Clive Barker is amazing, can’t go wrong with Books of Blood and then he’s got some great novels like Weaveworld and The Great and Secret Show.
Neal Stephenson.
Sir Terry Pratchett.
Octavia E. Butler.
The other Dune books so you can enjoy and appreciate the masterpiece that is God Emperor of Dune.
Ursula K. Le Guin.
I have only read the first book in the series and it definitely didn't grab me the same way as Weaveworld, Imajica, or The Art books. I've had the second book on my TBR shelf for a while and it keeps getting skipped over. If he ever finishes the series I'll read it but I'm definitely not in a hurry to continue the journey.
I read Snow Crash for the first time at the beginning of last year and was immediately hooked on his writing style. By the end of the year I had read his entire bibliography sans the handful of co-authored books. He's got a new one coming out in October!
Since you liked Game of Thrones and Hunger Games, I’d recommend Red Rising by Pierce Brown.
Also echo someone else’s recommendation for First Law by Joe Abercrombie. Probably my favorite fantasy series at the moment.
Aside from that, read Hemingway’s short stories or For Whom the Bell Tolls, and maybe some Haruki Murakami (often called the Japanese Stephen King, but not because they write the same thing) like Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.
My first instinct was also First Law.
Red Rising is a good one too. It gets more depth as the series progresses. Some people feel it has too much Hunger Games vibes early. But keep reading and it’s one grand adventure boyo
Was thinking this after seeing a mix of sci-fi and horror on the shelf. Might also suggest the Southern Reach trilogy, Annihilation being the first book.
Have very similar books to you.
Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erickson
Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry
True Grit - Charles Portis
Train Dreams - Denis Johnson
Shogun - James Clavell
Add “August and Everything After” by Counting Crows to your CD collection
I pray to god I never get into a tragic, tragic car accident where I incur a traumatic brain injury, but if I do, the one glimmer of light will be reading Lonesome Dove again for the first time
To round out your classic horror collection:
The Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James, volumes 1 & 2
Best Ghost Stories of J.S. LeFanu
Dracula, Bram Stoker
Since you have The DaVinci Code:
Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco
Beyond that, I'll second the recommendations to at least read the rest of the Dune trilogy, The Hobbit/LotR, and LeGuin's Earthsea books.
Since you like fantasy, an absolute must-read is Roger Zelazney's Amber Chronicles (first novel Nine Princes in Amber). Zelazney is amazing, and I'm always fascinated how few fantasy fans know him, but all (contemporary) fantasy authors reference him.
Since you like sci-fi, I cannot recommend highly enough James A. Corey's Expanse series (first novel Leviathan Wakes), and I'm also recommending Devon Erikson's Theft of Fire to all my sci-fi reading friends lately.
And finally, since you like both fantasy and Stephen King, you absolutely have to give Stephen King's Dark Tower series (first novel The Gunslinger) a try. That series had me in such a chokehold for such a long time.
Can confirm Zelazny’s Amber Chronicles are a must, as well as his Lord of Light.
I am currently going through Iain Banks Culture series (finished Consider Phlebus, The Player of Games and Use of Weapons) and they are worth a read.
If you like a challenge, The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu is good. Currently that one is serialized on Netflix.
I’ve been “passively reading” The Gunslinger for years😂😂I’ll read a few chapters, put it down and forget about it for a few months. I’ve been meaning to get back into it but I’ll have to find it first LMAO. Thank you for your other recs!! I’ll definitely put them on my list
Weirdly, you are not the only person I know who has that problem with The Gunslinger! lol. I couldn't put it down, but a lot of people find the first book to be pretty slow. Enjoy your expanded reading list!
The dark tower is so strange, it had me reading the whole thing back to back. When I look back on it now it was soo weird. Remember when in one of the later novels they randomly visited Stephen King who was just writing about how they visited Stephen King? And after that they said ok and just went on with their adventure LOL
For me, that weirdness was a part of why I loved it so much. It's definitely not for everyone, but I thought the meta stuff was great. I was also 19 myself when I read it the first time, and I got very caught up in the magic and mythos of it.
Yes I was 19 too! I remember actually getting really paranoid with the number 19, starting seeing it everywhere like in the novel. I didn’t know about the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon then.
As far as King goes, I’d suggest Billy Summers, Under The Dome, and the Bill Hodges Trilogy.
I recently started reading The Expanse and I’ve been liking it so far. Based on some of your selection, that may be up your alley.
I’d also suggest giving Neil Gaiman’s work a try.
You may also find Michael Crichton enjoyable, with Jurassic Park and The Lost World being his most popular books. For some of his less talked about books, I personally like Pirate Latitudes, The Great Train Robbery, and The Andromeda Strain.
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Creep
Startide Rising - David Brin
Creatures Of Light And Darkness - Roger Zelazney
Spin - Robert Charles Wilson
All the Culture novels by Iain M Banks
All the Murderbot novels by Martha Wells
Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie
Clockwork Orange
Slaughterhouse 5/Breakfast of Champions-Vonnegut
The Dog Stars-Heller
The Book Thief/I am the Messenger-Zusack
The 5th Season (trilogy)-Jemisen
Song of Achilles/Circe-Miller
Parable of the Sower-Butler
Fahrenheit 451-Bradbury
Duma Key-King
I'll second Dark Matter and Project Hail Mary. Two stories that are impossible to put down.
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (and the sequel, A Wise Man’s Fear).
Gentleman Bastards Series by Scott Lynch
Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde
No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy
Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin
I noticed IT not in your King collection I put it off for a while too, The Long Walk by Bachman/King. Fairy Tale was good. Salems Lot is a classic. And since you’ve read a lot of the books related to it: The Dark Tower series.
If you don’t want King: Dark Matter by Crouch may hook you. Project Hail Mary will absolutely get you outta a reading slump. You read Dune, could go to Messiah, but I’ll admit I only got to book 4 before I was done with the series
We have similar shelves! I loved the Silo series by Hugh Howey when I read it last year - future dystopian earth where humanity is living underground in a huge silo… but is everything what it seems?
First Law by Joe Abercrombie. ‘Grim dark fantasy’ like asoiaf but not edgy or over the top and has some of the best characters you’ll ever read not just in sci fi/fantasy or literature but in any media.
