OT - Book (Fiction) Review/Recommendations Thread

[Marc]

Originally Posted by Raellus

I also just finished reading Ender's Game, another sci-fi novel exploring war in the far future. It's targetted at young adults but I found it pretty intense and mature in tone and content.

I've read the "Ender's Game" and the four sequels that "complete" the cycle intitated in the first novel: "Speaker for the Dead", "Xenocide" and "Children of the mind" . Raellus, I recommend all of them to you. And forget about "targetted at young adults" with the sequels though I must warn you: they are not about the war, though some of their consecuences are in the background of the plot.

As Targan said, there are other novels from Orson Scott Card set in the same universe apart from the listed above, but I've not read them. Some of them, I think are like some kind of "spin-off" with characters from the first novel.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by Marc

I've recently read two novels about the post-apoc backround, one of them discovered thanks to this forum. The first one is "The road", by Cormac McCarthy. Strangely I was planning to buy it trough Amazon after reading a recommendation from Kato but while I was bored in the queue of the supermarket I realized that the unknown novel exposed in one desk near the cashdesk and titled “La carretera” was, in fact, “The road”. Ah! The fate and its own strange mechanisms...Ok, here you have the original thread:
http://forum.juhlin.com/showthread.php?t=142
And, as Kato stated, 5 out of 5 mushrooms clouds... Only small advice: Don’t expect to find any explanation about the cause of the apocalypse. Just read the book, suffer (and enjoy).

And, as a “bonus track”, the trailer of the film. Personally I’ve found it too long and it seems that the director has added some clues about the cause of the end of the civilitzation...so...only for precaution...read the book before see the story trough the eyes of others...
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hbLgszfXTAY

The other book I’ve read is “Wasteland, stories of the apocalypse”, about 20 short stories, gathered together, all of them playing with the end of the civilitzation. This book is more in the sci-fi genre. Some of its stories are settled far away in the future, thousands of years after the collapse. Others are about the collapse process itself. It’s possible you will find here some story you have previously read. In my case, I’ve found one story from Orson Scott Card and its book “The Folk of the Fringe”.
A recommendation: “When Sysadmins ruled the Earth”.

The links to Amazon for more information:

http://www.amazon.com/Wastelands-Sto.../dp/1597801054

http://www.amazon.com/Road-Cormac-Mc.../dp/0307265439

Cormac McCarthy is an excellent writer - I have read several of his books and just swalllow hard sometimes -he can get to you .

great books

[Marc]

The imminent film adaptation about "The Road" spurred me to read the book before the premiere of the movie.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by Marc

The imminent film adaptation about "The Road" spurred me to read the book before the premiere of the movie.

the border trilogy ,child of God and Blood Meridian .

Not quite opostapocalyptic - but as I said -gripping good reads.

[Marc]

Thanks HQ. I will add them to my list.

[Raellus]

I loved The Road so much, as soon as I finished it, I rushed out and bought Blood Meridian. That was well over a year ago and I haven't managed to finish it. It's beautifully written but it is so unrelentingly bloody- and almost pointlessly so- that I just can't bring myself to pick it up to finish. I'm not particularly squeemish, but all of the central characters in the book are brutal types with no apparent redeaming qualities, murdering their way across the American southwest.

Perhaps if I finish it, there will be some degree of redemption at the end.

[Kellhound]

Nothing by David Drake yet?
Besides his Hammer's Slammers series (sometimes irregular in quality), I recommend Redliners, where a group of "burned out" front-line soldiers from a war against the aliens is sent to babysit a bunch of "forced colonists".

Another good one is Falkenbergs Legion, from Jerry Pournelle. The US and USSR join to form the CoDominium, stop technological advance, and set to colonize new worlds.

Also liked two series by John Ringo: Into the looking glass (and it's space mushrooms from the second novel onward ), and the "Posleen War series". Maybe too American centered (logically), but fun. I haven't read yet Watch on the Rhine, where the German must face the option of rejuvenating former Waffen SS troops to fight against the alien invaders. Sounds interesting.

I must mention Doomfarers of Coramonde too, if only for the rescue mission to Hell.

[Caradhras]

Originally Posted by TiggerCCW UK

Children of the Dust : Louise Lawrence. Story of 3 generations of survivors after a nuclear war in the UK.

Just read this - very good imo, written in mid-80s so gives a real feel for the time even if it has inaccuracies.

