favorite non-King read

[surly]

there's probably a similar existing thread which this can be merged with, but until then...

spoiler alert: this is just a thinly disguised thread for reading recos, but I thought it could be fun.

I prefer genre titles, and I find I have exhausted everything by King and my other favorite authors at the moment. While I was looking for something else to read in the meantime, I saw some discussion here about a book called REPLAY by Ken Grimwood which several members named among their favorites. based on that discussion, I picked up a copy and really enjoyed it.

Got me to thinking: if others shared some of their non-King favorites, perhaps I would find something I might not have otherwise discovered.

I'll start. My most recent non-King favorite is LEXICON by Max Barry. its a cool thriller with a genre twist.

My all-time non-King favorite might be a bit tougher, and changes from time to time, but right now I'd say it was BOYS LIFE by Robert McCammon. If you have never given him a try, it might be a good entry point.

[zelig]

Glad you enjoyed Replay. I love that book. Here's another non-King favorite of mine.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. For those who enjoy epic historical fiction. It's one of the best books I've read.

[firemonkey66]

The Infected trilogy by Scott Sigler is awesome. Three of my all time favorite books. Great techno-thriller series with violence, humor, aliens, and really good character development.

John Dies at the End and This Book is Filled with Spiders by David Wong are unique reads that everybody should give a try at some point. It's horror and humor and is totally out there, but also very enjoyable and well written.

Peter Clines writes a series of books, the first one being Ex-Heroes, which is a blend between the genres of super heroes and zombie apocalypse. Fairly unique, well done, and fun to read.

[FennyBate]

Some of my favorites:
Novels - 'The House Next Door', by Anne Rivers Siddons
'Ghost Story' and 'Floating Dragon', by Peter Straub
'The Pet', by Charles Grant
'A Dark Matter', by Michelle Paver
'A Head Full of Ghosts', by Paul Tremblay
'The Elementals' and 'Cold Moon Over Babylon', by Michael McDowell
'The Shaft', by David Schow
'The Ceremonies', by T E D Klein
'The Night Walker', by Thomas Tessier

Collections - 'Dark Companions' and 'Ghosts and Grisly Things', by Ramsey Campbell
'The Books of Blood', by Clive Barker
'Dark Gods', by T E D Klein
'20th Century Ghosts', by Joe Hill

Lincoln.

[biomieg]

Anything by Cody McFadyen (if you're into serial killer thrillers) and Daniel Hecht (if you're into slightly supernatural neuropsychological-gothic thrillers). Both authors have stopped writing after publishing five novels or so, AFAIK.

A really tense horror novel is The Ritual, by Adam Nevill.

[Ben Staad]

There are many for me. One series I've reread multiple times is Otherland by Tad Williams. One of the my favorites. Jack McDevitt has a book called Eternity Road which I love as well and of course The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

[frik]

Robert McCammon's Boy's Life, Swan Song and the ongoing Matthew Corbett series of historical fantasy novels can hardly be bettered.
Also very highly recommended come Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Covenant fantasy novels, his The Gap Science Fiction saga (just awesome) plus his Mordant's Need two-part book series (fantasy).

sk

[RC65]

BOY'S LIFE is indeed a great one.


Some of my favorites:

'Ghost Story' by Peter Straub
'A Dark Matter', by Michelle Paver
'A Head Full of Ghosts', by Paul Tremblay
'The Elementals' by Michael McDowell
'The Ceremonies', by T E D Klein
'The Night Walker', by Thomas Tessier

'Dark Gods', by T E D Klein
'20th Century Ghosts', by Joe Hill

Lincoln.

A great list of suggestions here.

[RC65]

and of course The Road by Cormac McCarthy.

My favorite book of all time.

[Patrick]

Glad you enjoyed Replay. I love that book. Here's another non-King favorite of mine.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. For those who enjoy epic historical fiction. It's one of the best books I've read.
I'm not a huge fan of epic historical fiction, but I loved PILLARS. Highly recommend that book.

I need to read REPLAY, given all the positive buzz around here.

