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Astoundingly dense, and masterpiece of surreal fiction, this SF novel, one of the most influential ever written would be an absolute nightmare to review. It has no real identifiable central plot. In a literal sense it’s about man, who is dubbed ‘Kid’ who finds himself in a city of Bellona where anything goes, and Delaney touches in depth on the nature of sex, civilization, reality, and self. It’s utterly one of the most original pieces of works I have ever read, as there is nothing remotely close to it. I came away not knowing what to make of it, but yet still completely sure it was a work of genius. One of the few times that I felt I was reading over my head at first. Brilliant. |
Vance made 3 appearances on my prior list and this effort is no less deserving. On the surface a simple story, however a great study on the power of languages and how it was a tool to convert a society told in Vance’s trademark prose. |
Kafka is a literary giant, and The Castle in an incredible story about “K”, and through displaying the red tape of the world and the means we all go through in as a true nightmare in the Castle. This novel is absurd but in the most positive possible way, a novel left incomplete and completed from his notes, about man’s desire and the hopelessness of that desire due to society itself. Like Dhalgren, a rather daunting read, but insightful and rather prophetic as well. |
Not really categorized as a fantasy novel, but when thinking about some novels that are this is hardly a stretch. Tongs look into Chinese’s past (unspecified date) of a Child who ascends to Emperor and his downfall, depicting the acts of the nihilistic boy king and his fall, the leads him down the road of Confucius teachings. I consider Tong’s books to be among my best finds not based on recommendation but just by taking a chance on it. Told through the perspective in first person of the Emperor Duanbai, Tong’s narrative is captivating even in translation. |
Disturbing story about a woman who yearns to fly by one of the masters of fiction and one of my favorite authors. Credited as an influence by seemingly everybody now from China Mieville, KJ Bishop, and Steph Swainston, his ‘Viriconium’ cycle and ‘Course of Heart’ made my prior list; this novel is an incredible depiction of the power of desire. |
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With all the ridiculous hype being thrown at Dan Brown’s mildly entertaining but completely unoriginal, and sophomorically written ‘Da Vinci Code’, I wanted to point out the version written years before by an author that actually has some talent, in this the quintessential modern story of the Knights Templar, the Rosicrucian’s, the Masons. |
A story about a Cosimo Piovasco di Rondò who after arguing with his family forsakes life by climbing a tree and refusing to leave. Spending his life in the trees, and told through the perspective of his younger brother the narrative is both though provoking and accessible. A story of love and personal enlightenment, that has something to offer to both young readers and the most critical as well. |
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Marquez is one of the fathers of Magic Realism. This novel covers 100 years of a Columbian town, focusing on generations of the Buendia family. The ending is one of the great endings I have read that has a ‘Neverending Story’ tang to it. |
Nebula and Hugo winning novel, a SF novel influenced by the Vietnam conflict, in which the main character is a part of a force that enters collapsars (think wormholes), and goes to war against the alien Taurens. They learn however that although they have aged months, decades on earth have passed on their subsequent returns. A great alien invasions story (that’s actually anti-war thematically), with profoundly interesting changes of society through these decades is touched on by Haldeman. |
One of PKD’s masterpieces, a psychedelic where people chosen by the UN consume a pill that creates a new reality around you. We live in a world that we find many answers in pills now. PKD ventures into the reality of that statement and takes it the point of asking can we find god in a pill? Profound. |
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