Where Have All The Good Books Gone?
February 12, 2004 | 
40 Comments
I love to read. Well, to be honest, I used to love to read. It’s very hard for me to get though a book now a-days. I used to blame this on a combination of:
- A love for comic books and,
- A shortened attention span on which I blame the Web
Now though I’ve really come to realize that it’s not so much me as it is the fact that I’ve not been able to find any new books that I like. I know what I like, it’s just nobody seems to write what I like anymore.
Well, to be honest, that’s not exactly true. Lots of folks almost write books that I like. Many are very close. Many start off great and seem to never end. Many seem like they’ll get good, but are too slow for me to get through to the good parts.
It’s been quite awhile since I’ve read a book that I really enjoyed.
So, what do I like? Well, I really like epic stories. Specifically fantasy, sci-fi, horror, alternate history and the like. To give you some specifics, and maybe shed some light on why I can’t find a good book and why I wonder where all the good books have gone to, maybe I’ll just point out some books, series’ and authors that I either like or don’t like.
- I like Robert Jordan. Or, rather, I did. The Wheel of Time series started off great, but at this point I hate it. I don’t see an end in sight. I don’t like to start something without a foreseeable end.
- I love George R.R. Martin’s Game of Thrones, but it’s been years since the last book. I’m sick of waiting.
- The Harry Potter books are great. Some of the best I’ve read in awhile. But their kids books and I like most kids books. His Dark Materials, was another great one.
- I love all the classic fantasy/sci-fi stuff. Dune, Lord of the Rings, Zelazny’s Amber Series are books I’ve enjoyed time and time again.
- Tad Williams, Raymond E. Feist, Guy Gavriel Kay, and Stephen Donaldson are some of my all time favorites authors.
- The Shannara Series, The Reality Dysfunction, The Vampire Chronicles, Tyrants and Kings are some of my favorite series’. They all have and end and are less than 10 books. That helps.
- Recently I’ve really enjoyed The Briar King by Gregory Keyes, The One Kingdom by Sean Russell and War of The Flowers by Tad Williams.
- I’ve recently started, but not finished, Eragon, Fools Errand by Robin Hobb, Prophecy by Elizabeth Haydon and a whole crapload of other books.
(sorry about all the links, getting crazy trying out MTTextile — it’s great by the way.)
I find many of the books I start are either too slow, too long, too cheesy, or too much like all the other crap I’ve read. I don’t mind a tried and true formula as long as it’s done well. I want to read a good, easy to get into yet epic story that has an end! No long series waiting for completion, no corny dialogue, no serial style semi-epic with no end. I find that many books I read don’t seem to have enough at stake, or I just don’t really care about the characters. I never seem to get through those.
I pick up lots of books and I put down the vast majority. The well written, easy to read books have no story and the books with a story seem to never end.
Now that you’ve heard me bitch and moan, does anyone have any ideas for me? Recommend a book. I’ll give it a shot. Believe me, I’ll try anything at this point. I really need a good new book to get me back into reading.
Filed under: Life and Such
Comments
1. Jonathan Baldwin said:
Sounds like you need a literary sorbet - like someone who only eats the same type of food your palette is getting tired.
try something completely different for a bit, then go back to your favourite dish.
Maybe an English classic like Jane Eyre, or a modern American one like Generation X?
MAybe try a biography or a popular science book - often they can spark new lines of thinking. I read “Fermat’s Last Theorem” in a day - not bad for a book on complex mathematics, but it’s such a good story, in the way that “Longitude” is.
A sure hit with my students has been “The Tipping Point” by Malcolm Gladwell - a book they talk about, and which I wish I had shares in after all the copies I’ve sold. It really makes you see the world differently.
If you like to think about society, try “Nickel and Dimed”, or “Media Unlimited” by Todd Gitlin. “Culture Jam” by Kalle Lasn is another “thinker”.
But I notice a few obvious ones missing from the fantasy genre - no Terry Pratchett and no Douglas Adams, for example. And you can’t go wrong with Scottish author Iain M Banks - start with “Consider Phlebas”, it’s the first in a great series. I also quite enjoyed the Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson.
But I’d certainly recommend trying something other than an SF diet - I think you’ll appreciate that genre more when you have a break from it.
