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
- 2951 Views
Historical fiction.
30/08/2009 07:00:35 PM
- 1206 Views
Patrick O'Brian
30/08/2009 07:03:35 PM
- 1126 Views
You know
30/08/2009 07:08:50 PM
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Did you read the Horatio Hornblower series?
02/09/2009 12:17:00 AM
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Oh, there are Hornblower books?
02/09/2009 12:24:31 AM
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The first half. I've never been able to find the rest of them. *NM*
02/09/2009 01:10:11 AM
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Wars of Light and Shadow definantly need to be added to the list *NM*
30/08/2009 07:04:15 PM
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Re: Wars of Light and Shadow definantly need to be added to the list
31/08/2009 11:35:00 PM
- 1190 Views
Slash, please!
30/08/2009 08:13:33 PM
- 1224 Views
Oh, and Skin Folk
31/08/2009 01:52:58 AM
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I knew about A Companion to Wolves.
31/08/2009 03:22:38 AM
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So, I've read Shadow of the Wind
30/08/2009 10:06:30 PM
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The Historian
05/12/2011 04:56:40 AM
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Thanks for your contribution, but not many people are likely to find it here.
05/12/2011 10:14:04 PM
- 1137 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
- 1207 Views
The Holy Grail of recommendation requests.
31/08/2009 12:59:50 AM
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give Ken Scholes a shot
31/08/2009 05:37:11 PM
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Will do.
31/08/2009 11:26:57 PM
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I didn't think the characters were particularly week or one-dimensional
01/09/2009 03:42:06 AM
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comedic sci-fi mystery? *NM*
31/08/2009 03:57:52 AM
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Something like Michelle West's Sun Sword? *NM* *NM*
31/08/2009 04:49:51 AM
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i've always kind of wanted to make a website that does this sorta thing
31/08/2009 10:12:26 AM
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Librarything does it
21/09/2009 04:02:54 PM
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Their system isn't great.
26/09/2009 10:14:30 PM
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Re: Their system isn't great.
27/09/2009 10:07:53 AM
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Yeah, but the accuracy is way off....
27/09/2009 04:34:07 PM
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Re: Yeah, but the accuracy is way off....
28/09/2009 08:51:14 AM
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Human error? You are being way too nice. Btw, I have a link for you.
29/09/2009 10:02:35 AM
- 1459 Views
Hehehehe. Heheheheheheheheheeheheheeheeheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheheh
29/09/2009 10:05:26 AM
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Something with a good magic system. *NM*
31/08/2009 01:57:00 PM
- 625 Views
gotta be more specific
31/08/2009 05:35:47 PM
- 1161 Views
Something in-depth, and well used.
31/08/2009 07:16:54 PM
- 1069 Views
Have you read Coldfire?
31/08/2009 11:33:18 PM
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Re: Hi, I want a book that seems like it was written on acid?
01/09/2009 12:24:01 AM
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People who say use the phrase "on acid" have rarely tried acid
29/09/2009 03:07:45 AM
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Agree with this list... I would have typed one very similar. *NM*
01/10/2009 03:21:31 PM
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Stand-alone novels
01/09/2009 02:31:07 AM
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Re: Stand-alone novels
03/09/2009 10:53:46 AM
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Well, yes and no and sequels
03/09/2009 12:46:50 PM
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Re: Well, yes and no and sequels
03/09/2009 02:18:40 PM
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Regarding Tigana (spoilers)
03/09/2009 03:33:08 PM
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By definition almost all of Kay's books are standalones.
03/09/2009 11:54:16 PM
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All except for these. *looks amused* *NM*
04/09/2009 01:09:57 AM
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*shrug* I probably should have said half his books are standalones.
04/09/2009 03:21:25 AM
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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
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Various Recommendations
03/09/2009 06:00:39 AM
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hehe, so you like Lois's fantasy too eh? *NM*
03/09/2009 10:57:37 AM
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Yep yep! *NM*
03/09/2009 01:46:53 PM
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Have either of you read her Vorkosigan/Barrayar series? *NM*
04/09/2009 09:20:59 PM
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Nope. Have you?
05/09/2009 12:39:14 AM
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~Forces self to remain calm and understated~
05/09/2009 03:22:37 AM
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~holds out library card~
05/09/2009 03:34:25 AM
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~Grins like a fool~
06/09/2009 01:54:22 AM
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Since I'm now a big fan of Angela Carter's work...
07/09/2009 11:04:30 PM
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No, I haven't read anything by her.
23/09/2009 08:53:27 PM
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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
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If you want a spec fic/fantasyish book where characters actually tell each other what they know...
05/06/2010 04:39:01 PM
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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
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Probably better to start a new one, people aren't huge fans of reviving old threads... *NM*
21/11/2011 10:21:31 PM
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These days, people here aren't fans of anything outside of expressing political opinions *NM*
22/11/2011 12:45:42 AM
- 528 Views