Books

[West]

So, thankfully RPGers are one of the subcultures I've always enjoyed because most of us are literate. I read voraciously. Both my parents were readers, and some of my earliest memories are looking up at bookshelves. I'll pretty much read anything, but prefer sci/fi and fantasy. I particularly like sci/fi that explores the moving target of morality as technology impacts a society.

Books I like:

Hyperion/Endymion books - Dan Simmons
Dune series - Frank Herbert
Mordant's Need series - Stephen R. Donaldson
Belgariad / Mallorean series - David Eddings
Zone of Thought series - Vernor Vinge
ANYTHINGZ WRITTEN - Larry Niven
Dragon Prince & Exiles series - Melanie Rawn
most anything - Orson Scott Card
most anything - Brian Lumley
anything - Katherine Kurtz
'Jhereg' series - Stephen Brust

So that's the short list. What entertains/inpsires you?

[DaevaDude]

West, if you like SF about the impact of tech on morality, society and so forth, you would probably love Greg Bear's novels Queen of Angels and / (usually called "Slant", but the title is, indeed, just / ). Both deal with questions of what happens to personal identity in a society in which bioengineering and nanotech have made many aspects of human nature - race/ethnicity, gender, basic appearance, arguably even species - malleable. Queen also deals with the ethics of AI, and / with the ethics of nanotech as a weapon. Great stuff. Bear's among my favorite of current SF authors. Darwin's Radio, Blood Music... so much great stuff, really.

I like a lot of the stuff on your list, West. Unfortunately, despite the genius of Ender's Game and some of his other works, Card is ruined to me due to his being a homophobic douchebag and a strident opponent of gay rights (he believes homosexuality should be recriminalized, and donated significant amounts to the effort to ban gay marriage in California).

Simmons' stuff, Dune and Lumley, though... good stuff.

Some of my favorites:
George RR Martin, especially the "Song of Fire and Ice" series (Game of Thrones, etc.), but also the Wild Cards series, especially the earlier volumes.
Gene Wolfe - pretty much anything, but especially "The Book of the New Sun" (Shadow of the Torturer, Claw of the Conciliator, Sword of the Lictor and Citadel of the Autarch). Wolfe is my pick (and that of a lot of people, really) as the best living SF/fantasy author, and arguably the best writer in the English language alive today.
Charles De Lint - Any of his fantasy. Should be required reading for Changeling folk.
China Mieville - Pretty much everything, but especially Perdido Street Station and other works in that setting. Another great Changeling inspiration.
Neil Gaiman - Everything, really.
Harlan Ellison - Unbelivably prolific, incredibly good and still provocative after nearly 60 years writing professionally.
Karl Edward Wagner - Horribly underrated SF and horror writer.
HP Lovecraft - sure, some of his stylistic excesses are... well, excessive, and annoying, and sometimes unintentionally comic. But Lovecraft is still one of the most original thinkers in horror fantasy, and there's a crapload of good stuff in his writing.

[West]

I've read the Bear books. I picked up Forge of God when it came out, and when he popped up again in the Man-Kzin short stories, I looked some more and found those. Ellison is good stuff. I enjoy the art of the short story, and he and PKD are awesome at it. Lovecraft... is Lovecraft He just goes on the shelf with all the good classics

Wolfe has been on my to-do list for some time. Every time I looked that way before, Jordan was putting out another book, so I'd re-read WoT to catch up. Finally I gave up. There were too many sharks to jump -- but now I suppose I can go see what Wolfe is all about I think you're the third person I've had recommend the books.

[Forn Clakes]

Terry Prattchett: Pretty much anything.
Neil Gaiman: American Gods
Dan Abnett: Tanith First & Only!

[Fractured]

Another big Terry Pratchett fan here.

Love Neil Gaiman's old stuff- Neverwhere was great, Sandman was great; but I hated American Gods. I know a fair amount of mythology, but I didn't have a clue about half of what he was talking about in that book. What, he expects me to sit and read his book with a Mythology textbook open next to it? Oh, and a book of coin tricks, too. Not worth the effort, for me, anyway. Plus, the main character lacks a personality (coin tricks =/= personality). Never bothered to pick up Anansi Boys.

Alan Moore- love it
Garth Ennis- awesomeness
Fabian Nicieza- anybody remember this guy? His run on New Warriors was freakin' epic. Seems like he burnt out too fast. Quantum & Woody was good too (teleporting goat, yay!)
Douglas Adams- Hitchhiker's Guide series (the answer to life and everything is 42! Brilliant!)

[DaevaDude]

I didn't really mention comics, but yeah... Alan Moore is incredible. PROMETHEA. SWAMP THING. TOP 10. LEAGUE OF EXTRAORDINARY GENTLEMEN... one can go on and on naming his great stuff.

Garth Ennis (PREACHER!!!) and Warren Ellis (PLANETARY is SO wonderful) are of course excellent, and of course Gaiman's SANDMAN is one of the greatest comics ever.

Fabian Nicieza is a pretty nice guy... I used to chat with him online on some old BBs.

[Benji]

Anansi Boys is a billion times better than American Gods, just so you know.

[Fractured]

@ Daeva- that's awesome! if you ever talk to him again, tell him you know someone interested in purchasing original Firestar art Oh, Miss Angelica, how your microwave emissions and yellow body suit are missed...

@ Benji- ok, I'm willing to give Mr. Neil a shot to win me back...Mr. Nancy did seem like an interesting character

[Sherrinford]

Books. In this group of people, I imagine you'll end up encompassing the Library of Congress. My contribution:

Among the ancients: The Illiad, the Odyssey, Plato's Republic, anything of Thomas More.

Modernly, I like the writing of Morris West, Lost Horizon, and other Utopian novels.

Fantasy, I love Tolkein, C.S. Lewis, most of Katherine Kurtz (she's a neat lady in person), I love the Master Li novels of Barry Hughart, and I just recently discovered the Dresden Files. (With so many occult novels (like those of Misty Lackey or Laurel Hamilton) featuring courageous female protagonists, it's nice to come across a sympathetic, funny male wizard.)