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My top two are The Ghost of Opalina, which pretty much defined my childhood, and Greensleeves, my favorite book in the entire world ever. And I just never have met anyone who's read them, even though I have never recommended either of these books to anyone who didn't love them. And when I was a kid I was in love with this book Travel Far, Pay No Fare, and I know that I was the only one who ever checked it out of the library, because the librarian told me so.
Then also Mary Renault (I know people must read her very excellent books but nobody I know does) and P.C. Wren are both drastically under-appreciated authors. Beau Ideal? Hank and Buddy? Like the best characters in all of literature, and nobody knows.
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Sadly enough, among my close friends, it's Ender's Game. They spend too much time recommending fantasy books to me, and not enough time listening to (or even soliciting) my sci-fi recommendations. Which is really odd, given that they'll ask my advice on any other subject.
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Just the other day I was thinking about a book series I read as a pre/early teen. It was a Christian allegorical series called Spirit Flyer beginning with the book The Magic Bicycle. I recall really enjoying it at the time, though it's been so long I can't remember some of the details of the story. Also, I've never heard anyone else mention these books.
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I remember that series, Pegasus. Well, only one book of them, Bicycle Hills. I was really creeped out by it, and I remember being horrified that it was written for kids. It really soured me on the "Christian Literature" genre. Maybe the rest of the series was better, but I don't know.
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Mine is To Say Nothing of the Dog. I've introduced it to numerous people who had never heard of it.
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That book was well-known enough to win the Hugo back in 1999.
Personally, when I read it, I kept thinking that if I were more of an Anglophile I might actually enjoy it.
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James T. Kirk, my personal favourite from that series is Eyes of the Calculor, or Souls in the Great Machine- I forget which but I think the first. So *I've* heard of them, and I am a big fan of Sean McMullen.
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Right now, the tripod trilogy by John Christopher. I read them when I was 13, and then recently discovered the first book 'The White Mountains' in a box. I read it through and enjoyed it just as much. It didn't feel dated at all, and I had forgotten so that much it felt almost like it was a fresh read. Then a month ago I discovered all 3 books in a used bookstore in near new condition. It cost me less than $10 for the set and read the next two 'The City of Gold and Lead' and 'The Pool of Fire'.
It was like becoming reacquainted with an old friend.
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I really loved At the Back of the North Wind and The Light Princess by George MacDonald. They do not seem to be very popular children's books these days, but I was briefly tempted to name my oldest "Diamond."*giggle*
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There was a book I remember from childhood called The Burning Ring. I googled it and learned it was by Katherine Burdekin, published 1927. It was about an emotionally disconnected man who finds a ring which transports him to three different eras where he experiences first hero worship, then friendship, then romantic love.
I have no idea what I'd think of it now, but it made enough of an impression on me as a pre-teen/teenager that I still remember it.
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quote:Originally posted by Teshi: James T. Kirk, my personal favourite from that series is Eyes of the Calculor, or Souls in the Great Machine- I forget which but I think the first. So *I've* heard of them, and I am a big fan of Sean McMullen.
*high5s* I started the first one, couldn't finish it (classwork interfered), picked up the second a few years later and loved it. I'm going to restart the series, soon as I can find them.
quote:Right now, the tripod trilogy by John Christopher.
We read The White Mountains in-class, 6th grade. After that I had to read the others. Good summer reading material.
quote:Originally posted by Noemon: I thought that the novilization of the Hiatus pilot was top notch.
Oh come on, Noemon, I thought you had better taste than that. I found it quite insubstantial.
O_o You're kidding me! Insubstantial? I usually dislike novelizations, but this one is right up there with Card's novelization of The Abyss; I look at Johannason in a whole new light now that I understand how his childhood shaped him into the man he is in the show. And his relationship with Erskin finally makes sense.
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Two books I read as a kid: Interstellar Pig, which was really bizarre and centered around an RPG/board game called Interstellar Pig possibly was more real than it seemed.
The House of Stairs (I think that's what it was called), about some kids that get put into a seemingly infinite labyrinth of stairs and platforms and who have to do all sorts of weird things to get The Machine to dispense food pellets.
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Although I'll admit that that thing with the tubas was a bit much. It was like "okay already, I get the symbolism! You don't need to beat me over the head with it". Plus, technically, shouldn't they have been sousaphones?
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My very first sci-fi book: "Invitation to the Game." It was definitely a kids' book but I still love it.
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I'm also a huge fan of "Invitation to the Game". Monica Hughes wrote some awesome YA sci-fi. Anybody read her Isis series?
