In need of a compelling read

[PedroSteckecilo]

try the percy jackson books. they're based on greek mythology so it doesn't fit in much with steampunk but is a great fantasy read.
also one of the greatest fantasies of all time Lord Of The Rings, although some fnd it difficult to get into the books as it is mostly dialogue.

Mostly dialouge? 0_o

I always figured it was mostly description, with some dialouge and singing thrown in. (seriously, what's with the singing?)
The first half of the first book is fairly mediocre, but if you can get beyond that they're pretty good books.

personally, i'd reccommend this [http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Lies_of_Locke_Lamora] book, Scott Lynch's The Lies of Locke Lamora. It's fairly action packed and entertaining, basically the literature equivilant of one of those summer blockblusters. Snappy, entertaining, and flashy,but without any particular meaning behind it.

All the singing is in there because Tolkien felt it was necessary for building a realistic world, since you know, people sing... a lot... not so much any more thanks to recorded music but singing used to be a primary form of entertainment. Also I think he just liked writing the songs.

 

[Holo Dragonson]

Thy words sing of truth.

 

[Infernai]

Anything by sara douglass is good.

 

[lava_lamp]

Of Mice and Men
Nineteen Eighty Four
The Good Earth
The Divine Comedy
The Red Pony
Catch-22

i could go on for a while

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

everything by Walter Moers

Who? What does he write?

 

[iain62a]

Ok, light hearted fantasy?

Terry Pratchett's Discworld series is really great. Anything by Douglas Adams too.

The Satanic Verses, by Salman Rushdie is a great book too, even if it is fairly densely written, and hrd to penetrate.

 

[seamusotorain]

Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke

+1

I recommend anything by Bill Bryson, paticularly his travel books.

 

[Teachingaddict]

You could always try Peter F Hamiltons Night Dawn (??) Trilogy

The series book titles;

The Reality Dysfunction
The Neutronium Alchemist
The naked God

On book 2 at the moment, hard to get into, but equally hard to put down.

 

[BBLIZZARD]

Mother Night or Slapstick by Kurt Vonnegut
Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S. Thompson

both are excellent books with very dark humor

 

[Vek]

Not a big Chrichton fan... I loved Jurrasic Park and Timeline, but his books are to science heavy and all have basically the same conflict "things run amok and people die"

Except for Eaters of the Dead, Terminal Man, Disclosure, Rising Sun, The Andromeda Strain, The Great Train Robbery, and his nonfiction work, Travels and Five Patients.

 

[johnman]

Roadside Picnic by Arkady and Boris Strugatsky, it formed the bases for the film Stalker (Which was made BEFORE Chernobyl) which was then used to make the game. Its influence shines though and is an excellent read if you have played the games. Hell it is even if you havent.

 

[bigbrian206]

The Mistborn Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson

 

[Gxas]

I'll suggest the Into the Darkness series by Harry Turtledove.

It is a wonderful fantasy adaptation of the events of World War 2. The planes are dragons, submarines are leviathins... I love it.

I'd also like to suggest The View from the Mirror series by Ian Irvine. It may be hard to get a hold of the books, but they're damn good.

 

[Xelanath]

Zadig by Voltaire.

Most other, standard, literature that I might recommend has already been stated.

 

[Kpt._Rob]

I noticed King and Lovecraft on the list, so if you like horror Clive Barker is a really good option. You are not likely to find a more creative horror author anywhere, although his stories can be much more graphic than those of Kings or Lovecrafts. Still, the Books of Blood (a collection of short stories) are great, as is The Hellbound Heart.

If you're looking for something a little deeper, Albert Camus' The Plague is a fantastic piece of existentialist literature.

Or if you're just looking for something fun to read, Simon R. Green's Something From the Nightside series is really fun.

 

[TheRanged]

Hey, I hope you find a good book or 10 from all the suggestions in this post.

George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series is a good choice if you like tougher fantasy. I'd put it more as a tragedy than comedy, but it is still a wonderful read. The first book is A Game of Thrones. Check it out at the library and read a couple chapters.

 

[PedroSteckecilo]

Hey, I hope you find a good book or 10 from all the suggestions in this post.

George R.R. Martin's Song of Ice and Fire series is a good choice if you like tougher fantasy. I'd put it more as a tragedy than comedy, but it is still a wonderful read. The first book is A Game of Thrones. Check it out at the library and read a couple chapters.

I love Song of Ice and Fire... it just depresses me and I need to take it in stride. I still haven't gotten over the mass favorite character kill off in Book 3.

 

[Sh0tgUntHen00b]

Shadowfires by Dean Koontz
Interesting, actual mystery as to whats going on for about the first of the story as intended by the author, and actual feelings for the characters.