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Locus 2003 Recommended Reading List 193

Posted by timothy from the what-else-is-out-there dept.
Embedded Geek writes "Locus magazine has published its 2003 Recommended Reading List of science fiction, fantasy, and related titles. With nearly 300 entries, it's a safe bet that even the most voracious reader will find something new. Personally, I was delighted to see Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams under non-fiction and the great listing of short fiction (so I can mine my old magazines for the gems). If you're more of a completist, check out Locus'es exhaustive listings (continued here and here). Definitely worth downloading to your PDA for your next trip to the bookstore."
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Locus 2003 Recommended Reading List More

Locus 2003 Recommended Reading List

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  • Top Fantasy Title (Score:5, Funny)

    by Megaslow ( 694447 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @08:20PM (#8175629) Homepage
    "SCO's Claim to ownership of Linux"

    • one up that (Score:3, Funny)

      by segment ( 695309 )
      "Windows -- Securing the world for the next Millooneyum"

    • Groundhog Day II (Score:5, Funny)

      by Jeremiah Cornelius ( 137 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @08:30PM (#8175695) Homepage Journal
      Groundhog Day II

      Teaser:

      One February morning, Dick Cheney emerges from his bunker, to see his own shadow - which means six more months of war...

      The scenario repeats itself, with the morning started anew each day, until Dick learns to keep his eyes off the ground, and fixed on "the light at the end of the tunnel."

      Capsule review:

      The best traditions of Michael Moorcock and Norman Spinrad meet those of Michael Moore and Norman Schwartzkopf.

      • "The best traditions of Michael Moorcock..."

        Strange you should mention him.

        I finished reading Neal Stephenson's epic Quicksilver a few weeks ago (only took me about three months) and Neil Gaiman's Neverwhere (which took about three days), both of which reminded me of a Moorcock book I once read.

        It was part of the Hawkmoon series I think, maybe one of the Count Brass books.

        It included vivid descriptions of an alternate London packed to the brim with total insanity, rampant debauchery and flagrant
    • "SCO's Claim to ownership of Linux"

      Well no, the claim is real. The title you're referring to I think is "D-Day: The Day Darl Killed IBM".

  • Lots of Catching Up to do (Score:4, Interesting)

    by ackthpt ( 218170 ) * on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @08:20PM (#8175633) Homepage Journal
    Pretty sad, I've only got 2 out of the whole list, and I'm a voracious reader, though apparently not of their list.

    Monstrous Regiment: OK, but not his best

    Wee Free Men: Better than MR
    (pTerry's next book, A Hat Full of Sky [amazon.co.uk] will be out in a couple months.)

    Hitchhiker: A Biography of Douglas Adams, M.J. Simpson (Hodder & Stoughton; Justin Charles & Co.)

    Not sure I'd read this, I took a swing at Salmon of doubt but didn't find much interesting I hadn't already seen before in there. A good read from a while back, and recently re-issued in hardcover: Don't Panic: Douglas Adams & the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy

    I picked a paperback copy up in Cambridge, ten years ago and found it a great read.

    (Currently reading The Soong Dynasty (non-fiction) by Sterling Seagrave, alternately with The Moon is a Harsh Mistress (fiction) by Robt. Heinlein, interesting combination as both address revolutions.)

    • They forgot to include the never-published Orwell novel : 1984 -- 20 years later [aclu.org]

    • Re:Lots of Catching Up to do (Score:5, Interesting)

      by Embedded Geek ( 532893 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @08:45PM (#8175828) Homepage
      Pretty sad, I've only got 2 out of the whole list

      Don't fear. I haven't read any of the 2003 novels and I'm the guy who submitted the article. I find I read mostly short fiction these days: I was happy to see so many short stories from F&SF, the only magazine to which I currently subscribe. Between it, Black Gate [blackgate.com] (which I highly and selfishly recommend - see below), my day job, and my own writing, I only read 2-3 novels a year. I'm still going through 2002 paperbacks, but the Locus list will be handy come (say) June.

