Originally posted by aldo_14
Hitchhikers Guide (the big 4 book trilogy-in the onebook- version, but especially ), 1984 (for ideas rather than entertainment value), Calvin & Hobbes "It's a magical world" (sentimental reasons; it's the lastbook I have from what could be considered childhood - i.e. just about the point where before life stopped being all about fun - and also because it;s the last one ever as well.)
What? Has Watterson stopped doing Calvin and Hobbes then? I didn't know that...
Calvin and Hobbes is my favourite comic strip of all time. It's intelligent, incredibly funny and at the same time conveys some very serious messages. Fantastic stuff. If what you say is true, then I'm gutted. I started reading the books when I was the same age as Calvin (6), so I kinda grew up with him (even though he stayed six forever, and I didn't).
Oh, man - hearing that has actually upset me. Damn....
Erm, favourite books. Tricky one. Apart from Calvin and Hobbes, here's some of my favourite fiction:
His Dark Materials - Phillip Pullman (Meant to be a trilogy for children, but the story is so powerful on so many levels that anyone would love it. The daemons are quite possibly my favourite device in any book ever. The story is wonderful, and it's hugely moving. I cried....)
Against a Dark Background - Iain M. Banks. (IMO his best book. Great characters, vicious plot, magnificent imagery.)
Look To Windward - Iain M. Banks (Again, a great book. It's got some fantastic creatures - dirigible behemothaurs - and the themes are brilliant - love, death, regret and classical music...)
Swallows And Amazons series - Arthur Ransome (happy childhood memories of this. They're rather dated now, being written and set in the 1930s, but they're all good, and the earlier ones are classics - Sallows and Amazons, Swallowdale, etc.)
A Call to Arms - Alan Dean Foster (bloke who wrote Alien originally. It's the first of a trilogy called "the Damned". It's basically sci fi about alien invasion and galactic war, but it's got some great ideas, none of which I'm about to give away here
. I first read this when I was about 12, when my mum got it for me from the library. I loved it, read the rest of the trilogy, and then forgot about it for years. I spent a long time trying to find it again, but was hampered by the fact I couldn't remember what it was called or who the author was. I eventually found it again after hours of googling, as I could only remember the name of one of the alien species - the Massood. Was worth it though - I bought it and read it again, and it's as good as I remember...)
Currently reading Paradise Lost by Milton. Hard work, but very good.