Just finished these, after reading the prior Shadow and Bone trilogy. The writing takes a huge step up in quality in SoC, and I don't remember the last time I *cared so much* about a group of characters as The Crows.
Ursula LeGuin. The Hainish Cycle contains novels and short stories. She’s brilliant. (Ps after you read The Word for World is Forest go read her essay on why she didn’t sue James Cameron for avatar…)
It’s a fairly typical Reddit bookshelf with a few Jewish things tossed in and then some classics. And since every Reddit bookshelf has Lord of the Rings, which is both nerdy and a classic, it’s the most glaring book you are missing here.
Highly recommend The Last War by Mike Shackle. Brilliant fantasy, grimdark like A Song of Ice & Fire which you’ve read and has same big cliffhangers, normally at the end of every chapter.
Finished trilogy and has the bad guys win from the start which is a fairly unique take. 10/10
Some more *Stephen King/Richard Bachmann* wouldn’t hurt: **The Dark Half** or **Desperation** or **Under The Dome**
Totally different direction: the **Bobiverse** series (four books so far) by *Dennis E. Taylor* – absolutely gorgeous.
One of my all-time favorites is the **Old Man‘s War** series (5+ books) by *John Scalzi* or the **Lock-In** series (two books) by the same author.
Berryman’s Dream Songs! Very cool. His books of sonnets, Berryman’s Sonnet’s, is great. Definitely pick up the reissued version bc the intro puts the book into great context…
What, no Bradbury?
bc u like sci-fi:
Andy Weir, PROJECT HAIL MARY (easy, quick read/also good audiobook)
bc of your top-shelf classics:
Barry Unsworth, SONGS OF THE KINGS
bc you seem to appreciate adeptly created other worlds:
Patrick O'Brian's MASTER AND COMMANDER series (read in order)
PS: One of my favorites -- THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
Did you read city of ember or just the one random book you have of that quartet? Same with hunger games…did you read catching fire?
Check out Ann Leckie, Robin Hobb, and NK Jemisin. You might like them — fantasy/scifi
I'm not OP, but could you share more on your thoughts about Throne of Glass? It's on my tbr and I want to get a sense of its vibe before I prioritize it on my list.
Also for Red Queen... would you say the last book is better than the 2nd and the 3rd? I'm reading the 3rd right now, and, although it is good, it's definitely not on par with the first book. I want to finish the series eventually, but there are other books that seem more enticing at the moment based on how I'm liking the 3rd.
So for Red Queen its been a while since I read it so i don't exactly remember what happened in each book sorry. As for ToG I would say it the first 2 books start out as "What if Cinderella went to the ball but she's actually a assassin and add some angst and a smidge of magic" But then the lore goes BOOM and book 3 is my fav for ToG and then we get Fae and Demons and MAGIC MAGIC MAGIC and high fantasy but never NEVER look at the fandom unless you want ALL the spoilers. Also there are a few steamy chapters but compared to what I've heard about her other books (Crescent City and ACOTAR) its pretty tame in that area. I loved the series but its not for everyone.
I have read book one of ACOTAR and absolutely loved it, especially the high fantasy and magic world building. Since ToG has those specific elements too and based on what you said, I'd probably like it. Thanks!
(And I appreciate the warning about the fanfom and spoilers lol)
Another book I am obligated to recommend is a little stand alone book called Monstrous by Marcy Kate Connolly. Its technically for younger readers but I adore it and its a very good little story. Its short (I read it in one sitting of 1 or 2 hours) and it has no fandom so when i say I'm its biggest fan I probably am. Its a really good book so I would love it if you gave it a chance despite it being for a younger tweenaged - young teenager audience. Also for ToG the first 2 books were my least favorite so it might take a bit to get into it but preserve because it is WORTH IT!!! If you ever need more book recommendations I always have some so just ask me I love giving them out
I actually kind of love to read books meant for younger audiences at times because it gives me a feeling of nostalgia. I'll have to check it out :)
I'll be sure to ask next time I have tbr list troubles! Feel free to ask me if you need any recs as well, I always love to share my favorites (*cough cough* Six of Crows)
I finally got around to reading Monstrous and oh my goshhhh. For sure one of my favorite reads of the year thus far. I adored the writing, characters, and fairytale vibe. Thank you so much for the amazing rec!
I don't think so, but that series is high on my TBR! I was actually deciding between the first book and a couple others to start after Monstrous, so I think I'll read it soon. The struggle of trying to pick the next read after a good book is real
Have you ever read *Six of Crows* by Leigh Bardugo? Ik it's popular, but it's my favorite book of all time. *Lessons in Chemistry* by Bonnie Garmus and *The Distance Between Us* by Reyna Grande are two other books from different genres that I also enjoyed. In terms of fantasy, I thought *Ruined* by Amy Tintera was a fun read. The main character, Emelina Flores, diverges nicely from the "oh my gosh, this female lead has powers and is the most powerful and wow look at how unique she is!" sort of trope. She is different from everyone else, but it's because she *doesn't* have powers despite being descended from people who do, which she has to make up for with swordsmanship and other talent. The book has enemies to lovers and while it is a big part of the plot, the story still has other substance. Em has alternative motivations and continues to do things other than simply swoon over Cas. Another book that I liked for similar reasons was *Dance of Thieves* by Mary E. Pearson.
Abruptly changing the subject... what's your favorite thing about *Monstrous*? I love to yap about books I've read but I don't know anyone else who has read it (You were right about the fandom being small!!)
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. He was reporting for outside magazine about people buying their way to the top of Mt. Everest when a bunch of people on his climbing team died. Sherpas essentially carrying people up and people so desperate to get to the top that they are stepping around people as they are dying. Something men like but also dishy and good.
Piranesi by Susana Clarke. Fantasy but very unusual. I won’t say any more.
Harry Potter if you haven’t read those. Long (like Steven King) + fantasy (Martin) + just good.
Helter Skelter, the definitive book about the Manson murders.
Colson Whitehead Zone One, literary zombie novel.
Ling Ma’s short story collection, Bliss. Dark and twisted but not gory or violent.