      Shameless plug: If you want to find something that's got shorter fiction and you can find it at Borders, my first professional sale is in Black Gate #6 [blackgate.com] and excerpted here [blackgate.com].

      • Read your excerpt -- nice work, made me want to read more. Here's a question you may not want to answer, but how many rejections did you suffer before your first sale? (Asking as a fellow writer).

        • Rejections (Score:3, Interesting)

          by Embedded Geek ( 532893 )
          Apologies in advance for being long winded...

          If you only count the official "submission to pro fiction magazines", I've been uncannily lucky. Not being too prolific, I've only sent out a half dozen formal submissions over the years and got this one sale last year.

          For several years, though, I submitted three or more times a year to an amateur short-short contest in the Orange County Register and placed in the top ten half the time (meriting being put on their website) and scored first twice (to wind up in

      • [i]Don't fear. I haven't read any of the 2003 novels and I'm the guy who submitted the article. I find I read mostly short fiction these days: I was happy to see so many short stories from F&SF, the only magazine to which I currently subscribe. Between it, Black Gate [blackgate.com] (which I highly and selfishly recommend - see below), my day job, and my own writing, I only read 2-3 novels a year.[/i]

        And you're not ashamed of the fact that you read only 2-3 novels a year? Hell, I read 2-3 a week and st

    • (pTerry's next book, A Hat Full of Sky will be out in a couple months.)

      ..and it will be much the same as the last couple of dozen Discworld books.

  • I purchased his complete works in ASCII format at the market a year ago for 50 rupees. The "Hitchiker's Guide" series is very very funny though I have yet to finish all of the cd.
    • That's quite a deal you ended up getting at 50 rupees. Would you like to sell your guide to me for 2,678,600.00 Turkish liras? That should definitely be enough for you to be able to purchase yourself some nice Star Trek phaser replicas there guy.
    • The "Hitchiker's Guide" series is very very funny though I have yet to finish all of the cd.

      I can understand you're a slow reader, those ascii characters must be awfully hard to read, printed circularly in binary format on a 12cm CD...
  • This is a great reading list. In fact, I've read my fair share of these books and can vouch for the quality.

    I wasn't particularly impressed with the Douglas Adams biography, personally, but Adam's book itself (not released this year) is extraordinary.
    • I really enjoyed Tad Williams' "Dragonbone Chair" series (which isn't on the list, as it isn't new) but I was not at all impressed with "The War of the Flowers," (which is on the list.) The other two I've read are "The Brian King" and "In the Forest of Seere," both of which are quite good.

  • completist? (Score:5, Funny)

    by bomb_number_20 ( 168641 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @08:36PM (#8175746)
    I wasn't aware 'completist' was a word...

    That is to say- I couldn't find a meaningition in my language-iser.

    • First: Yes, I'm lurking. I always do when I get an article up on slashdot.

      On to business: When I submitted the article, I wanted to use the word, but found (as you did) that it does not appear to be defined [m-w.com] anywhere (I was actually trying to check the spelling). In checking around, though, I saw that nevertheless it was being used [google.com].

      So, like a good little sheep, I caved into peer pressure and used it. No doubt, my English teachers would be ashamed of me ("Hey, all the cool kids are saying 'completist'.

      • Just saw the moderation, bomb_number_20. As the guy who actually used 'completist" in the article I don't think you were trolling. I thought post was a valid observation phrased in a civil manner. A shame the moderator thought otherwise.

        Then again, maybe I'm just caving into peer pressure. ;)

      • It seems to be a term created by and for obsessive collectors. Would that make it more suitable for a slang dictionary?

        I found this [wordspy.com] in my original search... I went through the same process as you, though, and discarded it for exactly the same reason: it didn't seem to be defined as a real word by any authoritative source. I think it's interesting that, despite this fact, I pretty much knew what the word meant just by its usage; and that it seems like it ought to be a word.

