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Original poster

Coming off a literary high - please help

438 replies

CoteDAzur · 07/04/2012 09:40

I just read Cloud Atlas and This Thing Of Darkness in quick succession, both epic, fantastic books of great scope and vision.

Now I don't now what to do with myself. Read another book, but what? What can I read now that won't be a huge disappointment after these two wonderful books that I have just finished?

OP posts:
BulletProofMum · 07/04/2012 22:57

I also love post apocalyptic dystopian stuff. Just finished oryx and crake - loved it. Only like Margaret Atwood sci if.

Have you tried 'the death of grass'. Great stuff. Ifmyoumlike sci if as well then Alastair Reynolds and Ian m banks are superb.

MNHubbie · 07/04/2012 22:49

1984
Fahrenheit 451
Brave New World

FreeButtonBee · 07/04/2012 22:48

I loved both cloud atlas(I actually felt changed after reading the last few pages ) and this thing of darkness. I also realy enjoyed the passage (although it's not on the same level). So defo try it. For a mind bender try Q by Luther Blisset (yr DH/DB/DF will ask if it is written the football player - it's not, it's written by some weird Italian group/collective against capitalism or societyor summat). It is difficult to get into but briliant IMHO. All about the beginning of the Reformation in Germany but in a mad way!

Also an instance of the fingerpost is another big favourite of mine - some people hate it though.

MNHubbie · 07/04/2012 22:48

Slaughterhouse 5
A Clockwork Orange (give it a go and stick with it)
To Kill A Mockingbird
Good Omens
American Psycho
Catch 22
The Strangers in Paradise series
The Sandman series
Watchmen
The Dark Knight Returns
Batman: Year One

Original poster
CoteDAzur · 07/04/2012 22:39

Remus - I'm glad that you found this thread. Thank you for recommending This Thing Of Darkness. It is truly brilliant.

I read The Stand about 25 years ago and loved it. I read the first Dark Tower book around the same time and wasn't interested at all, because I just don't like fantasy books and can't stand stories around magic, quests, etc.

I will take a look at the other books you mentioned, thanks.

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RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 07/04/2012 18:33

The ending of, 'Alias Grace' annoyed me so much I wanted to scream!

jkklpu · 07/04/2012 18:29

No, it wasn't baby brain - just thought it was really badly written and that whole Sloosha's Bloody Crossing section - I still remember how annoyed I was by it. Atwood is very varied: Oryx and Crake is also futuristic, whereas The Blind Assassin is totally different, as are The Edible Woman or Alias Grace. So she's a very varied novelist, not type-castable. Handmaid's Tale and Oryx and Crake both up your street, I'd have thought.

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 07/04/2012 16:32

Oh and read 'A Clockwork Orange' too - though I bet you've read it already!

RemusLupinsBiggestGroupie · 07/04/2012 16:31

'This Thing Of darkness' is amazing, isn't it? i didn't get on with 'Cloud Atlas' at all though.

I also totally recommend King's Dark Tower series - I've just recently re-read them all for the 7th time. Blush

How about The Worst Journey In The World? Not a novel but v v interesting.

I din't like, 'Oryx And Crake' much but did enjoy the follow up, called something to do with a flood I think. 'The Handmaid's tale' is well worth a read.

If you like distopian etc, you may like 'The Passage' or you may hate it: I quite liked it. I take it you've read 'The Stand?'

And there's a really interesting history book about Jeremy Button etc - will find its name if you're interested.

Original poster
CoteDAzur · 07/04/2012 13:58

I can't recommend This Thing Of Darkness highly enough. I bought it thinking it would be interesting for the clashes Darwin's evolutionary/scientific viewpoint and Captain FitzRoy's (inferior, I was prejudiced to think) religious viewpoint. It delivered that but SO much more with it. The incredible bravery and self-sacrifice of so many characters. The amazing story around the world which takes decades to unfold. The extermination of local populations in the name of superiority of Christian civilization and then, increasingly, in the name of "survival of the fittest". I have spent the last couple of days Googling individual characters and marveling at their precise and detailed depictions in this book.

It was interesting (although unintentional) to follow Cloud Atlas with This Thing Of Darkness, because the latter book continues with the theme of strong preying on the weak and the pacifist (or less aggressive) local populations being exterminated by the greedy and aggressive newcomers on their shores.

And Cloud Atlas was right about the fragility of knowledge, especially if not written down and propagated across generations. (Sadly, only religious books like the Bible have escaped from oblivion) Before reading this book, I had no idea about these events, no knowledge of these extraordinary people who made history.

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queenrollo · 07/04/2012 11:26

I didn't particularly like Cloud Atlas either, but then I've read so much of that type of literature over the years that it had a lot to live up to for me.

Going to get This Thing of Darkness for DH as it looks like something he would really enjoy.

I'm currently reading Stephen King's Dark Tower series as I never finished it when I started it before, but will be interested to see what recommendations you get on this thread. Haven't bought any new books in ages as when I moved in with DH I aquired lots of books with him and have been working through his 'classic' section for the last couple of years.

Original poster
CoteDAzur · 07/04/2012 11:13

That might have been baby brain? I would understand being too distracted to appreciate Cloud Atlas, but hating it is hard to imagine.

I have read a lot of dystopian sci-fi & speculative fiction but none of it was by women authors. What kind of writing can I expect from Margaret Atwood? Emphasis on feelings or hard science, for example?

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jkklpu · 07/04/2012 10:25

Oh, I hated CLoud Atlas, especially as it was one of the last novels I read before I had ds1 and then couldn't read anything for ages. Will never read anything else Mitchell writes. Read Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake afterwards, which I thought was great.
Try Rose Tremain's Music and Silence.