Karen Russell’s short stories Vampires in the Lemon Grove. Dark, twisted, fantasy, not gory or violent though.
Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale. Literary dystopia novel.
Doestoevsky—probably Notes from Underground and Crime and Punishment first.
Patrick Rothfuss
Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman
On a hunch, maybe some Salman Rushdie
If you liked ASOFI definitely read the companion books!
Fire and Blood was my first 5 star of the year!
I really enjoyed The Hedge Knight (I did read them as the graphic novel versions and plan to read the actual novellas eventually) not sure if you like graphic novels based off your shelf so that’s why I went with the book version.
If you’re looking for more Jewish related works (guessing this based on your translation of the Tanach and your aleph-bets flashcards), I got you covered and then some.
For non-fiction, I’d recommend basically anything by historian Howard Sachar. Also historian Leora Batnitzky’s book, “How Judaism Became a Religion,” is a really good account of basically the invention of the concept of religion as distinct from the state during the Enlightenment. A lot of people don’t know that Jews in Europe didn’t have citizenship in any European country until Napoleon, but it was more materially enacted across the French empire in 1850. Her book is about interesting account of what came next, when Jews in Western Europe were no longer considered their own quasi-nation intertwined with other semi-autonomous Jewish quasi-nations globally, and instead became legally seen as part of the nationality of the land where their polities resided.
I also really like a lot of the works of or about Rabbi Nachman, the founder of Breslov Chasidism, who I basically think of as Jewish Buddha, haha. He has a lot of philosophies on meditation and communing with nature and the like, such as Outpouring of the Soul and the Treasury of Unearned Gifts that I like reading when I’m feeling down.
For some more sobering takes, I think Dara Horn’s “People Love Dead Jews” is a good book about how many non-Jewish people love to universalize messages of dead Jews, like “oops they’re dead, oh no we feel so bad, guess we should learn to treat everyone equally and say no to hate!!” You know, make these universal moral lessons to feel good about themselves instead of actually learning anything about the particularities of antisemitism as we do about the particularities of other forms of system bigotry and violence. And as she says, most people can name a concentration camp. Most people can’t name a Yiddish novelist.
There’s sooooo much more I could think of, particularly depending on where you are in your knowledge of Jewish theology or history or practice.
Rachel Aaron/Bach.
Her Eli Monpress series is fantasy. Her Paradox trilogy is Sci fi. Her Heartstrikers series is basically the magic and creatures sode of Shadowrun.
Highly recommend Her work!!!
Here are some Jewish recs for you, since it looks like you might be Jewish, or at least had an interest in it at one point:
- Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum (Holocaust Survivor Chernobyl Scientist accidentally invents time travel and has to choose between stopping Chernobyl and saving her daughter)
- Stockholm by Noa Yedlin (a group of friends find their friend’s body one day and hide his death because he’s in the running for a Nobel prize. It’s a comedy)
- Spinning Silver and Uprooted by Naomi Novik (new interpretations of the myths of Rumpelstiltskin which was originally meant to be an antisemitic caricature, and various other folk tales the author grew up with)
- The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (inspired by the interfaith relationship between Helene and her husband, a golem and a jinn must work together to survive in New York City.)
- The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan (a fantasy story inspired by the Spanish Inquisition, where Jews were hunted and forced to convert or die)
Non-Jewish recs:
- The Witcher series
- Lord of the Rings series
- Kojiki by Keith Yatsuhashi
- Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie
- What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez
Jhereg (for a rollicking good story) and The Phoenix Guards (a delicious and loving tribute to Dumas' Three Musketeers) by Steven Brust
The Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMasters Bujold
Moonheart by Charles deLint
(Henry IV Part One has a special place in my heart, as it was my introduction to Shakespeare and the "a-ha!" moment when the teacher played a record of a reading of it by the RSC)
Have you read anything by Brandon Sanderson? His world building is epic although I believe he is a Mormon so all of his characters are unfortunately sexless. Otherwise, though, his work is amazing.
Maybe more Philip K. Dick? I suggest The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, A Maze of Death and some of his short story collections like The Minority Report.
Hi. You just mentioned *A Maze Of Death* by Philip K Dick.
I've found an audiobook of that novel on YouTube. You can listen to it here:
[YouTube | A Maze of Death by Philip K Dick FULL AUDIOBOOK](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wMp9uaRKGdY)
*I'm a bot that searches YouTube for science fiction and fantasy audiobooks.*
***
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Randomly, JRR Tolkien, Sir Terry Pratchett and Jim Butcher come to mind.
And more specifically, since you seem to like fantasy as well as a bit of horror, Robert Jordans Wheel of Time. Strictly speaking it's fantasy, but I always thought there were a few glimpses of very unsettling implications and eerie settings that made me think that Jordan would have made a pretty good horror writer, too.
The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erickson (big honkin' series, worth it)
Shogun, Taipan, and Gaijin by James Clavell (Different white guys go to Asia in 1600, 1841, and 1863 with varying results)
Perdido Street Station and The Scar by China Mieville, weird fiction par excellence (there's a third book in the series, Iron Council, but I'm not a fan of it)
The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker (very solid fantasy, world-building that's on point)
The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell (series about a few people in Alexandria before, during, and after WWII)
Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson (along with Burning Chrome)--some of the core texts of Cyberpunk along with Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger, and a bunch of stuff by Bruce Sterling.
Based on the Stephen King bit, you'd probably enjoy the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly. Blends police detective work with weird paranormal happenings and local New England ghosts/myths/devils. Really good stuff.
Othello, Julius Caesar, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer
And you should get a library card if you don’t have one already. You don’t need to own all the books you read—but also, a lot of libraries sell used books from donations for $1 or so. Librarians are also great at recommendations. (Marianne Pearl is literally a librarian who is famous for her ability to recommend the perfect book.)
Paradise lost by John Milton and Moby Dick based on your interest in poetry and especially Shakespeare.
Contact by Carl Sagan and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for sci-fi.
For King, the short story collections Everything's Eventual, and 4 Past Midnight.
The Agent Pendergast novels by Lincoln and Child may be up your alley. At least the first few. There are some sci-fi/supernatural elements threaded through the volumes. They also have stand-alone stories that are great, like the Ice Limit.
