Ender's Jeesh discussion
If you like OSC . . .
date
newest »
newest »
NO! STEPHANIE MEYER IS NOT AN AUTHOR TO REPLACE/TO BE RELATED WITH ORSON SCOTT CARD!
Mod
I really enjoyed Greg Bear's EON 
I also liked John Birmingham's Axis of Time Trilogy
I actually did not enjoy reading the host either.
I'd recommend anything by Nancy Kress. Start with Beggars in Spain, and if you like that, then finish the trilogy and check out other things she wrote. She and OSC are in an absolute tie as my favorite sci fi authors.
Cassandra wrote a trilogy that was good. City of Bones is the first one. it soundds creepy but isin't.Another good series is Gregor the overlander.
Suzanne collins has written some really good books. the hunger Games is really popular right now.
OSC and Frank Herbert are my two favorite authors ever. Frank wrote the Dune series, the original six books, and his son Brian Herbert has partnered with Kevin J. Anderson to continue the story. If you haven't read these, I highly recommend them.I love Card's ability to get into the personal motivations of people. His insight into personal human behavior is amazing. Frank Herbert does a similar thing on a global scale.
With the Dune series you see the rise and fall of civilizations, economics, religion, ecology, politics and cultures.
Frank Herbert, like OSC was a pure genius in my book.
The novels written by Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson are good, entertaining stories that I devour as they come out, but don't have the same depth and masterful craftsmanship as the original series. If you give it a go, though, I suggest starting with the Butlerian Jihad by BH & KJA and proceeding from there to see the development of the imperium as it exists at the beginning of Dune. If they don't do it for you though, just skip to Dune.
I would have loved to see OSC continue the Dune series.
Carlos, that sounds like an amazing series to get into. Most people say to read something without giving reason why it is so captivating. Your description makes me want to run to the library right now!Can you write the order of how the books should be read? To get the maximum experience from these worlds in written form?
Do you have any other suggestions for books concerning the rise and fall of society and all that we hold dear?
I love how Card asks the question as to what does it mean to be human, alien, or beast. If only I could find more writers who are as entrancing regarding humanity in its many imperfections and beauty.
I suggest reading them chronologically (which is how I read them)Histories By BH&KJA:
1. The Butlerian Jihad
2. The Machine Crusade
3. The Battle of Corrin
Dune Prequels By BH&KJA:
4. House Atreides
5. House Harkonnen
6. House Corrino
Original Series by FH (except "midquels" where noted):
7. Dune
8. Paul of Dune (midquel by BH&KJH)
9. Dune Messiah
10. The Winds of Dune (midquel by BH&KJH)
11. Children of Dune
12. God Emperor of Dune
13. Heretics of Dune
14. Chapterhouse Dune
Series Ending by BH&KJH
15. Hunters of Dune
16. Sandworms of Dune
There will be two more "midquels" that might be out by the time you get there depending on how fast you go through them.
I recommend reading in this order. If the histories are boring to you, skip to the House books. If those don't do it for you either, skip to the original series and skip the midquels, but be sure to read Frank's books...they are masterpieces.
When I first tried to read Dune I couldn't get into it because you get dropped full speed into a rich and complex universe that stretches across a million worlds and I found it complicated and overwhelming. Reading the prequels (at least the House books) made the Dune experience much more meaningful.
Frank's writing is very subtle and clever. For instance, there is a scene in Dune that tells of a dinner party between important political people from across the emperium. There is no action, mostly just polite dinner talk, but there is a lot of plot and character development underneath it all. He doesn't explain everything to the reader, rather he expects us to pick up on clues and nuance. Reading it a second time was an even richer experience than the first because I picked up a lot more.
I'm looking forward to #3.
Mike, I also enjoyed The Host. There are many people who don’t like one book based on previous books. (I’m also guilty of that on occasion.) But there are questions that arise in The Host that some may want to ponder after reading it. Meh, to each their own.
Susan, can you elaborate on why you suggested Nancy Kress? I hope I don’t offend you, I just want to know why something is supposed to be good. Some people may pick up on certain subjects that they enjoy and I was wondering what type of sci-fi author she is. Does she question society? Is her world full of high-tech gadgets? What makes her a personal top author of the sci-fi genre?I’m just curious and am not the biggest fan of reading something just because it’s in a certain genre or got a number of awards.
Carlos, thank you so much for the list! I may have to postpone reading the series until the other mid-quels come out. Do you know the approx. release date?I'm glad you mentioned the subtlety of certain moments in the stories. Like Jane Austen, (yes, I'm referring to romance at the moment) there are paragraphs that people may want to scan through without realizing that each part of the story is important to the whole. I'll be sure to set aside certain times where I can read uninterrupted for this series.
The Uglies series by Scott Westerfeld is good.I read this a while back and while it's a pretty light read, it's still something worth reading.
Who says that for us to be adults, we have to read serious things in a serious manner? It gives us a choose, we can read it for the underlying message or just skim through it for action and cool gadgets.
Don't know the release date yet of the other two midquels. They released the first two last fall and the fall before that, so hopefully the third one will come soon.
Stephanie Meyer is a good author when she is not writing Harlequin romance sci-fi novels. I am interested to see what she will put out in the future. If her next series contains endless descriptions of the lead male characters clothing and rippling abs, then I'll throw in the towel. But I do sort of agree that she is not even the same type of writer as OSC. If you're looking for more similar artists then check out http://www.intergalacticmedicineshow.... for artists with OSC's stamp of approval (more or less).
