Tim's Horror, Fantasy and Sci-Fi Reads from 2012

[Timstar]

I am starting a challenge to try and read a lot more of my favourite genres; Horror, fantasy and sci-fi. I have only started dedicating a lot more time to reading over the last couple of years so I still haven’t read that many of my favourite genres. I will post reviews on here as I go.

Authors I have found to like so far and want to read more of:

(Full TBR pile can be found below)

 

Horror:

Stephen King

Joe Hill

Jack Ketchum

Clive Barker

 

Fantasy:

George R. R. Martin

Brandon Sanderson

Neil Gaiman

David Eddings

Peter V. Brett

 

Sci-Fi:

Arthur C. Clarke

Douglas Adams

H. G. Wells

Richard Matheson

Richard Sanders

Jack Vance

Isaac Asimov

Ray Bradbury

Robert A. Heinlein

 

 

Authors on my TBR pile that I haven’t started yet:

 

Horror:

 

 

Fantasy:

Terry Brooks

James Clemens

Suzanne Collins

Tad Williams

Anne McCaffrey

Roger Zelazny

Tim Powers

David Gemmell

Joe Abercrombie

Chris Wooding

 

Sci-Fi:

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Walter Miller Jr.

Vinge Vernor

Orson Scott Card

Peter F. Hamiton

Philip K. Dick

Edited January 9, 2013 by Timstar

[Timstar]

Authors on my wish list that I don’t own yet:

(Main reads in brackets)

 

Horror:

 

 

Fantasy

 

Guy Gavriel Kay (Tigana)

Steven Erikson (Malazan)

Patrick Rothfuss (Kingkiller)

Ursula LeGuin (Earthsea)

Gene Wolfe (Book of the new Sun)

Robin Hobb (Farseer)

Glen Cook (Black Company)

Robert Jordan (Wheel of Time)

 

Sci-Fi

 

Dan Simmons (Hyperion)

Frank Herbert (Dune)

Aldous Huxley (Brave New World)

Alfred Bester (The Stars my Destination)

Alastair Renolds (Revelation Space / Chasm City)

Neal Asher (Spatterjay)

Stephen Baxter (NASA, Time Odyssey)

William Gibson (Sprawl)

 

As you can see I really haven’t read that many.

Edited January 9, 2013 by Timstar

[Timstar]

Really wish it would stop combining my posts

 

TBR list.

 

Stephen King – The Shining

The Stand

Night shift

The Dead Zone

Firestarter

Cujo

Pet Semetary

The Talisman

Skeleton Crew

The Eyes of the Dragon

The Tommyknockers

Misery

The Dark Half

Four Past Midnight

Needful Things

Nightmares and Dreamscapes

Insomnia

Rose Madder

Desperation

Bag of Bones

From a Buick 8

Lisey’s Story

Blaze

Duma Key

Under the Dome

 

As Richard Bachman –

 

 

 

 

The Long Walk

Road Work

Running Man

The Regulators

 

 

Joe Hill – Horns

 

Clive Barker – The Great and Secret Show

Cabal

 

George R.R. Martin – Song of Ice and Fire (Books 2 to 5)

 

James Clemens – Banned and the Banished

 

Tad Williams – Memory, Sorrow and Thorn

 

David Eddings – Malloreon

 

Brandon Sanderson – Elantris

Warbreaker

The Way of Kings (Stormlight)

 

Terry Brooks – Shannara Trilogy

 

Suzanne Collins – Hunger Games Trilogy

 

Arthur C. Clarke – Rendezvous with Rama

The Collected Short Stories

 

Jack Vance – Emphyrio

 

H. G. Wells – The Time Machine

 

The Island of Dr Moreau

The Invisible Man

The First Men in the Moon

In the Days of the Comet

The War in the Air

The Sleeper Awakes

Men Like Gods

The Complete Short Stories

Edited January 9, 2013 by Timstar

[Karsa Orlong]

I'm liking this thread already, Timstar

 

Out of interest, I noticed you've got Peter F Hamilton's 'Greg Mandel' books on your wishlist - have you read his 'Night's Dawn' trilogy? Cos if not, I'd highly, highly, highly recommend going for them first. Not that the 'Greg Mandel' books aren't good (they are!) but 'Night's Dawn' is astonishingly good

[Timstar]

I haven't actually, thanks I will give them priority my goodness they are long! just saw the total trilogy adds up to 1.2 million words.

 

The first one I will be reading after my current book is The Hero of Ages of Brandon Sanderson. Final book of the trilogy, but I am still trying to get my hands on the companion novel Alloy of Law

Edited May 16, 2012 by Timstar

[Karsa Orlong]

just saw the total trilogy adds up to 1.2 million words.

Yeah, they're big old bar stewards

[chesilbeach]

I'm woefully lacking in my exposure to sci-fi, so the only books I've read on your list are The Hunger Games trilogy, but despite that, great lists Tim!

 

PS You need to leave about four to five minutes between posts to stop them merging - I end up going off and doing something else as I'm too impatient!

[Timstar]

oh ok, thanks for the tip. Hopefully we can both find some more Sci-fi here!

[Timstar]

This doesn't really count towards my challenge but I finished The Science of the X-Files by Michael White.It's a non-fiction book exploring the scientific explanations of various paranormal events seen in the X-files. I am a fan of Michael White and his biographies and a huge fan of The X-Files, so this was a no-brainer.

