|
After reading Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children and the Strugatsky brothers Roadside Picnic, I want to dive into some more foreign sci-fi / fantasy. Any suggestions? I saw Bridge of Birds recommended, but I want novels written by foreigners. I also really like Midnight's Children because of its historical references as well, but that's not that important. I am mainly looking for different cultural styles.
|
#
?
Jul 12, 2013 19:34
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 17, 2024 15:12 |
|
|
You might like Murakami. I just finished The Leopard by Di Lampedusa and now I feel like I've been neglecting Italian literature; what else should I check out?
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2013 01:17
|
|
|
Can someone recommend some non-fiction that explores well, economic anthropology, economic psychology, or neuroeconomics (yes, it's a real thing). I'm not interested in the basic stuff, either. A few articles I've read have really gotten me interested in the topic(s) from a personal research standpoint.
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2013 11:35
|
|
|
escape artist posted:Can someone recommend some non-fiction that explores well, economic anthropology, economic psychology, or neuroeconomics (yes, it's a real thing). You mean like cog psych Tversky stuff? I think the non-basic stuff exists mostly as journal articles. There is Judgment Under Uncertainty: Heuristics and Biases by Kahneman/Slovic/Tversky, which I've been after for years but have never found a cheap copy.
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2013 15:53
|
|
man
|
Stolennosferatu posted:After reading Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children and the Strugatsky brothers Roadside Picnic, I want to dive into some more foreign sci-fi / fantasy. Any suggestions? I saw Bridge of Birds recommended, but I want novels written by foreigners. Stanislaw Lem is the go-to guy I'd say. quote:Lem was awarded an honorary membership in the Science Fiction Writers of America (SFWA) in 1973 despite being technically ineligible. SFWA Honorary membership is given to people who do not meet the criteria for joining the regular membership but who would be welcomed as members. Lem, however, never had a high opinion of American science fiction, describing it as ill thought-out, poorly written, and interested more in making money than in ideas or new literary forms.[16] After his American publication, when he became eligible for regular membership, his honorary membership was rescinded, since technically he was no longer eligible for the honorary one. Some of the SFWA members apparently intended this as a rebuke,[17] and it seems that Lem interpreted it thus. After his American publication, Lem was invited to stay on with the organization with a regular membership, but declined.[18] After many members (including Ursula K. Le Guin) protested Lem's treatment by the SFWA, a member offered to pay his dues. Lem never accepted the offer.[16][18] http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Stanis%C5%82aw_Lem
|
|
#
?
Jul 13, 2013 22:02
|
|
|
For some reason I've been wanting to read books with a subterranean bent lately, that or books that feature complex buildings or mazes. Stories set underground (could be a subway, hell, a mine, whatever) or within large structures. Could be any genre. Vague, I know - I can't even give many examples of similar books to what I'm looking for. I loved the concept of the Descent by Jeff Long, but found it disappointing and tediously written. My ideal read at the moment would probably be a novelisation of Mazeworld from 2000AD. Failing that, I'd also love recommendations for novels about morally grey gentleman thief style characters in a modern setting.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2013 03:28
|
|
|
AARP LARPer fucked around with this message at 01:20 on Jan 22, 2016 |
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2013 04:06
|
|
|
PatMarshall posted:You might like Murakami. If you want classics, the names you'll see mentioned most often are Italo Calvino (likes to play around with storytelling a lot), Primo Levi (a scientist and holocaust survivor turned writer - fantastic ideas and polished prose), Luigi Pirandello (most famous for plays, which veer into absurd often), Italo Svevo (Joyce was a big fan, apparently modelling Bloom after him) and Alberto Moravia (I found him a bit boring, personally, but I did read it quite some time ago). A bit more modern but well regarded are Leonardo Sciascia ('sophisticated Sicilian mafia detectives'), Umberto Eco (you've probably heard of "The Name of the Rose" and his other literary bestsellers) and Marta Morazzoni (I actually just bought her book, but it appears to be about undercurrents in the village life).