    • Re:completist? (Score:1, Informative)

      by Anonymous Coward
      From the Merriam Webster Collegiate, 11th Edition:

      Main Entry: completist
      Function:noun
      Date:1951

      : one who wants to make something (as a collection) complete
      • Just to play devils advocate, I don't think you can really use a 53 year old collegiate dictionary as an authoritative source for this word. Here is a link about that very subject. [tentmaker.org] Here is a small snippet from the story:

        'At one time, a "gazette" was a low value coin which could purchase a newspaper. Today, the meaning of "a certain coin" has disappeared.'

        Things change. Perceptions change. Words, although seemingly immutable, change over time as a reflection of the people who use them. Some words fa
        • If usage is the decisive thing in the meaning of words, as your link says, then 'completist' is perfectly valid as I use it and see it used quite often.

          e.g., I used to be a Smashing Pumpkins completist until their last album.

  • I dunno... (Score:1, Insightful)

    by cujo_1111 ( 627504 )
    As a self confessed nerd, I have never been able to really get into all these science fiction novels that are mentioned on slashdot. I try reading them but never finish them as I find the stories trite on the most part. 2001 is the ultimate piece of science fiction for me. I also liked Robinson's Red Mars, Green Mars and Blue Mars.

    Can anyone recommend an interesting and thought provoking piece of science fiction? The Locus list is 300 long and I want a narrower target than that.

    • Re:I dunno... (Score:5, Informative)

      by kfg ( 145172 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @09:04PM (#8175968)
      David Brin's "Glory Season" is about as thought provoking as they come. It has it's flaws, since Brin was more focused on the ideas than keeping the story consistent, but provokation of thought is what you're after and this one will do the job.

      Ursula LeGuin's "The Dispossesed" and "The Left Hand of Darkness." Humanist philosophy at it's best. LeGuin is the master of exploring humanist themes in story without getting preachy, letting the characters and the story bring out the points she wishes to illustrate. I wish more writers would follow her example. "The Lathe of Heaven" is the work that really brought her fame, less mature in style than the previous two but definately worth the read.

      Harlen Ellison's classic anthologies "Dangerous Visions" and "Again Dangerous Visions." Collections of short stories written specifically for the anthology (not collected from other sources) with the express intent of publishing short works that could not find publication in the usual places.

      Somewhat more subtle than the previous, but Roger Zelazney's "Lord of Light" is worth a read. Besides being an excellent story it explores themes of individual freedom set against an immortal oligarchy, cast ( as it were) in the framework of Hinduism vs. Buddhism.

      If nothing else none of the above are particularly trite.

      KFG
    • Almost anything by Greg Egan - "Distress" and "Permutation City" being my personal favourites, but his short work as well.

      He has a habit of taking a concept and running with it... and the concepts he chooses to run with tend to be on the edges of modern physics.

      You may not *like* his work, which is deeply weird sometimes, but you'll get a workout reading it.

      ...Ronny

    • Re:I dunno... (Score:3, Informative)

      by ninejaguar ( 517729 )
      The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury

      Araminta Station (and its sequels) by Jack Vance

      Emphyrio by Jack Vance

      To Live Forever by Jack Vance

      Planet of Adventure by Jack Vance

      Tales of the Dying Earth By Jack Vance. Just keep this in mind when reading this oddly beautiful, highly amusing, and often wistfully melancholic collection: "Any sufficiently advanced technology is indistinguishable from magic." - Arthur C. Clarke

      Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke

      Childhood's End by Arthur C. Cl
    • Can anyone recommend an interesting and thought provoking piece of science fiction? The Locus list is 300 long and I want a narrower target than that.

      Since you mentioned KSR's Mars books I'll suggest "The Years of Rice and Salt" - an alternate history by KSR. Some worthwhile classic short SF by Robert Silverberg and Phillip K. Dick is being reprinted and some of that is very interesting stuff: "The Man in the High Castle" and "Dying Inside" being two of the best.

      The fact that the Locus list contains b

    • Recommended reading (Score:2, Informative)

      by Stephen Ma ( 163056 )
      In no particular order....

      Childhood's End by Arthur C Clarke, the author of 2001: A Space Odyssey.

