pride and Prejudice within a zombie apocalypse, but that the zombie apocalypse actually becomes integral to the tale, so much so that after reading it, it's hard to imagine the story without all the swords, zombies and ninjas. I recommend it for people who like literature, but aren't stodgy about it.

 

[Otokogoroshi]

Best fiction I've read lately?

World War Z.

I'm serious. Super awesome great book. Silly name but oh man do I love it. Everyone I've given it to to read loves it.

 

[enterman]

Best fiction I've read lately?

World War Z.

I'm serious. Super awesome great book. Silly name but oh man do I love it. Everyone I've given it to to read loves it.

I just recently started that LOVE it.

 

[ninja_lord666]

My favorite brand of fiction is high fantasy, the genre that was birthed by J.R.R. Tolkien (and a little bit by C.S. Lewis). So, it should come as no surprise that I consider the greatest fantasy book to be The Children of Hàºrin. It's a book that takes one of the many stories of [/i]The Silmarillion[/i] and expands upon it to turn in into its own stand-a-lone book. One thing that makes this book really great is that the main character, Tàºrin, is an antihero, and antiheroes are awesome. Then there's also Tolkien's great writing (although, many people consider him long-winded and dry, so if you don't like Tolkien, don't get this book).

 

[HAL9000unit]

I'd like to recommend the book Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. Lolita is a great piece of fiction and is very memorable.

Lolita is centered about a man who uses a psudonym "Humbert Humbert" who is a pedophile. He falls in love with Dolores Haze, an 11 year old whom he always calls "Lolita". This book is about how he first meets her and eventually becomes her step-father.

I'd reccomend this book to anyone who has a black sense of humor, for it is quite funny if you are sick in the head (like me). Nabokov did write it to be funny though.

I'd like to point out that there is no graphic language about him and Lolita, he uses a very fancy language to hide it.

Good reading!

 

[ImprobableJoe]

Personal Effects: Dark Art... GO READ THIS BOOK!!!

It's a good psychological horror/mystery book, about an art therapist treating an accused serial killer. The book comes with a pouch of the personal effects of the serial killer: ID card, insurance card, family photos, artwork, official documents...

There's also a multimedia aspect: there's a free audio novella prequel, websites for various characters and locations in the book, containing clues to the mystery and additional information that deepens the story. One of the characters has a blog you can visit, and you can call and listen to voicemails and even "hack" into a character's email account.

It is good fun, beyond just reading a good story.

 

[Gaawa-chan]

BTW, I just finished Pride and Prejudice, and Zombies. I have to say it's an excellent book. Not only does it stay faithful to the original style, but it actually adds to the story. It's not just that they place Pride and Prejudice within a zombie apocalypse, but that the zombie apocalypse actually becomes integral to the tale, so much so that after reading it, it's hard to imagine the story without all the swords, zombies and ninjas. I recommend it for people who like literature, but aren't stodgy about it.

Just read this book. It was awesome.

My favorite brand of fiction is high fantasy, the genre that was birthed by J.R.R. Tolkien (and a little bit by C.S. Lewis). So, it should come as no surprise that I consider the greatest fantasy book to be The Children of Hàºrin. It's a book that takes one of the many stories of [/i]The Silmarillion[/i] and expands upon it to turn in into its own stand-a-lone book. One thing that makes this book really great is that the main character, Tàºrin, is an antihero, and antiheroes are awesome. Then there's also Tolkien's great writing (although, many people consider him long-winded and dry, so if you don't like Tolkien, don't get this book).

Just bought this for my mom. I still need to read it. The story of Turin Turambar in The Silmarillion really struck me when I read it in middle school.



I really like 'Cry, the Beloved Country' and 'The Things They Carried.'

 

[Giliell]

I love fantasy
People often think that fantasy is "not serious", but there's some really good fantasy that deals with moral/philosophical and political issues.

The prime example may be Pullman's "His Dark Materials" Triology, which is not only very entertaining, but also interesting in its comments on religion and human experience.

And the unmatched Terry Pratchett, whose discworld series may deal with a fantasy world with real magic and real gods, but whose characters, problems and moral questions are finally ours and who never fails humanism for the sake of a story.
And don't forget his wonderful puns

 

[Pulsar]

The prime example may be Pullman's "His Dark Materials" Triology, which is not only very entertaining, but also interesting in its comments on religion and human experience.

I loved those books. The movie didn't do it justice at all. Still, too bad they're not making the sequels. And that boycott from the zealots was just ridiculous.

My favorite fantasy books are the Mordant's Need duology from Stephen Donaldson.

I just finished 'The Lies of Locke Lamora' from Scott Lynch, and I highly recommend it. Although it's a fantasy novel, set in a Venice-type city, it's primarily a fast-paced adventure story. Very entertaining, I went straight on reading book 2, loving it sofar!

 

[MarkAntony]

Grimlock? That sounds like Warhammer.

If you like the fanasy genre, i highly recommend George RR Martins "A song of Ice and Fire" saga. Currently it is six books long and is a very engrossing read.

Robin Hobbs books are also very good. "The Farseer Trilogy" is excellent.

Raymond E Feist is also good, although a bit more traditional that the two authors above, his work on his Midkemia saga is currently 23 books with a further three planned.

 

[borrofburi]

Eric Nylund's "A Signal to Noise" and "A Signal Shattered", are good science fiction, with an ending that has captured my imagination for several years now.

 

[Aught3]

Wilbur Smith is one of my favourite authors. I love sailing novels so Birds of Prey, Monsoon, and Blue Horizon are recommended. River God is about ancient Egypt and probably the most read book on my shelves.

Since this is the fiction thread, I just finished reading Dan Brown's novels (I know, I know) and Digital Fortress struck me as very similar to another book written by Sidney Sheldon - has anyone else noticed this or am I reading to much into it?

 

[Lallapalalable]

Ha Jin, "Ocean of Words"

I read this in Chinese History, and just fell in love with the writing (I never sold it back to the bookstore). For background info, Ha Jin was a chinese immigrant and didnt speak a word of english. Today, he is a professor of something at Harvard and writes better than most english professors Ive had.

That said, the book is a series of short stories about the 70's Russian/Chinese conflict (all fictional). The humanity you can feel is just touching, and by the end of each story you feel like you are one of the soldiers involved.

I cant really explain too much of it without ruining it, so just go out and buy it. The cover is the top half of a soldiers face with a blurry background, and the title is white on a red background.

Enjoy it (or burn)