I need books

[Phoenix Dark]

I'm currently reading a few fantasy books and considering dusting off the ole' Lord of the Rings set...but I also want to branch out and get some other non fantasy/sci fi stuff. Right now my radar consists of

The Club Dumas (which I'll get tomorrow)
http://www.amazon.com/Club-Dumas-Arturo-Perez-Reverte/dp/0679777547

Theodore Rex
http://www.amazon.com/Theodore-Rex-Modern-Library-Paperbacks/dp/0812966007/ref=pd_bbs_sr_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217300797&sr=1-1

I have a Lovecraft compilation book around the house somewhere. Any recommendations on horror stuff?

[Eric P]

oh yes.

i can help you with the horror suggestions.

anything in particular you're looking for?

[Darunia]

what are your other interests thematically besides horror

also if you like fantasy, have you read the best, by which I mean the farseer trilogy by robin hobb?

[Eric P]

actually, i think i have a sci-fi rec for you right off the bat.

James Blish - A Case of Conscience

A Case of Conscience is a science fiction novel by James Blish, first published in 1958. It is the story of a Jesuit who investigates an alien race that has no religion; they are completely without any concept of God, an afterlife, or the idea of sin; and the species evolves through several forms through the course of its life cycle. The story was originally published as a novella in 1953, and later extended to novel-length, of which the first part is the original novella. The novel is the first part of Blish's thematic "After Such Knowledge" trilogy, followed by Black Easter/The Day After Judgment and Dr Mirabilis.

The story is unusual in several respects. Few science fiction stories of the time attempted religious themes, and still fewer did this with Catholicism. Some of the first part is taken up with the Jesuit's attempt to solve a puzzle, a long description of scandalous intrigue between various pseudonymous characters. As he is about to leave for Earth, he realizes the puzzle is soluble. The puzzle is contained within the pages of Finnegans Wake, by James Joyce.

Many reacted negatively to the story, but surprisingly few educated Catholics were among them. One even sent James Blish a copy of the actual Church guidelines for dealing with extraterrestrials [1]These are not detailed, but merely suggest overall strategy based on whether the beings have souls or not, and if they have them, whether they are fallen like humans, or exist in a state of grace.

or

A Canticle for Leibowitz by Walter Miller

A Canticle for Leibowitz is a post-apocalyptic science fiction novel by American Walter M. Miller, Jr., first published in 1960. Based on three short stories Miller contributed to the science fiction magazine The Magazine of Fantasy and Science Fiction; it is the only novel published by the author during his lifetime. Considered one of the classics of science fiction, it has never been out of print and has seen over 25 reprints and editions. Appealing to mainstream and genre critics and readers alike, it won the 1961 Hugo Award for best science fiction novel.

Set in a Roman Catholic monastery in the desert of the Southwestern United States after a devastating nuclear war, the story spans thousands of years as civilization rebuilds itself. The monks of the Albertian Order of Leibowitz take up the mission of preserving the surviving remnants of man's scientific knowledge against the day the outside world is again ready for it.

Inspired by the author's participation in the Allied bombing of the monastery at Monte Cassino during World War II, the novel is considered a masterpiece by literary critics. It has been compared favorably with the works of Evelyn Waugh, Graham Greene, and Walker Percy, and its themes of religion, recurrence, and church versus state have generated a significant body of scholarly research. Miller's follow-up work, Saint Leibowitz and the Wild Horse Woman, was published posthumously in 1997.

[The Fake Shemp]

THE LAVATORY

Adulterous housewives are eaten by a possesed toilet while performing oral sex on their garden hands.

a DEAN KOONTZ book

[FlameOfCallandor]

Got tired of harry potter?

[Phoenix Dark]

oh yes.

i can help you with the horror suggestions.

anything in particular you're looking for?

