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Post by chrisk on Aug 23, 2017 11:39:26 GMT -5
I've been doing audio book series for years now. I'd love to get a list of recommendations. i'll get to them eventually.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Aug 23, 2017 14:52:42 GMT -5
What do you like?
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Dellarigg
AV Clubber 
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Posts: 7,638 
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Post by Dellarigg on Aug 23, 2017 16:11:19 GMT -5
The Patrick Melrose novels by Edward St Aubyn. Not for the faint of heart, but good.
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Post by MrsLangdonAlger on Aug 23, 2017 19:36:30 GMT -5
The Graceling series by Kristin Cashore
The Gemma Doyle series by Libba Bray
The His Dark Materials series by Phillip Pullman
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Post by chrisk on Aug 23, 2017 20:03:10 GMT -5
I like books that are more concerned with human nature than scifi technology or fantasy worlds. i'm personally more of a southern gothic/19th century russia guy, but i'm willing to read/listen to whatever.
so far, i've really enjoyed Cook's Black Company, Updike's Rabbit series, Simmons' Hyperion, ice+fire, sanderson's mistborn, and mccarthy's border trilogy.
i didn't really like the enders game series (spinoffs too) and the thomas convenant books (currently dragging myself through it).
theres plenty in the middle that i was glad i read, but wouldn't say i loved, like dune, hobbit/LOTR, Zelazny's Amber, Oryx and Crake, Dark Tower, and The Quantum Thief.
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Post by Ben Grimm on Aug 23, 2017 20:13:57 GMT -5
Try Cherie Priest's Eden Moore books, or Jeff Vandermeer's Southern Reach trilogy (which starts with Annihilation).
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Post by Bastard Son of Dean Friedman on Aug 23, 2017 23:02:58 GMT -5
Are you familiar with LeGuin's Earthsea books?
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Post by Roy Batty's Pet Dove on Aug 24, 2017 0:10:35 GMT -5
I like books that are more concerned with human nature than scifi technology or fantasy worlds. i'm personally more of a southern gothic/19th century russia guy, but i'm willing to read/listen to whatever. There's Faulkner's Snopes "trilogy" (consisting of The Hamlet, The Town, and The Mansion). I haven't gotten around to them yet due to spending a couple of years actually finding copies of all them at used bookstores, and I've spent most of the time since reading way too many things at once to begin a trilogy of lengthy modernist literature, but they're generally considered to be among Faulkner's better books. |
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repulsionist
TI Forumite
actively disinterested
Posts: 3,690
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Post by repulsionist on Aug 24, 2017 1:15:11 GMT -5
chrisk, you've done The Golovlyov Family? Sologub's Petty Demon? Robert Walser weirdness? The Overlook Press as basis for exploring?
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Post by recurringextra on Aug 24, 2017 4:36:54 GMT -5
I like books that are more concerned with human nature than scifi technology or fantasy worlds. i'm personally more of a southern gothic/19th century russia guy, but i'm willing to read/listen to whatever. so far, i've really enjoyed Cook's Black Company, Updike's Rabbit series, Simmons' Hyperion, ice+fire, sanderson's mistborn, and mccarthy's border trilogy. i didn't really like the enders game series (spinoffs too) and the thomas convenant books (currently dragging myself through it). theres plenty in the middle that i was glad i read, but wouldn't say i loved, like dune, hobbit/LOTR, Zelazny's Amber, Oryx and Crake, Dark Tower, and The Quantum Thief. Quit while you're ahead with Thomas Covenant. They never get any better. |
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Post by ganews on Aug 24, 2017 12:26:42 GMT -5
I like books that are more concerned with human nature than scifi technology or fantasy worlds. i'm personally more of a southern gothic/19th century russia guy, but i'm willing to read/listen to whatever. so far, i've really enjoyed Cook's Black Company, Updike's Rabbit series, Simmons' Hyperion, ice+fire, sanderson's mistborn, and mccarthy's border trilogy. i didn't really like the enders game series (spinoffs too) and the thomas convenant books (currently dragging myself through it). theres plenty in the middle that i was glad i read, but wouldn't say i loved, like dune, hobbit/LOTR, Zelazny's Amber, Oryx and Crake, Dark Tower, and The Quantum Thief. Quit while you're ahead with Thomas Covenant. They never get any better. I hope out of this thread we get a full list of sci-fi series that should've quit while they were ahead. Like Dune, Space Odyssey, Ender's Game, Rendezvous With Rama...uh basically every sci-fi book series? Do fantasy series have this problem too? The only fantasy series I've read is LOTR. Except for Asimov's Foundation series. The original trilogy was great, then years later from fan demand he wrote two more. And those two more are pretty good. (To describe the elegance of the ultimate ending would be a spoiler.) But still, those two are very different from the other Foundation books, being essentially one long-form story instead of a sequence of related short stories. |
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Post by songstarliner on Aug 24, 2017 17:25:52 GMT -5
Seconding LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy (timeless, beautiful), and Vandermeer's Southern Reach (strange, terrifying, also beautiful).
