What books do robots read?
I'm reading Consider Phlebas right now. It has space ships thousands of miles long, ringworlds, card games and a utopian society ran by sentient ai called The Culture.
>>27131016
Sounds pretty neat. Turns out I've got his whole Culture series downloaded already, too. I may have to check that out.
I started reading Asimov's greater Foundation series a while ago, after reading a few of the actual Foundation books some time before that. Now I've made it back to them but I can't seem to muster the interest to reread them and keep going with it, so maybe Banks' work will spark my interest again.
>>27131016
One Second After by William R. Forstchen
One Second After is a 2009 fiction novel by American writer William R. Forstchen. The novel deals with an unexpected electromagnetic pulse attack on the United States as it affects the people living in and around the small American town of Black Mountain, North Carolina.
Released in March 2009, One Second After and was ranked as number 11 on the New York Times Best Seller list in fiction, in May 2009.
I just finished Hard Times by Charles Dickens and started Dubliners by James Joyce.
If you like sci fi you should read Robert Heinlein, especially Stranger in the Strange Land and Starship Troopers. Issac Asimov is another one of my favorite sci fi writers
>>27131016
I just read Dune. It was good.
>>27131920
>Stranger in the Strange Land
*a Strange Land
pretty comfy book, nice taste op. Wouldn't bother too much with the rest of the series desu though
Reading Orwell's 'Down and Out in Paris and London' currently.
I'm into genre stuff too though: China Mieville, Malazan Book of the Fallen, Prince of Nothing.
You should read Banks's non-genre stuff too.
>>27131016
Normie here, nice to see a good thread on a interesting subject for once.
You're in for a treat, the Culture series is awesome!
I'm a rather positive person but I generally don't hold much illusion concerning human nature: these books though kinda had the lasting effect of making me way more optimistic about our future as a species.
Sure it's a work of fiction but they present you with what the possibility of a "reasonable" utopia would look like. Even as an unattainable ideal, it still provides something to yearn for.
Before reading the series I was already strongly convinced that the only future we can possibly have will only be through the Singularity and the rise of AIs, the depiction of the Culture universe stripped away whatever remaining doubt I had that it could be a fearful thing, however wrong I turn out to be.
Banks was a fanstatic writer, able to conjure up powerful imagery to create an entire universe of beings, organic and otherwise; his descriptions are precious, chiseled things and the wits of his characters something that'll give you an admirative chuckle more than once.
I don't think you can find a single reader of his work that doesn't deeply regret his passing, you will mourn the loss of a great mind a little more with each book you finish.
Consider Phlebas is a good introduction book, my personal favourites are Excession (more difficult to get into but insanely good), Use of Weapons (really interesting narrative system and mind-bending twists) and Look to Windward.
Anyway, don't hesitate to immerse yourself in the Culture series robots, by the end your only regret will be that you don't actually live in that society!
My friend just told me to read this and it was the best fantasy book he's ever read.
>>27132098
It's the best fantasy series, but hardly the best fantasy book. That would be its sequel Deadhouse Gates.
Currently reading: A Song of Ice and Fire
Progress: 67%
My rating: ****-
Very solid fantasy, but definitely some questionable writing at times (namely in the Bran chapters).
>>27131910
The sequel One Year After came out in September. I think that's my next read.
>>27132166
That's what my room mate just said. I just finished Dune, should I finish the next two or move onto this series?
>tfw there will never be another Culture novel
Why did Banks have to die the most ironic death?
>>27131112
Foundation is kind of a mystery novel that unravels at the end, of course knowing it is going to be less interesting.
>>27132171
>questionable writing at times
More like questionable writing the whole time. GRRM is a fucking joke. He's good at world-building, but literally nothing else.
>>27131016
Iain M. Banks is comfy patrician tier, everytime I read his books I dream of living in his space societies.
Also the Tower books by Steven king and any of Terry Pratchett's books are god tier
>>27132184
Well Malazan is more satisfactorily complete than Dune is, and the fact that you're asking if you should swap over makes me think you want to anyways. So yeah, go for it.