My most recently read favorite is READY PLAYER ONE. Finished it a couple weeks ago and I already want to read it again.

[jsweet]

Great historic detective fiction - the Nate Heller series by Max Allan Collins (starts with True Detective)

His best known creation may be the Road to Perdition series (comics & novels) which was the basis for the Tom Hanks/Paul Newman film.
His Quarry series will soon be making its debut as a Cinemax TV series.

[WeDealInLead]

Complete Sherlock Holmes, some Verne, some H.G. Wells, the Hyperion books, classic titles by Arthur C. Clarke. I could re-read only these until I die and I'd be perfectly content.

I collect Gaiman, Powers, and Wolfe. Those guys are about a quadrillion times better writers than H.G. Wells and Verne. I'd still go with the latter in a deserted island scenario. Those books make me feel happy.

[jhanic]

Glad you enjoyed Replay. I love that book. Here's another non-King favorite of mine.

The Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett. For those who enjoy epic historical fiction. It's one of the best books I've read.
I'm not a huge fan of epic historical fiction, but I loved PILLARS. Highly recommend that book.

I need to read REPLAY, given all the positive buzz around here.

My most recently read favorite is READY PLAYER ONE. Finished it a couple weeks ago and I already want to read it again.

Patrick, you won't regret reading Replay. It's a fantastic book.

John

[Patrick]

Thanks, John. I'll order it today and put it on To Read list.

[mkberger]

Not to everyone's taste, but Philip Pullman's NORTHERN LIGHTS (aka THE GOLDEN COMPASS) is a brilliant book. The second (THE SUBTLE KNIFE) and third (THE AMBER SPYGLASS) are incredible--and better books, in some ways--but it's been many years since a book knocked me that flat.

[Cordial Jim]

Really tough to nail down only a few (I have so many "favorites"). Here's a shortlist:

Booked to Die by John Dunning (and all the Cliff Janeway novels)
Earth Abides by George R. Stewart
Slob by Rex Miller (and most of the others in the Jack Eichord saga)
Miami Blues by Charles Willeford (and the other three Hoke Moseley books)
Murder in the Wind and The End of the Night by John D. MacDonald (and many others)
The Black Company and Garrett P.I. series' by Glen Cook
Sanibel Flats by Randy Wayne White
Chinaman's Chance by Ross Thomas (Hell, anything by Ross Thomas really)
LaBrava by Elmore Leonard

and on and on...

[Dan]

I too have many.

Dracula - my absolute favorite
Hyperion series
I Am Legend
Boy's Life
The Passage (soon to be trilogy. The first two were good so far)
Almost anything by Richard Laymon

[Phalucha]

Lots of great books on the lists above - I agree with the high praise for the McCammon titles. I would add William Peter Blatty's The Exorcist and Thomas Harris' Silence of the Lambs. Re-read The Exorcist in 2015 and while the shock is gone it still holds up very well as innovative and very well written in addition to being a trail-blazing horror novel. Silence is one of the best structured novels I have ever read. Both of these novels are entirely exhilarating first reads-akin to falling into the author's world -and stand up to revisits.

[Cordial Jim]

Good call, Phalucha! Silence of the Lambs (and Red Dragon) should have been on my shortlist as well. I adore those books! Definitely one of my all-time favorites. Hannibal is up there too for me (I probably liked it more than most people), but it's not quite at the level of Silence and Dragon.

[Tommy]

Richard Bachman is pretty good.

[firemonkey66]

Good call, Phalucha! Silence of the Lambs (and Red Dragon) should have been on my shortlist as well. I adore those books! Definitely one of my all-time favorites. Hannibal is up there too for me (I probably liked it more than most people), but it's not quite at the level of Silence and Dragon.

I don't know what it was, but Hannibal struck a chord with me too. It might not be the superior of the three, but if I had to choose just one of them to reread, it would be Hannibal.

