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For lack of a better title, The Book Thread!
KharBevNor:
Because The Lord of the Rings is a landmark work of unbelievable importance in English language fiction, single-handedly inventing an entire genre and reconstructing an entire anglo-saxon mythology from years of painstaking research and work. It is also a joy to read, and one of the most meticulously constructed works in any genre ever. I just appreciate some people might not 'get it'.*
I first read it when I was 10.
*That said, I don't think I've got through all the ringbearers quest more than twice in the five or six times I've read it.
sp2:
--- Quote from: onewheelwizzard ---that out of the way, here are some other authors you should try out.
Neal Stephenson
Khalil GIbran
Terry Pratchett
Neil Gaiman
Angela Carter
C. D. Payne
--- End quote ---
That list with no William Gibson? For shame!
Anyways, other authors:
J.D. Salinger
Really, Catcher in the Rye is awesome, but so is just about everything else by Salinger. He's pretty much an angsty Kerouac. Which is not a bad thing.
Shirley Jackson
Oh! More angst! She wrote horror, sort of, and just simple stories about alienation and going crazy. Her short story "The Lottery" is a classic among classics, and most of her fiction is damned good. She can't write an ending worth a damn, but that's okay by me, because endings are overrated anyways. Hangsaman is worth reading, as is The Haunting of Hill House and The Road through the Wall. And of course "The Lottery."
Jack Kerouac
Just read him. For your own good. Seriously. On the Road is the obvious choice.
onewheelwizzard:
I first read Lord of the Rings when I was 10 or so too. It might just be the greatest literary work in the history of English.
Before I get flamed for saying that, let me just present my reasoning ... Lord of the Rings is not particularly exceptional when it comes to prose. Tolkien's writing can be dense and unnecessarily obscure (not to any severe degree, but still), and his plot might look a little hackneyed if you look at it from the perspective of someone who read his followers' works with the same eye. But in terms of scope and vision, Tolkien was completely unparalleled. His creative output trumps that of just about every author I've ever read. He created entire languages and cultures, formed a complex and intersting mythology for his world, and, effectively, created a universe every bit as full and complete as our own, all in his head. It wasn't just the books, it was the entire universe that they represented. Middle-Earth goes a long way beyond the Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit. In order to fully appreciate it you have to look into The Silmarillion and the many other works associated with its mythology and backstory. The complexity of Tolkien's vision just couldn't be communicated in one series.
johnnylaw:
--- Quote from: heretic ---a couple of my fav books
grapes of wrath
cather in the rye
brave new world (it's Aldous Huxley, not pronounced Aldius and how, it's pronounced Aldoo, but not blatently americanized)
--- End quote ---
If you're a fan of Catcher, you should read the underappreciated Franny and Zooey by Salinger. Personally, I like it better.
sp2:
--- Quote from: KharBevNor ---Because The Lord of the Rings is a landmark work of unbelievable importance in English language fiction, single-handedly inventing an entire genre and reconstructing an entire anglo-saxon mythology from years of painstaking research and work. It is also a joy to read, and one of the most meticulously constructed works in any genre ever. I just appreciate some people might not 'get it'.*
--- End quote ---
To be fair, there was indeed fantasy (even quest fantasy) before Tolkein. Lovecraft wrote it (Dream-Quest of Unknown Kadath, for example) as did many other authors. Tolkein definitely put in nods to Beowulf, Norse mythology (most of the characters' names were stolen directly), the King Arthur legend, and even Lovecraft (the watcher in the lake outside Moria, yeah, if that's not Lovecraftian....). He knew pretty well that he was walking in the footsteps of other people instead of treading new grounds. This has just been forgotten to large extents.
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