Give Lev Grossman's The Magicians Trilogy a go, too.
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Post by Bastard Son of Dean Friedman on Aug 24, 2017 20:56:30 GMT -5
Seconding LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy (timeless, beautiful), and Vandermeer's Southern Reach (strange, terrifying, also beautiful). Give Lev Grossman's The Magicians Trilogy a go, too. Yes, Magicians. Although my wife and all of my friends hated it. Something about disliking the characters because they were vacuous, wastrel pricks. I found them very relatable. |
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Post by recurringextra on Aug 25, 2017 3:42:54 GMT -5
Quit while you're ahead with Thomas Covenant. They never get any better. I hope out of this thread we get a full list of sci-fi series that should've quit while they were ahead. Like Dune, Space Odyssey, Ender's Game, Rendezvous With Rama...uh basically every sci-fi book series? Do fantasy series have this problem too? The only fantasy series I've read is LOTR. Except for Asimov's Foundation series. The original trilogy was great, then years later from fan demand he wrote two more. And those two more are pretty good. (To describe the elegance of the ultimate ending would be a spoiler.) But still, those two are very different from the other Foundation books, being essentially one long-form story instead of a sequence of related short stories. I think a lot of fantasy series are driving towards a Final Showdown With Evil, so quitting partway through a series is unsatisfactory. If you'd just read the first Dune book you're satisfied in a way you wouldn't be if you read just the first book of the Wheel of Time.
I actually stopped Foundation at Second Foundation on my Dad's recommendation - is it just the story format that's different, or is it a different tone altogether?
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Post by ganews on Aug 25, 2017 7:41:40 GMT -5
I hope out of this thread we get a full list of sci-fi series that should've quit while they were ahead. Like Dune, Space Odyssey, Ender's Game, Rendezvous With Rama...uh basically every sci-fi book series? Do fantasy series have this problem too? The only fantasy series I've read is LOTR. Except for Asimov's Foundation series. The original trilogy was great, then years later from fan demand he wrote two more. And those two more are pretty good. (To describe the elegance of the ultimate ending would be a spoiler.) But still, those two are very different from the other Foundation books, being essentially one long-form story instead of a sequence of related short stories. I think a lot of fantasy series are driving towards a Final Showdown With Evil, so quitting partway through a series is unsatisfactory. If you'd just read the first Dune book you're satisfied in a way you wouldn't be if you read just the first book of the Wheel of Time.
I actually stopped Foundation at Second Foundation on my Dad's recommendation - is it just the story format that's different, or is it a different tone altogether?
No, it's definitely the same tone. Same hereditary line of the main character. Being Asimov, it's an easy read, I'd especially recommend it if you've read other stuff from him. |
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Post by Bastard Son of Dean Friedman on Aug 25, 2017 9:01:44 GMT -5
I hope out of this thread we get a full list of sci-fi series that should've quit while they were ahead. Like Dune, Space Odyssey, Ender's Game, Rendezvous With Rama...uh basically every sci-fi book series? Do fantasy series have this problem too? The only fantasy series I've read is LOTR. Except for Asimov's Foundation series. The original trilogy was great, then years later from fan demand he wrote two more. And those two more are pretty good. (To describe the elegance of the ultimate ending would be a spoiler.) But still, those two are very different from the other Foundation books, being essentially one long-form story instead of a sequence of related short stories. I think a lot of fantasy series are driving towards a Final Showdown With Evil, so quitting partway through a series is unsatisfactory. If you'd just read the first Dune book you're satisfied in a way you wouldn't be if you read just the first book of the Wheel of Time.
