Concerning Fine Literature

[molly bloom]

Just noticed this....

Another vote for Le Guin:

A Wizard of Earthsea is one of the most beautifully written books in the English language. It’s also one of the very few fantasy novels that succeeds in feeling like a legend. It was published in 1968, when I was three, and I read it in 1974 when I was nine, and again every year or so since. It isn’t a book I get tired of. Looking at it now, it’s a fantasy novel, looking at it then it was a children’s book. It promised me magic and sea and islands—I fell in love with it before I’d read a word of it, because I fell in love with the map. I could draw the map from memory, and the reason for this isn’t because it’s an especially good map but because Le Guin is so wonderful with names—Selidor, Iffish, Havnor, Osskil, Gont, Pendor and the Ninety Isles.

http://www.tor.com/blogs/2010/01/qbright-the-hawks-flight-in-the-empty-skyq-ursula-le-guins-lemga-wizard-of-earthsealemg

I have vague memories of actor Roy Dotrice reading the first book on 'Jackanory' in the early 70s... Haven't seen the Studio Ghibli one, but the Hallmark series was disappointingly cute. Here's the grande dame herself:

[Ogie Oglethorpe]

Thumbs up to most of Loins and Guy's suggestions. Particularly World War Z and Stainless Steel Rat (Dredging that one up from the recesses of my memory).

There has been a number of Neal Stephenson mentions here. None would be complete without Cryptonomicron. Between Snow Crash and Cryptonomicron you have a rocking good psychosis going on.

[Elok]

I went with a list of seven books/series; the local library had none of them except Earthsea. Not even Canticle for Leibowitz, a name I recognize as something of a classic. Thought about getting one of the church-bible-sized Stephenson books, decided against it. I guess I'll go with a different list next time.

EDIT for Molly: Studio Ghibli's version was "Gedo Zenki," (Ged's War Chronicles), a weird compression of several Earthsea stories into one. We saw it in Peru and couldn't figure out exactly what was going on--I don't recall much of it, but I think it was in Japanese with Spanish subtitles, and we relied on my wife's knowledge of the books to get the gist when my Spanish failed. I think it still might have been confusing even if we got the English version--it was directed by the inexperienced Miyazaki junior (Goro? His dad Hayao made most of their masterpieces), and not very well reviewed.

[Ben Kenobi]

Elok, definitely read Canticle if you can find it. It's one of my favourites.

I'd toss Glory Road, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, To Sail Beyond the Sunset, and Stranger in a Strange Land, or heck, even Podkayne of Mars since I don't see any Heinlein mentioned yet.

Bova is also pretty good.

I think you would enjoy any of these, and they should be reasonably easy to get ahold of.