I'm looking for psychological horror, religious fiction horror (like Dumas I guess), etc. So if I had to make a movie analogy I'd say more Exorcist/Hellraiser, less Friday the 13th

Darunia: Hm the description of the book sounds pretty interesting; with respect to fantasy I'm usually more interested in high fantasy that features as much (if not more) drama and politics than magic n heroes - which is why I love Martin's ASOIAF books

[MrAngryFace]

The Fencing Master is a fun Reverte book

[Eric P]

I'm looking for psychological horror, religious fiction horror (like Dumas I guess), etc. So if I had to make a movie analogy I'd say more Exorcist/Hellraiser, less Friday the 13th

let me get home and see what i can pull together

[Great Rumbler]

[Eric P]

Doctor Faustus -Christopher Marlowe
Matthew Gregory Lewis- The Monk (i have a copy i will happily send to you)
Charles Maturin -Melmoth the Wanderer
Robert W. Chambers -The King in Yellow (my copy is missing pages or i'd send it to you too)
William Hope Hodgson -The House on the Borderland
Shirley Jackson -The Haunting of Hill House
John Brunner-The Sheep Look Up
F. Paul Wilson - The Keep
Iain Banks -The Wasp Factory
Dan Simmons -Song of Kali
Clive Barker -The Damnation Game, Books of Blood

But really, in addition to novels,  just buy one book to get an overview of short fiction

http://www.amazon.com/Dark-Descent-Clive-Barker/dp/0312862172/ref=pd_bbs_sr_2?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1217368947&sr=8-2

[Sysgen]

...

Clive Barker -..., Books of Blood

First thing I thought of when I read the op.

Books of Blood.  From what I remember very demented but great.  The train story sticks in my mind for some reason.

[Eric P]

...

Clive Barker -..., Books of Blood

First thing I thought of when I read the op.

Books of Blood.  From what I remember very demented but great.  The train story sticks in my mind for some reason.

midnight meat train has a great ending

love in the hills in the cities as well

this stuff was really mind bending when i was reading it as a kid when my previous horror experience was ghosts, vampires and stuff of that nature

[Phoenix Dark]

Great recommendations guys. The Monk definitely sounds cool

http://www.amazon.com/Monk-Oxford-Worlds-Classics/dp/0195151364
(I read a bit of the first review; seems spoiler laden so I'll stop there)

Yea dude, I would definitely appreciate your copy if it's no problem.

I got The Club Dumas today and I'm going to get Barker's Books of Blood before school starts. The Dark Descent compilation also seems like a must buy/rent

[Eric P]

pm me address

i need to mail stuff to Cor and Genghis

[Phoenix Dark]

I'm going to rent The Wasp Factory and Song of Kali, both of which sound crazy. Some of the reviews for the Wasp Factory:

The Scotsman

There's nothing to force you, having been warned, to read it; nor do I recommend it.



Punch

The Wasp Factory is a first novel not only of tremendous promise, but also of achievement, a minor masterpiece perhaps.



The Times (London)

Rubbish!



Times Literary Supplement

A literary equivalent of the nastiest brand of juvenile delinquency.



Daily Express

Read it if you dare.

wow lol

[Eric P]

i haven't made it to the post office yet

[Phoenix Dark]

No prob, I was just updating the thread.

The Club Dumas has compelled me to pick up The Three Musketeers; I read an illustrated version when I was a kid, and I've seen tons of film versions but I've never read the "real" version.

[TVC15]

Would The Wasp Factory be a good first Iain Banks book?

[TVC15]

I'll nab it and The Bridge, I guess.

[Madrun Badrun]

in hard cover?

[Eric P]

Would The Wasp Factory be a good first Iain Banks book?

Yes.  It was mine.  And when you've finished reading it, you can then go to the Guardian Books website and read all of their book club stuff on it.  Quite interesting

esp as Banks maintains that it was his first science fiction novel in tone if not in setting.  When he lays it out, it makes sense.

I def need to snag Use of Weapons, but uh, I have too many other books to read right now.

[Eric P]

I'm going to rent The Wasp Factory and Song of Kali, both of which sound crazy.

Song of Kali is huge and deep and just wonderful all around.  Dan Simmons is a hell of a writer.  When he wants to be.

[drozmight]

My Year of Meats