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• Reputation: 449 Q&A: 14 0 1 156 7 0 Classifieds: 0 0 what's this? Expert: 8 topics Books & Writing Navigating SIFF Comics Week! Genius Awards Week Book Recommendations General Book Discussion Other Books & Writing Book Club- A Visit from the Goon Squad Follow Following 0 Paul Constant

  0 0 Howdy Goreedgo, I might be insulting your intelligence here, but I will ask anyway, since there are way too many books in the world for everyone to have read everything: Have you read Philip K. Dick? I ask because you mention The City and the City, which Mieville has said is an homage to Dick, but you didn't mention Dick in the books you've enjoyed. If not, I would start with A Scanner Darkly or The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch and work my way through. If you have read Dick and you like him, you should try Thomas Disch, particularly Camp Concentration. Otherwise, you might want to try Couch by Benjamin Parzybok, which I reviewed a while back and loved precisely because it was an unconventional fantasy novel. There was a novel that came out about six years ago called The Brief History of the Dead, by Kevin Brockmeier, that is about the end of the world and what that means for heaven, that is kind of literary fantasy like The Time Traveler's Wife. And Haruki Murakami's Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World is a great one for fans of literary sci-fi fantasy, as well as all the usual sci-fi/lit suspects (Jonathan Lethem, Michael Chabon, etc.) If this is all reading ground that you've already covered, I apologize; just let me know and I'll get a little more esoteric for you. Paul Constant answered in Books & Writing over 2 years ago | Report 6 comments by Geni, goreedgo, and Penny Lane… 0 0 Thomas Disch FTW. Fun With Your New Head is one of my all-time favorites. Theodore Sturgeon was WAY ahead of his time, as was that asshole Harlan Ellison. Geni commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Paul: You're on the right track. I've read both Couch and The Brief History of the Dead and really enjoyed them. That's exactly the kind of stuff I'm looking for. Do you have anything more in that vein I should try? I've never read Dick and as for Murakami, I loved What I Talk About When I Talk About Running but I've never read any of his fiction. I guess I had the impression that their writing was more philosophical/metaphorical/thought experiment-y than I usually like. I like to read stuff that makes me think, but not at the expense of good fun storytelling (for instance, The Children's Hospital, which never went anywhere.) But I will definitely check them out on your recommendation. Thanks for providing this excellent public service :) -Reed goreedgo commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Thanks for the question, I'm trying to get in the genre too. I like Ursula K. LeGuin (Left Hand of Darkness is my favorite) and Octavia Butler (Parable of the Sower). Penny Lane commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Would it be obvious if I stated I don't know Dick? (LOL!) O my captain commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 Hey Reed, More along the lines of Couch and Brief History of the Dead: You would probably like The Dogs of Babel (a creepy book about talking dogs), The Mount, by Carol Emshwiller, and anything by Kelly Link. Penny Lane's suggestions of Ursula K. LeGuin and Octavia Butler are great, too, as are Geni's suggestions of Sturgeon and Harlan Ellison (but I prefer early Ellison and not later Ellison.) Paul Constant commented over 2 years ago | Report 0 0 China Mieville is an author that I was introduced to a few years ago who writes a combination of urban fantasy/sci fi that is truly complex, engaging, and sometimes emotionally challenging. I would recommend a start with Perdido Street Station if you've never read him. Sphinx commented over 2 years ago | Report Enter your comment or ask a new question preview THIS IS A PREVIEW: Click "Post" to submit it or "Edit" to make changes. edit Please wait… This could take a minute if the tubes are clogged.

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