Stranger in a Strange Land

I'll tell you, this one was a slow read to start. It is a lot of talking and not much action, but that suits it. The book is an exploration of human culture, highly philosophical and highly critical of many "truths" people have come to take for granted. If I had stopped reading 15 pages before the book actually ended, I would have been able to tell you that this was one of the best books ever written to attempt such a grand task. At some point, I am not really certain when, the reader can begin to see the plot building up, building up to the inevitable end. You see it coming, but you have to keep reading to see it come into its fullness...

Then, in those last 15 pages, the author seemingly gives up, throws the reader this load of crap that doesn't at all match up with what he was continually driving at, and the reader is left half empty. Probably I will have to read it again, just see if I can somehow resolve what Heinlein did, but right now I have other books to read.

Neverwhere

After Snow Crash, I was sort of stumped for a while on what to read. A while being about two days. I checked an internet Q&A and found where someone had asked for book recommendations. Sure enough there was recommended Good Omens by Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. Of course, it wasn't actually in the library, so I looked up some books that the authors had written separately, and Neverwhere was the first I read.

Wow.

This book is genius. The author managed to find the line between reality and fantasy, and somehow blur it.

It is a fairly short easy read. It is another character development story. At the same time, but plot is amazing and original.

Highly recommended.

Snow Crash

This was a follow-up recommended to be by the same person who recommended Neuromancer. As such, I came into it with high hopes. After all, even the cover compared it to Neuromancer.

This book is crap.

I never actually thought I would say this about anything, but this book just steps out of the bounds of believability. From what I can tell, it attempts to combine a Neuromancer genre (cyberpunk) with a DaVinci Code type plot. I don't know if it is possible for such things to mix, but this book doesn't manage it.

Throughout there is a lack of literary content, but an obvious attempt at it, which mainly just gives it a cheap imitation feeling.

Neuromancer

This one was recommended to me by a friend as "just another book". I read it all the way through as "just another book," got to the last page, thought "what the hell just happened?" and had to immediately start reading it again with a much more critical eye.

This book, according to Wikipedia, belongs to the cyberpunk genre. In my own words, it is half science fiction, half post-apocalyptic. If you read it as "just another book," and don't enjoy this style, you will find absolutely nothing to enjoy about the book.

However, this is not just another book. Neuromancer is a presentation of a philosophy. The author uses strong symbolism throughout, strong themes, weak but extremely focused characterization to present his ideas that caught me completely by surprise the first time I read it.

If you read it as just another book, it ends well enough. But as I managed to grasp the theme, it turned out to be a very sad book. Completely not what I expected.

Deathgate Series

This is a series of seven books that I started reading sort of by accident. It is by no means high literature.

Based in a fantasy world, each book covers one step of the journey of the protagonist. While each book is not really stand alone, (you really should read them in order,) each one manages to have an introduction, separate story, and satisfactory conclusion.

Unfortunately, the first book is probably the worst of the series. Because the reader is starting with no knowledge of the world the author intends to develop, the author is very limited in terms of what can be done with the plot. Once past the first book, the author can use a lot more freedom and the books become that much more fun and interesting to read.

But don't go looking to these for anything meaningful. They are fun and interesting, I in particular became attached to the characters, but the setting and the plot are just as fun for whatever type of reader you are.

Pride and Prejudice

I have to start with this one because it is what really started me on reading. Freshman year of high school I was assigned to read this book and never did. Years later in college, I forget what made me do it, I went to the library, checked out this book, read it cover to cover twice. And, enjoyed it.

As literary significance, this novel isn't much more than a popular book. There is no deep meaning, no hidden agenda; it is nothing more than the development of characters. In that, it is better than any other book I've yet to read.

Obviously, this book is not for everyone: there are plenty of people who look for something else in what they read, dramatic plots, deep moral themes, alliteration and rhyming. For myself, people have always been interesting for just being people. This book, through its elaborate development gives to the reader an understanding of the characters, and perhaps a little insight into themselves.