 

Overall it was interesting, Michael White certainly knows his Science. I really enjoyed the sections related to physics and astrophysics including String theory, quantum mechanics, wormholes and the theory of relativity etc. However, lots of the explanations were related psychology and parapsychology, all of which I find tedious and think most of it is bull****. It was nice just to be able to pick it up and read a chapter or two between novels.

 

What annoyed me most was the lack of relation to The X-Files, the science explored is very generic paranormal stuff eg. time travel, ghosts, mind reading, psychokinesis, alien abductions and fortune telling etc. Over the course of 9 seasons there was plenty of niché paranormal and brand new stuff that occurred in the show that could have been explored but wasn't. I think there was only about two mentions of the X-Files throughout the book.

 

It is annoying because he clearly tried to use the popularity of the X-Files to sell his book. I would quite happily of read The Science of the Paranormal by Michael White but I guess that wouldn't have sold as well.

 

Overall 6/10.

Edited May 18, 2012 by Timstar

[Karsa Orlong]

I must admit I've always avoided those kinds of tie-in books cos they never seem to do what they promise

[Timstar]

I found a cheap copy on eBay and will be giving it to the next charity shop I go into. Think I will be avoiding such books in the future.

 

Started The Hero of Ages now, enjoying it already.

[Devi]

Oh I think I will be spending a lot of time in this thread!

[Timstar]

Seriously? What is this thing doing to my posts?? Why is it just adding in all the HTML. Second time it has done it now and I ain't going through it all again.

[Kylie]

I edited the post to remove all that text. I tried to be really careful so as not to delete anything by accident. I hope it's OK.

 

I'm not sure what the problem is though, and I'm guessing it will happen again. Did you type the post directly here or did you copy it from another source (like Word)? I would suggest copying the post into Word or a text document so you have a copy and can paste it over again when/if you need to.

[Timstar]

Thank you! Really appreciate that. I didn't copy from anything else so I'm not sure why it does it. But I saved a copy in Word. Thanks again.

[Timstar]

Bought some more fantasy/sci-fi/horror this week.

 

Alloy of Law and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

The Complete Short Stories by Arthur C. Clarke

Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series by Tad Williams

Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Blockade Billy by Stephen King

 

So much for trying to reduce my TBR pile. I have about 100 pages left of Mistborn 3, really enjoying it.

[Karsa Orlong]

Bought some more fantasy/sci-fi/horror this week.

 

 

 

 

Alloy of Law and The Way of Kings by Brandon Sanderson

The Complete Short Stories by Arthur C. Clarke

Memory, Sorrow and Thorn series by Tad Williams

Hellbound Heart by Clive Barker

I Am Legend by Richard Matheson

Blockade Billy by Stephen King

 

You can't go wrong with I Am Legend. I've had The Way of Kings and The Dragonbone Chair in my TBR pile for aaaages and haven't got round to them yet.

[Timstar]

 

You can't go wrong with I Am Legend. I've had The Way of Kings and The Dragonbone Chair in my TBR pile for aaaages and haven't got round to them yet.

 

No rush with The Way of Kings, I'm assuming you know he is planning to make it into a ten book epic series with no plan of the second book coming out any time soon. Think I will read Belgariad before I start Dragonbone Chair.

[Karsa Orlong]

No rush with The Way of Kings, I'm assuming you know he is planning to make it into a ten book epic series with no plan of the second book coming out any time soon.

 

Yes, I had heard about that. I'm not sure I can handle another ten book series Mind you, at the rate he churns them out he'll probably finish it before GRRM finishes Ice & Fire

 

 

Think I will read Belgariad before I start Dragonbone Chair.

 

I loved The Belgariad - they were my first ever fantasy books. Can't wait till you meet Silk

[Timstar]

Yes, I had heard about that. I'm not sure I can handle another ten book series Mind you, at the rate he churns them out he'll probably finish it before GRRM finishes Ice & Fire

 

 

I've yet to start any series that long! Most so far is seven.

 

I loved The Belgariad - they were my first ever fantasy books. Can't wait till you meet Silk

 

think it will be the next series I start.

 

Have you read the Alloy of Law? it annoys me how big it is. In terms of words it is probably about half as long as any of the other Mistborn but the book itself is 2" bigger then other paperback I own. Too big to carry around, really bizarre.

[Karsa Orlong]

Have you read the Alloy of Law? it annoys me how big it is. In terms of words it is probably about half as long as any of the other Mistborn but the book itself is 2" bigger then other paperback I own. Too big to carry around, really bizarre.

No I haven't. Sounds like you've got the trade paperback edition, as opposed to the regular paperback which I don't think comes out until later this year.

[Timstar]

No I haven't. Sounds like you've got the trade paperback edition, as opposed to the regular paperback which I don't think comes out until later this year.

 

Yeah sounds like it, oh well I got it 99p from eBay so can't complain I guess.

[Andie P]

Hi Tim,

 

did you ever get to read anything by Adam Nevill and what do you think?

 

Andie P x

[Timstar]

Hi Tim,

 

did you ever get to read anything by Adam Nevill and what do you think?

 

Andie P x

 

I haven't yet, it is still on my wishlist, I have been trying to find a copy of Ritual for the Damned but it is out of print everywhere . Still checking eBay for one.

[Michelle]

Did you mean Banquet for the Damned, or Ritual? The former is slower, but I think I preferred it. With Ritual, I enjoyed the first half, but the rest went a little further than I usually liked. I have a copy of Banquet for the Damned which I can lend out if you wish?