But the discussion can continue from there…books that changed my world more recently? Robert Jordan’s Wheel of Time Series, along with George RR Martin’s Song of Ice and Fire have shown me how complicated and utterly differing fantasy can be. Jordan wrote with such amazing subtlety, foresight and intricacy that he made everyone’s hero (Tolkien) look like a child with a crayon (no nasty comments about that one unless you’ve read the series…). Of course, now he’s dead, so we’ll never know that ending. And that’s a life lesson too. As for Martin, he is a man who is not afraid to kill his MAIN characters at whim, and has none of that “multi-racial group of heroes who go on a quest and save the world” crap. While it can be well done, it is also OVERDONE!!! Martin has all of Jordan’s complexity, and much less of his long-windedness. And he’s not dead. That’s a plus.

Also, Jacqueline Carey, whose Kushiel series shows us new meanings of love with every chapter, with a scope and beauty of writing that stun the mind. Not to mention the Sundering Duology (same author). Was Satan really the bad guy? A must read for anyone who thinks they’re Christian. And anyone who doesn’t.

And of course, Brust, who uses sarcasm to such stunning effect, and writes stories that are not only exciting, epic (in total, while being short enough to enjoy without having to be slogged through, taken one at a time), but just plain fun. Besides, who else makes blatant Monty Python references so casually? “I got better!” *giggles* We love you, Steve!

The Stars my Destination
Alfred Bester
-What makes a man?

The moon is a harsh mistress
Robert Heinlin
-Like a warm bubble-bath full of loyalty, friendship, love and revolution.

The curse of chalion
Lois McMaster Bujold
-I’ve always suspected, but here I began to really understand what it means to be a good man.

The man who never missed
Steve Perry
-Everyone in this crew should probably read it

Dragon
-Which should be on this list because it changed the shape of my mind.

There’s one line in Sterling’s Schismatrix plus that blows the top of my head off, it’s a short bit about the protagonist interviewing a group of genetically engineered super-bright scientists who are seeking asylum. The conversation is totally normal and rational up to the point where the protagonist asks, “And how long do you plan to stay?”
To which his guest replies “Not long, just long enough for God to finish eating our brains”

Thank you all for your suggestions, I’m off to Green Apple Books to meet some new authors ;- )

Miramon @87
ooh, now i really have to find those books, I bet my kiddos would love them. My 5 yr old is particularly into anything that isn’t “what it should be” right now, so water bullets would probably send her into hysterics! …wonder if they have them at our library……

Charlie and the Chocolate Factory, which I read continuously for a couple of years when I was about 8.

Lord of the Rings — I still reread this.

Moby Dick — especially the chapters about whales in scrimshaw, and such…

Ulysses — I think I may be the only person alive who reads this book for fun, and did not read it in any college course.

End Zone, by Don DeLillo — a football novel about what it means to be a saint in America. It totally bowls me over every time.

All of Jane Austin — I think I might feel about her writing, small as it is, the way skzb feels about Dumas.

and, Philosophical Investigations, by Ludwig Wittgenstein, which probably changed my mind about more things, and more times, than all of the others combined.

Really? That’s hilarious. I love Vance’s work, but even so it’s hugely funny to think about all these serious little characters from Urth, most of whom spend all their time worrying about various weighty, tragic, and transcendent matters, being inspired by Vance’s wry humor to become librarians.

Doorways in the Sand was definitely a great book. I can see how Lafferty could well be golden for many people, but much as I liked his work, he never quite did it for me, just a little too far out in style, I guess.

The other ones that really made a difference in my head were Not To Mention Camels by Lafferty, Doorways in the Sand (of all things) by Zelazny, the Urth books themselves by Wolfe, Earthsea, and Doris Piserchia’s Doomtime.

Animal Happiness by Vicki Hearne Ideas I had never entertained before that have never left me.

Pheonix Guard by whatsisname: Without this book I would never have gotten around to reading Vlad, having bounced off the first book I picked up. So it unlocked the door to two great authors, whatsisname and Paarfi.

American Fried by Calvin Trilllin It’s too bad he never got to write about Valabar’s

Shut Up and Deal by Jesse May you had to be there. I guess Steve has

The Butterfly Kid by Chester Anderson

The Dark Border by Paul Edwin Zimmer

Three Hearts and Three Lions by Poul Anderson. If one of my favorite SF authors had never written fantasy I might never have read tLoTR or many others I have enjoyed.