Fiction Recommendations

I never thought I would be doing something like recommended reading. However, it was becoming so common for people to ask me about my influential writers, I thought it was due. So I thought three categories were fitting: fantasy, literature, and sci-fi.

Fantasy

A lot of fantasy novels take themselves very seriously. It seems a given. A Spell for Chameleon by Piers Anthony is not like that. It's a great story, with great characters and world building, but there is a wry sense of humor behind it. For one thing, the central thread holding it all together is the pun. A quick read that led me to reading many of those that followed. Highly recommended!

Literature

All fantasy novels (to one degree or another) are quest books. The protagonist needs to get somewhere to acquire some object of power or the answer to one of life's great questions. The father of all quest books is Homer's The Odyssey. I've read several translations and the Rouse version is my favorite. People always ask me for a recommendation for a fantasy novel and I'm shocked at how few have read the one that started it all. For quest books, there's nothing better than the original. Everything since is, in some way, paying homage to Homer and the Odyssey. Highly recommended!

Science Fiction

Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard had an incredible impact on my life, both as a person and a writer. First, I had never read anything before this came out where the Earth had been subjugated to an alien power. I had read plenty where Earth was attacked, we fought back against unbeatable odds, won out as the ultimate underdogs, etc. In Battlefield Earth, we fought, we lost, and we never stood a chance. I remember thinking, "Whoa! The good guys lost!" Enter Johnny Goodboy Tyler, who then takes on that underdog role, enduring excruciating circumstances, to finally avenge humanity. Very well written, a great hero, a great premise, just a great novel! If you have seen the movie and hated it, not to worry. The book and the movie really don't have much to do with each other. Highly recommended!

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