[Marc]

This weekend I’ve finished The Man in the High Castle, by Philip K Dick, thanks to a recommendation from an old friend. Perhaps many of you have read it. If not, it’s a good book, so I recommend it to you, too. The story is set in 1962, in a world where the Axis has won the Second World War and the former US have been divided between Japan and Germany. Here you have an interesting wiki article about the book: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Man_in_the_High_Castle

[headquarters]

I have finished one and halfway through the other -both good reads.

1.Alas Babylon : One of the best and one of the first to deal with our specific brand of apocalypse -nuclear war .It seems realistic,down to earth and it is well researched.The plot is good and the characters believable and interesting.A small town in the US survives the initial exchange.How to survive the aftermath is the main story .It is packed with useful info on how to do things and how to prepare ,but it is not your right wingy survivalist weirdo type of book.
As a GM and a player it gives you facts and imagery that is useful for the game as well. Got the English edition of Ebay for around 8 bucks plus shipping .Totaly worth it -a classic.

2. Metro 2033 ( the novel -not the game ) : cost around 20 bucks on ebay -definently worth it for 500 pages of post apoc Kalashnikov packed mutant Moscow sci fi horror.
Only half finished and already a review ? Yes ,I feel that it is that good.A little more over the top than Alas,Babylon but still cracking good.It has an oppressive,dark feel that is relentless .Set in Moscows huge underground it portrays life in the aftermath of an al out full exchange .The surface is hazardous enviroment and you can only stay up for minutes or hours at best even with the best of suits.Central control has broken down ,and its each man for himself or in some places they have banded together making stations their "nations" and some even have "federations" where stations cooperate.It is a very Russian book ( the author is a Russian journalist ) , and as any good SCI FI it reflects on our current society -or rather on theirs up there in Russia.As our hero moves through this brutal world he encounters the future offspring of political movements ,religious fanatics,capitalists etc all condensed in the subterran tunnels .
.In typical Russian litterary tradition there are intelectual conversations between drug using survivors that huddle in abandoned stations as well as encounters with mutants,horrors hiding in the darkness,and firefights between the various factions .It all takes place in an unique enviroment imho -cant wait to see the movie -if they make it !

finished it - loved it .A bit over the top in some ways ,but thats part of the package.Recommneded .

A sequel ,Metro 2034 is supposed to be out in 2011.

[pmulcahy11b]

The book I'm reading on-and-off right now is an analysis, not a fiction book: 7 Deadly Scenarios, by Andrew F Krepinevich. It deals with 7 possible modern doomsday scenarios, all of which are plausible. The chapter names include:

1) The Collapse of Pakistan
2) War Comes to America (nuclear weapons smuggled into the US by terrorists invoking a nuclear response by the US against the country harboring the terrorists)
3) Pandemic
4) Armageddon: The Assault in Israel
5) China's "Assassin's Mace" (China's retaking of Taiwan, accompanied by worldwide cyberattacks and pre-emptive nuclear strikes on Japan, South Korea, and Guam)
6) Just Not-on-Time (The collapse of the Global Economy)
7) Who Lost Iraq? (Our invasion and later departure from Iraq leading to a regional war that destroys much of the oil-producing capacity of the Middle East for a prolonged period of time)

[Webstral]

Fireforce by Chris Cocks. If you've read Vietnam fiction and/or autobiographies, Fireforce is both similar and a welcome change. The Rhodesians fought their war on their own turf with the bare minimum of hardware and manpower. They never had a reasonable prospect of winning the war on the battlefield, but they fought very well. I can't help but think that a mentality of shortage might help the US Army do a better job. The Rhodesian experience has some useful lessons for us in Afghanistan.

Webstral

[Wereferret]

Just finished reading 'Temeraire' and now wading through 'Throne of Jade' by Naomi Novik. They're both part of an alternate-Napoleonic history where England and France both have a small aerial corps of pilots who ride domesticated dragons. The premise sounds silly, and I don't normally read fantasy but a friend loaned it to me, and I found the first chapter so well written that I just kept going. I heard Peter Jackson just optioned it for a cable miniseries in the next 5 years so the series should be coming to TV with a competent hand at the tiller.

[Raellus]

Originally Posted by headquarters

2. Metro 2033 ( the novel -not the game ) : cost around 20 bucks on ebay -definently worth it for 500 pages of post apoc Kalashnikov packed mutant Moscow sci fi horror.

Strange that this book has a very limited distribution here in the states. Amazon doesn't carry it and the sellers that do are charging over $20 for a paperback. There's already an XBOX360 game based on it but the book on which it is presumably based is nowhere to be found.

Now I really want to read it.