      The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula Le Guin. Already mentioned by a previous poster.

      The Stars My Destination and The Demolished Man, both by Alfred Bester.

      Marooned in Real Time by Vernor Vinge.

      Foundation by Isaac Asimov.

      The Dreaming Jewels by Theodore Sturgeon.

      A Mirror for Observers by Edgar Pangborn.

      A Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein.

      The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinle

      • While we're recommending non-necessarily-new books, how about "The Gormenghast Novels" by Mervyn Peake. Incredible detail and very gothy-gloomy for all the youngsters out there...

        I totally agree with the Gene Wolfe comments, he rocks.

        Another seemingly ignored but great "speculative fiction" writer is Theodore Sturgeon. Read "More Than Human", thank me later...

        Haven't read much "new" SF, much to my chagrin. I'm a busy boy these days, it seems.

    • Okay, first things first - any gamer geek must read Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game. Easily one of the greatest sci-fis ever.

      Now, for more info, depends what you're after. Personally, I think Niven's short story anthologies are a great place to start for slightly oddball, thought-provoking hard sci-fi. Be wary of his novels, as he has a tendency to work with a feudalistic lunatic named Jerry Pournelle who's acidic political views have soured many novels (but they've also conglomerated on some freaking s

  • Is the.... (Score:2, Funny)

    by brad-d ( 30038 )
    Is the Locus 2003 Recommended Reading List on the list? Because it's pretty long and I don't want to read it all if it's not on the recommended list.

  • Cool.. (Score:3, Informative)

    by Darken_Everseek ( 681296 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @08:45PM (#8175827)
    Glad to see the Tad Williams book up there; it was excellent.

    Another series by the same author that I'd highly recommend (especially to this crowd) is the "Otherland" series; four books long (and I do mean long.)

    It set in the future, and raises some interesting points about the possible future of the internet, VR, and gaming technologies.
    • I second the parent. Otherland is quite an undertaking, but well worth it. The series does an excellent job of combining politics, economics, technology, and my favorite, mythology.

      You won't find better written sci-fi.

  • Sucession (Score:5, Interesting)

    by CashCarSTAR ( 548853 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @08:47PM (#8175842)
    I'm currently reading the second part of that story (It really is one long story. It ends in a cliffhanger of sorts). I'm glad to see it make that list, it is really good.

    It may be one of the first "modern" sci-fi stories. Namely that it plays forward some familiar themes from today, and not just 60 years ago. (It seemed to me that science ficition for the most part was stuck in WWII/Cold War logic). One main part of the books is how immortality begets laziness...and how intellectual property plays into that. (One of the main characters, a Senator, is in the middle of a centuries long fillibuster of even more strict IP rules.)

    As well, the idea of micro-combat instead of macro-combat is extremly interesting and well done.

    It really is a must read.
  • I'm suprised that they didn't have any Math or Science novels in there. Some of the best books I have read this year have dealt with these subjects. Of course, this classifies me as a nerd.

  • Formulaic Writing? (Score:4, Funny)

    by buckhead_buddy ( 186384 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @08:52PM (#8175872)
    There used to be a number of good books out there but in light of Excel's dominance of the market, it's hard to find any good book on Locus 1-2-3.

    (Personally, I tended to favored Lotus Improv anyway.)

  • Lokus? (Score:1, Funny)

    by Anonymous Coward
    Locus magazine sounds like Lokus magazine, and Lokus is WC in german... :)

  • Asimov's, F&FS, and Analog (Score:5, Interesting)

    by harlows_monkeys ( 106428 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @09:03PM (#8175961) Homepage
    Approximately 30 of the novellas, novelettes, and short stories on the list were published in Asimov's, approximately 20 were published in F&SF, and only one was published in Analog.

    Yet, of those three magazines, Analog is the only one I find consistently good enough to subscribe to.