I actually stopped Foundation at Second Foundation on my Dad's recommendation - is it just the story format that's different, or is it a different tone altogether?
Dune was absolutely a case of diminishing returns for me. I love the first book, but the drop off in quality was precipitous. When I was in my early twenties I lived in a house full of Goths, all of whom insisted I read Anne Rice. I remember liking Interview with the Vampire in a cheesy, throwaway kind of way, but I was actively enraged by the sequel. Starting with a handwaving retcon which rewrote the intent of the previous book was so damn lazy. This taught me a valuable lesson about taking Anne Rice seriously. |
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Post by recurringextra on Aug 25, 2017 9:31:05 GMT -5
I think a lot of fantasy series are driving towards a Final Showdown With Evil, so quitting partway through a series is unsatisfactory. If you'd just read the first Dune book you're satisfied in a way you wouldn't be if you read just the first book of the Wheel of Time.
I actually stopped Foundation at Second Foundation on my Dad's recommendation - is it just the story format that's different, or is it a different tone altogether?
Dune was absolutely a case of diminishing returns for me. I love the first book, but the drop off in quality was precipitous. When I was in my early twenties I lived in a house full of Goths, all of whom insisted I read Anne Rice. I remember liking Interview with the Vampire in a cheesy, throwaway kind of way, but I was actively enraged by the sequel. Starting with a handwaving retcon which rewrote the intent of the previous book was so damn lazy. This taught me a valuable lesson about taking Anne Rice seriously.
Dune is honestly the only good book in the Dune series. The follow-up novels by Frank Herbert only get a pass because the ones written by his kid are truly atrocious.
I read a lot of Anne Rice when I was in my tween years and at the time I found them very sexy and sophisticated. Reading them again as an adult... uh, less so.
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Post by chrisk on Aug 25, 2017 13:08:24 GMT -5
i actually liked children of dune a fair amount, but after that.... and totally agree about his kids stuff. i'm pretty sure the original plan wasn't for those damned robits.
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Crash Test Dumbass
AV Clubber
ffc what now
Posts: 7,058
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Post by Crash Test Dumbass on Aug 29, 2017 10:18:21 GMT -5
Neil Gaiman, if you like him, reads his own stuff, and he has quite a lovely voice IMO, one of those soothing phonebook-reading type voices.
For non-fiction, I like Mary Roach's reader(s) (the later one does a better job with her footnotes) and when Bill Bryson reads his own works -- he has a weird combination Midwest/British accent that I find endearing.
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LazBro
Prolific Poster 
Posts: 10,281
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Post by LazBro on Sept 8, 2017 10:45:24 GMT -5
Seconding LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy (timeless, beautiful), and Vandermeer's Southern Reach (strange, terrifying, also beautiful). Give Lev Grossman's The Magicians Trilogy a go, too. Yes, Magicians. Although my wife and all of my friends hated it. Something about disliking the characters because they were vacuous, wastrel pricks. I found them very relatable. Mrs. Snape was the same, and at first I couldn't even disagree, but it left me frustrated because the series gets so much better in the 2nd and 3rd books, but she'll hear nothing of it. I thought I might have another chance with the TV show, in which Quentin is more dopey than vapid, and Elliot et al.'s vacuity is more funny than repulsive, but still nothing. When I told her I'd finished watching the first season of the show, she wouldn't even acknowledge it with a simple "how was it?" She refuses to engage with it in any way. |
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Post by Celebith on Sept 16, 2017 3:03:41 GMT -5
