Top 100 SF/F/H Books You Must Read Meme
I discovered this list here and immediately thought this would be a great meme. Here is how it works: Bold all the titles you have read, italicize the titles you hope to read or have seen the movie for (since many of these have been turned into movies) and try to make a distinction between the two, and just mark ones you’ve never heard of somehow (preferably with a parenthesis of some sort). People tagged:John of Grasping For the WindSQTGraeme And here is the list: 100 Books Thou Shalt Read Before You DieBy the Inquest Staff 1. Lord of the Rings by J.R.R. Tolkien2. The Chronicles of Amber by Roger Zelazny3. The Ender Quartet by Orson Scott Card (read the first book)4. Neuromancer by William Gibson 5. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen R. Donaldson (6 Books total)6. Foundation by Isaac Asimov (6 Books total) (read the first two books)7. Dune by Frank Herbert8. Elric by Michael Moorcock9. The Man in the High Castle by Phillip K. Dick10. 1984 by George Orwell11. Hyperion by Dan Simmons (four books)12. The Stars My Destination by Alfred Bester13. Tigana by Guy Gavriel Kay (never heard of it)14. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley15. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Phillip K. Dick (aka Bladerunner)16. The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks (probably will never read)17. The Anubis Gates by Tim Powers (I’ve heard of it, but I don’t know if I’ll read it)18. Lightning by Dean Koontz (probably will never read)19. The Uplift Trilogy by David Brin20. Ringworld by Larry Niven21. The Time Machine by H.G. Wells (seen the movie)22. Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser by Fritz Leiber (complete series) (never heard of it, though I have heard of Leiber)23. A Princess of Mars by Edgar Rice Burroughs24. The Hitchhiker’s Guide to the Galaxy (and I’ve seen the movie)25. The Stand by Stephen King (tried reading it, got bored; tried watching the movie, got bored)26. Le Morte d’Arthur by Sir Thomas Mallory27. I, Robot by Isaac Asimov (seen the movie)28. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein29. Watership Down by Richard Adams (seen the movie too)30. Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury31. The Hobbit by J.R.R. Tolkien32. Helliconia by Brain Aldiss (three books)33. The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe (five books) (never heard of it)34. Gulliver’s Travels by Jonathon Swift35. Mindkiller by Spider Robinson (novella in book Deathkiller) (never heard of it)36. Blood Music by Greg Bear 37. The Green Mile by Stephen King (probably won’t read, not a fan of King’s work, saw most of the movie though)38. Interview with the Vampire by Anne Rice (saw the movie, probably will never read though)39. Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein (saw the movie)40. The Chronicles of Narnia by C.S. Lewis (seven books) (read the first two books)41. The Illuminatus! Trilogy by Robert Shea and Robert Anton Wilson42. Watchers by Dean Koontz (probably won’t read)43. The Demolished Man by Alfred Bester44. Emphyrio by Jack Vance45. The Wizard of Oz by Frank L. Baum46. War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells (seen two of the movies)47. Mythago Wood by Robert Holdstock48. Animal Farm by George Orwell (seen the movie)49. The Princess Bride by William Goldman (seen the movie)50. Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (complete series) (not sure I want to read it)51. It by Stephen King (seen the movie)52. A Clockwork Orange by Anthony Burgess53. Timescape by Gregory Benford (never heard of it)54. Pern by Anne McCaffery (complete series) (not sure I’ll read this)55. Slaughterhouse Five by Kurt Vonnegut56. Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett57. Fionavar by Guy Gavriel Kay (three books) (never heard of it)58. Earthsea “trilogy” by Ursula K. LeGuin59. 