The Delusion Wing by Bryn Price
Reason: I'm writing it. Obviously that means it's awesome. First draft complete, second draft pending, third draft...well, eventually.
It's been through an overhaul recently, I'm nowhere near happy with it yet. Genre - steampunk sci-fi, I would call it a dystopia, but it has hope in it.
I started working on it November 2008...still got a long way to go, sadly.
Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by Hunter S Thompson
Reason: An interesting take on the goings on inside of the head of somebody hooked up to the eyeballs in illegal substances. What amazes me is that it's not fiction and was intended as a piece of journalism, meaning the story is just about Hunter S Thompson's drug trip through Las Vegas. Entertaining and educational at the same time. The film is very close to the book as well, though it's one of those films you have to like Johnny Depp for.
Never Let Me Go by Kazuo Ishiguro
Reason: A powerful novel in my opinion, it's a sci-fi set in the contemporary world, the 1990s actually, although the sci-fi element isn't strong. There's not a lot I can say about this without spoiling the story...even saying how it's a sci-fi ruins the first part of the novel for you.
The main plot is just following a group of friends backed by a dark secret. You grow to care for the characters and become attached, you're interested in the lives, making the impact of the 'truth' even stronger.
The Time Traveler's Wife by Audrey Niffenegger
Reason: I'm not a reader of romance, but this is a different case, however, one friend refuses to read it because she's annoyed that Niffenegger won't refer to it as a 'sci-fi romance', which it technically is. But it is a really powerful novel, well written and quite a decent concept - the time travel is a really good plot device in my opinion, some say it's original, however, me and a friend found a time-traveling viking romance novel, so it seems trash-fiction has managed to beat old Audrey to it.
An Artist of a Floating World by Kazuo Ishiguro
Reason: It's a really good story surrounding Japan in the second world war, it's interesting to see a story considering the life and experiences of a person living in Japan around the time, you watch the entire place transform completely. It has nice and little powerful bits as you go through. It is in some ways quite a political novel, but in a kind-hearted way. Though, not everything is pretty, there's a part which reminds me of Grave of the Fireflies (a horrifyingly depressing animated film set in WW2 Japan)
In fact, I'll just recommend all of the Ishiguro books I've read, An Artist of a Floating World, Never Let Me Go, Remains of the Day (also a film starring Anthony Hopkins, Christopher Reeve, Hugh Grant and Emma Thompson, though I think it doesn't do the book the right justice) and Nocturnes. I have the Unconsoled, but I've not read it, however, it has mixed reviews.
The Necronomicon - stories by HP Lovecraft
This 'tome' cost me £20, but it was worth it...you can bludgeon small children with it if you wish to use it for alternative purposes. It's a hardback containing a greater number of HP Lovecraft's short stories.
Reason:
HP Lovecraft, duh! Amazing stories of horror and fantasy, inspiring a many great authors, including the King...Stephen King.
Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch
Reason: A friend has been getting me into fantasy and she lent me this, a dark and gritty fantasy novel with a bit of wit. I enjoy the characters and the atmosphere and for that reason I recommend it. Essentially you're follow the thief, Locke Lamora, who is very proficient in what he does because he has a special love for it, he enjoys his successes and even as a child almost had himself executed for taking things too far. [currently reading]
The Eddas by Snorri Sturluson
Reason: The Viking in me has recommended this. Snorri was an Icelandic scholar of the dark ages who managed to collect the stories of Norse mythology together and managed to make it survive by fooling the authorities that it wasn't pagan work, but something akin to the Greek mythology, which had a high status in the educated world, so the opening part of the Eddas is mostly full of rubbish made up to give the mythology credibility in his society. There's the prose Edda and the poetic Edda, a rich source of stories, that would later be a major picking ground for many other writers, film makers and game makers, probably on the account of Tolkein taking so much from it, Midgard in old Norse literally translates as 'middle-earth', so I wonder where Tolkein got that from.
The stories themselves are enjoyable to read.
The Epic of Gilgamesh
The oldest story recorded known. I enjoy it, however, I'd recommend a rendition as opposed to a translation, because its age, the translations include all of the missing words and phrases, making it more difficult to read. With the Epic of Gilgamesh you have some other great Mesopotamian mythologies, like The Epic of Creation (I love the battle between Marduk and Tiamat, epic fantasy battles have been around since long before Hollywood
), which is eerily similar to the Norse one; The Descent of Ishtar and Atrahasis are also good for reading.
Metamorphoses by Ovid
Reason:
Roman adaptations of Greek myths by Ovid, he cleverly adapted them a new and interesting format as a poet. His work has inspired some of the most well renowned writers we respect today, including Chaucer and Shakespeare.
The Mabignogian
Reason: The traditional Welsh epic, brilliant stories are stored in there. As a storyteller, I love it, having heard 2 different sets each taking a story from the Mabignogian. The Lady and the Fountain is pretty groovy. Also, King Arthur makes several cameos.
Twilight by Steph...sorry, I can't even keep a straight face...