I like books that are more concerned with human nature than scifi technology or fantasy worlds. i'm personally more of a southern gothic/19th century russia guy, but i'm willing to read/listen to whatever. so far, i've really enjoyed Cook's Black Company, Updike's Rabbit series, Simmons' Hyperion, ice+fire, sanderson's mistborn, and mccarthy's border trilogy. I was going to recommend The Black Company, but if you already read and liked that, check out his Garrett P.I. novels - sort of a noir detective / Nero Wolfe & Archie pastiche. Each novel is self contained, but developments carry over from story to story, so it's sorta important to read them in order. Gene Wolfe's Urth of the New Sun is amazingly good. He establishes the tone right off the bat, so if it doesn't grab you, move on, but it's an incredibly dense series. Technically SF, but the focus is on the people and culture - the tech is a mystery to almost everyone and the society is fairly medieval. Iain Banks Culture novels are set in a post-scarcity SF 'utopia', but again, but the focus is all on people. I started with Consider Phlebas, but Player of Games and Use of Weapons are the first two and a good place to start. |
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Post by Celebith on Sept 16, 2017 3:07:31 GMT -5
Seconding LeGuin's Earthsea Trilogy (timeless, beautiful), and Vandermeer's Southern Reach (strange, terrifying, also beautiful). Give Lev Grossman's The Magicians Trilogy a go, too. Yes, Magicians. Although my wife and all of my friends hated it. Something about disliking the characters because they were vacuous, wastrel pricks. I found them very relatable. I've only read the first book. I enjoyed it enough to recommend it to my sister, who hated it. I'm dragging my feet on Book 2 until I can find a used copy of 3, though. I want to just finish them in one go, since Quentin is kind of a dick. |
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Post by Hachiman on Jul 28, 2018 2:20:13 GMT -5
I know this thread is super-dusty, but I have really enjoyed Robin Hobb's Books in the Realm of the Elderlings series. Its especially nice because while you are rewarded for reading all of the various loosely-connected trilogies and quadrilogies, you don't have to, especially the earliest ones.
While I don't know if he really stuck the landing, Brian Staveley's Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne trilogy is pretty enjoyable just for the unique world he built. I also like that its one of the few genre worlds I can think of that are really, and explicitly, ethnically diverse without leaning into stereotypes.
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Post by Celebith on Jul 29, 2018 22:51:49 GMT -5
I know this thread is super-dusty, but I have really enjoyed Robin Hobb's Books in the Realm of the Elderlings series. Its especially nice because while you are rewarded for reading all of the various loosely-connected trilogies and quadrilogies, you don't have to, especially the earliest ones. While I don't know if he really stuck the landing, Brian Staveley's Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne trilogy is pretty enjoyable just for the unique world he built. I also like that its one of the few genre worlds I can think of that are really, and explicitly, ethnically diverse without leaning into stereotypes. Does Assassin's Apprentice (etc.) fall into this setting? I remember enjoying the first trilogy, while also finding it a bit of a slog and incredibly depressing. Still, cover art by Michael Whelan, at a time when he wasn't really doing that sort of thing anymore. |
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Post by Hachiman on Jul 29, 2018 23:20:10 GMT -5
I know this thread is super-dusty, but I have really enjoyed Robin Hobb's Books in the Realm of the Elderlings series. Its especially nice because while you are rewarded for reading all of the various loosely-connected trilogies and quadrilogies, you don't have to, especially the earliest ones. While I don't know if he really stuck the landing, Brian Staveley's Chronicle of the Unhewn Throne trilogy is pretty enjoyable just for the unique world he built. I also like that its one of the few genre worlds I can think of that are really, and explicitly, ethnically diverse without leaning into stereotypes. Does Assassin's Apprentice (etc.) fall into this setting? I remember enjoying the first trilogy, while also finding it a bit of a slog and incredibly depressing. Still, cover art by Michael Whelan, at a time when he wasn't really doing that sort of thing anymore. Indeed it does! Yeah, the protagonist gets casually battered by life pretty regularly. The next trilogy to follow those same characters, The Tawny Man trilogy, is a little more upbeat. There was another a trilogy, the Liveship Traders, which follows a different cast of characters in a different part of the world and bridges the time period between the first trilogy and the Tawny Man and that is worth a read as well simply for the table-setting however it is pretty dark and the characters aren't nearly as likable. |
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