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Book Suggestions

Fireinferno13

One Of Us, One of Us
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Recently I have had more time to myself to sit down and enjoy a good book, specifically, on the commute to and from work but that doesn't sound as relaxing out loud now does it? Anyhow, I am always looking out for good book suggestions as well as opportunities to brag about books that I loved. Would love to hear what people have been reading and what they thought.

To start, here are my two cents:

The Kingkiller Chronicle by Patrick Rothfuss
The Name of the Wind and The Wise Man's Fear tell the story of Kvothe, a hothead of exceptional intelligence and theatrical talent. After a dark series of turns that I do not intend to spoil here he is set in search of a group, thought to be a myth, known as the Chandrain. This series (though the final book in the trilogy has yet to receive a release date) is page turner that sets up a complete universe that is easy to immerse yourself in. One of my favorite aspects is that there is magic, but the magic is grounded and explained through the lens of physics.
The Broken Empire by Mark Lawrence
Prince, King, and Emperor of Thorns set the stage pretty clearly in the titles and cover art alone. This trilogy is a lot darker and not for a younger audience. The series depicts the rise of Jorg of Ancrath, a relatively brutal leader who will cut down his own men if he even senses disloyalty, as he seeks revenge and power after watching the brutal murder of his mother and brother. In this post-apocalyptic world, the barrier between thought and reality are somewhat blurred giving rise to various forms of magic such as pyromancy and necromancy. This series was amazing and, best of all, it is a complete trilogy so you can read it start to finish! There are some MAJOR twists and turns in this book without overdoing, Lawrence even shits on drawn out series like GoT in an interview. Lawrence has a second trilogy, The Red Queen's War, which I just started and it is set in the same world.
 
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You seem to have a simmilar, albeit darker and more reality based, taste in literature as me. But I could make you some suggestions anyways.

Orcs (or Orcs: First Blood #1-3) by Stan Nicholls
It's a fast paced fantasy action saga which follows Stryke and his warband of orcs trying to desperately succeed in an near impossible quest to find a lost artifact in order to win back their tyrannical empress' hard won approval. However as they uncover more and more clues about the artifact Stryke slowly realizes that the artifact is so much more important to them as orcs than they could ever have imagined. It's an interesting read as it focuses on the evil guys, the orcs and their view on the world. It might be a bit too supernatural for your liking though, especially the ending which was a bit too surreal even for my taste. To call it fast paced and action packed just barely makes it justice though. It's intricate and frequent fight scenes keeps you on edge throughout the entire thing and its intriguing story keeps you from ever puting the book down. According to meny it's a must read for any fantasy lover however I think there are those that might not like it as much as I did.

Another recommendation I have which I read more recently is a book in a genre I had only briefly dabbled in before:
The Martian by Andy Weir
It's considered a science fiction novel but the science is very much based on real science and nothing in the book feels fictional at all. It follows Mark Watney, an astronaut and chief botanist in the third manned mission to Mars. On the 6th day of their mission their base camp is hit by a heavy sandstorm and they are forced to abort the mission and leave Mars but on their way to their ascension vehicle Watney is hit in the chest by flying debree and knocked unconscious. Assumed dead by his team mates his body is (reluctantly) left behind. However Watney is not dead and now he have to survive on his own against the hostile climate of Mars and somehow figure out a way to call for aid and maybe if he's really lucky eventually get back home. Only problem is, he's several hundred million miles away from any help.
I have only read the Swedish translation of it but I assume it is even better in it's original English version. It's a great story about what humans truly can achieve when putting our differences aside to save the life of one of our kin. Mark Watney is a witty and very likeable character who uses real life science to survivive in a seemingly unsurvivable situation. The best thing about this book in my opinion is its likeable and relateable characters and its minute attention to realism and detail. I'm really picky when it comes to reviewing stuff but in this case the ONLY bad thing I can say about this story is that I'd like it to have an epilogue so I could find out what happened afterwards.

Those are but two of the meny books and book series that I have read but I think those are the ones you'd be most interesyed in checking out for yourself.
 
Dear book readers,

I found today (on a webshop) a pretty cool book. The book is named as The Atlas of middle earth. The reason why I say this, is that I want some reviews from some readers of the book.
It looks like a good read, so it could maybe a suggestion for other people who want to read something more about middle earth.

Me and @lolbroek108 hope for some reactions!

~lolpants108
 
Personally I highly recommend it. It's not translated to Dutch, but don't think that's too much of a problem. It has like 80-100 maps with an expensive explanation for every map. Maps are about everything you can think of. It gives a better understanding of how the Universe of Arda is estimated to be like (Tolkien never fully decided on that) in the Years of the Lamps, Trees and Sun and after the Sank of Númenor. It contains many maps of the paths that were taken in the Hobbit and in the Lord of the Rings. Lots of maps of migrations of peoples in all ages. Many close-up maps of special sites, like Hobbiton (before and after Sharkie), Minas Tirith, Cirith Ungol and many other cities or even sites that were only briefly visited, such as Farmer Maggot's house. It also contains some geographic/botanic maps. Once again every map has a very extensive explanation. There's many more kinds of topics covered in the book, can't name them all, but overall it's an essential full guide to the world of Arda.
 
Some new book recommendations (and one to avoid) from your friendly neighborhood spider-fire

FOUNDATION by Isaac Asimov
About the collapse of and eventual re-kindling of a galactic empire as orchestrated by a famed "psychohistorian" who uses a combination of psychology and statistics to predict and shape future events and conflicts. I found this really easy to read and really liked the writing style. Part of the Foundation cycle.

EVERY HEART A DOORWAY by Seanen McGuire
About a boarding school for children, mostly teenage girls, attempting to rehabilitate to normal life after being trapped in fantasy worlds. Though most of the children hope to return to their newfound worlds if possible. Super short and smooth read. Part of the five part Wayward Children novellette series.

SPHERE by Michael Chrichton
About a team of scientists sent to investigate a huge object of unknown origin located at the bottom of the ocean. The book gradually picks up pace and becomes quite the psychological thriller as survival becomes more and more desperate.

AMERICAN GODS by Neil Gaiman
Literally the worst book I've read in years. Interesting character development but absolutely no plot or meaning.
I would say its less of a book more of a review. It is impressive how detailed their illustrations and logistics are for many of the main battles and regions.
 
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I love these books, they are the only science fiction novels that I enjoyed reading. It's the only book which explains how it is possible to go above light speed, which is a great thing, no Star Wars "light speed" which helps you to go on the other side of the galaxy in 2 minutes, instead of 100 000 years.
Calling it a trilogy though is an understatement, it's more a cycle because it's 5 books wide (on your bookshelf) and long (to read). I don't remember if they are independent or not, but if u start this cycle, stay motivated because the beginning is very slow.
 
Some of my Favorites (aside from J. R. R. Tolkien )

  • The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - by Robert A. Heinlein
  • Starship Troopers - by Robert A. Heinlein
  • The Foundation series - by Isaac Asimov
  • Dune - by Frank Herbert
  • Neuromancer - by William Gibson
  • Ringworld - by Larry Niven
  • Footfall - by Larry Niven
  • Lucifer's Hammer - by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
  • World War Z - by Max Brooks
  • Ender's Game - by Orson Scott Card
  • The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy - by Douglas Adams
 
Planet of The Apes by Pierre Boulle is quite good, you'll know the basic story if you've seen the '68 film but the book has some major differences that make it more interesting than the film imo.
 
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