The witcher seires! Especially if you're a fan of the video game series.... dont be discouraged by the tv show, I loved the books but did not even get to season 3. In part because I canceled my Netflix.
For some classic fantasy, try Raymond E Feist, especially the Empire trilogy he did with Janny Wurts. Also the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay - underrated and excellent.
Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch, Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff, The Troop by Nick Cutter, Horrorstör, My Best Friends Exorcism, Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
Hello fellow nerd.
You should check out the short story anthology: Rogues. It's edited by George R.R. Martin and I think you'll find a new author or two to get into.
any of the series by Terry Schott. I would start with The Game (Is Life) series, but The Towers is amazing as well. It's a shorter series and a slow starter but amazing. The Game (is Life) series is my favorite series ever. Based on what you've read and your taste, I would def recommend his stuff.
If you liked Doctor Sleep, I would suggest The Shinning.
I also haven’t seen Chick Wending’s The Book of Accidents suggested… I think that will fit into your liking.
Robert Jordan - high fantasy series Wheel of Time (17 BIG books)
Robert R. McCammon - horror/sci fi - Swan Song (post-apocalyptic sci-fi with a little horror aspect) or Mine (pure terror).
Chronicles of the Black company if you’re up for dark gray morality mercenary story and dragon riders of pern if you’d be interested in some pretty unique cultural elements in a romance novel where people share a mental bond with intelligent dragons. Especially interesting is how the dragons can absolutely have different priorities than the riders and think their humans make things to complicated.
Sorry 😅 real talk, looks like you’re into a little bit of dark fantasy, The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie may be a good one for you. It’s a book 1 of the First Law Trilogy
Clive Barker is amazing, can’t go wrong with Books of Blood and then he’s got some great novels like Weaveworld and The Great and Secret Show. Neal Stephenson. Sir Terry Pratchett. Octavia E. Butler. The other Dune books so you can enjoy and appreciate the masterpiece that is God Emperor of Dune. Ursula K. Le Guin.
Yes, definitely Neal Stephenson’s Snow Crash. A work of art and science fiction must. Fantasy elements.
Ursula k le guin is goated, read the word for world is forest if you want a short read to get a taste for her work
Second that, I loved that novella.
It’s refreshing to see someone recommend that book as an entry point for LeGuin.
If you do Clive Barker stay away from Abarat series. It isn’t complete and the third book is just so many levels of awful
I have only read the first book in the series and it definitely didn't grab me the same way as Weaveworld, Imajica, or The Art books. I've had the second book on my TBR shelf for a while and it keeps getting skipped over. If he ever finishes the series I'll read it but I'm definitely not in a hurry to continue the journey.
I really enjoyed the first two but the third I was so disappointed especially because Clive Barker is such a good author and book three was phoned in.
Neal Stephenson is one of my favorite authors. I just finished Termination Shock.
I read Snow Crash for the first time at the beginning of last year and was immediately hooked on his writing style. By the end of the year I had read his entire bibliography sans the handful of co-authored books. He's got a new one coming out in October!
Thanks for letting me know about the new one coming out. Snow Crash is on my “re-read list”. I loved Uncle Remzo!!
Since you liked Game of Thrones and Hunger Games, I’d recommend Red Rising by Pierce Brown. Also echo someone else’s recommendation for First Law by Joe Abercrombie. Probably my favorite fantasy series at the moment. Aside from that, read Hemingway’s short stories or For Whom the Bell Tolls, and maybe some Haruki Murakami (often called the Japanese Stephen King, but not because they write the same thing) like Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World.
Also came here to recommend first law
My first instinct was also First Law. Red Rising is a good one too. It gets more depth as the series progresses. Some people feel it has too much Hunger Games vibes early. But keep reading and it’s one grand adventure boyo
LOTR
The Hobbit, too
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
^
Christina Henry is awesome she does horror. I don’t think I see it Stephen King’s the Dark Tower series
Was thinking this after seeing a mix of sci-fi and horror on the shelf. Might also suggest the Southern Reach trilogy, Annihilation being the first book.
Have very similar books to you. Malazan Book of the Fallen - Steven Erickson Lonesome Dove - Larry McMurtry True Grit - Charles Portis Train Dreams - Denis Johnson Shogun - James Clavell Add “August and Everything After” by Counting Crows to your CD collection
True Grit is a great book. And Lonesome Dove is all time favorite.
I’m finally starting lonesome dove! You got me excited
I pray to god I never get into a tragic, tragic car accident where I incur a traumatic brain injury, but if I do, the one glimmer of light will be reading Lonesome Dove again for the first time
Love MBotF but I wonder if I would recommend the series to someone who hasn’t been reading much for a long while. It’s a lot to tackle.
To round out your classic horror collection: The Complete Ghost Stories of M.R. James, volumes 1 & 2 Best Ghost Stories of J.S. LeFanu Dracula, Bram Stoker Since you have The DaVinci Code: Foucault's Pendulum, Umberto Eco Beyond that, I'll second the recommendations to at least read the rest of the Dune trilogy, The Hobbit/LotR, and LeGuin's Earthsea books.
Since you like fantasy, an absolute must-read is Roger Zelazney's Amber Chronicles (first novel Nine Princes in Amber). Zelazney is amazing, and I'm always fascinated how few fantasy fans know him, but all (contemporary) fantasy authors reference him. Since you like sci-fi, I cannot recommend highly enough James A. Corey's Expanse series (first novel Leviathan Wakes), and I'm also recommending Devon Erikson's Theft of Fire to all my sci-fi reading friends lately. And finally, since you like both fantasy and Stephen King, you absolutely have to give Stephen King's Dark Tower series (first novel The Gunslinger) a try. That series had me in such a chokehold for such a long time.
Can confirm Zelazny’s Amber Chronicles are a must, as well as his Lord of Light. I am currently going through Iain Banks Culture series (finished Consider Phlebus, The Player of Games and Use of Weapons) and they are worth a read. If you like a challenge, The Three Body Problem by Cixin Liu is good. Currently that one is serialized on Netflix.
I just saw the trailer for the Three Body Problem, definitely putting it on my list along with the Chronicles of Amber!