    I wish they would publish a list of things they they recommend against reading...I suspect that would fit better with my tastes. :-)

    • Yeah, I was about to complain that I don't hold that list to be very useful since it doesn't seem to include any stories from Analog, which is the only one I subscribe to also. I used to subscribe to Asimov's, but I didn't like a lot of what they were publishing; Analog seems to be perfectly matched to my tastes.

    • Stan Schmidt (the editor of Analog), Gardner Dozois (Asimov's), and Gordon van Gelder (F&SF) have fairly different tastes. If you're into "hard SF" -- something really defined by style as much as by content -- you're going to get more of that from Analog than you are from either of the other two.

      I do get the feeling the Locus staff's tastes don't run that way, though; if yours do, you might find a reviews site like Tangent Online [tangentonline.com] more useful -- not that all their reviewers are into Analog-style stuff,

  • Nothing really unexpected... (Score:5, Interesting)

    by SetarconeX ( 160251 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @09:03PM (#8175963)
    Looking over the list quickly, there aren't a whole lot of surprises here. The usual crop of perennial big authors are here, (Neal Stephenson, Greg Bear, Orson Scott Card, William Gibson) and even many of the lesser authors are familiar to anyone who even occasionally reads Asimov's or Analog.

    The problem here is that the list is so massive, there's actually almost no point to it. There's no plot descriptions whatsoever attached to the list, just a link to elsewhere.

    If you're going to recommend a book, I think whoever a book is being recommended to deserves at least a brief explanation of "WHY?" I know that's difficult for a long list like this, but just a sentence or two would be nice, not just a links leading eventually to Amazon.

    BTW: I'm finding Greg Bear's latest series a tad scientifically iffy, and his characters unbearably (no pun intended) flat and boring. The new William Gibson book, on the other hand, has enough of his signiture sarcastic view of mass-media to be entertaining, but that's just my humble opinion. Go read your own books.

    • Best Lists (Score:3, Informative)

      by Embedded Geek ( 532893 )
      the list is so massive, there's actually almost no point to it

      I agree it's unwieldy, but the Locus List has to be big to accomodate all Locus'es editorial staff. I mean, the magazine is basically nothing but reviews. If you want to thin the herd a little, try looking at some of the stuff nominated for the various awards [locusmag.com] or better yet at various reviewers personal best lists (sorry - couldn't find any links offhand).

    • The problem here is that the list is so massive, there's actually almost no point to it. There's no plot descriptions whatsoever attached to the list, just a link to elsewhere.

      If you're going to recommend a book, I think whoever a book is being recommended to deserves at least a brief explanation of "WHY?" I know that's difficult for a long list like this, but just a sentence or two would be nice, not just a links leading eventually to Amazon.

      I actually disagree. Most I don't like book recommendation

    • The problem here is that the list is so massive, there's actually almost no point to it. There's no plot descriptions whatsoever attached to the list, just a link to elsewhere.

      I appreciate these annual summaries. I'm sure that you'll find many reviews of these books in last year's issues of Locus, if you want the details. Locus is mainly a review journal.

  • Quite a few I have not heard of but.... (Score:5, Informative)

    by MeanE ( 469971 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @09:04PM (#8175966) Homepage
    Quite a few authors I have not read...and me being a fantasy addict....

    "The Crystal City, Orson Scott Card (Tor)"

    I am actually just now reading though this series. I sometimes can't believe just how deep he seems to build this alternative look at america. I admit I am just finishing the third book but I am hooked already.

    "The War of the Flowers, Tad Williams (DAW)"

    I don't know how Tad ever got the chance to write. His first book was about cats, it was not very good and he even mentions that it took forever to find someone to publish it. He then went on to write his great Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series...and then on to his amazing Sci-Fi Otherworld series. The War of flowers was good but not as amazing as his last series.

    "Fool's Fate, Robin Hobb (Voyager; Bantam Spectra 2004)"

    I did not even know the third one was out (or is it?..a quick check of chapters seems to think not, in my local stores...if it is I better get to the book store fast!). If you have any interest in the fantasy genre then you have to go give these a read NOW! Each book she publishes seem to get better and better with no end in sight. I often find that many authors seem to hit their "peak" and then taper off (Hey I am looking at you Robert Jordan) but that is just not the case here.