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2013 09:42
|
|
|
Stolennosferatu posted:After reading Salman Rushdie's Midnight's Children and the Strugatsky brothers Roadside Picnic, I want to dive into some more foreign sci-fi / fantasy. Any suggestions? I saw Bridge of Birds recommended, but I want novels written by foreigners. There's the 'Gameworld Trilogy' by Samit Basu. I've only ever read the first book, 'The Simoqin Prophecies'. It's sort of like an Indian Terry Pratchett There's also 'Slayer of Kamsa' by Ashok Banker, book one of the Krishna Coriolis series. It's fantasy fiction steeped in Hindu mythology.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2013 10:53
|
|
|
Chas McGill posted:For some reason I've been wanting to read books with a subterranean bent lately, that or books that feature complex buildings or mazes. Stories set underground (could be a subway, hell, a mine, whatever) or within large structures. Could be any genre. Vague, I know - I can't even give many examples of similar books to what I'm looking for. I loved the concept of the Descent by Jeff Long, but found it disappointing and tediously written. My ideal read at the moment would probably be a novelisation of Mazeworld from 2000AD. The obvious answer is Wool by Hugh Howey, read the omnibus version. The story of Wool takes place on a post-apocalyptic Earth in which Humanity clings to survival in the Silos, subterranean cities extending over one hundred stories beneath the surface. You can notice it was self published and his first mayor books, but it's actually quite good. Less known but also a valid recommendation is The Fade from Chris Wooding. I personally haven't read it, but I did read some other books by the author and those where pretty good. The synopsis on the writer's site reads: The civilisations of Callespa have evolved underground, away from the lethal suns that scour the skin of their moon. In tunnels and vast caverns bored out millennia ago, they build their cities and fight their wars. But down there in the dark, a catastrophe is brewing; and the only person who might be able to prevent it is locked in an inescapable prison on the wrong side of enemy lines…
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2013 12:14
|
|
|
Walh Hara posted:The obvious answer is Wool by Hugh Howey, read the omnibus version. Seconding that and adding Memoirs Found in a Bathtub, a black satire that takes place within a massive, Pentagon-like structure (a frequent recommendation of mine), and PKD's The Penultimate Truth, which has more in common with Wool.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2013 13:35
|
|
|
Do Not Resuscitate posted:I'm wondering if Frederick Pohl's Gateway might be something you'd enjoy. It's an excellent book in any case. Walh Hara posted:Less known but also a valid recommendation is The Fade from Chris Wooding. I personally haven't read it, but I did read some other books by the author and those where pretty good. The synopsis on the writer's site reads: The civilisations of Callespa have evolved underground, away from the lethal suns that scour the skin of their moon. In tunnels and vast caverns bored out millennia ago, they build their cities and fight their wars. But down there in the dark, a catastrophe is brewing; and the only person who might be able to prevent it is locked in an inescapable prison on the wrong side of enemy lines…
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2013 19:39
|
|
|
Chris Wooding wrote my favorite YA Lit series ever (Broken Sky), so I'm definitely checking that out as well.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2013 20:22
|
|
|
I just finished World War Z and am looking for something similarly..enrapturing? My usual favorite author is Vonnegut but I'm looking for something a bit more concrete, less abstract, you know? Something with historical fiction elements would be nice too. I guess I'm looking for a really good historical fiction book that really drags the reader in.
|
|
#
?
Jul 14, 2013 23:01
|
|
|
Sandwolf posted:I just finished World War Z and am looking for something similarly..enrapturing? My usual favorite author is Vonnegut but I'm looking for something a bit more concrete, less abstract, you know? Something with historical fiction elements would be nice too. Check out Aztec by Gary Jennings. That and The Killer Angels, which is about the Battle of Gettysburg, are the best historical novels I've ever read. Aztec is incredible, but not for the squeamish - it has everything from lesbian rape to incest to wall-to-wall violence. It works though.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2013 00:27
|
|
|
Sandwolf posted:I just finished World War Z and am looking for something similarly..enrapturing? My usual favorite author is Vonnegut but I'm looking for something a bit more concrete, less abstract, you know? Something with historical fiction elements would be nice too. I, Claudius by Robert Graves. It's the best piece of historical fiction I've read.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2013 00:52
|
|
|
Sandwolf posted:I just finished World War Z and am looking for something similarly..enrapturing? My usual favorite author is Vonnegut but I'm looking for something a bit more concrete, less abstract, you know? Something with historical fiction elements would be nice too. I just finished Equal of the Sun by Anita Amirrezvani about a week ago, and it's one of the best books I've ever read, historical fiction or no. It's about a princess of medieval Persia whose father dies without a will, so she has to try and take the reigns and keep the kingdom from falling apart while her brothers and uncles struggle over the throne. It's got all the good poo poo you'd expect from a story like that: intrigue, backstabbing, murder, conspiracies and deceit. Amirrezvani is really good at making you empathize with the characters, so I was cheering for their victories and heartbroken at their defeats. Just an excellent novel all around, I think you'd enjoy it.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2013 02:41
|
|
|
Argali posted:Check out Aztec by Gary Jennings. That and The Killer Angels, which is about the Battle of Gettysburg, are the best historical novels I've ever read. Aztec is incredible, but not for the squeamish - it has everything from lesbian rape to incest to wall-to-wall violence. It works though. Oh? Another review I've read had a markedly different opinion.
|
|
#
?