2001 by Arthur C. Clarke (four books) (seen the movie)60. Xenogenesis by Octavia Butler (three books)61. A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge62. Conan by Robert E. Howard63. Mars trilogy by Kim Stanley Robinson64. Midnight at the Well of Souls by Jack L. Chalker (never heard of it)65. A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony66. The Gap by Stephen R. Donaldson (five books) (I’ve not clue what this is)67. A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur’s Court by Mark Twain68. Adventures of the Stainless Steel Rat by Harry Harrison69. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury70. Dark Elf series by R. A. Salvatore (not all that interested, especially if this is Forgotten Realms stuff)71. West of Eden by Harry Harrison72. A Fine and Private Place by Peter S. Beagle (never heard of it, but I know who the author is)73. 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea by Jules Verne (saw the movie too)74. Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg (never heard of it)75. Dragonlance by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman (never read any of this stuff, probably won’t)76. Lensman by E.E. “Doc” Smith (six books)77. Something Wicked This Way Comes by Ray Bradbury78. The Mote in God’s Eye by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle79. Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein80. Space Trilogy by C.S. Lewis81. The Invisible Man by H.G. Wells (seen at least three movies based on this)82. Gun, With Occasional Music by Jonathan Lethem (never heard of it)83. Lyonesse by Jack Vance (three books)84. Catspaw by Joan Vinge85. Crystal Express by Bruce Stirling86. The Last Unicorn by Peter S. Beagle87. To Your Scattered Bodies Go by Phillip Jose Farmer88. The Silence of the Lambs by Thomas Harris (never read, didn’t like the style, but saw the movie)89. Downbelow Station by C.J. Cherryh90. Flowers for Algernon by Daniel Keyes91. The Songs of Distant Earth by Arthur C. Clarke92. “The Four Lords of the Diamond” by Jack Chalker (never heard of it)93. Swords by Fred Saberhagen94. Way Station by Clifford Simak95. The Kraken Wakes by John Wydham96. Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson97. The High Crusade by Paul Anderson98. Through the Looking Glass by Lewis Carroll (seen at least three movies based on this)99. Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons (never heard of it)100. The Postman by David Brin (saw the movie)
Meme: Book Tag
Apparently I have been tagged by Grasping For the Wind. And it’s about time. So here goes: Grab the nearest book and turn to page 123. Write down the fifth sentence, post it, and then tag 5 others to do this. My book: The Cleansing by John D. Harvey, published by Arkham House. “Period.” Yeah, that’s it. What are the chances I’d end up with such a firm statement, eh? I hereby tag: Everyone. If you have a blog, you’re tagged. Get used to it. (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
What Middle Earth Race Do You Belong To?
Apparently I’m the following:Your result for The What Middle Earth race do you belong to Test… Elf You’re an Elf! You scored low in size, high in morality, high in aggression and high in intelligence to get here. The first and favorite race created by the Valar, the Elves have been in Middle Earth for many ages, and are currently the only race allowed to join their creators in Valinor. Blessed with eternal life, enhanced senses, great beauty, wisdom and skill, the race of Elves still has several black marks on it. (Kinslaying, anyone?) But hey, no one is perfect, right? Of course not, but the Elves are damn close to it. FYI, your polar opposite is the Troll. Take The What Middle Earth race do you belong to Test at HelloQuizzy Yup. Cool, huh? (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this!)
