IGX

Thanks for the he tipper, Benny

Going to second this

Mythago Wood and the sequels are stunning works jammed full of ancient myth and symbolism.

Cook is just a fantastic storyteller. I'd recommend the first 4 books of the Black Company series to anybody. If you really love them, you can keep going and finish it out. The Silver Spike runs a very close second to the best book in the series after The Black Company.

Funny you mention Bester, Benny, I just reread that.

Tyger tyger burning bright...

I'm right about everything Steven.

In a high-strung neurotic annoying way.

But still...

Holdstock's Iron Grail series is impossibly good. That and Gene Wolfe's Soldier of the Mist are the top for me. At least as far as genre transcending art. The caveat with Wolfe is of course that he's a Cabbalist and that is the very worst juju... i have a screen shot of an interview with Wolfe and he's really verbose and open until the interviewer asks him how and when he came to realize all the occulted forces working to control the world... he says "no comment". Looooool. Idk. Wolfe's kind of perverse...

Clark Ashton Smith and Cook and Howard and Burroughs are the top pulp writers for me.

Bester is somewhere in the middle stylistically, I think.

The wild-card is R A Lafferty. He's probably the greatest of them all but he's so esoteric and complex, I honestly get overwhelmed. I mean, researching the Ottonian dynasty and the Spanish Carlists to figure out just one damn thing is a little much... But then sometimes I just read him for the high-weirdness and awe and accept I understand nothing hahahah

PS. The King in Yellow and Machen's stuff is wild and fun and well written but almost certainly evil.

My big box Barnes and Noble had none of them.

Bennyonesix1 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:49 pm Bester's The Stars My Destination is my far and away favorite.

Finally got a copy (on my Nook) and it's a page turner. Really enjoying it.

nafod wrote: ↑Tue May 26, 2020 2:08 pm

Bennyonesix1 wrote: ↑Sun Jan 12, 2020 11:49 pm Bester's The Stars My Destination is my far and away favorite.

Finally got a copy (on my Nook) and it's a page turner. Really enjoying it.

Finished it. Great ending.

Been looking for some good fiction, thanks for the suggestions!

I'm girding my loins to read the whole Mythago Wood series again

It's enjoyable the second time through.

The Iron Grail/ Merlin Codex is maybe better.

It's all pretty much the same world though.

I'm going to try Wolfe's Soldier in the Mist again.

I have The Broken Earth Trilogy sitting on a shelf. Bought it based on the reviews.

Need to finish The Dispossessed by Le Guin first. Interesting book and timely, as it talks about anarchy versus government. Food for thought.

I read the Gene Wolfe's Book of The New Sun based on recommendations here. that was great.

If you can tolerate ambitious high-brow stuff then R A Lafferty is worth a look.

Past Master and Fourth Mansions.

900 Grandmothers is his short story masterpiece.

As in, he's more erudite than Umberto Eco and probably on the same tier as Roberto Callasso or Borges.