Posted on February 12, 2004 01:03 AM | #
2. Andi said:
Very nice.
Posted on February 12, 2004 01:27 AM | #
3. Matt Southerden said:
Can’t believe you haven’t mentioned the Diskworld series by Terry Pratchett. Many people seem to dismiss them as kids books due to the cartoony covers, and yes, kids may enjoy the story, but they’re much cleverer than that. There’s plenty of hidden meaning in Pratchett’s writing, making subtle jokes, as well as parodying classic and modern film and literature.
Another couple of books I couldn’t put down were Timeline by Michael Crichton (ok, so Richard Donner made a right royal cock-up of the film, but the book is excellent), and The Blue Nowhere by Jeffery Deaver (which should appeal to the internet geek in us all).
Happy reading. :-)
Posted on February 12, 2004 02:19 AM | #
4. Ste Grainer said:
Having worked at a bookstore for a few months, I will pretend I’m qualified to answer this objectively. Following are a few various authors/books you’d probably enjoy. I’ll start with sci-fi/fantasy and move into straight fiction and finish up with some worthwhile nonfiction:
1. The Dragonlance Chronicles and The Death Gate Cycle series by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman - The first is almost straight D&D-based fantasy series, but the story and characters are fairly involving. The Dragonlance world (and books) can be vast, though, and not all of the other books are as worthwhile as these. The Death Gate Cycle is 7 books - the first is the slowest, but the last three are spellbinding. Easy reads, easy to get sucked into, probably not “literature”. :)
2. William Gibson - pretty much anything. I’ve read Necromancer and Pattern Recognition. He has a way of crafting words in such a way that even a simple sentence can inspire an entire world. Of course, his work can be lofty and confusing at times. Definitely literature.
3. Neil Gaiman - pretty much anything. He writes a sort of fiction mixed with fantasy that comes off as humorous, charming, and believably fantastic. He also has a weblog. He wrote the Sandman series of graphic novels, but his novels are also wonderful (I particularly like Neverwhere and Stardust.)
4. Neal Stephenson - I’ve only read one by him (Cryptonomicon), but it was fascinating. The story follows different characters in different time periods (present day and WWII). This one is hard to classify save to say that if you consider yourself a geek, you will almost definitely like it. I’ve heard great things about his other books, but haven’t had a chance to read them yet.
5. The Amazing Adventures of Kavalier and Klay by Michael Chabon - Don’t let the fact that it won a Pulitzer push you away. The Amazing Adventures are about two cousins who start a comic book about an escape artist superhero and who become a raging success. From what I’ve heard, it’s loosely based on the true story of Superman.
6. The Poisonwood Bible by Barbara Kingsolver - normally, I dislike fiction with religious themes, but the way she pulls this off is amazing (Each of the main characters - 5 sisters and their mother - is a “writer” of the book - the style and tone change with each chapter to reflect who’s writing it.). (It’s not overtly religious, it’s more about Africa and how Western culture has influenced it.) I can’t think of a book where the characters are more developed and *real*.
7. Life of Pi by Yann Martel - Another very different book, it actually reminded me a bit of the survival books I read as a child (Hatchet; My Side of the Mountain). An Indian boy named Pi is shipwrecked on the Pacific ocean with a tiger as a shipmate.
8. Tim Cahill - The perfect travel writer. Most of his books are collections of essays he’s written for other publications. His work ranges from gut-busting hilarity to very serious, without skipping a beat. Start with either Road Fever (an account of his trip from the southernmost tip of South America to the northernmost drivable point in North America) or Hold the Enlightenment (his latest collection).
9. Bill Bryson - again, pretty much anything. Another great travel writer whose gift for language is superb. I particularly enjoyed A Walk in the Woods (his journey along the Appalachian Trail) and Neither Here Nor There (random travels in Europe). His observations are both astute and hilarious. I’m looking forward to starting A Short History of Nearly Everything soon - it seems to be about science in general.
