Books to be Read

[packbat]

At the current moment, I have ... fourteen books (all present in this room, right now) on my metaphorical "read list", not counting one I'm in the middle of, and a couple more which I can't see from this angle. Wait, let me start over.

*walks over and rearranges books, recounts*

Right now, I have twenty-three books (whoa!) right in this room that I plan to finish reading, but haven't yet.

Tuf Voyaging, by George R. R. Martin.

The book I'm still reading. Martin is an author who came highly recommended from limyaael as a superb writer of fantasy. However, Tuf Voyaging is a collection of science fiction short stories. Further details shall wait until after I've read it.

The Snow Queen, by Joan D. Vinge.

This book, and all the ones following it on my shelf, came from my mom. She has excellent taste in science fiction and fantasy, and I trust that her suggestions will be a joy to read. That said, I know almost nothing about this book. Nice cover, though.

The Gate to Women's Country, by Sheri S. Tepper.

Now, this one I know a little about. First, that Sheri S. Tepper is a good author (The Family Tree, The Awakeners, and After Long Silence are all on my shelf), and second, that it has something to do with gender issues.

What? I said I knew "a little"!

A Fire Upon the Deep, by Vernor Vinge.

Ditto on this one. Vernor Vinge is a good author, the sequel is supposed to be good as well ... yeah.

Nova, by Samuel R. Delany.

The title sounded really familiar, like I'd read it before, but I didn't recognize the story when I checked the first few pages. But Delany, and Nova, already have good reputations.

A Time of Changes, by Robert Silverberg.

No clue, sorry. Looks like an older book – I think I've seen the same typeface on some John Brunner books.

Rogue Moon, by Algis Budrys.

Ditto on this one, although the typeface is completely different. Looks like the cover of this edition was drawn in 1977 by Carl Lund Gren, according to the little stamp he put on it. But that's got nothing to do with the book, naturally.

The Midwich Cuckoos, by John Wyndham.

Heard of John Wyndam, but not of the Midwich Cuckoos. This one's cover is giving me a "Agatha Christie Mystery" vibe, but the book could easily be anything.

The Day of the Triffids, by John Wyndham.

Mysteries of the universe explained! Of course I've heard of Wyndham, this book is famous! It'll be interesting reading it, having already seen the movie.

The Once and Future King, by T. H. White.

I would not be surprised if this book was the single most famous retelling of the Arthurian legend. I've only read the first story in it, and that was awhile ago. This copy is an older, one-volume edition, with an elegant white cover.

The Book of Merlyn, by T. H. White.

The sequel to The Once and Future King. I plan to read it after I finish the earlier book.

The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester.

Famous book, famous author, I know nothing about its contents.

Doomstar, by Edmond Hamilton.

I've got nothing. It looks like another older sci-fi book, though.

Nightfall and Other Stories, by Isaac Asimov.

Of course I've heard of Isaac Asimov. His Three Laws of Robotics will probably still be famous in science fiction circles long after televisions become three-dimensional. (If they ever do become three-dimensional, that is.) Furthermore, I've already read the title story, "Nightfall", in another collection. There's still plenty more to read in this book, though.

Ensign Flandry, by Poul Anderson.

Apparently this is the first book in a series. Also, Poul Anderson is famous. There – knowledge exhausted.

Tomorrow, the Stars, introduction by Robert A. Heinlein.

Contains stories by "Isaac Asimov, C. M. Kornbluth, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Fritz Leiber and many others". I think I've heard of all of these authors, with Kornbluth being a possible exception.

Analog 7, ed. by John W. Campbell.

Analog and Campbell are both famous for many reasons, few of which I know. This book is probably a collection from during Campbell's heyday, which means it's probably superb.

Waldo & Magic, Inc., by Robert A. Heinlein.

Two books in one volume. I bought it because Waldo is famous, not because it's by Heinlein. The latter fact probably explains the former, though.

The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester.

Another famous book with a famous author. I'm not sure if I want to read it, however – I remember being turned off by one of the early plot points. Those of you who want further explanation can ask in the comments.

Space Plague, by George O. Smith.

'One of "The Best Science-Fiction Novels of 1956"', it says. It's not surprising I haven't heard of it.

Virgin Planet, by Poul Anderson.

I wonder if Poul Anderson is angry about his book having cheesecake on the cover. I wouldn't want to be caught reading this in public, to tell the truth. Maybe I should wrap it in something.

The High Crusade, by Poul Anderson.

I remember my dad reading this one aloud to us when we were kids. I still remember a lot of the scenes.

The Amazing Maurice and His Educated Rodents, by Terry Pratchett.

Terry Pratchett deserves immortality for his mastery of the comic footnote alone. I've read a few of his books, and enjoyed them greatly; this one will be next.

On top of all these, there are still many books not in this room that I want to read. (Unlike the other list, this one is most decidedly incomplete.)

The Lions of Al-Rassan, by Guy Gavriel Kay.

Recommended and reviewed by limyaael, it sounds like the sort of tragic and philosophical fantasy story that I found Shardik to be. I loved Shardik; I hope I will love this book as well.

A Deepness in the Sky, by Vernor Vinge.

The sequel to A Fire Upon the Deep. I expect both books to be good.

I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov.

This collection of short stories isn't just famous, it's important famous.

More books to be added as I recall them.

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A note to commenters:

I am of the firm opinion that most* works of fiction should be first read with an absolute minimum of foreknowledge concerning the contents. I would be glad to hear your comments on any or all of the above books, but restrict your plot spoilers to:

(a) Facts which are obvious from the first few pages** (e.g "The main character in Tuf Voyaging is Haviland Tuf"),
(b) Vague comparisons to other works of fiction, books or not (e.g. "The Tuf stories remind me of the Medship series"),
(c) General comments on aspects of the book only incidentally related to plot (e.g. "One of Haviland Tuf's quirks is his fondness towards cats.")
(d) Comments not about the contents of the book, which do not reveal plot details (e.g. "I bought this book at the library used book sale a few months ago, and only just started reading it").

Essentially, use your common sense. Thank you.

* There are a few exceptions. One possible example is the movie The Perfect Storm, which is based on a real event, and assumes the viewer to already know a few facts about said event.

** The back cover is not "the first few pages". Neither is the front cover, although plot spoilers usually only show up on the back cover.