    And just to ruin my many image (please oh please don't let anyone I know find this post), she was the first author to actually make me cry while reading one of her books...(shhhh don't tell).

    Thats all I have read (well kinda) off that list.

    • "The Crystal City, Orson Scott Card (Tor)"

      I am actually just now reading though this series. I sometimes can't believe just how deep he seems to build this alternative look at america. I admit I am just finishing the third book but I am hooked already. Unfortunatly, I would say you're in for a disappointment. Card decided he was done with the series after the 3rd or 4th book, but because the plot line for the series wasn't anywhere close to being resolved Card recieved so muchfan mail asking for me tha

    • Fool's Fate just showed up in US bookstores today. Got my copy at lunch.

  • 7/21 Women (Score:4, Interesting)

    by bstadil ( 7110 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @09:06PM (#8175980) Homepage
    I think it is interesting and excellent that in the SF category there is 7 women authers out of 21 titles .

    I love Linda Nagata but do not know any of the other.

    • If I may shamelessly stereotype -- I think that women, more than men, get deeply into formulaic novels. Romance novels, obviously, but also mystery and SF/F. Probably casual sci-fi readership is much higher among men, but women make up a larger part of the hardcore than you might expect.

      At any rate, the only female SF/F author I find even readable is Connie Willis. Even the big names (LeGuin, McCaffrey, Butler) put me to sleep.

  • This recommended reading list, published in Locus Magazine's February 2004 issue, is a consensus by Locus editors and reviewers -- Charles N. Brown, Gary K. Wolfe, Jonathan Strahan, Faren Miller, Russell Letson, Nick Gevers, Carolyn Cushman, Tim Pratt, Karen Haber, and Rich Horton -- and other professionals, including Gardner Dozois, David G. Hartwell, Michael Swanwick, Ellen Datlow, Kelly Link & Gavin Grant, and others.

    It seemed to me that a lot of those named above turn out to have works on the list

  • The Book of Words series by J.V. Jones (Score:3, Informative)

    by mrscott ( 548097 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @09:16PM (#8176038)
    I just finished the last book of this trilogy. I've read way too much fantasy in the past couple years and it's sometimes hard to find a new author that I really like. This series is BY FAR one of the best I have read. I was hooked from the first few pages of the first book.

    It's not on the list, but I thought I'd pitch it! :-)
  • I read this about a month ago. It's a decent book, fairly short (208 pages), but at the same time it's expensive for the length ($12.95 US).

    It's based off of an interesting idea: a society where scarcity is no more and death has been cured. My only complaint is that, by the end, I was ready to hurt someone if I had to read the word "Bitchun" one more time.

  • Comment removed (Score:5, Informative)

    by account_deleted ( 4530225 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @09:22PM (#8176077)
    Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • It's even cheaper to use the library. Read it in the hardcover, which usually has bigger print and wider margins and so is often more comfortable, albeit heavier. Then return it, get something else, and not have a book you'll likely never read again cluttering up your house.

      I found eight of the first ten sci-fi novels from this year's list on my local library's web site. Ask, and they might even buy the other two.
      • Comment removed based on user account deletion

      • Ask, and they might even buy the other two.

        Or maybe not. I live in a small rather rural town that doesn't have a real library. For a few years while I was in Jr. High, the city tried using the Jr. High's School (a brand new school at the time) library as a city library. It was a really small library, and it had a problem with a lot of holes in series. For example at the time it had books 1,3,5 of Jordan's Wheel of Time series. I mentioned this to the librarian, and she said that because most of the

    • I'd rather have 1 good hardcover than 4 good paperbacks.

      I have a number of paperback books that I've read only twice that are falling apart. My hardcover's are nowhere close to even showing wear after three or more readings.

      Hardcover's just "feel" nicer to read also.

      IMHO, of course.