Wow, I didn’t mean to write this much, but books are a passion of mine. Hope you can pull some enjoyable favorites out of these. ;)
Posted on February 12, 2004 03:38 AM | #
5. Dunstan said:
I’ve got a bunch here:
If you want some short and sweet books, then these are good:
A Confederacy of Dunces
Holes
About a Boy
Posted on February 12, 2004 04:00 AM | #
6. Cameron Adams said:
Robin Hobb is probably one of the more exciting new fantasy authors. In particular, her first (?) series, Royal Assassin was rather good – touches of court intrigue with the usual trials and tribulations.
I’m reading Guy Gavriel Kay’s “Lions of Al-Rassan” at the moment and not finding it overwhelmingly brilliant – rather long build-up scenes containing complexly forgettable names interspersed with overpowering flashes of action.
Posted on February 12, 2004 04:50 AM | #
7. Sam said:
I would go with Ste above, the Poisonwood bible is great.
Also “Corrections” by Jonathen Franzen.
Have you read Stephen Donaldson’s books? Either the first 2, or the Gap series are good.
Back on scifi, maybe Peter hamilton, although I don’t greatly reccomend them.
Posted on February 12, 2004 04:58 AM | #
8. Simon Willison said:
It sounds like you might really enjoy Neil Gaiman’s “American Gods”. It’s certainly the most interesting novel I’ve read in a long time. Cory Doctorow’s new book looks fun too, and you can try that out for free online.
Posted on February 12, 2004 06:20 AM | #
9. Adam Kinney said:
Definitely Neil Gaiman, and I agree “Neverwhere” would be a good one to start with. His “American Gods” is awesome too.
Terry Goodkind’s Sword of Truth series is good, along the same style as others you have mentioned.
Morgan Llywelyn has a great style and focuses on Irish Mythology. Red Branch is one of the best.
Anne Rice’s sister Alice Borchardt actually has written a few good ones too. The Silver Wolf would be a good place to start.
Nice new site design by the way.
Posted on February 12, 2004 06:27 AM | #
10. Barry said:
I’ve always enjoyed reading Red Dwarf when I’m suffering from book-anxiety. It’s a Sci-fi comedy based upon the classic British TV series. It’s quite short and very easy to read, and to top it off it’s a damn funny book.
Posted on February 12, 2004 06:37 AM | #
11. Matt Southerden said:
Regarding my previous comments, and those by Ste and Simon, You could also look up Good Omens, co-authored by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman.
Posted on February 12, 2004 06:54 AM | #
12. Ste Grainer said:
I can’t believe I was remiss in mentioning Orson Scott Card as well. His Ender series is superb science fiction - nearly on par with Dune in terms of literary scope. Start with Ender’s Game and follow that series through Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide, and Children of the Mind. The other series (Ender’s Shadow and subsequent) is good but reads more like a straight action series than the original.
Posted on February 12, 2004 07:13 AM | #
13. Matt said:
Agreed on the William Gibson, his stuff is brilliant. I finally picked up Pattern Recognition yesterday…if it is anywhere near as good as Neuromancer, I’ll be very pleased.
If you liked Robert Jordan (at least for a while), I’d strongly encourage you to give Raymond E. Feist a shot. I’ve had a few friends read just the first book, and after that point they are hooked. And while there are a number of books set in the same world, a group of 4 books (Magician: Apprentice, Magician: Master, Silverthorn, and A Darkness at Sethanon) will get you the main story, instead of dragging on and on like Jordan.
If you are worried about your attention span, have you tried reading any short stories? There are quite a few well-crafted collections floating around, and the quality of writing is often much better in short stories than in longer novels. They are actually very fulfilling, and you’ll have no problem reading 3 or 4 in just a few hours.
Posted on February 12, 2004 07:23 AM | #
14. Matt said:
*sigh*…managed to fly right over the top of the line where you said you loved Mr. Feist. I’d love to blame it on the number of links making the entry harder to read, but perhaps I’d be better off to not comment while severly hungover in the future. :)
Posted on February 12, 2004 07:27 AM | #
15. Terry said:
Don’t have any new recommendations for you but if your into sci-fi then I would recommend the Foundation Series by Asimov. I’ve read quite a bit of sci-fi but these series of books are an absolute must read and, arguably, the best of all-time.
Posted on February 12, 2004 07:46 AM | #
16. Josh Jarmin said:
I am seeing this entry twice, but on the top one there are 0 comments while on the second one there are like 15 comments. Is this a MT bug or did you just post it twice?
