Books I Like

Favorite books of all time

• Starship Troopers, Robert A. Heinlein
  Out of all of Heinlein's books, this is one of my two favorites. The whole Bug War theme is only a backdrop to the real story, about what duty, honor, responsibility, loyalty, and service really mean. Not only that, but what it means to be willing to put one's life on the line for something bigger than one's self.
• The Silmarillion, J.R.R. Tolkien
  Yes, I like The Lord of the Rings too, but this one is still my favorite. Probably the best high fantasy it's ever been my privilege to read.
• The Long Run, Daniel Keys Moran
  Simply magnificent. No other words suffice to describe this book, it's incredible. Moran has also generated three other fine novels, but this one is by far the best.
• The Killer Angels, Michael Sharra
  The thing that still amazes me about this book is that it eluded me for so long. Published in 1973, I discovered it 20 years after it was released. This is a Civil War novel, about the Battle of Gettysburg, seen through the eyes of just a few of the 100,000 some odd men who fought there. It's an engrossing portrait of men caught up in the worst sort of war, and a view of bits of the bloodiest battle ever fought on American soil.

Authors everyone should read:

Douglas Adams:

Comedy of a singular nature, I can't recommend him enough. The essential Douglas Adams:

• The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy
• The Restaurant At The End Of The Universe
• Life, The Universe, And Everything
• So long, and thanks for all the fish

Wonderful fantasy, with a marvelously cynical twist. You can't go wrong with these.

• Jhereg
• Yendi
• Taltos
• Teckla
• Phoenix
• Athyra
• Orca

I can't rave about Bujold enough, her books are just great fun. These are probably the only books I own that have permanent bookmarks in then, so I can find the really funny scenes and show them to people I'm trying to convince to read her work.

• Shards Of Honor
• The Warrior's Apprentice
• Ethan Of Athos
• Falling Free
• Brothers In Arms
• Borders Of Infinity
• The Vor Game
• Barrayar
• The Spirit Ring
• Mirror Dance
• Cetaganda
• Memory

I'd call Kube-McDowell the best hard SF writer today. He's a true storyteller, like Heinlein at his best, and the books leave me feeling good when I'm done with them.

• Alternaties
• Emprise
• Enigma
• Empery
• The Quiet Pools
• Exile

I'm not sure how to describe Powers' work. It's a sort of science fiction and fantasy crossed, with elements of alternate history and god knows what else. I think these are out of print, but if you hunt in used bookstores you should be able to find them. I think you'll get a very pleasant surprise.

• The Drawing Of The Dark
• The Anubis Gates

A chilling alternate history, one where three fourths of the Earth's surface is dominated by the descendants of the early white South African settlers. Good SF, terrifying concept.

• Marching Through Georgia
• Under The Yoke
• The Stone Dogs
• Drakon

Military Science Fiction. Few people do it as well as David Drake, but Weber manages to do it better. He has a number of books out, but I only have seven, the series about a Naval officer named Honor Harrington, in the service of the Star Kingdom of Manticore. Great stuff, extremely readable.

• On Basilisk Station
• The Honor Of The Queen
• The Short Victorious War
• Field Of Dishonor
• Flag In Exile
• Honor Among Enemies
• In Enemy Hands

Books that scared the snot out of me:

• Into The Out Of, Alan Dean Foster
  It sounds odd, but of all the books I've ever read this is the only one that really scared me. It's so chilling I've only ever read it once, even though I still own a copy.
• 'Salem's Lot, Steven King
  It seems a bit trite to include an obvious horror novelist here, but hey, it's my page, so I will. To me this is one of King's finest works, I just recently re-read it for the umpteenth time, and it's still my favorite.

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