Best series/collection of books?

[mnealtx 0]

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I read "Stranger in a Strange Land" after years of knowing it was out there and not having any idea what it was about. It took me a while to trudge through it, ...

Really, you do realise Heinleins' books are fundamentally kids books

Hardly - although he DID also write juveniles.

Mike
I love you, Shannon and Jim.
POPS 9708 , SCR 14706

[Zep 0]

I dare any of you to admit to reading "Louis L'Amour" I did, an enjoyed them.
I'm shure AggieDave an John Rich also read them

I also enjoyed all of Sven Hassel's books

Tom Sharpe's Wilt series was a riot, but I think his indecent Exposure was the funniest

The The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, the Unbeliever was a favorite series of mine to pass the time.

The book with most twists has to be By Reason Of Insanity by Shane Stevens, I highly recommend this book.

My all time fovourite has to be One hundred years of solitude ( Cien años de solidad )
by Gabriel García Márquez.
To all you book lovers, if you haven't read this book, you're missing out on the book of the century

Obviously I haven't mentioned the books already listed, a lot of them I've read others I've jotted down for my retirement.

Gone fishing

[Shotgun 1]

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I read "Stranger in a Strange Land" after years of knowing it was out there and not having any idea what it was about. It took me a while to trudge through it, but I really really liked it a lot. It was cool how he dealt with the idea that anyone can become, essentially, god-like.

You just have to be able to think in Martian, first.

Maybe I'll get around to reading it one of these days... But generally, if I feel like I am having to "trudge through" a book, then I'll just put it down and find something more interesting to read. I'm a slow reader, and there are way too many books I want to read to waste my time reading things that I'm just not that in to.

But my late friend Rob did give me that book, and he said it was one of his favorites, so I guess it is one book that I might have a reason to try and get through. Though it would then suck that he wasn't even around for me to discuss it with.

[skiskyrock 0]

I thought about this for a while, and I've come to the conclusion that it's nearly impossible to write a consistently great scifi series (series defined as trilogy or greater). For example:

J.R.R. Tolkien, The Lord of the Rings: consistently great, but also not a series it is just published in three parts

Larry Niven, Ringworld: Great but not consistent. Last book didn't just jump the shark, but actually rished it

Frederick Pohl, Heechee Saga: The only thing wrong with the first book was that I had to read through the next two before I realize the magic wasn't coming back

J.K. Rowling, Harry Potter series. Consistently good, but not actually great.

William Gibson, Sprawl trilogy: he comes the closest. I'd give Mona Lisa Overdrive a great-, the other two books are fantastic

William Gibson, Sprawl trilogy: Consistently good, but you'd never have heard of him if it wasn't for the Sprawl series

Frank Herbert, Dune; Should have stopped at a trilogy, but those of us who stuck in there after God Emperor of Dune (all six) found it good up to the very end. I think the ending of Chapter House Dune might have been a set-up so his son would have a way to earn a living

Frank Herbert, Destination Void series: should have stopped at a trilogy

Frank Herbert, Bureau of Sabotage series: he should have gone for the trilogy

Neal Stephenson, Baroque Cycle: heavier than any other series, that's for sure

Stephen King, Gunslinger series: the first book is the best thing he has ever written. In the later books he didn't just beat the mule to death, but actually et the eyes.

Sean McMullen, Greatwinter trilogy; it's rare to stumble in mid trilogy and recover, but he pulls it off. Give Miocene arrow a miss, but Souls in the Great Machine and Eyes of the Calculor are very good.