Posted on February 12, 2004 07:47 AM | #
17. Zelnox said:
Would it be cool if some of those book series were turned into TV serials? Say a one season thing (around 10 to 40 hours). Remember “V” and “Shogun”? Yeah, like those!
David Eddings’ “The Belgariad” and “Malloreon” series weren’t mentioned yet. Quite an easy read. Less ‘mature’ content than say, “The Sword of Truth”.
Posted on February 12, 2004 08:02 AM | #
18. Elaine said:
I loved Metropolitan and City on Fire by Walter Jon Williams – re-read Metropolitan again about a month ago, after just skimming the first few pages while organizing my books. sucked into it instantly…partially because it’s a wonderfully well-rendered world/culture, very eclectic.
Posted on February 12, 2004 08:15 AM | #
19. ColdForged said:
I’d have to suggest Hyperion and the sequels by Dan Simmons. From the description of the reading you’ve done and your likes and dislikes, we are apparently the same person. I really dig Hyperion, ergo you will too :).
Posted on February 12, 2004 08:18 AM | #
20. C McMahon said:
Gene Wolfe. A review in the Washington Post said explaining Wolfe would be like trying to explain Mozart.
His most popular work is The Book of the New Sun Series.
My favorite work of his is Peace.
Posted on February 12, 2004 08:27 AM | #
21. Jason said:
I was just coming in to recommend Neil Gaiman but apparently he is required reading for web developers as many in your comments suggested him.
My Dad reads alot of Clancy novels and things like that and every so often he gives me one to read, and while I wouldn’t pick this guys books out in the store I really Enjoyed Plum Island by Nelson DeMille.
You should read the Princess Bride, its as classic as the movie.
Posted on February 12, 2004 08:28 AM | #
22. Keith said:
Thanks for all the great recommendations so far, and sorry about the double post – I’ve been having MT issues this week!
On some of the recommendations up there. I’ve read Neil Gaiman’s books and loved them all. I should have listed “American Gods” as one of my recent favorites.
I saw a few mentions of Terry Goodkind. I liked those books at first but I find them too episodic – there is no conclusion and that bothers me.
Dan Simmons – Like his books.
Eddings and Dragonlance – Liked these when I was 14. I find them a bit too corny now.
Stephenson - Tried to read “Cryptonomicon”, couldn’t get into it. I have “Quicksilver” on my desk at home, but…
Scott Card - Read his Homecoming series and really liked that. I’ve been thinking about his other books, so maybe I’ll start with those.
Wolfe – Been thinking of picking his new one up.
ANYway – Thanks so much for the recommendations! I’ll let you know how it goes!
Posted on February 12, 2004 10:39 AM | #
23. Adrian Rinehart-Balfe said:
Al I can do is echo most of the above and add one.
I didn’t see anyone mention the collaboration between Pratchett and Gaiman, ‘Good Omens’ which I found very hard to put down.
Posted on February 12, 2004 01:21 PM | #
24. PrairieGal said:
I found myself put off of reading for many of the same reasons you list, Keith - until I discovered Scottish writer Val McDermid. I got into reading her novels last summer and can’t get enough of them. I recommend “The Mermaids Singing”, “Killing the Shadows”, “The Wire in the Blood” and “The Last Temptation”. If you enjoy really great character development, you’ll enjoy her books. Best of luck.
Posted on February 12, 2004 01:24 PM | #
25. Tom said:
Be patient with Neil Stephenson. Trust me on this one. My taste is somewhat like yours (although I do tend to go for good spy novels like Forsyth), and I’ve been having the same issue as you–nothing seems very good anymore.
Until someone loaned me “Snow Crash”.
It’s a bit slow going, but definitely worth the read, and I found the Cryptonominocon the same way. Just give it a little bit.
(To give you an idea, it wasn’t until Shaftoe called Lt. Reagan a “f*cking idiot” that I was totally hooked).
btw, I’ll second and third et al on the Terry Pratchett. Funniest books I’ve read in the genre.
Tom
Posted on February 12, 2004 02:19 PM | #
26. Lea said:
Hey hey hey! Don’t blame comic books! ;-) They can be as deep and as literary and as moving as plain novels. Road to Perdition was originally a graphic novel, you know (as well as Ghost World and various other quirky movies). Move past the X-men and try the various excellent graphic novels at your leisure. My favorite series right now is Blade of the Immortal by Hiroaki Samura.