[headquarters]

Originally Posted by Raellus

Strange that this book has a very limited distribution here in the states. Amazon doesn't carry it and the sellers that do are charging over $20 for a paperback. There's already an XBOX360 game based on it but the book on which it is presumably based is nowhere to be found.

Now I really want to read it.

It is just recently translated to English.It might come down over the next months.
Its avaialble on internet vendor sites .

Make sure you get an English ed if your Russian / German is rusty

firefighst in subterran tunnels with AKs and Stechkin pistols ..nasty things with claws..future survivalist nazies...

It is packed with good stuff imho.

[Targan]

Originally Posted by Raellus

There's already an XBOX360 game based on it but the book on which it is presumably based is nowhere to be found.

Most if not all platforms, not just the Xbox 360 (I hate consoles BTW, they are ruining PC gaming). I've finished the game on the PC. very atmospheric, very Russian, really enjoyed it.

[Adm.Lee]

Devils in exile by Chuck Hogan. I snagged this off the library shelf this afternoon, and I'm already at page 120.

Neal Maven is an Iraq War vet, home in Boston, alone with two crappy jobs and a similar apartment. He meets up with a fellow vet who has a fantastic car, gobs of cash, and the girl Neal once dreamed of in high school; who recruits him for his team. Five veterans who rob drug dealers, destroy the drugs and split the money. Not just any dealers, but the distributors, so there's a lot of money involved. Then the gangs and the Feds start sniffing around, and that's as far as I've gotten....

I played in a short Merc:2000 game like this once, ca.1996, we were pulled into taking down Miami-area druglords, on behalf of a mysterious South American gentleman. I remember it got hairy when the DEA started getting close, we were the dogs bringing the bigwigs out into the open where the law could reach them. That's probably why I have the "Miami Vice" theme running through my head.

[HorseSoldier]

If you can find copies of the There Will Be War anthology series, edited by Pournelle, from the 80s and 90s they all included some post apocalyptic fiction as well as military sci-fi, some of it with a very Twilight 2000 feel to it.

[mikeo80]

A couple of suggestions to the group.

Harry Turtledove's Worldwar and Colonization series. I found these very interesting. WWII in full swing...and then the Axis and Allies find themselves in the middle of War Of The Worlds. Turtledove can get long winded at times, but I thought they were a good read.

Newt Gingrich's and William Forstchen's Civil War Trilogy

The South wins at Gettysburg, Grant still wins at Vicksburgh. Hence Grant appointed Commander of Union Armies a year before it happened IRL.

William Forstchen's Lost Regiment.

A regiment of Union soldiers being transferred via ship to the Sherman campaign in North Carolina. Instead, they end up on another planet with humans and others....and the others enjoy humans...well done!!!!

This is an eight book series. Books 4 and 5 were a little boring for me, but still good reads.

Newt Gingrich's and William Forstchen's Day of Infamy series

Japan attacks Pearl Harbor...but this time Yamamoto sends four or five Japanese Army divisions and enough oilers to re-fuel the carrier strike force to finish the job. The U.S. has to rebuild on the West Coast.

2 books so far as I know. I thought really good reads.

Eric Flint's 1632 series.

This is farther out of our normal discussion eras. A town of 3000 West Virginians is transported lock, stock and pickup trucks into Central Germany during the height of the 30 Year War. I did not know that that war cost Europe about 25% (low estimate) to 50% (high estimate) casualties. Only the Black Plague did more damage....

This series is now TWELVE books big!!!! With MORE to come. I enjoyed most of them tremendously.

Of course, I echo the sentiments about Alas, Babylon, On the Beach, Fail Safe, Starship Troopers, and many of the other books mentioned here in this thread.

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by mikeo80

William Forstchen's Lost Regiment.

A regiment of Union soldiers being transferred via ship to the Sherman campaign in North Carolina. Instead, they end up on another planet with humans and others....and the others enjoy humans...well done!!!!

I'm guessing they enjoy humans as a delicacy?

[mikeo80]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I'm guessing they enjoy humans as a delicacy?

Exactly! Some of the tribes of the Tugars (AKA others) use human consumption as part of their cultural ceremonies.

GROSS OUT ALERT!!!!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!

See below...












One of the "delicacies" is to take a human captive, remove the top of the skull, pour a flamable liquid on the brain, light it up, and enjoy. While the captive is ALIVE!!!

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by mikeo80

One of the "delicacies" is to take a human captive, remove the top of the skull, pour a flamable liquid on the brain, light it up, and enjoy. While the captive is ALIVE!!!