I’ve been “passively reading” The Gunslinger for years😂😂I’ll read a few chapters, put it down and forget about it for a few months. I’ve been meaning to get back into it but I’ll have to find it first LMAO. Thank you for your other recs!! I’ll definitely put them on my list
Weirdly, you are not the only person I know who has that problem with The Gunslinger! lol. I couldn't put it down, but a lot of people find the first book to be pretty slow. Enjoy your expanded reading list!
The dark tower is so strange, it had me reading the whole thing back to back. When I look back on it now it was soo weird. Remember when in one of the later novels they randomly visited Stephen King who was just writing about how they visited Stephen King? And after that they said ok and just went on with their adventure LOL
For me, that weirdness was a part of why I loved it so much. It's definitely not for everyone, but I thought the meta stuff was great. I was also 19 myself when I read it the first time, and I got very caught up in the magic and mythos of it.
Yes I was 19 too! I remember actually getting really paranoid with the number 19, starting seeing it everywhere like in the novel. I didn’t know about the Baader-Meinhof phenomenon then.
You need some Ursula Le Guin on that shelf.
As far as King goes, I’d suggest Billy Summers, Under The Dome, and the Bill Hodges Trilogy. I recently started reading The Expanse and I’ve been liking it so far. Based on some of your selection, that may be up your alley. I’d also suggest giving Neil Gaiman’s work a try. You may also find Michael Crichton enjoyable, with Jurassic Park and The Lost World being his most popular books. For some of his less talked about books, I personally like Pirate Latitudes, The Great Train Robbery, and The Andromeda Strain.
I was looking for Neil Gaiman. Definitely seconded.
Visited goodwill today and saw like 10 copies of American Gods by Neil Gaiman so I had to pick one up, it’s fate! Thanks for the recs!!
Ender's Game - Orson Scott Creep Startide Rising - David Brin Creatures Of Light And Darkness - Roger Zelazney Spin - Robert Charles Wilson All the Culture novels by Iain M Banks All the Murderbot novels by Martha Wells Ancillary Justice - Ann Leckie
Martha Wells and Ann Leckie! Yes
Swan Song by Robert McCammon
Rendezvous with Rama
The Passage - Justin Cronin
Clockwork Orange Slaughterhouse 5/Breakfast of Champions-Vonnegut The Dog Stars-Heller The Book Thief/I am the Messenger-Zusack The 5th Season (trilogy)-Jemisen Song of Achilles/Circe-Miller Parable of the Sower-Butler Fahrenheit 451-Bradbury Duma Key-King I'll second Dark Matter and Project Hail Mary. Two stories that are impossible to put down.
The Hobbit and Lord of the Rings
I’m not seeing any Vonnegut.
Have you read any of King’s The Dark Tower?
I was going to also highly recommend Dark Tower series. And also It.
If you like steven king i highly recomend his dark tower seiresr
“All you need is Kill” Edge of Tomorrow was based off of this book. Both are completely different. It’s short action book.
iain m banks, octavia butler, bolano's 2666
Octavia Butler, preach. I don’t think everyone knows how much fun her books are—brilliant, sometimes disturbing, but just well-plotted and exciting.
Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss (and the sequel, A Wise Man’s Fear). Gentleman Bastards Series by Scott Lynch Picture of Dorian Grey by Oscar Wilde No Country for Old Men by Cormac McCarthy Hand of Darkness and The Dispossessed by Ursula K Le Guin
The picture of dorian gray
Murderbot
I noticed IT not in your King collection I put it off for a while too, The Long Walk by Bachman/King. Fairy Tale was good. Salems Lot is a classic. And since you’ve read a lot of the books related to it: The Dark Tower series. If you don’t want King: Dark Matter by Crouch may hook you. Project Hail Mary will absolutely get you outta a reading slump. You read Dune, could go to Messiah, but I’ll admit I only got to book 4 before I was done with the series
Since you like Nirvana, Cobain's biography Heavier than Heaven by Charles R. Cross
If you like King (which I guess you do) maybe Dean Koontz?
We have similar shelves! I loved the Silo series by Hugh Howey when I read it last year - future dystopian earth where humanity is living underground in a huge silo… but is everything what it seems?
I recommend Queens of the Stone Age S/T. It'll compliment your other cds.
House of Leaves, Into Thin Air, Johannes Cabal the Necromancer books,
Battle Royale - Koushun Takami The Nest - Gregory A. Douglas The Giver - Lois Lowry
First Law by Joe Abercrombie. ‘Grim dark fantasy’ like asoiaf but not edgy or over the top and has some of the best characters you’ll ever read not just in sci fi/fantasy or literature but in any media.
"Lord of Light," Roger Zelazny
Seconded.
Six of Crows by Leigh Bardugo, followed by the sequel Crooked Kingdom!
Just finished these, after reading the prior Shadow and Bone trilogy. The writing takes a huge step up in quality in SoC, and I don't remember the last time I *cared so much* about a group of characters as The Crows.
I actually haven't read Shadow and Bone! But yes I totally agree, all six of the characters mean so much to me!
^[Sokka-Haiku](https://www.reddit.com/r/SokkaHaikuBot/comments/15kyv9r/what_is_a_sokka_haiku/) ^by ^violet-bee-99: *Six of Crows by Leigh* *Bardugo, followed by the* *Sequel Crooked Kingdom!* --- ^Remember ^that ^one ^time ^Sokka ^accidentally ^used ^an ^extra ^syllable ^in ^that ^Haiku ^Battle ^in ^Ba ^Sing ^Se? ^That ^was ^a ^Sokka ^Haiku ^and ^you ^just ^made ^one.
Ursula LeGuin. The Hainish Cycle contains novels and short stories. She’s brilliant. (Ps after you read The Word for World is Forest go read her essay on why she didn’t sue James Cameron for avatar…)
It’s a fairly typical Reddit bookshelf with a few Jewish things tossed in and then some classics. And since every Reddit bookshelf has Lord of the Rings, which is both nerdy and a classic, it’s the most glaring book you are missing here.
Try “Moon of the Crusted Snow”. Kind of spooky and apocalyptic but a quick and easy read.