Posted on February 12, 2004 03:39 PM | #
27. Eric TF Bat said:
Another vote for Pratchett, for a start. I recommend reading Small Gods first, to get hooked. That will give you the patience to wade through the first couple, which are less polished: The Colour of Magic and The Light Fantastic are a pair, and are based on Pterry’s secret past as a D&D nerd; after that they’re a bit Gilbert & Sullivan for a while, and then they get better. The last dozen or so are excellent.
I’m alarmed that you haven’t mentioned Douglas Adams, the late lamented. You can’t call yourself a True Geek if you haven’t read The Hitch Hiker’s Guide To The Galaxy and its sequels (tip: don’t bother with Mostly Harmless, which is abominable).
Apart from these, I loathe Fantasy fiction, but if you enjoyed Peter F Hamilton you’ll probably enjoy Alastair Reynolds too. Read Chasm City first, then Revelation Space, Redemption Ark and Absolution Gap; I’m not sure why CC is sold as the second in the series; it’s an odd error. Reynolds has Hamilton’s enormous sweep and grandeur, but he actually has the ability to end a story without some insane deus ex machinae.
I can’t recommend Neil Stephenson, or anything written by Isaac Asimov after 1980; they both obviously wrote to a set word limit, so Asimov padded shamelessly and Stephenson couldn’t finish a story to save his life. YMMV of course.
And finally, search out anything you can find by Greg Egan. He’s an Australian writer, and a scientist. There are more new ideas in a single Egan short story than in everything ever written by every author who has ever been compared to Tolkien.
Posted on February 12, 2004 03:57 PM | #
28. Eric TF Bat said:
Oh yeah, and on the subject of comics…
James Robinson’s entire 75-issue run of Starman is generally superb. Neil Gaiman’s Sandman is amazing, and will be familiar to you if you read American Gods. Kurt Busiek’s Astro City is fun, and the collected graphic novels of The Authority are worth getting. But the absolute best of the lot is Planetary: my comment about Greg Egan applies even more to this series.
Posted on February 12, 2004 04:03 PM | #
29. Keith said:
Don’t worry Lea, I will always love comics. Now that I’ve got the new design done and my content easier to manage, I expect you’ll see some comic book reviews coming soon.
I’ve thought about Terry P. – but to be honest I’m not really into humorous or too whimsical reads. When I was younger I liked the Xanth books and the Myth Inc. stuff, but now I really like my fantasy a bit more serious and real.
That’s why I really enjoy the George R.R. Martin stuff.
Posted on February 12, 2004 04:06 PM | #
30. Keith said:
I love Planetary. And Sandman is a classic.
My current favs are Fables, Lucifer, Y the Last Man, Supreme Power, the Courtney Crumin books, Wanted, Arrowsmith, Steve Niles’ Cal Macdonald stuff…well, lots more actually. I’m a comic book junky.
Oh, if you like Gaiman: 1602 is great. It’s his take on an alternate X-men / Marvel universe.
Posted on February 12, 2004 04:12 PM | #
31. Jennifer said:
Sounds like I have pretty much the same taste in books as you do. I love Robert Jordan, Tad Williams (though I never got into the Otherland series - I prefer fantasy to science fiction), Robin Hobbs, and George R.R. Martin. I’m a little different than you in that I absolutely love very long books and series that never end. But even so, I wish Robert Jordan’s later books would cover more time per book, and end with some sort of partial resolution. If each book ends up being five inches thick, I’m fine with that!
In the fantasy genre, I would add Melanie Rawn’s Sunrunner books (which feature an interesting sort of magic), as well as The Golden Key, which was written by Rawn, Jennifer Roberson, and Kate Elliot. I also enjoyed the series by Jack Whyte starting with The Skystone (a twist on the Arthurian legend).
It’s not fantasy, but I picked up The Clan of the Cave Bear by Jean Auel once in an airport, and I loved it (as well as the rest of the series). I guess you could say it’s pre-historical fiction. It’s really interesting to read about life in the ice age, though it gets a little slow sometimes with the descriptions of plants and their medicinal uses.
