Need lots of suggestions on what to read.....

[moonshinerat]

Evening folks.

This is my first post on any books forums so please be patient if my etiquette isn't quite up to the mark.

Anyway, I need help choosing some books to read. I haven't read for thirteen years apart from reference books and the odd magazine here and there. I have just watched I Am Legend with Will Smith and kind of like the atmosphere of the film. I checked out reviews of Richard Matheson novels and it seems that the book is much more horror based than the movie and I'm not too bothered about horror.

The last book I read was Harry Harrison's The Turing Option. Just the right amount of conspiracy, sci-fi and tension but pretty boring. I think I'm looking for two different kinds of novels: sci-fi, but realistic enough to be possible and governmenty conspiracy type thingy. Obviously the two mixed together would be ideal but I'm not sure if I'm going to get that.

I have no idea whatsoever about authors. I don't know any popular books and my creative imagination has been limited to watching the odd few films in the last five years. I live in Ecuador and don't have access to TV (in English anyway) and I need to take a bit of time out from work with some good books. Please can all you folks here make some suggestions. I know my description of what I want isn't great but my reading knowledge is limited. I don't care even f I get another thousand posts, I'll read them all if the suggestions are good.

Many thanks for your time anyway and I hope some of you can help.

 

[Jez]

You might like Frank Herbert's sci-fi Dune series. The world he writes about is supposed to take place very far into our future and while it deals more with corrupt religion, the religious group is basically the government.

Isaac Asimov books are also good and are definitely sci-fi with some including political bits. Try maybe I, Robot (very different from the movie), or his Foundation series.

 

[moonshinerat]

More suggestions please

Cheers Jez, Just been and bought Herberts book and two Asimov novels. I'm a bit limited in choice at the moment because I live in Ecuador and can't get these books in english but I might see if I can get an eBook reader and download. Any opinions on readers anyone?

 

[Jez]

Hope you like them. Which Asimov and Herbert books did you buy? The Dune series has six books in it. The first one could be read alone, but I think the full impact of the story can only be gotten from reading the whole series. Hope you enjoy your purchases. Let us know what you think of them?

 

[moonshinerat]

Dune (first one), Foundation Trilogy and I, Robot. Must admit, Asimov seems to be able to write a great book without any naration and it's like the descriptions have suddenly appeared in your head without reading them.

Great advice mate.

 

[Jez]

Oh good, I'm glad you're liking them! There's seven books in the Foundation series, so if you like it you've got more to read there.

You might also like Ray Bradbury and, if you can get your hands on them, Rod Serling's tales from the Twilight Zone. They're less political, but Bradbury, Serling, and Asimov are the reigning kings of sci-fi (to me at least).

 

[Jez]

Oh, and I don't know how I could have forgotten these three-

Brave New World- Aldous Huxley
1984- George Orwell
Fahrenheit 451- Ray Bradbury

And while not political, Mary Shelley's Frankenstein is excellent (sci-fi, human nature) and completely different from the Halloween inspired Frankenstein monster.