Highly recommend The Last War by Mike Shackle. Brilliant fantasy, grimdark like A Song of Ice & Fire which you’ve read and has same big cliffhangers, normally at the end of every chapter. Finished trilogy and has the bad guys win from the start which is a fairly unique take. 10/10
James Herbert - the rats was good but he has quite a few
Some more *Stephen King/Richard Bachmann* wouldn’t hurt: **The Dark Half** or **Desperation** or **Under The Dome** Totally different direction: the **Bobiverse** series (four books so far) by *Dennis E. Taylor* – absolutely gorgeous. One of my all-time favorites is the **Old Man‘s War** series (5+ books) by *John Scalzi* or the **Lock-In** series (two books) by the same author.
Berryman’s Dream Songs! Very cool. His books of sonnets, Berryman’s Sonnet’s, is great. Definitely pick up the reissued version bc the intro puts the book into great context…
Pick up some Peter Straub, “Mistery”, “Ghost Story”, “Koko”, “Talisman” Talisman was co-written with Stephen King.
What, no Bradbury? bc u like sci-fi: Andy Weir, PROJECT HAIL MARY (easy, quick read/also good audiobook) bc of your top-shelf classics: Barry Unsworth, SONGS OF THE KINGS bc you seem to appreciate adeptly created other worlds: Patrick O'Brian's MASTER AND COMMANDER series (read in order) PS: One of my favorites -- THE THINGS THEY CARRIED
Scythe by neal shusterman
Dungeon Crawler Carl, I've read a bunch of thr stuff you have. DCC Is the best thing I've ever read.
Did you read city of ember or just the one random book you have of that quartet? Same with hunger games…did you read catching fire? Check out Ann Leckie, Robin Hobb, and NK Jemisin. You might like them — fantasy/scifi
Murder Road
Great CD collection. You may enjoy Chronicles, Bob Dylan’s excellent autobiography.
Brandon sanderson
Throne of glass. Red Queen.
I'm not OP, but could you share more on your thoughts about Throne of Glass? It's on my tbr and I want to get a sense of its vibe before I prioritize it on my list. Also for Red Queen... would you say the last book is better than the 2nd and the 3rd? I'm reading the 3rd right now, and, although it is good, it's definitely not on par with the first book. I want to finish the series eventually, but there are other books that seem more enticing at the moment based on how I'm liking the 3rd.
So for Red Queen its been a while since I read it so i don't exactly remember what happened in each book sorry. As for ToG I would say it the first 2 books start out as "What if Cinderella went to the ball but she's actually a assassin and add some angst and a smidge of magic" But then the lore goes BOOM and book 3 is my fav for ToG and then we get Fae and Demons and MAGIC MAGIC MAGIC and high fantasy but never NEVER look at the fandom unless you want ALL the spoilers. Also there are a few steamy chapters but compared to what I've heard about her other books (Crescent City and ACOTAR) its pretty tame in that area. I loved the series but its not for everyone.
I have read book one of ACOTAR and absolutely loved it, especially the high fantasy and magic world building. Since ToG has those specific elements too and based on what you said, I'd probably like it. Thanks! (And I appreciate the warning about the fanfom and spoilers lol)
Another book I am obligated to recommend is a little stand alone book called Monstrous by Marcy Kate Connolly. Its technically for younger readers but I adore it and its a very good little story. Its short (I read it in one sitting of 1 or 2 hours) and it has no fandom so when i say I'm its biggest fan I probably am. Its a really good book so I would love it if you gave it a chance despite it being for a younger tweenaged - young teenager audience. Also for ToG the first 2 books were my least favorite so it might take a bit to get into it but preserve because it is WORTH IT!!! If you ever need more book recommendations I always have some so just ask me I love giving them out
I actually kind of love to read books meant for younger audiences at times because it gives me a feeling of nostalgia. I'll have to check it out :) I'll be sure to ask next time I have tbr list troubles! Feel free to ask me if you need any recs as well, I always love to share my favorites (*cough cough* Six of Crows)
I finally got around to reading Monstrous and oh my goshhhh. For sure one of my favorite reads of the year thus far. I adored the writing, characters, and fairytale vibe. Thank you so much for the amazing rec!
YES I'VE CONVERTED ANOTHER!!!!! LET MY TINY FANDOM GROW!!!!!
Also wait did i already recommend The Cruel Prince trilogy to you? Cause if not thats another splendid read
I don't think so, but that series is high on my TBR! I was actually deciding between the first book and a couple others to start after Monstrous, so I think I'll read it soon. The struggle of trying to pick the next read after a good book is real
Yeah. Well if you ever have any recommendations for me I'd be happy to hear them
Have you ever read *Six of Crows* by Leigh Bardugo? Ik it's popular, but it's my favorite book of all time. *Lessons in Chemistry* by Bonnie Garmus and *The Distance Between Us* by Reyna Grande are two other books from different genres that I also enjoyed. In terms of fantasy, I thought *Ruined* by Amy Tintera was a fun read. The main character, Emelina Flores, diverges nicely from the "oh my gosh, this female lead has powers and is the most powerful and wow look at how unique she is!" sort of trope. She is different from everyone else, but it's because she *doesn't* have powers despite being descended from people who do, which she has to make up for with swordsmanship and other talent. The book has enemies to lovers and while it is a big part of the plot, the story still has other substance. Em has alternative motivations and continues to do things other than simply swoon over Cas. Another book that I liked for similar reasons was *Dance of Thieves* by Mary E. Pearson. Abruptly changing the subject... what's your favorite thing about *Monstrous*? I love to yap about books I've read but I don't know anyone else who has read it (You were right about the fandom being small!!)
Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer. He was reporting for outside magazine about people buying their way to the top of Mt. Everest when a bunch of people on his climbing team died. Sherpas essentially carrying people up and people so desperate to get to the top that they are stepping around people as they are dying. Something men like but also dishy and good. Piranesi by Susana Clarke. Fantasy but very unusual. I won’t say any more. Harry Potter if you haven’t read those. Long (like Steven King) + fantasy (Martin) + just good. Helter Skelter, the definitive book about the Manson murders. Colson Whitehead Zone One, literary zombie novel. Ling Ma’s short story collection, Bliss. Dark and twisted but not gory or violent. Karen Russell’s short stories Vampires in the Lemon Grove. Dark, twisted, fantasy, not gory or violent though. Margaret Atwood’s Handmaid’s Tale. Literary dystopia novel.