Jul 15, 2013 10:51
|
|
|
I guess this isn't really the thread for non-fiction academic stuff, but has anyone read a good book that delves into the dirty details of organization? Sorry this is sort of vague, I want to find out more about how groups organize, how a bureaucracy functions, how The Great Leader's edicts flow through hierarchies and produce action in the masses. How should a CEO direct his underlings to maximize productivity? I'm looking for an anatomy of Power, Social Power, essentially, and I don't even know where to start.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2013 03:05
|
|
|
Darth Walrus posted:Oh? Another review I've read had a markedly different opinion.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2013 03:16
|
|
|
I've never been too into novels but I quite liked Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird. Those're the only novels that I can think of that I liked, so anything like either could be nice.  Speaking of Fear and Loathing I also really liked Hunter S. Thompson's book on the Hell's Angels, and other nonfiction about the darker side of society. Any suggestions for that sort of book would be nice, too. Political views or whatever don't really matter, as I feel getting a variety of opinions on that sort of thing is good.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2013 10:31
|
|
|
Anatharon posted:I've never been too into novels but I quite liked Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird. Those're the only novels that I can think of that I liked, so anything like either could be nice. Maybe try On The Road?
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2013 19:53
|
|
|
Squalid posted:I guess this isn't really the thread for non-fiction academic stuff, but has anyone read a good book that delves into the dirty details of organization? Sorry this is sort of vague, I want to find out more about how groups organize, how a bureaucracy functions, how The Great Leader's edicts flow through hierarchies and produce action in the masses. How should a CEO direct his underlings to maximize productivity? I'm looking for an anatomy of Power, Social Power, essentially, and I don't even know where to start. This has been on my list for a bit, and may help: http://www.amazon.com/False-Prophet...=bad+management
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2013 20:38
|
|
|
Anatharon posted:I've never been too into novels but I quite liked Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird. Those're the only novels that I can think of that I liked, so anything like either could be nice. Maybe look into William S. Burroughs' books? In particular, Junky and Queer come to mind. Bukowski's another writer you might enjoy, too: try Post Office or Ham on Rye.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2013 23:52
|
|
|
Fitzgerald was a huge influence on Thompson's writing style and he also wrote a bunch about being a drunk prick.
|
|
#
?
Jul 16, 2013 23:57
|
|
|
Blitz7x posted:Anyone else playing the Last of Us on the PS3 right now? I'm looking for essentially a character-driven adventureish book like that where the characters have to traverse a large distance. Doesn't have to have zombies and post apocalyptic is a plus. Imajica by Clive Barker is pretty goddamn amazing and covers large distance, weird dimensions, and all kinds of strange happenings.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2013 01:23
|
|
|
Anatharon posted:I've never been too into novels but I quite liked Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, Catcher in the Rye and To Kill a Mockingbird. Those're the only novels that I can think of that I liked, so anything like either could be nice. I haven't read Thompson, but based on the other two you might try The Stranger by Albert Camus. It's a pretty quick read and the prose is straightforward, so you probably won't get burnt out, and I think it hits similar ideas but in a more philosophical way. It's probably my favorite book, and it's an excellent gateway to more writers and works of philosophy if you're a fan.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2013 01:45
|
|
|
Qwo posted:Aztec is a great book, and is almost universally regarded as such. I imagine there are plenty of whiny bloggers like the one you just linked to that hate other popular books, too. So it doesn't have a problem with bizarre, shoehorned-in, anatomically-impossible sex scenes, then? Because, well, I'll quote the review here (spoilered because  ):quote:At other times, Jenning seems content with just insulting his readers’ intelligence instead of their sensibilities. It’s a ways in that you realize Jennings doesn’t really care about basic biology . There’s a scene at a festival wherethe locals sacrifice Mixtli’s daughter to honour him and a priest dances around wearing her skin. As you might guess, Mixtli’s just a little upset when he finds out, so he ties down the priest and lets the skin dry out and shrink. The priest’s outer members balloon to enormous size until he explodes. All for a detailed description of a bursting penis. Just lovely.
|
|
#
?
Jul 17, 2013 20:16
|
|
|
Any suggestions for something covering the history of polio epidemics/quarantines in the U.S.?
