Agree with this list... I would have typed one very similar. *NM*
Jacob Send a noteboard - 01/10/2009 03:21:31 PM
Try The Etched City by K. J. Bishop, which has a wonderfully hallucinatory feel to it, not least because the protagonist is often on hallucinogens. Dhalgren by Samuel R. Delaney is trippy to the point where I have no idea what it's about. The aforementioned Illuminatus Trilogy is brilliant as well, and The Invisibles, a comic series by Grant Morrison.
If, however, you mean "bizarre and random", you might like Carlton Mellick III, whose books have titles like Razor Wire Pubic Hair, Satan Burger, and Electric Jesus Corpse, and whose contents reflect and supercede the titles, though I've only read Razor Wire, about a prostitute robot in the future.
Here's an extract from Satan Burger:
God hates you. All of you. He closed the gates of Heaven and wants you to rot on Earth forever. Not only that, he is repossesing your souls and feeding them to a large vagina-like machine called the Walm - an interdimensional doorway that brings His New Children into the world. He loves these new children, but He doesn't love you. They are more interesting than you. They are beautiful, psychotic, magical, sex-crazed, and deadly. They are turning your cities into apocalyptic chaos, and there's nothing you can do about it ...
There's also Steve Aylett, whose Atom is fantastically weird and imaginative.
Also there's books that defy description, like House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, a postmodern horror story (maybe) The Book of All Hours By Hal Duncan, a sci-fi fantasy epic (perhaps), and The Raw shark texts by Steven Hall, about amnesia, love, and aquatic conceptual predators.
The entire body of work of Samuel Beckett falls under the absurdist tradition. I love Waiting for Godot, about to tramps trapped in a barren landscape and also, possibly, in time. And while we're at the classics, the Prophetic poems of William Blake read like the Book of Revelations, but with, in my opinion, a better moral grounding. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is his most accessible and fun work, I think.
Finally, to answer your question; Phillip K. Dick.
If, however, you mean "bizarre and random", you might like Carlton Mellick III, whose books have titles like Razor Wire Pubic Hair, Satan Burger, and Electric Jesus Corpse, and whose contents reflect and supercede the titles, though I've only read Razor Wire, about a prostitute robot in the future.
Here's an extract from Satan Burger:
God hates you. All of you. He closed the gates of Heaven and wants you to rot on Earth forever. Not only that, he is repossesing your souls and feeding them to a large vagina-like machine called the Walm - an interdimensional doorway that brings His New Children into the world. He loves these new children, but He doesn't love you. They are more interesting than you. They are beautiful, psychotic, magical, sex-crazed, and deadly. They are turning your cities into apocalyptic chaos, and there's nothing you can do about it ...
There's also Steve Aylett, whose Atom is fantastically weird and imaginative.
Also there's books that defy description, like House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski, a postmodern horror story (maybe) The Book of All Hours By Hal Duncan, a sci-fi fantasy epic (perhaps), and The Raw shark texts by Steven Hall, about amnesia, love, and aquatic conceptual predators.
The entire body of work of Samuel Beckett falls under the absurdist tradition. I love Waiting for Godot, about to tramps trapped in a barren landscape and also, possibly, in time. And while we're at the classics, the Prophetic poems of William Blake read like the Book of Revelations, but with, in my opinion, a better moral grounding. The Marriage of Heaven and Hell is his most accessible and fun work, I think.
Finally, to answer your question; Phillip K. Dick.
So you've read X and you want to read more books like it: Part Two
- 30/08/2009 06:35:01 PM
3418 Views
Historical fiction.
- 30/08/2009 07:00:35 PM
1644 Views
Patrick O'Brian
- 30/08/2009 07:03:35 PM
1597 Views
You know
- 30/08/2009 07:08:50 PM
1550 Views
Did you read the Horatio Hornblower series?
- 02/09/2009 12:17:00 AM
1520 Views
Oh, there are Hornblower books?
- 02/09/2009 12:24:31 AM
1496 Views
The first half. I've never been able to find the rest of them. *NM*
- 02/09/2009 01:10:11 AM
855 Views
Wars of Light and Shadow definantly need to be added to the list *NM*
- 30/08/2009 07:04:15 PM
874 Views
Re: Wars of Light and Shadow definantly need to be added to the list
- 31/08/2009 11:35:00 PM
1660 Views
Slash, please!
- 30/08/2009 08:13:33 PM
1677 Views
Oh, and Skin Folk
- 31/08/2009 01:52:58 AM
1706 Views
I knew about A Companion to Wolves.
- 31/08/2009 03:22:38 AM
1727 Views
So, I've read Shadow of the Wind
- 30/08/2009 10:06:30 PM
1652 Views
The Historian
- 05/12/2011 04:56:40 AM
1587 Views
Thanks for your contribution, but not many people are likely to find it here.
- 05/12/2011 10:14:04 PM
1626 Views
- 05/12/2011 10:14:04 PM
1626 Views
Re: So you've read X and you want to read more books like it: Part Two
- 30/08/2009 10:20:05 PM
1628 Views
The Holy Grail of recommendation requests.
