I need a good book.

[Karloff]

Ian M Banks is great, but given this is the Escapist I'd recommend Player of Games: master of strategy blackmailed into acting as a diplomatic agent for the Culture, is sent to play the ultimate game in a society where high office can only be had through victory.

Or Christopher Brookmyre, Pandaemonium: demons from Hades versus Scots high school students in a gory battle royale, with the fate of the planet hanging on the outcome. Best use of a lumberjack joke anywhere in literature, IMHO.

 

[rabidmidget]

The Catcher in the Rye
A ClockWork Orange
Farenheight 451
Catch-22
The Dark Tower series
The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy
The Discworld series

 

[theravensclaw]

a little off track but I really recommend the dresden files by Jim Butcher. absolutely amazing story telling, easy reads but interesting all the same. If you want something a bit more 'deep' go the dark tower series by stephen king

 

[Liham]

The discworld series, brave new world.
or my number 1 choice, my numero uno book...
the graveyard book by Neil Gaiman

 

[little.09]

i just picked up war of the words for 6 dollars, check out the penguin classics books they're good and cheap

 

[espressojet]

Water for Elephants... It's a good book... trust me

 

[Thamian]

Military Sci-fi:

Honor Harrington series by David Weber (First book: 'On Basilisk Station')
Vatta's War Series by Elizabeth Moon (First book: 'Trading In Danger')
- The person who liked the Lost Fleet by Jack Campbell, I recommend these a thousand times over as they are both top notch stories of space combat.

Gaunt's Ghosts series by Dan Abnett (First book: 'First And Only')
- Warhammer 40k at it's absolute best, certainly once you get to Necropolis and beyond. Also, first three arcs are availible as Omnibus editions which are pretty cheap for how much reading you get out of 'em.

Last Legion series by Chris Bunch (First book: 'The Last Legion')
- Only Military Sci-fi series that I've seen which features an insurrection, an alien invasion, an interstellar war, and a circus act.



Non-Military Sci-fi:

anything by Anne McCaffery
- Seriously, this woman is a master author and her Chronicles of Pern series is a pretty textbook example of sci-fi/fantasy fusion.

Aquasilva trilogy by Anselm Audley (First Book: 'Heresy')
- Another example of sci-fi fantasy fusion and a very good one as well. Sadly, no-one seems to have heard of it really, and I don't think Audley's published anything since these books.

Artemis Fowl series by Eoin Colfer (First book: 'Artemis Fowl')
- Yeah, they're kids books, but they still kick ass, especially the later ones where Artemis has grown up a fair bit.

Deeply philosophical/important:

One recommendation in here: The Memoires of a Master Forger by William Heaney. This book changed my life.

 

[SaunaKalja]

The Name of the Wind, by Patrick Rothfuss. The second part of the series, The Wise Man's Fear came out ~1,5 months ago.

Without a doubt the best fantasy series I've read. Although that doesn't say much, since I'm not THAT big of a reader. But still.

 

[Communist partisan]

Any recommendations? Anything sci-fi, philosophical, or just generally awesome.

I reach out to the mighty knowledge base that is The Escapist community.

The Communist manifesto , "Svenne" or "the uncensored history of punk: please kill me".

 

[Manji187]

Any recommendations? Anything sci-fi, philosophical, or just generally awesome.

I reach out to the mighty knowledge base that is The Escapist community.

Since about 9 out of 10 things suggested is likely to be fiction I'll recommend you some philosophically tinted informational non-fiction.

-"The Master and His Emissary; The Divided Brain and the Making of the Western World"

by Iain McGilchrist

-"The Lucifer Effect; How Good People Turn Evil"

by Philip Zimbardo (the psychologist behind the Stanford Prison Experiment)

-"Cultures of War; Pearl Harbor/ Hiroshima/ 9-11/ Iraq"

by John W. Dower

 

[Bobbity]

The Wizard of Earthsea, by Ursula Le Guin. Trust me, that book is absolutely fantastic, and probably the best fantasy I've read since the Lord of the Rings.

 

[oberkid4]

here are the first books in a bunch of great series most of them are probably available at your library
agent of change by sharon lee and steve miller
hunting party by elizabeth moon
the diamond throne by david eddings
The Amulet of Samarkand by Jonathan Stroud

s

 

[Gregg Lonsdale]

I recommend The Hunger Games series, It's very well written with good pacing and emotional impact.

If you want philosophy there's the Pop Culture and Philosophy series which I quite enjoyed. I read "The Legend of Zelda and philosophy" (I link, therefore I am) and "The Daily Show and Philosophy" (Moments of Zen in the art of fake news) but there are tons of others, chances are one of them falls on a topic you're interested in. Highly recommended if you want a book that makes you think without being overly dry and scientific.

 

[The Funslinger]

the eragon books are not bad

fixed your spelling error. They're not bad, but then they're not too original either, and I've read other books I liked far more. I'll probably read the fourth, though. Closure, and all that.

OT: I'd recommend Discworld, and if you want something a bit more serious, then go for the Sword of Truth series. Be careful though, it starts off seeming like it's in the same vein as Eragon, then BAM! All this brutal shit comes out of nowhere about halfway through book one. Good series, and the situations the characters get put into really make you think. (Particularly Faith of the Fallen.)

 

[Nenad]

However, since you are in the mood for "philosophical"... here is one you've probably never heard of. The "Master and Margarita" by Bulgakov. It's one of the greatest novels of the 20th century, but it's very poorly known in the States.

I did hear about it, I'm so proud of myself :3 Then again, I'm not from the States

OT: Small Gods by Terry Prattchet and The Dark Tower by Stephen King.

 

[captaincabbage]

Go get some Discworld.

Ain't gettin' much better than that

HELLZ YES.


OT: If you've never read a discworld novel before, I'd recommend Feet of Clay. It's easy as hell to read, it's well written and it's just a good book. It was the first one I read and I loved it and after that I moved on to more in-depth stuff, learnt more about the dozens upon dozens of characters and just slipped into the world, so I reckon anyone looking to get it should read it. ;P

 

[Anah'ya]

Any recommendations? Anything sci-fi, philosophical, or just generally awesome.

I reach out to the mighty knowledge base that is The Escapist community.

I am still not sure why I loved that book so much. Its writing style is very refreshing, and the outlook it offers at a possible future in which gene manipulation and climate changes brought the world to its knees, is stunning almost. There is no black and white, no good and evil, and I suppose that might just be why I liked it so much.

 

[hypermage]

Kurt Vonnegut's Slaughterhouse Five
any H.P. Lovecraft anthology
Albert Camus' The Fall & The Myth of Sisyphus
Douglas Adams' Hitchhikers' Guide to the Galaxy series
Philip K. Dick's Valis

 

[Wutaiflea]

I can't think of many books I've enjoyed more than Dune by Frank Herbert. It's utterly absorbing, and that's coming from someone who really doesn't like to read.