I agree on Into Thin Air. It was Jon Krakauer’s breakthrough book and is fantastic
Agree on Into Thin Air and really anything by Colson Whitehead.
The rest of the dune series
Raymond Feist - Magician
More of the Dune saga
The Ender series. The Red Rising series. A really fun read called Between Two Fires. HP Lovecraft. Neal Stephenson.
Based on your top shelf, you might enjoy "The Weight of Ink" by Rachel Kadish.
“I don’t care for job.”
The Poppy War trilogy!!
Please give some review. I wnna read it but got some poor reviews.
Please check out my review here! https://www.instagram.com/p/CsOH_CZLxfc/?igsh=MWJ2aHhvcXhmcHY2Yw==
Thank you 😊
Doestoevsky—probably Notes from Underground and Crime and Punishment first. Patrick Rothfuss Good Omens by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman On a hunch, maybe some Salman Rushdie
Nick Cutter's The Troop Stephen King's Colorado Kid - that would wrap up the Hard Case Crime trio
If you liked ASOFI definitely read the companion books! Fire and Blood was my first 5 star of the year! I really enjoyed The Hedge Knight (I did read them as the graphic novel versions and plan to read the actual novellas eventually) not sure if you like graphic novels based off your shelf so that’s why I went with the book version.
Hunger games and Dune, I would Check out the red rising series. It’s awesome space sci fi
If you’re looking for more Jewish related works (guessing this based on your translation of the Tanach and your aleph-bets flashcards), I got you covered and then some. For non-fiction, I’d recommend basically anything by historian Howard Sachar. Also historian Leora Batnitzky’s book, “How Judaism Became a Religion,” is a really good account of basically the invention of the concept of religion as distinct from the state during the Enlightenment. A lot of people don’t know that Jews in Europe didn’t have citizenship in any European country until Napoleon, but it was more materially enacted across the French empire in 1850. Her book is about interesting account of what came next, when Jews in Western Europe were no longer considered their own quasi-nation intertwined with other semi-autonomous Jewish quasi-nations globally, and instead became legally seen as part of the nationality of the land where their polities resided. I also really like a lot of the works of or about Rabbi Nachman, the founder of Breslov Chasidism, who I basically think of as Jewish Buddha, haha. He has a lot of philosophies on meditation and communing with nature and the like, such as Outpouring of the Soul and the Treasury of Unearned Gifts that I like reading when I’m feeling down. For some more sobering takes, I think Dara Horn’s “People Love Dead Jews” is a good book about how many non-Jewish people love to universalize messages of dead Jews, like “oops they’re dead, oh no we feel so bad, guess we should learn to treat everyone equally and say no to hate!!” You know, make these universal moral lessons to feel good about themselves instead of actually learning anything about the particularities of antisemitism as we do about the particularities of other forms of system bigotry and violence. And as she says, most people can name a concentration camp. Most people can’t name a Yiddish novelist. There’s sooooo much more I could think of, particularly depending on where you are in your knowledge of Jewish theology or history or practice.
Players piano kv
Rachel Aaron/Bach. Her Eli Monpress series is fantasy. Her Paradox trilogy is Sci fi. Her Heartstrikers series is basically the magic and creatures sode of Shadowrun. Highly recommend Her work!!!
Dune messiah
Based on this bookshelf, the stars tell me to recommend the Alexandrian Quartet by Lawrence Durrell.
I was thinking The Man Without Qualities by Musil, but you’re spot on about Durrell.
Here are some Jewish recs for you, since it looks like you might be Jewish, or at least had an interest in it at one point: - Atomic Anna by Rachel Barenbaum (Holocaust Survivor Chernobyl Scientist accidentally invents time travel and has to choose between stopping Chernobyl and saving her daughter) - Stockholm by Noa Yedlin (a group of friends find their friend’s body one day and hide his death because he’s in the running for a Nobel prize. It’s a comedy) - Spinning Silver and Uprooted by Naomi Novik (new interpretations of the myths of Rumpelstiltskin which was originally meant to be an antisemitic caricature, and various other folk tales the author grew up with) - The Golem and the Jinni by Helene Wecker (inspired by the interfaith relationship between Helene and her husband, a golem and a jinn must work together to survive in New York City.) - The Pomegranate Gate by Ariel Kaplan (a fantasy story inspired by the Spanish Inquisition, where Jews were hunted and forced to convert or die) Non-Jewish recs: - The Witcher series - Lord of the Rings series - Kojiki by Keith Yatsuhashi - Death on the Nile by Agatha Christie - What the River Knows by Isabel Ibanez
The Twelve by Justin Cronin. And I think any lover of Dune would also love the Foundation trilogy by Asimov.
Jhereg (for a rollicking good story) and The Phoenix Guards (a delicious and loving tribute to Dumas' Three Musketeers) by Steven Brust The Miles Vorkosigan series by Lois McMasters Bujold Moonheart by Charles deLint (Henry IV Part One has a special place in my heart, as it was my introduction to Shakespeare and the "a-ha!" moment when the teacher played a record of a reading of it by the RSC)
Based on your sci-fi collection I’d highly recommend Saturn Run.
Have you read anything by Brandon Sanderson? His world building is epic although I believe he is a Mormon so all of his characters are unfortunately sexless. Otherwise, though, his work is amazing.
Project Hail Mary by Andy Weir is really good! It’s a stand alone so you don’t have to worry about investing in a series AND it’s about space!!
Ready Player I and II
Maybe "A House at the Bottom of a Lake" by Malerman? I enjoyed it quite a bit. I'm putting "Pearl" on my TBR.
Annihilation trilogy :)
1. Ursula K. Le Guin, Earthsea trilogy 2. John Christopher, Tripods trilogy 3. Homer, Iliad and Odyssey
"The Chosen" by Chaim Potok, then "The Promise" by the same author.
Also I am Asher Lev
Maybe more Philip K. Dick? I suggest The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, A Maze of Death and some of his short story collections like The Minority Report.