[Tommy]

Seriously though, I love all these writers (no particular order):

Bret Easton Ellis
Thomas Harris
Clive Barker
Robert McCammon
Edward Lee
Anne Rice
Cormac McCarthy
Thomas Pynchon
Kealan Patrick Burke
James Joyce
F. Scott Fitzgerald
JD Salinger
Truman Capote
JK Rowling/Robert Galbraith
William Faulkner
Jeff Lindsay
EM Forster
Fyodor Dostoevsky
Vladimir Nabokov
Toni Morrison
Chuck Palahniuk
Philip Roth
Joyce Carol Oates
Agatha Christie
Dashiell Hammett
Oscar Wilde
GRR Martin
Gillian Flynn
Max Brooks
Jack Ketchum
Hugh Howey
Scott Sigler
Neil Gaiman
Franz Kafka
Edgar Allen Poe
Brian James Freeman

[carlosdetweiller]

Good call, Phalucha! Silence of the Lambs (and Red Dragon) should have been on my shortlist as well. I adore those books! Definitely one of my all-time favorites. Hannibal is up there too for me (I probably liked it more than most people), but it's not quite at the level of Silence and Dragon.

I don't know what it was, but Hannibal struck a chord with me too. It might not be the superior of the three, but if I had to choose just one of them to reread, it would be Hannibal.

What did you guys think of Hannibal Rising?

[firemonkey66]

Good call, Phalucha! Silence of the Lambs (and Red Dragon) should have been on my shortlist as well. I adore those books! Definitely one of my all-time favorites. Hannibal is up there too for me (I probably liked it more than most people), but it's not quite at the level of Silence and Dragon.

I don't know what it was, but Hannibal struck a chord with me too. It might not be the superior of the three, but if I had to choose just one of them to reread, it would be Hannibal.

What did you guys think of Hannibal Rising?

I only read it the one time when it came out, but I remember being vaguely disappointed. I really liked how Harris explored and explained Hannibal's mind and thought process in Hannibal and I was hoping for a continuation of that in Hannibal Rising. If I recall correctly, it wasn't much like Hannibal in that regard.

[Tommy]

I read Hannibal Rising in one sitting and remember thinking, beautifully written but definitely the weakest of the Hannibal Books and I don't have any desire to read it again. I've read Red Dragon twice and could stand another read soon. Hannibal is the first book that I read three times. I will probably read it again. Such a gorgeous, messy but unique and bizarre book. I am a huge fan of the film version of The Silence of the Lambs which may be why I've only read that book once.

[Rooster]

So many! But I'll restrict myself to seconding frik's mention of Stephen Donaldson (everything he's written), Cordial Jim's mention of Glen Cook (Cook is a go to guy when in doubt) and WeDealInLead's mention of Powers (Anubis Gates is in itself sooo good). Others not mentioned are Dorothy Dunnett (the queen of historical fiction to me), Jack Vance (the grandmaster, and my number one collecting target), and my newest favourite, K. J. Parker.

[becca69]

The Kingkiller Chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss (if he'd just get that 3rd book done!)
The Red Rising trilogy by Pierce Brown
Any Christopher Moore book if you want to laugh out loud
The Fever Series by Karen Marie Moning if you like Urban Fantasy

[Phalucha]

I like Hannibal as well as Red Dragon. But Silence was for me my favorite. I remember I enjoyed Red Dragon more after reading Silence then the first time through. He is a wonderful writer.

[Tommy]

I like Hannibal as well as Red Dragon. But Silence was for me my favorite. I remember I enjoyed Red Dragon more after reading Silence then the first time through. He is a wonderful writer.

He really is. Just talking about these books makes me want to reread all of them actually. Maybe even Hannibal Rising! I was thinking, what impact would it have to a "fresh" reader in reading them in chronological order? Starting with HR, then Red Dragon and so forth. It's interesting to think how that progression would affect the "fresh" reader's perspective on Hannibal. I read them out of order myself starting with TSOTL, then RD, then Hannibal and finally Hannibal Rising.

[firemonkey66]

I like Hannibal as well as Red Dragon. But Silence was for me my favorite. I remember I enjoyed Red Dragon more after reading Silence then the first time through. He is a wonderful writer.