Boy, that makes Hannibal Lechter sound like an amateur!

[Nowhere Man 1966]

Originally Posted by mikeo80

Exactly! Some of the tribes of the Tugars (AKA others) use human consumption as part of their cultural ceremonies.

GROSS OUT ALERT!!!!

YOU HAVE BEEN WARNED!!!!!

See below...












One of the "delicacies" is to take a human captive, remove the top of the skull, pour a flamable liquid on the brain, light it up, and enjoy. While the captive is ALIVE!!!

(Shudders) I often wonder who things like these ever get started, I mean, I often wonder how and why people come up with ideas like these. Ugh.......

Chuck

[Targan]

I'm currently re-reading The Heritage Trilogy by Ian Douglas - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Heritage_Trilogy . The timeline of the series starts in 2040 and the premise behind it is that the USA has withdrawn from the UN in protest at the UN trying to force a plebiscite within the southern states of the USA and the northern states of Mexico over the formation of a new Hispanic nation to be called the Aztlan Republic. The USA is still the world's dominant superpower, especially in space and on the high seas, and it is closely allied with Russia which has also withdrawn from the UN in protest at the UN's attempt to force it to negotiate with China over ownership of parts of Siberia.

One reason in particular why I like the series is that it focuses on the USMC which, in the decades before the first book starts, has been fighting for its survival as bean-counters in the US government try to win support for the Corps' disbanding. When alien artifacts are discovered on Mars and the UN tries to use military force to take over the archaeological sites on Mars the USMC gains a new lease on life by successfully countering the UN's forces and taking back control of America's Martian holdings. In the series the UN's space power is provided by the ESA, China and Japan's space agency. China is very much a world power in the series but is still no match for the US.

The premise of the series does make me chuckle a bit because it plays on the idea that the UN is out to undermine the US and make itsself into a world government (I understand that many Americans IRL take that idea pretty seriously). Anyway, the series is a good read and it provides food for thought about future roles the USMC might have in offensive operations in space or on other planets. I would urge past and present Marines and their friends and admirers to check this series out. Here is the link to the Wikipedia article on the first book in the series - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Semper_Mars .

[pmulcahy11b]

Originally Posted by Targan

(I understand that many Americans IRL take that idea pretty seriously).

I take that seriously, but in a different way. I think that the formation of nations is the second worst idea that mankind has ever come up with (the first being organized religion). I think that the ideals of original government of the US (minus slavery and discrimination against non-landowners) is the best one ever come up with, but our current government is a shadow of that. A world government, if run good and democratically, would be one of the best things for this planet.

[Dog 6]

Originally Posted by pmulcahy11b

I take that seriously, but in a different way. I think that the formation of nations is the second worst idea that mankind has ever come up with (the first being organized religion). I think that the ideals of original government of the US (minus slavery and discrimination against non-landowners) is the best one ever come up with, but our current government is a shadow of that. A world government, if run good and democratically, would be one of the best things for this planet.

not yet imo. in 100 - 150 years sure , but not now.

[Marc]

Following some old recommendations in this forum, I read “On the beach”, by Neville Shute, some months ago. I enjoyed every page of the book, no matter the author gives little margin to anticipate the logical ending. As a nice surprise, I’ve found that the plain and direct language used by Shute, makes this book and easy reading for any non-native English speakers. So, my usual visits to the English-Spanish dictionary were reduced to the minimum. In fact, I’m sure that this same direct language is one of the powerful points of the Shute’s work.

Once finished the book, I watched an Australian miniseries about it. (http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0219224/)
I think it’s a good, decent work, with the usual (though not needed) changes to make the characters more “TV-friendly”. Anyway, the story and the most important and shocking scenes remain nearly untouched.

[TiggerCCW UK]

I came across this on Amazon and thought it might be of some interest to some of you. Hopefully its not been posted on here before

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Essential-WW...R16D16NYX345PS

[Cdnwolf]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer's_Hammer

Just re-reading this one. The first part is slow but it shows how people prepare for the end of the world and what happens to the survivors immediately after. And how easy it is to turn people on each other.

[TiggerCCW UK]

Originally Posted by Cdnwolf

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lucifer's_Hammer

Just re-reading this one. The first part is slow but it shows how people prepare for the end of the world and what happens to the survivors immediately after. And how easy it is to turn people on each other.

I picked it and 'The Postman' up second hand a while back. Both very enjoyable reads. 'Footfall' also by Niven and Pournelle isn't too bad either.