A lot of people advocate for reading Deadhouse Gates first because it's much better and the 'in media res' nature of GotM confuses some people. It's up to you, but if you do start with DG definitely go back to GotM before continuing on.
>>27132200
I know, it must've been painful being stung to death on a beekeeping plantation.
Check out Joe Abercrombies books. Make sure you get them in the right order they are so good
>>27132227
>western continent: Westeros
>eastern continent: Essos
>both have the same climates as real-world eastern and western regions
>narrow body of water that separates them: Narrow Sea
Nah, his world building is a complete joke too.
>>27132386
Dune wrapped itelf up well enough that I don't see the point of a sequel. Paul becomes Emperor, marries the princess and continues fucking the fremen princess with his mother as advisor and fulfilled the prophecy.
I read the Erogon books years ago and didn't even know the child-witch thing was an enormous knockoff of Dune. I didn't realize how awful those were until I glanced at one because my little sister is reading them.
Isn't GoTM the first book? Why not start with the first.
>>27132515
When I said is more complete than Dune, I meant Dune the series, not the individual novel.
And Gardens is the first yeah, just start there. If you don't like it maybe give Deadhouse Gates a try. I think a lot of fans overplay the 'difficulty' of getting into Gardens.
I just figured I'd let you know that was a thing.
who else /authorbot/ here? my first novel has just been accepted by publishers, going through it's second editorial phase as we speak !
>>27131984
>Wouldn't bother too much with the rest of the series
Why not?
>>27132227
Are you fucking kiddig me son? those books are stellar, beautifully crafted work
>>27132564
I read all of LotR and that shit was boring as fuck for 50 pages at a time.
Only book I couldn't get past the exposision was some Michael Crichton one about global warming. I got 120 pages in and nothing had happened at all. Also only got through the first part of Atlas Shrugged, like I get the message and it's obviously flawed.
>>27132590
Nice, I'm in school for film. Want to be a comedian and comedy screenwriter.
>>27131112
>Foundation books
are amazing your adhd is ever stronger than mine
>>27132202
It's been a while since I read it, and I enjoy his writing style and the setting. I just go through periods where I read a lot and periods where I don't.
anyone else read house of leaves? it freaked me the heck out but it also made me cry. excellent book imo.
>>27132675
>adhd
I read the first 9 books in the series, with 4 left to go.
Any good books for fapping?
>>27132590
Congrats, man! Hope it gets attention.
Do you have any tips for making fleshed out characters? Not for novel writing, but for storytelling in general.
>>27132744
Some of my favorite early teenage faps were to Haruki Murakami novels. It was great j/o to words alone and letting your imagination fill in for the rest.
Check out Kafka on the Shore.
>>27131016
I just finished Angel Exterminatus
even though its a Warhammer novel and not everyone is into this
I like it, the picture of one of the sons of the Emperor (Perturabo) is quite tragic and really interesting
"You don't know the things I dream," said Perturabo. "No one does, no one ever cared enough to find out."
>>27131016
I listened to the audiobook, it's boring as shit.
>>27132884
Are you me ? Fapped so many times to Murakami. I seem to remember one of his books had a lesbian scene that wad hot as fuck, possibly Dance Dance Dance
>>27133252
I am you, yes.
My usual scene I would jerk it to was when that chubby girl jerks the MC of KotS off.
>>27132009
>china mieville
MY. FUCKING. NIGGA.
>>27133599
>>27133599
I remember there was one scene in one his books where the main caracter would rape his sister or cousin or something. Man that was hot
>>27131016
>I'm reading Consider Phlebas right now. It has space ships thousands of miles long, ringworlds, card games and a utopian society ran by sentient ai called The Culture.
skip Phlebas desu
it's one of the weakest book in the series and actually pretty bad
Use of Weapons and especially The Player of Games are leagues ahead of it