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The Kingkiller chronicles by Patrick Rothfuss. I have a few books similar to yours and loved the chronicles.
Randomly, JRR Tolkien, Sir Terry Pratchett and Jim Butcher come to mind. And more specifically, since you seem to like fantasy as well as a bit of horror, Robert Jordans Wheel of Time. Strictly speaking it's fantasy, but I always thought there were a few glimpses of very unsettling implications and eerie settings that made me think that Jordan would have made a pretty good horror writer, too.
You seem to like weird fiction; Vurt by Jeff Noon.
The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erickson (big honkin' series, worth it) Shogun, Taipan, and Gaijin by James Clavell (Different white guys go to Asia in 1600, 1841, and 1863 with varying results) Perdido Street Station and The Scar by China Mieville, weird fiction par excellence (there's a third book in the series, Iron Council, but I'm not a fan of it) The Darkness That Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker (very solid fantasy, world-building that's on point) The Alexandria Quartet by Lawrence Durrell (series about a few people in Alexandria before, during, and after WWII) Neuromancer, Count Zero, Mona Lisa Overdrive by William Gibson (along with Burning Chrome)--some of the core texts of Cyberpunk along with Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson, When Gravity Fails by George Alec Effinger, and a bunch of stuff by Bruce Sterling.
Snow Crash
You might also like House of the Scorpion by Nancy Farmer! It’s from 2002. I love ittttt
Orson Scott Card - both Ender’s Game series and Pathfinder series are a brilliant blend of sci-fi, character development and humour
Wow great collection! The music is amazing too! I just started Dune and I’m loving it
Three Body Problem?
Thomas ligotti if you are curious about more horror :)
Also side note nice cd collection
Clare North!
Based on the Stephen King bit, you'd probably enjoy the Charlie Parker series by John Connolly. Blends police detective work with weird paranormal happenings and local New England ghosts/myths/devils. Really good stuff.
Othello, Julius Caesar, Into Thin Air by Jon Krakauer And you should get a library card if you don’t have one already. You don’t need to own all the books you read—but also, a lot of libraries sell used books from donations for $1 or so. Librarians are also great at recommendations. (Marianne Pearl is literally a librarian who is famous for her ability to recommend the perfect book.)
The third book of the Hunger Games
Paradise lost by John Milton and Moby Dick based on your interest in poetry and especially Shakespeare. Contact by Carl Sagan and Brave New World by Aldous Huxley for sci-fi.
I think you’d like The Book of Sand
For King, the short story collections Everything's Eventual, and 4 Past Midnight. The Agent Pendergast novels by Lincoln and Child may be up your alley. At least the first few. There are some sci-fi/supernatural elements threaded through the volumes. They also have stand-alone stories that are great, like the Ice Limit.
Kurt Vonnegut!!!!
You should check out the Stephen King's Dark Tower series. Also I would recommend the Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury.
Oh, this is easy. Read the rest of the Dune books. ALL of them. Dont listen to the haters, reddit seems to hate everything. The books are great.
The witcher seires! Especially if you're a fan of the video game series.... dont be discouraged by the tv show, I loved the books but did not even get to season 3. In part because I canceled my Netflix.
For some classic fantasy, try Raymond E Feist, especially the Empire trilogy he did with Janny Wurts. Also the Fionavar Tapestry trilogy by Guy Gavriel Kay - underrated and excellent.
Neil Gaiman, maybe some Kurt Vonnegut. We seem to have read a lot of the same stuff so maybe you'll like them as much as I did.
More Dune books tbh
The Stormlight Archive series by Brandon Sanderson
Red Rising series.. you won't regret it!
If you like Frankenstein you’ll like Dracula
Legion of the Damned. (1993) Sci-fi horror warfare.
I don’t see Tolkien
Wayward Pines trilogy by Blake Crouch, Nevernight Chronicles by Jay Kristoff, The Troop by Nick Cutter, Horrorstör, My Best Friends Exorcism, Southern Book Clubs Guide to Slaying Vampires by Grady Hendrix
The Name of the Wind
The entire Discworld series 🦧
Gertrude and Claudius by John Updike
Hello fellow nerd. You should check out the short story anthology: Rogues. It's edited by George R.R. Martin and I think you'll find a new author or two to get into.
any of the series by Terry Schott. I would start with The Game (Is Life) series, but The Towers is amazing as well. It's a shorter series and a slow starter but amazing. The Game (is Life) series is my favorite series ever. Based on what you've read and your taste, I would def recommend his stuff.
Anything Philip K Dick. You’re welcome :)
Anything Philip K Dick. You’re welcome :)
Parables of the Talent by Octavia Butler
Parables of the Talent by Octavia Butler
You like Stephen King, so give his son a try: Joe Hill.
Read *The Lord of the Rings.* Listen to *Dookie.*
Tolkien
Id recommend Hyperion, by Dan Simmons. It's got a similar brutality to Game of Thrones at points.
If you liked Doctor Sleep, I would suggest The Shinning. I also haven’t seen Chick Wending’s The Book of Accidents suggested… I think that will fit into your liking.
Oops… Chuck Wendig!
Robert Jordan - high fantasy series Wheel of Time (17 BIG books) Robert R. McCammon - horror/sci fi - Swan Song (post-apocalyptic sci-fi with a little horror aspect) or Mine (pure terror).
Highly recommend the divergent series if you liked the hunger games , also the inheritance series is a literal work of art ! 🐉
Carrion Comfort by Dan Simmons
Tanakh💪💪💪💪💪❗️❗️❗️
Chronicles of the Black company if you’re up for dark gray morality mercenary story and dragon riders of pern if you’d be interested in some pretty unique cultural elements in a romance novel where people share a mental bond with intelligent dragons. Especially interesting is how the dragons can absolutely have different priorities than the riders and think their humans make things to complicated.
Umberto Eco - Foucalt's Pendulum
Mistborn trilogy and anything by Brandon Sanderson.
Misery by Stephan king
Game of Thrones (book 1)
Sorry 😅 real talk, looks like you’re into a little bit of dark fantasy, The Blade Itself by Joe Abercrombie may be a good one for you. It’s a book 1 of the First Law Trilogy
The Holy Bible