Sunshine: Surfacing Emotion By Music
Many of you are already aware of how much I adore the movie Sunshine. It is by far one of the best films I have ever seen, but one thing that really stands out in the film is the music. No, the music isn’t complex, or entirely memorable in the same sense as Star Wars, but the way in which such simplistic sounding music can evoke so much emotion. For those who have seen the movie you’ll recognize the music and the scene it belongs to in the movie below. For those that have not seen the movie (what’s wrong with you, by the way?) I will preface this by asking you to imagine the most desperate moment ever, where one person has in the palm of his hands the fate of an entire species…and if he fails…it’s over. There are no more second chances. No more ships to come to the rescue. Mankind will die. This is that moment in the film. The pinnacle moment and one of the most emotionally devastating points for me because it forced me to imagine something so immensely terrifying, to imagine what it must feel like to be the person who must save it all…to sacrifice one’s life for the good of the many. That is how much emotion is packed into this seemingly simple piece of music…So listen with that in mind. There are still some bits of the movie left in the track, since it is ripped from the film itself, but they’re just special effects stuff. Unfortunately the actual soundtrack hasn’t been released. Enjoy. (Don’t click the read more, there isn’t any more after this)
What’s Your Writing Style? (another meme)
Well, I figure memes are of some interest, so here is one and anyone with a blog is hereby tagged. 1. Are you a “pantser” or a “plotter?” It depends on the situation I suppose. Sometimes I plot, and sometimes I don’t. Most of the time I don’t, to be honest. I have a general idea where a story is going, but that’s about all. 2. Detailed character sketches or “their character will be revealed to me as a I write”? The character is revealed to me as I write. I usually have a good idea who the characters are as far as personality goes in my head, though. I think you have to know your characters a little in your head to even write about them. 3. Do you know your characters’ goals, motivations, and conflicts before you start writing or is that something else you discover only after you start writing? It’s a little of both, actually. I knew Carl in The Lies of Venicia was going to be a sort of ruffian with women problems before I really started writing him just as I knew that some of my other characters would have certain goals and conflicts. The only thing I don’t really know are the details of those conflicts, etc. I don’t know why the Elders of Venicia are exterminating entire groups of innocent people under the guise of an “infection”. I have an idea, but there are a lot of factors to take into account. 4. Books on plotting – useful or harmful? Not a clue. I’ve never read a book about plotting. 5. Are you a procrastinator or does the itch to write keep at you until you sit down and work? My problem is less that I procrastinate than my brain can get really fried if too much is going on all at once and by the time I get to writing I just don’t have the drive for it. Yes, I can force myself, but usually that just leads to headaches. I get distracted more often than I procrastinate. I’m a bad person when it comes to arcade games. I have to really hunker down on that part of my life, to be honest. 6. Do you write in short bursts of creative energy, or can you sit down and write for hours at a time? Yes to both. The longer periods are more rare, especially when there are things around me that can pull me out of the groove. I love the longer ones though. They are truly amazing. 7. Are you a morning or afternoon writer? Neither. If I have time to write, I write. Usually my writing time is late morning to early afternoon, but not this quarter. 8. Do you write with music/the noise of children/in a cafe or other public setting, or do you need complete silence to concentrate? I can write in a public setting if it’s noisy, because I can’t make out individual voices. I can write with classical and instrumental music, but not any music with words. Silence is really nice for writing when you’re in a groove though. 9. Computer or longhand? (or typewriter?) Computer. I write longhand if I’m in a place without a computer, though. I prefer computer because I can type faster than I can write by hand. 10. Do you know the ending before you type Chapter One? Sorta. I have an idea what the ending will be like, but I don’t know the real ending. I know that so and so will kill so and so (if a death is the ending), I just don’t know the where, when, how, and why (for the most part, and sometimes it really depends). 11. Does what’s selling in the market influence how and what you write? Yes. But not in the way of themes, just in ideas. I got a lot of ideas from Paul Melko and even from Tobias Buckell. It just happens. They raise an issue and it sparks new ideas in your mind. 12. Editing – love it or hate it? Hate it. Who really likes editing their own work?