In a similar vein, though set thousands of years (tens of thousands?) later, is Household Gods, by Judith Tarr and Harry Turtledove, set mostly in ancient Roman times.
Posted on February 12, 2004 05:55 PM | #
32. JC said:
Definitely check out the Recluce saga by LE Modesitt. Fantasy, a little philsophy, and a touch of sci-fi (more than a touch in a couple).
Also Mickey Zucher Reichart’s Renshai books, or really anything she’s written. She and Jennifer Roberson are great writers, quite similar to Robin Hobb.
Posted on February 13, 2004 09:04 AM | #
33. Johan Svensson said:
Perdido Street Station and The Scar by China Miéville. Pretty much the oddest stuff I’ve read in years.
And if you’re into hard scifi, Alastair Reynolds.
Posted on February 20, 2004 07:54 AM | #
34. Timo said:
+1 on Neil Gaiman. A friend introduced me to one of the Sandman ‘graphic novels’ and I scoffed. “I don’t read comics, man, not for me.” He told me to just try two of his, and at 3AM I finally stopped reading them. And now, after a decade of birthdays and xmas gifts, I have the entire series in hardcover editions. :-)
My wife despises sci-fi, but even she was swept up with Neverwhere and American Gods. Good Omens (with Terry Pratchet) is riotous and similar to Douglas Adams stuff. Stardust will be the kind of fairy tale I plan to read to kids, which will assuredly warp their sensibilities.
Posted on February 22, 2004 09:51 PM | #
35. Donna Maurer said:
We have very similar tastes, and I asked the same question on my blog a while back. Here’s the suggestions I got:
http://www.maadmob.net/donna/blog/archives/000275.html
I’d imagine that you’d also like Katherine Kerr - good historical fantasy.
Posted on February 23, 2004 03:59 PM | #
36. Yoni Kirby said:
You absolutely must read Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card first!! It is the best book I have ever read, and I have read a lot, including the Foundation Series and The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, which is also really good. But Ender’s Game rocks the house.
Posted on April 1, 2004 05:57 PM | #
37. alice said:
Try ‘The Amulet Of Samarkand’ by Jonathan Stroud
It was a last resort book for me but i reeeeally enjoyed it, it’s about magicians and is very witty
Posted on May 2, 2004 05:42 AM | #
38. Frank T. Johansen said:
There are some comic books that are deeper and more emotional than everything I’ve ever encountered in books. I’ve read maybe 1500 books, 99% SF & Fantasy, and about the same amount in shelfspace in comics. To get an idea of my tastes, here is a top-list combining what I found most intriguing, moving, original, and just plain old GOOD in both those mediums:
1. Nausicaa (cartoon, Miyazaki)
2. Thieves & Kings (cartoon, Mark Oakley)
3. A game of thrones (book, George R. R. Martin)
4. Bone (cartoon, Jeff Smith)
5. Malazan, Book of the Fallen (book, Steven Erikson)
6. Promethea (cartoon, Alan Moore)
7. Finder (cartoon, Carla Speed McNeil)
8. Lord of the Rings (book, Tolkien)
9. Elric of Melnibone (book, Michael Moorcock)
10. The Black Company (book, Glen Cook)
Posted on July 10, 2004 10:35 AM | #
39. Sally said:
I would highly recommend Steven Johnson’s “Mind Wide Open”. Maybe you’ve heard of it already, he was on Fresh Air a few months back. The book is awesome, exploring the human mind, why we feel the way we do and why we react to certain situations in unexpected ways. It is fascinating, but also very universal and I think it helps you gain perspective and learn more about yourself. But its a very easy read, almost conversational. He makes a point to not get too deep into scientific or medical jargon.
There was an interesting part where he talked about monkeys that had learned sign language, apparently tickling is a frequent topic of conversation for them when they’re just hanging out. Its full of fun anecdotal bits too.
Posted on July 30, 2004 06:31 AM | #
40. DB said:
Yeah the diet thing is good. The Mote in God’s Eye is an excellent sci-fi book. It is the best one involvong humans meeting aliens. Very well thought out and more sophisticated than the usual Mars attacks crap.
Posted on August 1, 2004 06:32 PM | #
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