  • I Wish (Score:5, Insightful)

    by dupper ( 470576 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @09:30PM (#8176118) Journal
    I have 5 one foot high piles of unread novels on my bedside table from my last few trips to the bookstore. Reading's like crack.
  • Comment removed based on user account deletion
    • ...Falcon5768. I thought of that when I was writing that sentence and tried to find a witty way to work it in, but realized it'd be too self referential and indulgent. I'm glad you caught it. Hope someone throws a few "funny" mod points your way.

      And, yes, lurking and posting on my own article is indeed self referential and indulgent. I have no defense...

  • Locus Solus (Score:3, Interesting)

    by Jagasian ( 129329 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @09:44PM (#8176192)
    I have a little book that EVERYONE should read. Why? Because this little book is has interesting symmetries from the syntax all the way up to higher-level concepts in the books storyline. It is an old book originally written in French (free online version) [imaginet.fr], but translated into English [calderpublications.com]. The book is classified as surrealist, and that might be the best one word description of it... but it definitely doesn't do it justice.

    It is free if you can read French, and it is inexpensive if you do not. JUST TRY IT! Note that the original French has the best syntax level symmetry in that the author would make use of words that were spelled similarly but had different meanings... he would then construct sentences around that which were nearly the same at the level of text, but wildly different at the level of semantics. He even takes this interesting anti-symmetry all the way up to the storyline. It is one interesting and entertaining read. The English translation is still enjoyable, but 2nd best to the French original.

    Don't even try to Babelfish the free online version. It might make you cry.

  • F&SF Magazine (Score:3, Informative)

    by monique ( 10006 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @09:45PM (#8176200) Journal
    It's no surprise to me that F&SF was well-represented in this list. If you love *good* fantasy and science fiction, F&SF is for you. I've had a subscription on and off since freshman year of high school, and I'm currently in the process of completing my collection by ordering the back issues from my "off" times. You can subscribe here [sfsite.com].

    They publish an incredible spread of stories. Some to make you think; some to make you feel; some to make you laugh; some to immerse you completely in the world the author has created. I can't say enough good things about the magazine. Check it out.

  • Another list that may be helpful: (Score:3, Informative)

    by RedPhoenix ( 124662 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @09:46PM (#8176210)
    The Internet Top 100 SF/Fantasy List:
    http://www.geocities.com/Area51/Cavern/6113 /top100 .html

    I'm currently working my way through this list. One or two of the authors are a bit hard to find, but trawling the 2nd-hand book shops nets quite a few of the more 'specialist' books.

    Red.

  • No Baen books? (Score:5, Interesting)

    by Blorgo ( 19032 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @09:48PM (#8176226) Homepage
    I noticed there were no Baen books on the list - Baen (www.baen.com) has produced several bestsellers recently, including Eric Flint's "1633" (the followup to the wildly successful "1632", which is now free for the download). Baen is one of the few publishing houses to make money recently - and they are the one giving away full-length, top quality novels at their Baen Free Library. ( www.baen.com/library )

    They also sell their books through "Webscriptions", which produce non-DRM e-books (They use HTML, RTF, or a variety of 'Reader' formats).

    It's more than a little interesting that giving away older product, and selling current product without annoying DRM or other restrictions would produce a *positive* result - but of course the RIAA will probably continue to pay no attention.

    I wonder why Locus avoided the whole publishing house? SF publishing has traditionally been a jealous, backbiting world but I don't know if that's a factor in this list, or just the taste of the reviewers.

    • Yeah, I noticed the same thing. I have been reading mostly Baen books ever sinced I discovered that I preferred reading on my Visor Handspring and I have been very happy with them. At first I bought their books individually because I didn't want to pay for books I didn't like. Now, however, I just buy the bundles. So far I have enjoyed all of the books (some better than others, granted) and the price is ridiculously low. $15 for 6 books all in the unencrypted format of my choice. That's a deal.

    • > I wonder why Locus avoided the whole publishing house?

      Because Baen tends to publish military SF like the titles you mentioned and David Drake's books. Locus has always been prejudied against military SF.