He really is. Just talking about these books makes me want to reread all of them actually. Maybe even Hannibal Rising again! I was thinking, what impact would it have to a "fresh" reader in reading them in chronological order? Starting with HR, then Red Dragon and so forth. It's interesting to think how that progression would affect the "fresh" reader's perspective on Hannibal. I read them out of order myself starting with TSOTL, then RD, then Hannibal and finally Hannibal Rising.

Interesting idea. It might make Hannibal Rising better to not have the high expectations set by the other 3 books going into it.

[Tommy]

I like Hannibal as well as Red Dragon. But Silence was for me my favorite. I remember I enjoyed Red Dragon more after reading Silence then the first time through. He is a wonderful writer.

He really is. Just talking about these books makes me want to reread all of them actually. Maybe even Hannibal Rising again! I was thinking, what impact would it have to a "fresh" reader in reading them in chronological order? Starting with HR, then Red Dragon and so forth. It's interesting to think how that progression would affect the "fresh" reader's perspective on Hannibal. I read them out of order myself starting with TSOTL, then RD, then Hannibal and finally Hannibal Rising.

Interesting idea. It might make Hannibal Rising better to not have the high expectations set by the other 3 books going into it.

I thought that too. It is a great prequel/lead-in if you don't know what's coming. It would make Hannibal less mysterious in RD and TSOTL though. It would definitely be a different experience.

[Heather19]

Summer of Night and The Terror, both by Dan Simmons
The Wayward Pines series by Blake Crouch
A recent read that I thoroughly enjoyed was a Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Chuck Palahniuk's earlier works, like Lullaby, Fight Club, Choke, Survivor
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

[zelig]

So many! But I'll restrict myself to seconding frik's mention of Stephen Donaldson (everything he's written), Cordial Jim's mention of Glen Cook (Cook is a go to guy when in doubt) and WeDealInLead's mention of Powers (Anubis Gates is in itself sooo good). Others not mentioned are Dorothy Dunnett (the queen of historical fiction to me), Jack Vance (the grandmaster, and my number one collecting target), and my newest favourite, K. J. Parker.

Now you've got me intrigued about Dorothy Dunnett. I really enjoy reading historical fiction and I'm amazed that I had never heard of her. :redface: I'm going to have to check out her books. The Game of Kings seems to be the place to start. It's great that her books are still in print after all the years.

[webstar1000]

Summer of Night and The Terror, both by Dan Simmons
The Wayward Pines series by Blake Crouch
A recent read that I thoroughly enjoyed was a Head Full of Ghosts by Paul Tremblay
The Thirteenth Tale by Diane Setterfield
Chuck Palahniuk's earlier works, like Lullaby, Fight Club, Choke, Survivor
Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer

Summer of Night and Terror... TOTALLY AGREE!

[Rooster]

So many! But I'll restrict myself to seconding frik's mention of Stephen Donaldson (everything he's written), Cordial Jim's mention of Glen Cook (Cook is a go to guy when in doubt) and WeDealInLead's mention of Powers (Anubis Gates is in itself sooo good). Others not mentioned are Dorothy Dunnett (the queen of historical fiction to me), Jack Vance (the grandmaster, and my number one collecting target), and my newest favourite, K. J. Parker.

Now you've got me intrigued about Dorothy Dunnett. I really enjoy reading historical fiction and I'm amazed that I had never heard of her. :redface: I'm going to have to check out her books. The Game of Kings seems to be the place to start. It's great that her books are still in print after all the years.

Awesome! Dunnett often seems to be a well-kept secret. I found about her on a different forum, and ended up steamrolling through all her books. I've very rarely heard mention of her outside that forum, but still, she must have been quite popular at the time; they even published a book of poetry related to the work, and two companion volumes which shed light on the historical background and the classical allusions, references and quotations.

She's written one standalone and two series, and even though the House of Niccolò is set before the Lymond Chronicles, the first novel of the latter - The Game of Kings - is indeed the best place to start, even if it is actually one of her more difficult books. It may or may not help to know that the prose style, which is very baroque, gets toned down a bit in the later books. Whenever you get around to reading it, please let me know - even if you hated it.

Also, if you have any historical fiction recommendations, feel free to drop me a line!

