[EMAIL PROTECTED] wrote:
>
> Hi Folks!
>
> The last great books I've read were Vernor Vinge's novels. I find that I've
> nothing left to read these days! Any suggestions? Post to this list or mail
> me. TV gets old and tired, and I've been playing the same old CD's over and
> over again.
A number of years ago, I read _Venus of Dreams_ by Pamela Sargent, and I
thought it was pretty good. (This was before I joined brin-l, to let
you know how long ago it was....) It was the first of a trilogy; the
third FINALLY came out sometime last year, so to the best of my
knowledge, it's complete.
If anyone has read _Dreams_ more recently than I, or read any of the
others, and would NOT recommend them, speak up. :)
I've been enjoying some stuff by Elizabeth Moon, as well. If you'd like
to get a feel for her stuff and don't want to get sucked into a series
immediately, I'd recommend _Remnant Population_. If you want some space
opera, she's got some of that; she's done a couple of related series,
one starting with _Hunting Party_, the other in the same universe with a
character with a lot more potential for more interesting adventures
starting with _Once a Hero_. There are issues with _Once a Hero_; if
you're trying to avoid any particular sorts of scenarios in your
reading, ask me off-list if your particular hangup is in that book.
(I'd say what it is, but that would give something away.)
I've also enjoyed some Nancy Kress. _Beggars in Spain_ is good. I've
read the second in that series and enjoyed it as well; I'm hoping to get
to the third one before the end of the year.
_Sky Road_ by Ken MacLeod was nominated for the Hugo last year; I voted
that one as my top choice. (It didn't win, but I thought it was better
than the Harry Potter book that *did* win.) I've heard good things
about his other novels, and one of these days I hope to read another
one.
I enjoyed _A Thousand Words for Stranger_ by Julie E. Czerneda very
much. I think I liked it better than any of her subsequent novels that
I've read. Part of that may have been the excitement of reading an
author for the first time, though. (I think that one was nominated for
the Campbell award, actually.) She's written one sequel in that
universe, and if she writes any more in that universe, I'll be all over
it like a dog on a bone. Her second and fourth novels were in a
different universe, one that I didn't enjoy *quite* as much, but they
were still good. Her fifth novel is not in either of those two series,
and I haven't gotten to it.
Julia
