Recommend me a good book

equalsql

Just finished 'The Lost Symbol' by Dan Brown...which was shite.. he has some good ideas but he's an awful writer..needs to take one of my wife's English-literature courses me thinks.

Also just finished 'Gravity' by Tess Gerretsen which was a cracking read. Started looking at some Lee Child stuff..and he knows how to write...his style reminds me a lot of Raymond Chandler.

Can anyone recommend me a good modern day thriller that's a bit sci-fi/fantasy/crime based?

What are you lot reading?

viz

Complicity - iain banks

equalsql

viz said:

Complicity - iain banks

  Just viewed a summary and that looks well evil.. The Wasp Factory was a bit too twisted for my tastes
:bz

ToneControl

what I do is

This time every year, go on bookpeople and buy the booker prize shortlist as a pack on special offer for £25-30

This year it's all 6 in hardback for £30, postage free, you won't  get 6 better books than this, a load of people did the legwork for you

 

Sorry it doesn't actually answer your question specifically - just my latest tactic for the last 3 years

viz

It's much more interesting than wasp factory and not as bizarre. It's bloody clever though.

Lixarto

I don't read much contemporary stuff, but I would go along with the Banks suggestion.

I'm reading "Doctor Sleep" at the moment, and it's pretty good.

Forget modern thrillers though, and do yourself a favour - read "1984" then the works of Thomas Hardy.

johnnyurq

Expunge Dan Brown's shite with the book he plagiarised Holy Blood Holy Grail it is much better.

I can't believe he won the fecking court case. More money and badass lawyers natch.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Holy_Blood_and_the_Holy_Grail

If you like fantasy try the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever by Stephen Donaldson. If you do like it then there are 2 trilogies then 4 books to end plus stories expanding on some of the main themes in the books.

He is a flawed anti hero and it can be dark but well worth a look. The last book of the last chronicle comes out next month.

He also does other non fantasy stuff and excellent short stories.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Chronicles_of_Thomas_Covenant

Axe_meister

Girl with the dragon tattoo series. Totally gripping. Got in big trouble with the other half for neglecting the family I was so hooked

PolarityMan

I normally read sci-fi and fantasy but I picked up 2 of this guys books on a whim and thoroughly enjoyed both:

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Mark-Forsyth/e/B005Z05REO

Deadman

I really enjoyed 'In the dark' by Richard Laymon.

The plot:
Jane is a librarian, one night as she prepares to close up she finds and envelope with a $50 bill and a note with a clue. She follows up on the clue and finds $100 dollars with a further offer of doubling her money each time she completes a task. The note is signed MOG (Master of Games). Each task gets more and more scary to complete, expect graveyards, late nights and death.

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Dark-Richard-Laymon/dp/0747245096/ref=sr_1_1?s=books&ie=UTF8&qid=1382253170&sr=1-1&keywords=in+the+dark+richard+laymon

EricTheWeary

Axe_meister;61486" said:

Girl with the dragon tattoo series. Totally gripping. Got in big trouble with the other half for neglecting the family I was so hooked

I bought the first one for 50p at a campsite and highly engrossing. I had run out of Wallanders.
MrsTheweary recommends the Peter May ones, the ones set on Lewis.

daveww

Have you read the Dark Tower (7 books) by Stephen King?

Wolftone

I can imagine all the forum eyes going up to the ceiling on this one but I have just finished 'Great Expectations' and enjoyed it muchly. I am just starting 'Dombey and Son' which was one of CD's later creations. My suggestion is to try Dickens.

dafuzz

I'm reading À Rebours by Huysmans at the mo. I'm not suggesting it - it's nothing like what you asked for - but there's little point me reading it if I don't tell people at every opportunity.

Snow Crash is awesome! About to read it for the second time.

equalsql

Wolftone;61744" said:

I can imagine all the forum eyes going up to the ceiling on this one but I have just finished 'Great Expectations' and enjoyed it muchly. I am just starting 'Dombey and Son' which was one of CD's later creations. My suggestion is to try Dickens.

  My wife thinks I'm a philistine and keeps telling me to read Dickens, Conrad and Orwell etc and she was horrified when I brought home the Dan Brown book (for a quid from the charity shop), honestly I would have got less grief if I has purchased a copy of 'Razzle' .  >:D<

Lixarto

Wolftone said:

I can imagine all the forum eyes going up to the ceiling on this one but I have just finished 'Great Expectations' and enjoyed it muchly. I am just starting 'Dombey and Son' which was one of CD's later creations. My suggestion is to try Dickens.

On the contrary, in a world where sub-Tolkien "epics" and JK Rowling are considered literature, that warms my heart.

Have Wisdom

Myranda

There's wisdom in your words Lix...

Harry Potter and some books about sparkly vampires are two of the biggest selling series of books in years... reading Dickens can only be seen as brilliant given the choices of our "peers"

breakstuff

Halfhead by Stuart Macbride.
Brilliant writer from Glasgow.His series of crime proceedial books featuring Logan McCray are fantastically written.Very realistic dialogue and laugh out loud funny.

VimFuego

For some more off the wall fantasy, check out some Neil Gaiman. My personal fave is American Gods. For more sci-fi, Alastair Reynolds. And for some just complete madness and fun, Jasper Fforde.

Myranda

I'll second American Gods - brilliant book.

dogload

Lixarto said:

On the contrary, in a world where sub-Tolkien "epics" and JK Rowling are considered literature, that warms my heart.

Have Wisdom

I'm almost embarrassed now to suggest the George R R Martin 'Song Of Ice And Fire' series. I know... but I got into the Game Of Thrones series on the telly and decided to have a read. And (after slogging my way through 'Wolf Hall') I found them extremely entertaining.