[zelig]

Will do! I have so much on my reading list but will push this one up the line. In terms of other recommendations, I don't know that I have any major revelations. A few that come to mind are The Covenant by Michener, Exodus by Uris, The Century Trilogy by Follett and of course Pillars and World Without End. He's currently writing the third in that series.

[Rooster]

I've read Pillars by Follett, and I liked it very much. I hadn't heard of Michener or Uris, but I'm thinking The Covenant will find itself on the next shipping box headed my way. Thanks!

[webstar1000]

Thinking about adding Swan Song on my read list. Seen it here I think... good guys?

[zelig]

I've read Pillars by Follett, and I liked it very much. I hadn't heard of Michener or Uris, but I'm thinking The Covenant will find itself on the next shipping box headed my way. Thanks!

The Covenant was especially meaningful to me because it's all about the history of South Africa where I'm from. Michener had written a lot of books and was very popular back in his day. Hope you enjoy it.

[Tommy]

Thinking about adding Swan Song on my read list. Seen it here I think... good guys?

A McCammon I have not read yet. Judging by everything else I've read by him, I'm sure I will like it a great deal though.

[firemonkey66]

Thinking about adding Swan Song on my read list. Seen it here I think... good guys?

A McCammon I have not read yet. Judging by everything else I've read by him, I'm sure I will like it a great deal though.

I had thought the same thing when I read Swan Song, but I was disappointed. I know that it is a highly regarded book from McCammon's body of work, but my personal opinion is that Boy's Life is McCammon's true masterpiece. Boy's Life was woven very well and came 'full circle' in the end. Swan Song's story, in comparison to the 'circle' that Boy's Life made, was more like a long wavy (almost jagged) line whose point A and point B were pretty far away from each other in the end. In other words, there were a lot of loose ends at the end of Swan Song. That's not always a bad thing for a story, but for me, most of the loose ends at the end of Swan Song weren't the fun type of loose ends that keep me thinking about the story and pushing it further beyond the writer's end to the story in my own mind, but more like the type of loose ends that make me think WTF?

Just my personal opinion. No offense meant to McCammon fans who love Swan Song. It just obviously wasn't my cup of tea.

[Br!an]

I've read Pillars by Follett, and I liked it very much. I hadn't heard of Michener or Uris, but I'm thinking The Covenant will find itself on the next shipping box headed my way. Thanks!

The Covenant was especially meaningful to me because it's all about the history of South Africa where I'm from. Michener had written a lot of books and was very popular back in his day. Hope you enjoy it.

I love everything by Michener. He was one of my favorite authors.

[Heather19]

Thinking about adding Swan Song on my read list. Seen it here I think... good guys?

A McCammon I have not read yet. Judging by everything else I've read by him, I'm sure I will like it a great deal though.

I had thought the same thing when I read Swan Song, but I was disappointed. I know that it is a highly regarded book from McCammon's body of work, but my personal opinion is that Boy's Life is McCammon's true masterpiece. Boy's Life was woven very well and came 'full circle' in the end. Swan Song's story, in comparison to the 'circle' that Boy's Life made, was more like a long wavy (almost jagged) line whose point A and point B were pretty far away from each other in the end. In other words, there were a lot of loose ends at the end of Swan Song. That's not always a bad thing for a story, but for me, most of the loose ends at the end of Swan Song weren't the fun type of loose ends that keep me thinking about the story and pushing it further beyond the writer's end to the story in my own mind, but more like the type of loose ends that make me think WTF?

Just my personal opinion. No offense meant to McCammon fans who love Swan Song. It just obviously wasn't my cup of tea.

I have both Swan Song and Boy's Life on my kindle and ready to go. Maybe I'll start one of them next.

[goathunter]

I thought that too. It is a great prequel/lead-in if you don't know what's coming. It would make Hannibal less mysterious in RD and TSOTL though. It would definitely be a different experience.

That's why I didn't care for Hannibal Rising much. I don't want to know why Hannibal is the way he is. He's much scarier if you don't know. After reading Hannibal Rising, he was just "misunderstood." ;-) The book would have worked a lot better for me if the main character had been not-Hannibal.