Theresa wrote: "Susan, can you elaborate on why you suggested Nancy Kress? I hope I don’t offend you, I just want to know why something is supposed to be good. Some people may pick up on certain subjects that they..."I read most of her books before I joined Goodreads, so unfortunately I don't have a GR review of mine to point you to. I picked Beggars in Spain up totally accidentally -- thinking it had something to do with Spain -- and was hooked. Kress takes one simple idea (in BinS, it's the possibility of genetic alteration so people don't need to sleep), and weaves a complex story about what might happen. She examines how we might react in unusual/unexpected situations, how we relate to other people, what moral commitments we have to each other,
And it's simply a fun read because you never know what is going to happen next, and you care.
Not a lot of high-tech gadgets, just the ones that flow naturally from the story-line.
Beggars in Spain is where I'd start. When you've read it, you'll know if you want to complete the series, and then hunt for others of her books. It's still my favorite.
Susan, thanks for your insight!Science-fiction is such a great genre not because of all the gadgets and gizmos (some are pretty awesome though) but with the ability to question societal habits and motivations.
Most popular fiction tends to be romance so how can one sneak in their philosophy of the worlds problem of its need for physical perfection? (If you think that topic might be fun to read, in a light version, try the Uglies series by Westerfeld.)
Your reply was just what I was hoping for. If you have any more suggestions along that type of story line, please let me know. :)
Theresa wrote: "Susan, thanks for your insight!Science-fiction is such a great genre not because of all the gadgets and gizmos (some are pretty awesome though) but with the ability to question societal habits an..."
You're right! I've read and loved all the Uglies series, enough so that I'm now planning to check out other things Westerfeld has written. Hope you enjoy the Kress as well.
Karina wrote: "NO! STEPHANIE MEYER IS NOT AN AUTHOR TO REPLACE/TO BE RELATED WITH ORSON SCOTT CARD!"I have to agree that Meyer is no Card and I wouldn't touch The Twilight Series with a ten foot pole, but "The Host" was a good book and I look forward to the next two books in the series.
Mike wrote: "The Host is actually a really good Sci Fi novel that is above and beyond anything writen in the Twilight books. If you enjoy Science Fiction you shouldn't miss out on this book just because you we..."i deefinately agree. my first reaction whenever i heaer the word twilight mentioned is to gag, but the host was suprisingly good. stephanie meyers should stick to not writing crappy vampire novels.
Karina wrote: "NO! STEPHANIE MEYER IS NOT AN AUTHOR TO REPLACE/TO BE RELATED WITH ORSON SCOTT CARD!"The Host really is worth checking out. Shame she is now known for Twilight - The Host in a different league, on a par with OSC.
Aaron Pogue just released this book,
Gods Tomorrow
, which is a really good sci-fi/thriller/mystery. It takes place in a near-future society where everything is monitored by a corporation called Hathor, effectively eliminating privacy but also making unsolved crimes an almost entirely unheard of thing, along with adding lots of convenience, and safety to our lives.It's unique because books along these lines are usually about how that technology is bad, but not in this case. The author creates a fascinating world, but it is in service to the plotline, not the subject itself.
It has a female lead that actually has depth and dimension and is all around just a really smart book.
I won't say that he's similar to OSC, but I OSC is my favorite author alongside Frank Herbert, Tolkien, Jim Butcher, Stephen King when I'm reading the Dark Tower series, and Caleb Carr to name a few. I strongly recommend this. It's an easy read, but a thought-provoking one that will stick with you.
Sounds great. I will check this out for sure. Not so keen on Jim Butcher myself - can you tell me if the books improve after the first one because I found it rather immature (written for a ten year old) and thought he over-explained everything. I like an air of mystery, especially when it comes to magic! Am currently reading Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman and finding it much more sophisticated and funny. Maybe it's cos I'm English?
Butcher's books do get better, though it may not be so much of a difference to win you over if you didn't enjoy the first book. I enjoyed the first Dresden book but wasn't overly impressed with it. I thought it just made a good, fun, light read between better, heavier books. Around book 4 the series starts to pick up more depth and to carry more of a continuous story from book to book.I find Butcher amusing. I'm currently reading book 6, Blood Rites, and the first line is "The building was on fire, and it wasn't my fault." It also has some pretty ridiculous aspects to it that I find very amusing, but (mostly) are driven by the plot, so they're not just silly to be silly.
I've read a few Neil Gaiman and mostly liked his stuff. Stardust was fantastic, as was Good Omens (written with Terry Pratchett...hilarious!). I also read American Gods which was very cool, but somehow boring. I couldn't finish it. It seemed like a book I should absolutely love, but 1/2 or 3/4 through I just couldn't read it anymore.
I think I'll have to check out Neverwhere though. I had a friend who really liked it too.
By the way, I just figured out that you can read a free preview (the first 3 chapters) right here on Goodreads. Here's the link.
Excellent. That certainly helps one decide if it might be worth buying. Thanks.
Hey also check out the Foundation Series by Issac Asimov. First one is simply called Foundation This series inspired OSC to write sci-fi in the first place.
I think Ready Player One by Ernest Cline would be good for anyone who likes OSC/Ender's Game. I'm reading it right now and enjoying it a lot.
Carlos wrote: "I suggest reading them chronologically (which is how I read them)Fantastically useful list of Dune books. I fondly remember constantly consulting the glossary at the back of Dune when I read it.
Ender's Jeesh
Books mentioned in this topic
Final Impact (other topics)Beggars in Spain (other topics)
Weapons of Choice (other topics)
Eon (other topics)
Designated Targets (other topics)
More...
Brandon Sanderson
Brandon Mull
Shannon Hale (If the manly men can get past reading a strong female lead)
David Farland (not as much but still good)
Conn Iggulden (great historical fiction)
Stephanie Meyer (The Host, NOT TWILIGHT!)
Please add others, I am always looking for new authors I might enjoy.