- 31/08/2009 12:59:50 AM
1864 Views
give Ken Scholes a shot
- 31/08/2009 05:37:11 PM
1768 Views
Will do.
- 31/08/2009 11:26:57 PM
1721 Views
I didn't think the characters were particularly week or one-dimensional
- 01/09/2009 03:42:06 AM
1703 Views
comedic sci-fi mystery? *NM*
- 31/08/2009 03:57:52 AM
900 Views
Something like Michelle West's Sun Sword? *NM* *NM*
- 31/08/2009 04:49:51 AM
833 Views
i've always kind of wanted to make a website that does this sorta thing
- 31/08/2009 10:12:26 AM
1714 Views
Librarything does it
- 21/09/2009 04:02:54 PM
1652 Views
Their system isn't great.
- 26/09/2009 10:14:30 PM
1610 Views
Re: Their system isn't great.
- 27/09/2009 10:07:53 AM
1716 Views
Yeah, but the accuracy is way off....
- 27/09/2009 04:34:07 PM
1564 Views
Re: Yeah, but the accuracy is way off....
- 28/09/2009 08:51:14 AM
1653 Views
Human error? You are being way too nice. Btw, I have a link for you.
- 29/09/2009 10:02:35 AM
1926 Views
Hehehehe. Heheheheheheheheheeheheheeheeheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh
- 29/09/2009 10:05:26 AM
1687 Views
Something with a good magic system. *NM*
- 31/08/2009 01:57:00 PM
907 Views
gotta be more specific
- 31/08/2009 05:35:47 PM
1608 Views
Something in-depth, and well used.
- 31/08/2009 07:16:54 PM
1482 Views
Have you read Coldfire?
- 31/08/2009 11:33:18 PM
1607 Views
Re: Hi, I want a book that seems like it was written on acid?
- 01/09/2009 12:24:01 AM
1694 Views
People who say use the phrase "on acid" have rarely tried acid
- 29/09/2009 03:07:45 AM
1669 Views
- 29/09/2009 03:07:45 AM
1669 Views
Agree with this list... I would have typed one very similar. *NM*
- 01/10/2009 03:21:31 PM
863 Views
Stand-alone novels
- 01/09/2009 02:31:07 AM
1634 Views
Re: Stand-alone novels
- 03/09/2009 10:53:46 AM
1645 Views
Well, yes and no and sequels
- 03/09/2009 12:46:50 PM
1585 Views
Re: Well, yes and no and sequels
- 03/09/2009 02:18:40 PM
1850 Views
Regarding Tigana (spoilers)
- 03/09/2009 03:33:08 PM
1970 Views
By definition almost all of Kay's books are standalones.
- 03/09/2009 11:54:16 PM
1516 Views
All except for these. *looks amused* *NM*
- 04/09/2009 01:09:57 AM
785 Views
*shrug* I probably should have said half his books are standalones.
- 04/09/2009 03:21:25 AM
1506 Views
I'll just copy/paste this 2006 list posted on the OF Blog (all but one are available as one-vol.)
- 07/09/2009 11:10:26 PM
1387 Views
Various Recommendations
- 03/09/2009 06:00:39 AM
1773 Views
hehe, so you like Lois's fantasy too eh? *NM*
- 03/09/2009 10:57:37 AM
732 Views
Yep yep! *NM*
- 03/09/2009 01:46:53 PM
832 Views
Have either of you read her Vorkosigan/Barrayar series? *NM*
- 04/09/2009 09:20:59 PM
744 Views
Nope. Have you?
- 05/09/2009 12:39:14 AM
1814 Views
~Forces self to remain calm and understated~
- 05/09/2009 03:22:37 AM
2100 Views
~holds out library card~
- 05/09/2009 03:34:25 AM
2118 Views
~Grins like a fool~
- 06/09/2009 01:54:22 AM
1348 Views
Since I'm now a big fan of Angela Carter's work...
- 07/09/2009 11:04:30 PM
1659 Views
No, I haven't read anything by her.
- 23/09/2009 08:53:27 PM
1675 Views
- 23/09/2009 08:53:27 PM
1675 Views
I think you'd enjoy some of Angela Carter's works; I've managed to get one at this site to enjoy her
- 28/09/2009 12:19:39 AM
1648 Views
If you want a spec fic/fantasyish book where characters actually tell each other what they know...
- 05/06/2010 04:39:01 PM
1435 Views
After two years, I wonder if we should revise this thread and edit in newer books. Thoughts? *NM*
- 20/11/2011 10:37:27 PM
742 Views
Probably better to start a new one, people aren't huge fans of reviving old threads... *NM*
- 21/11/2011 10:21:31 PM
827 Views
These days, people here aren't fans of anything outside of expressing political opinions
*NM*
- 22/11/2011 12:45:42 AM
753 Views
*NM*
- 22/11/2011 12:45:42 AM
753 Views