      Steven

  • Mars (Score:2, Interesting)

    by DRO0 ( 252117 )
    With the recent news about Sprit and Opportuntity, I'm really tempted to go back and re-read Kim Stanley Robinson's Mars trilogy (Red Mars, Green Mars, Blue Mars).

    These books get into a lot of detail about the colonization and terraforming of Mars and how different factions splinter off into different directions (think of Sid Meier's Alpha Centauri for you gamers).

  • I recommend... (Score:4, Informative)

    by Beolach ( 518512 ) <beolach@NOsPaM.juno.com> on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @10:04PM (#8176309) Homepage Journal
    The best new (to me) series I've read recently wasn't represented on Locus' recommended list. It's in the fantasy genre.
    Tales of the Otori by Lian Hearn.
    Book 1: Across the Nightingale Floor [amazon.com]
    Book 2: Grass for his Pillow [amazon.com]
    Book 3: Cloud of Sparrows [amazon.com]

    Highly recommended.

  • Playboy NOT Listed ??? (Score:4, Funny)

    by MajorDick ( 735308 ) on Tuesday February 03, 2004 @10:15PM (#8176365)
    I mean, Playboy, Fantasy, what else.

    I dont mean fantasy like shes my fantasy, I mean FANTASY like ANY geek would EVER get a Playboy babe in the sack, now THATS Fantasy
  • Lois McMaster Bujold's "Paladin of Souls" made the fantasy novel list. It and the book before it, "Curse of Chalion" are awesome, and unique fantasy.

    Any geek that hasn't read her Mile's books certainly should consider them also. "Warrior's Apprentice" or "Borders of Infinity" are good starting points. Military SF at its best.

    Cadmann
  • Ok, I see two titles I've recently read -- Darwin's Children, and Ilium. Didn't like either of them, both for different reasons. But now what? Maybe there truly are some gems on the list that I should read -- but if I randomly go get one and it's as all over the place as Ilium was I won't be happy. Especially if I'm buying hardcovers.
  • House of Chains [amazon.com] came out in 2003, and it was a great book.

    The author is Canadian, and the books are difficult to get in the US (Locus is American).
  • I realise that the list was made by Locus, a magazine devoted completely to SF and fantasy, and I'm just a random Slashdot jerk, but William Gibson's Pattern Recognition sucks. Avoid it like the plague, although in all honesty, the plague would be more fun, because it would be over faster and be a less boring.

    Obviously it's akin to blasphemy to pan a book by The Godfather of Cyberspace, but it's just bad. All the main characters are in MARKETING, for god's sake. The plot revolves around a new way to sell N
  • I bought 4 of his books in a fit of madness recently (They're letting me write this from my padded cell). After reading the first two in the series, Revelation Space and Chasm City, I can honestly say that I have seldom been so irritated by books that have loads of promise and constantly seem on the verge of attaining some measure of plot consistency and depth of character portrayal, yet never actually get there.

    It was uncannily like being forced to stop having sex moments before orgasm.
    • Me too!!!

      Sorry, but I had to say that. I love the worldbuilding, the history, the tech, the societies. He has a real flair for that. And I can almost forgive the plot strangenesses and lack of resolution of the things he builds up (eg going on and on about how it was nearly impossible to capture a lighthugger, then it becomes necessary for the pigs to do exactly that, then the action jumps forward a bit and someone says something to the effect of "hey, that was a pretty cool thing we did, capturing this l

  • Ed. by Hartwell & Cramer. Yeah, I know it was published in 2002, but it is truly a great anthology.
  • And I think it's the only one that's been translated from a foreign language: my review of Cosmos Latinos [dannyreviews.com].

    Danny.

  • I have trouble respecting a "best of" list that includes Neal Stephenson's Quicksilver. A great post of what is wrong with that book here [slashdot.org].
  • That is it, I said it.

    I have read some of these and I always find them sorely lacking, they are the nerd equivalent of Bridget Jones books for single,late 20s early 30s females.

    Has any SciFi writer ever gained a prize or being recognized outside the niche cabal of SciFi?

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