Hunter

[goathunter]

Also, if you have any historical fiction recommendations, feel free to drop me a line!


I may be seen as biased, but I highly recommend Robert McCammmon's Matthew Corbett books, which are set in 17th Century America. The first book is Speaks the Nightbird.

http://www.matthewcorbettsworld.com/

Hunter

[Cordial Jim]

Good to see some love for Hannibal! I just remember when it came out there was quite a bit of criticism about it, particularly the ending. I was working at a book store at the time (Crown Books if anybody remembers them from back in the day) and remember people being downright angry over what "Harris did to Starling" (including my future wife). I seem to recall reading several negative book reviews about it at the time also. When I eventually got around to reading it I was blown away about how good it was. Like Silence and Dragon, I simply could not put it down. I've read some pretty gritty stuff in my time, but there was stuff in Hannibal I've never seen in print before, especially for a best seller! Gutsy and brilliant, including the ending!

Hannibal Rising.... really didn't care for it that much. A let down for sure for me. Anybody know what Tom is up to these days? It's been 10 years since Rising. He's due for a new book!

[Tommy]

I thought that too. It is a great prequel/lead-in if you don't know what's coming. It would make Hannibal less mysterious in RD and TSOTL though. It would definitely be a different experience.

That's why I didn't care for Hannibal Rising much. I don't want to know why Hannibal is the way he is. He's much scarier if you don't know. After reading Hannibal Rising, he was just "misunderstood." ;-) The book would have worked a lot better for me if the main character had been not-Hannibal.

Hunter

Yeah I have to admit Hannibal Rising is problematic to read at the end OR at the beginning of the Red Dragon-The Silence of the Lambs-Hannibal cycle because it is so comparatively weak. To a new reader I would suggest not reading it all and to enjoy the mystery of Hannibal's past. But I think anyone who reads those first three would have to read Hannibal Rising simply because it's there and they will want more Hannibal.

[Tommy]

Good to see some love for Hannibal! I just remember when it came out there was quite a bit of criticism about it, particularly the ending. I was working at a book store at the time (Crown Books if anybody remembers them from back in the day) and remember people being downright angry over what "Harris did to Starling" (including my future wife). I seem to recall reading several negative book reviews about it at the time also. When I eventually got around to reading it I was blown away about how good it was. Like Silence and Dragon, I simply could not put it down. I've read some pretty gritty stuff in my time, but there was stuff in Hannibal I've never seen in print before, especially for a best seller! Gutsy and brilliant, including the ending!

Hannibal Rising.... really didn't care for it that much. A let down for sure for me. Anybody know what Tom is up to these days? It's been 10 years since Rising. He's due for a new book!

King loved it...

Hannibal the Cannibal: Dr. Lecter is the great fictional monster of our time. by Stephen King (https://www.nytimes.com/books/99/06/13/reviews/990613.13kingct.html)

[Rooster]

Also, if you have any historical fiction recommendations, feel free to drop me a line!

I may be seen as biased, but I highly recommend Robert McCammmon's Matthew Corbett books, which are set in 17th Century America. The first book is Speaks the Nightbird.

http://www.matthewcorbettsworld.com/

Hunter

Thank you Hunter! I've heard great things about McCammon on this forum. When I get into this work, it's going to be either with Speaks the Nightbird as you mentioned, or with Boy's Life!

[Girlystevedave]

The Wayward Pines series by Blake Crouch


Seconded. Heather, I am so glad you introduced me to the Pines series. One of the best things ever.
:thumbsup:



The Century Trilogy by Follett and of course Pillars and World Without End. He's currently writing the third in that series.

Gah! I keep forgetting to check out Pillars and World Without End. I always hear good things about it.

[divemaster]

I think my favorite non-King books are:

--The Bonfire of the Vanities (Tom Wolfe)
--Memoirs of a Geisha (Arthur Golden)
--Starship Troopers (Robert Heinlein)

[somekindofstranger]

I may be in the minority on this site, in that Stephen King isnt actually one of my favourite authors! I actually stumbled across TDT whilst looking for some Gaiman forums, and I havent been able to find the way out yet!!