A Meme, Yup
I saw this over at The Antick Musings of G. B. H. Hornswoggler and though, what the heck, I should do it to. By the way, anyone who reads this and has a blog is officially tagged. So, yeah. 1. You have 50 dollars in your pocket. What do you do with it? I either deposit it in my bank account or spend it on books. Or both. Or I deposit it and use my credit card to pay for books. 2. What is your most guilty pleasure? Good lord. I don’t know. Maybe that I like Eragon, but not because I think it’s a great book. Or maybe because I like My Chemical Romance. Does liking Queen count as a guilty pleasure? Cause I love Queen and Fleetwood Mac. Beyond that, I don’t know. Oh, I like fruity drinks (you know, alcoholic beverages that are all fruity and get you labeled as “gay”). Yeah, I like those and I’m not afraid to admit it, but maybe that’s not a guilty pleasure? Gah. I have no idea. 3. Have you ever had anyone close to you die? I guess that depends on what “close” means. My grandfather died and while I would say we were pretty close, it wasn’t as close as this question might be implying. I do miss him though, but the unfortunate part of that is it was a good thing he died. Why? Because after he had his major stroke he was just deteriorating and losing everything he used to be. He couldn’t care for himself, hardly spoke, etc.I’ve been thinking of putting together a story book with stories from everyone in the family about him. I wouldn’t publish it for real. This is one of those things where you just self-pub it since the only people who care about that sort of thing are family anyway. Yeah, maybe one day. 4. Are you confused as to what lies ahead of you? Yes. Majorly. I’m not going to go into it, but the future has me happy and confused at the same time because things have been happening to me that I never thought would happen (good things I mean). 5. What was the last movie you saw, for pleasure, and would you recommend it? Sunshine. I did a review for it and it was a really awesome movie. Definitely a gem of last year. So that second part is a yes. 6. Superman or Batman? Oh this is a stupid question. I can’t pick because one is a superhero and one is just good at fighting crime. And both are DC, so I really don’t care. Superman could kick Batman’s toosh any day of the week anyway. 7. If the person you like does not accept you, would you continue to wait for them to change their feelings? In the past, yes, and I can tell you this is idiotic. If anyone reads this part take note: if someone doesn’t accept you, then move on and get over it. You can’t force people to like you. Thankfully I have my girlfriend, who likes me for who I am. I don’t need to wait for anybody else. She’s all I need. (Oh, mushy Shaun, you silly goose!) 8. If the person you secretly like is already attached, what would you do? I assume this means to someone else. Well I don’t have to worry about that, as I said before, but in the past I was stupid and hung around and tried to convince them I was the better choice. Granted, I was right (most of the people I had serious crushes on were in abusive relationships where the guy cheated or was emotionally and verbally abusive, etc.). The great thing about my girlfriend is that none of that crap matters anymore. We’re perfect for each other, and that’s the only thing that matters. 9. Is there anything that has made you unhappy recently? Yeah, of course. I have finals, which suck, and I’ve had that whole financial issue and the bit about having to move, which is still looming around the corner. That makes me unhappy. Oh, and my car died and it’ll cost too much to fix, and since it’s not a car you can really donate I’ll probably have to junk it. Yeah, joy. 10. If you could have chosen at birth whether to be a boy or a girl, which would you be? A boy. Sorry ladies but I’m quite content with not having periods, giving birth, etc. Yes, you might say it’s beautiful and wonderful, but I really don’t want to push a watermelon out of a hole 100 times smaller. Doesn’t sound like fun. There’s other things too like crazy hormones, PMS, etc. Yeah, I’m good with the mannish bits. 11. Which of the 7 Deadly Sins do you think you relate to the most & why? Sloth or Lust. Probably the former since I am not fond of physical labor at all (I’m asthmatic, so doing hard work just sucks). 12. If you find out that your best friend is going out with your boyfriend/girlfriend, how would you react? Well I guess I’d be single, for one, and I wouldn’t have that best friend in my life anymore. Sorry, that’s betrayal and nobody who considers themselves my friend can survive betrayal. And if my girlfriend was cheating on me, yeah, there wouldn’t be many kind words said. I’m a ridiculously faithful and monogamous person. 13. Who is currently the most important person to you? My girlfriend. Hands down. 14. Would you rather be a really good person or a really interesting person? Neither, and no I will not choose one or the other. If being good means I’m boring, then I’ll likely have no friends, so it won’t matter if I’m good anyway. And if being interesting means people won’t leave me alone, then that sucks too. I like a combo. 15. Do you believe in some form