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quote:Originally posted by mr_porteiro_head: The House of Stairs (I think that's what it was called), about some kids that get put into a seemingly infinite labyrinth of stairs and platforms and who have to do all sorts of weird things to get The Machine to dispense food pellets.
William Sleator. Fantastic book. I read that in like 5th grade, and I never forgot it.
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quote:Originally posted by Steve_G: Right now, the tripod trilogy by John Christopher. I read them when I was 13, and then recently discovered the first book 'The White Mountains' in a box. I read it through and enjoyed it just as much. It didn't feel dated at all, and I had forgotten so that much it felt almost like it was a fresh read. Then a month ago I discovered all 3 books in a used bookstore in near new condition. It cost me less than $10 for the set and read the next two 'The City of Gold and Lead' and 'The Pool of Fire'.
It was like becoming reacquainted with an old friend.
Have you read "When the Tripods Came"? It's the prequel.
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Grace Chetwin: Gom on Windy Mountain, The Riddle and the Rune, The Crystal Stair, and The Starstone. I can't recommend these enough.
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quote: I'm also a huge fan of "Invitation to the Game". Monica Hughes wrote some awesome YA sci-fi. Anybody read her Isis series?
I didn't know she had written anything else! That's it. I'm overdue for some used book shopping on Amazon.
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The first science fiction I ever read was My Robot Buddy, which enjoyed a spot as my favorite book briefly when I was in kindergarten. The first fantasy ever read to me was Lord of the Rings, but I'm not utterly sure what the first one I ever read myself was. Possibly Sir MacHinry? It was kind of a SF/Fantasy fusion book, involving the titular robot, the reincarnation of Arthur, and brownies. I'd be curious to reread that one and see if it's any good from an adult's perspective.
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Okay, I have to be honest with myself. I said that "Invitation to the Game" was my first SF, but in reality it was "My Teacher Fried My Brains."
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quote:Originally posted by PSI Teleport: My very first sci-fi book: "Invitation to the Game." It was definitely a kids' book but I still love it.
I still re-read this book every few years. I found it either at a school book fair, or one of those Scholastic Readers newsletters(or whatever they're called)where you could order books through your school.
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I bought mine at a book fair, as well. It's a great book for an adult because you can get a good quality SF story read in a short time. Usually a "short time" is all I have!
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quote: Two books I read as a kid: Interstellar Pig, which was really bizarre and centered around an RPG/board game called Interstellar Pig possibly was more real than it seemed.
I have Interstellar Pig in my classroom library. Isn't that also by William Sleator?
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quote: Two books I read as a kid: Interstellar Pig, which was really bizarre and centered around an RPG/board game called Interstellar Pig possibly was more real than it seemed.
I have Interstellar Pig in my classroom library. Isn't that also by William Sleator?
quote:Originally posted by Steve_G: the tripod trilogy by John Christopher. I read them when I was 13...
Did you read them because of the Boy's Life comic like I did?
sort of.
When I was a scout the city of Gold and Lead was featured in Boy's Life. I thought it was interesting, but hadn't seen it from the start and didn't really realize it was taken from a novel. I stumbled across my dad's copy of The White Mountains while helping my mom sort stuff out after their divorce. It was supposed to go in a box that was being sent to him with a bunch of his other stuff, but I decided to read the first chapter to see what it was about. Suffice to say the book never made it into the box. I made the connection between that book and City of Gold and Lead after that and checked out the next 2 books from the library.
I hadn't read it since until I came across the same worn out copy that once belonged to my dad a couple of months ago. Even though I bought the fresh copies from the used bookstore I couldn't bring myself to throw away the old one.
--edit--
just wikipedia'd it and discover John Christopher was a pen name. I also discovered he wrote a prequel called "When the Tripods Came".
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The Secret Country has been one of my favorites for a while now. Whoever mentioned that, you get a dozen cool points.
I always, always recommend these books, but nobody has ever heard of them: Jane Lindskold's Firekeeper saga (Through Wolf's Eyes, Wolf's Head Wolf's Heart, The Dragon of Despair, Wolf Captured, Wolf Hunting, and Wolf's Blood)
Changet that... Actually, there is somebody who has heard of them... But I can't remember their name.
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Also The Kite Runner, which I thought no one had heard of, but now apparently there's going to be a movie of it. Woah.
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I bought mine at a book fair, as well. It's a great book for an adult because you can get a good quality SF story read in a short time. Usually a "short time" is all I have!