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2013 04:42
|
|
|
I'm looking for criticisms on marketing culture and the relationship between capitalism and artistic integrity/freedom of expression. I've already read some Chomsky and Naomi Klein, as well as Anne Elizabeth Moore's Unmarketable. e. Books that lean toward the political effects of marketing and capitalism on society in general (i.e. Chomsky) are good too. Tshirt Ninja fucked around with this message at 19:38 on Jul 18, 2013 |
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2013 19:23
|
|
|
So I found out yesterday that I'm going on a business trip to Peru for a week. I have never been, and I'm looking for a good book to give me at least some type of bearing on it. Doesn't matter if it's fiction or non-fiction. It can just take place in Peru or be about Peru, preferably something that gives me insight in their culture, history, or interesting facts about them. Ideally, I'd be interested in reading something like A Walk In The Woods by Bill Bryson, but with Peru, but I'm really open for anything. Plus points for literary merit (if fiction).
|
|
#
?
Jul 18, 2013 21:55
|
|
|
Sandwolf posted:I just finished World War Z and am looking for something similarly..enrapturing? My usual favorite author is Vonnegut but I'm looking for something a bit more concrete, less abstract, you know? Something with historical fiction elements would be nice too. World War Z is presented as a fictional history but most historical fiction is a lot more "literary" and less "readable" than historical fiction. I don't like those terms - it sounds snobby and I enjoyed World War Z a lot - but if that's the kind of thing you're used to reading you might find most historicla fiction less enrapturing. Having said that, historical fiction I've enjoyed includes The Sisters Brothers by Patrick DeWitt (1850s Oregon and California), Jamrach's Menagerie by Carol Birch (19th century Pacific voyage) and The Thousand Autumns of Jacob de Zoet by David Mitchell (Dutch trading post in 1790s Japan). You might enjoy Mitchell's Cloud Atlas, which takes place in a number of different time periods in the past, present and the future.
|
|
#
?
Jul 19, 2013 12:18
|
|
|
In the interest of continuing the Bridge of Birds tradition in this thread has anyone read the sequels The Story of Stone and Eight Skilled Gentlemen? I want to know if they're worth buying (I thoroughly enjoyed bridge of birds).
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2013 05:10
|
|
|
Neither sequel is as good as Bridge of Birds, but they aren't bad. I would recommend spacing them out a bit; if you go straight into them from the awesome first book they may feel worse by comparison.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2013 05:31
|
|
|
Does anybody have any good recommendations for books set in and around either the British Empire or the Roman Empire or both! Fiction with groundings in fact preferred but not necessary.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2013 10:10
|
|
|
It's (mostly) the later years of the Roman Republic and not the Empire as such, but I always recommend Colleen McCullough's "Masters of Rome" series. Several big fat volumes each with more decadence and intrigue and pitched battles than most fantasy trilogies. The first book is The First Man in Rome. Basically a fictionalized account of real history with the big movers and shakers of the era as principal characters. As for the British empire, I've got a couple of favourite recommendations. One is Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin series, which is centered on the exploits of some Royal Navy characters during and around the Napoleonic wars. It is long and very well-regarded. Another is the Flashman series, which is a more darkly comedic account of the adventures of one Harry Paget Flashman, liar and coward extraordinaire, who toadies his way around that Empire on which the Sun never sets.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2013 12:52
|
|
|
Groke posted:It's (mostly) the later years of the Roman Republic and not the Empire as such, but I always recommend Colleen McCullough's "Masters of Rome" series. Several big fat volumes each with more decadence and intrigue and pitched battles than most fantasy trilogies. The first book is The First Man in Rome. Basically a fictionalized account of real history with the big movers and shakers of the era as principal characters. Okay these look fantastic, thanks for the recommendations. I'll let you know what I think of them, I'm off on holiday tomorrow and needed something new for my kindle.
|
|
#
?
Jul 20, 2013 21:35
|
|
|
Jacada posted:Does anybody have any good recommendations for books set in and around either the British Empire or the Roman Empire or both! Fiction with groundings in fact preferred but not necessary. For Rome, I, Claudius by Robert Graves is the go-to (and a blast to boot) and I've also heard good things about Rex Warner's two novels about Caesar. You might want to look into Stephen Saylor's Roma, too.
|
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2013 03:06
|
|
|
Since maturing and doing a Literature degree, I can't enjoy the usual fantasy any more. Is there any fantasy that would be good enough for a litfag?
|
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2013 12:25
|
|
|
|
| # ? May 17, 2024 15:12 |
|
|
Project1 posted:Since maturing and doing a Literature degree, I can't enjoy the usual fantasy any more. Is there any fantasy that would be good enough for a litfag? Gene Wolfe's Book of the New Sun
|
|
#
?
Jul 21, 2013 12:42
|
|