My favourites would be:

Neil Gaiman - pretty much anything but if I had to pick then Good Omens, Smoke and Mirrors and Stardust are my top 3 (at least for today).
Terry Pratchett - I have a huge TP collection (only a few collectibles though). Favourites would be Good Omens (cowritten with Gaiman), Mort, Soul Music, Night Watch, Wee Free Men. I Am surprised he doesnt get mentioned here more often to be honest. I might post some pictures to the other authors thread and see who else shares my liking!
Anne Rice - Specifically The Vampire Chronicles. The first three books are 3 of my favourite books of all time. I think the series did lose its way a little over the years, but I am currently reading the latest 'Prince Lestat' and its like revisiting old friends!

Aside from those, other random liked books would be :
-Complete Sherlock Holmes
-Complete Edgar Allen Poe
-Alice in Wonderland/Through the looking glass
-The Box of Delights (an old childhood favourite!)

[Ben Mears]

Summer Of Night- Dan Simmons

[Phalucha]

Forgot to mention - Tana French. Her ongoing series of police procedurals are beautifully written and compelling stories. I heard that there are plans to begin bringing them to the small screen in the UK as well. Can't recommend her enough.

[surly]

Finally got around to reading READY PLAYER ONE.
By no means is it great literature - its really just a bunch of 80s geek references tied together with a familiar story - but boy was it a lot fun.
It was one of those instances where I couldn't wait to get back to reading it, but tried to draw it out because I didn't want it to end. I think its safe to say that I loved it.
If 'Greetings, Starfighter. You have been recruited by the Star League to defend the frontier against Xur and the Ko-Dan armada.' means anything to you, this one might be worth picking up.

[Aronstg]

Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss
American Gods by Neil Gaiman

Those are probably my two favorite books. Gaiman is a master storyteller. I haven't encountered anyone like him. Rothfuss is a beautiful writer. Even if Fantasy isn't your thing I think you could appreciate his writing.

Just picked up A Boy's Life on audio. Really looking forward to reading that as many have said it is one of their favorites.

[swintek]

-American Gods
-Song of Kali
-Anubis Gates
-On Stranger Tides
-Summer of Night

-Carrion Comfort used to make the Top 5, but it's the only one of the bunch I've never re-read so I'm not sure if it holds up. I need to read it again!

[Dave1442397]

Thinking about adding Swan Song on my read list. Seen it here I think... good guys?

A McCammon I have not read yet. Judging by everything else I've read by him, I'm sure I will like it a great deal though.

I had thought the same thing when I read Swan Song, but I was disappointed. I know that it is a highly regarded book from McCammon's body of work, but my personal opinion is that Boy's Life is McCammon's true masterpiece. Boy's Life was woven very well and came 'full circle' in the end. Swan Song's story, in comparison to the 'circle' that Boy's Life made, was more like a long wavy (almost jagged) line whose point A and point B were pretty far away from each other in the end. In other words, there were a lot of loose ends at the end of Swan Song. That's not always a bad thing for a story, but for me, most of the loose ends at the end of Swan Song weren't the fun type of loose ends that keep me thinking about the story and pushing it further beyond the writer's end to the story in my own mind, but more like the type of loose ends that make me think WTF?

Just my personal opinion. No offense meant to McCammon fans who love Swan Song. It just obviously wasn't my cup of tea.

I have to agree with this review of Swan Song. I read it again a few months ago and didn't find it any better than the first time around (back in the '80s). I then re-read Boy's Life, and had forgotten just how much I loved that book.

[surly]

I just finished THE FORGOTTEN GIRL by Rio Youers which Joe Hill was endorsing. I don't always like the books that he recommends, but he seemed to be pretty enthusiastic about it so I decided to give it a try and I'm glad I did. I didn't know anything about it going in and thought it was just going to be a typical thriller so I was surprised to notice a King influence, with definite shades of FIRESTARTER . It was a quick, exciting read an I ended up loving it; would recommend it to anyone here.