Fiction

This book was originally intended to be a non-fiction English counterpart to Belloc's classic travel volume, The Path to Rome. In writing the book, Belloc changed it to a work of fiction based on a real journey. It relates the journey of four men (Poet, Sailor, Grizzlebeard, and Author) who meet on the road and travel together through the English countryside. Each man may be an aspect of Belloc, himself. The novel encapsulates Belloc's style perfectly, combining poetic writing, humor, and thought-provoking themes. The novel has a very "autumn" feel to it. It is out of print, and must be tracked down from used booksellers; it's well worth seeking out. This book was recommended to me by Fr. James Schall, S.J., of Georgetown University. He said he read it once a year, every November.

This is my favorite book by Graham Greene. I sought it out after reading literary criticism articles that compared Greene to Evelyn Waugh and Walker Percy. It relates the story of an alcoholic priest on the run in Mexico during the 1930s, when the Church was being repressed by the government. It is a moving and often painful journey of personal penitence and human dignity walking hand-in-hand with failure and near-despair. This is a quintessentially human story, powerful and moving; the power and the glory, indeed.

This is a beautiful book. Helprin's writing is enchanting; there is something transcendent about it. This novel tells the story of Alessandro Giuliani, a veteran of the First World War. There are journeys within journeys, here, and a message of deepest import about life, love, and death. I picked this book up after reading a short story, "Reconstruction", in Helprin's "Written on Water" column in the Wall Street Journal. "Reconstruction" is short, and offers a fair sample of Helprin's style; you can read it here for a taste of Helprin's style. If you like the short story, you'll love this novel.

Percy is considered a "southern writer", and the themes in his work are similar to those used by Flannery O'Connor. The Moviegoer is the first Percy novel I read, and I think it is one of his best. It recounts the story of an alienated stockbroker who seeks the meaning of existence by embarking on a "quest." Like all Percy's novels, The Moviegoer has a strange, bittersweet quality to it that I find difficult to describe. Also, Percy has the knack for creating very human characters, and for carrying us along in the flow of their lives in a very convincing fashion. This book's themes show the influence of the philosopher, Kierkegaard. The Moviegoer (and Percy, in general) was recommended to me by my brother-in-law.

This is probably my favorite novel of all time. I've read it many times, along with The Hobbit and The Silmarillion. I can think of no other work of fiction with the depth of background, and it definitely shows in the prose. This was clearly a mighty labor of love for Tolkien, and the verisimilitude and attraction of the world he created remains unmatched. The mythic elements and ties to eternal truths are moving and well done. I can't praise it enough. It is actually one book, but is often published and read as a trilogy consisting of The Fellowship of the Ring, The Two Towers, and The Return of the King. I read Lord of the Rings for the first time when I was around nine, having read and enjoyed a copy of The Hobbit that I picked up for fifteen cents at a neighborhood garage sale.

Much like The Lord of the Rings, The Book of the New Sun is a single work published in multiple volumes: The Shadow of the Torturer, The Claw of the Conciliator, The Sword of the Lictor, and The Citadel of the Autarch. Often called a work of "science fantasy," this book is difficult to pigeonhole. It is set in the far future, and includes elements of both the fantasy and science fiction genres.

For me, Gene Wolfe is a recent discovery. I picked up a copy of Shadow of the Torturer when I was in junior high, as it won several awards and was universally praised. However, at the time, I found it a difficult book to get into: confusing and dense. I picked it up, again, several decades later, and found it to be the most intriguing and fascinating novel I've read in years. I simply could not put the books down. My initial impression was at least partially correct. Gene Wolfe's writing is dense and rich. It's like a dark chocolate cheescake; best consumed slowly, savoring it as you go along. Something about Wolfe's writing reminds me of Walker Percy; it has the same bittersweet feeling so prevalent in Percy's work.

Make no mistake; this is not a light, escapist novel. Wolfe has packed the book with literary allusions, theological and philosophical elements, words drawn from Greek and Latin elements, and little plotline hand grenades that you pass over and absorb casually, only to be surprised when they go off fifty pages later. This is a book that can be enjoyed the first time through, and then read again with increased pleasure. This is often said of Wolfe's work, and it is absolutely true.

Out of all the books I've read, there are a rare few that made me want to go back and start from the beginning, again, immediately after I finished them. This is one of them.

A single volume sequel to The Book of the New Sun, executed so smoothly that it feels like part of the original work. Everything I've said about the Book of the New Sun applies to this book, as well. I tend to look on it as part of the complete work.

The movie version of this book is a vile abomination, so if you've seen the movie and think you know Starship Troopers, you are mistaken. This is one of Heinlein's masterpieces, and the book which defined the entire military/social sciene fiction subgenre. Essentially, it is the coming-of-age story of Juan Rico, set against the backdrop of a war against an communal alien race. The book is also packed with political and social commentary, and whether you agree with the presented ideas and arguments or not (I agree with some and vehemently disagree with others), Heinlein succeeds in making you think. The book examines authority, responsibility, and moral and social philosophy, but interwines these examinations into the story in a smooth and easy-to-digest manner. If you've read any Plato or John Locke you'll immediately recognize some of the ideas that are targeted.

Like most of the entries in the "is it art?" category, this was a favorite from my junior high years. Edgar Rice Burroughs, who also created Tarzan, wrote pulpy, swashbuckling adventures filled with four armed white apes, green men from Mars, beautiful princesses in need of rescue, et cetera. What adolescent boy wouldn't want to grow up to be John Carter of Mars? My father introduced me to these books, thinking I would like them. He was right. The series includes the following books: A Princess of Mars, Gods of Mars, The Warlord of Mars, Thuvia, Maid of Mars, The Chessmen of Mars, The Mastermind of Mars, Fighting Man of Mars, Swords of Mars, Synthetic Men of Mars, Llana of Gathol, and John Carter of Mars

I started reading this series when it first came out in the early 80s, and Cook published the last novel, Soldiers Live, in 2000, so it's taken me twenty years to read these books. The series consists of three "volumes": the books of the north, the books of the south, and the books of the Glittering Stone. There is also one standalone book which serves as a kind of bridge between the books of the north and the books of the south. The books of the north include: The Black Company, Shadows Linger, and The White Rose. The standalone book is The Silver Spike. The books of the south include: Shadow Games and Dreams of Steel. The books of the Glittering Stone include: Bleak Seasons, She is the Darkness, Water Sleeps, and Soldiers Live. The series chronicles the journeys of a band of mercenary soldiers, the Black Company. It falls in the category of "grim and gritty" fantasy, rather than "high fantasy". Cook very successfully makes you care about the characters, and they seem like real people, warts and all. The characters also change considerably over time. In fact, the style and feel of writing changes as well. The feel of the Glittering Stone books is very different from the feel of the books of the north. Some readers were put off by this change, and think the series went off the rails. I disagree; I think Cook improved as a writer, and his later books transmit the darkness and despair that hangs over parts of the story exceptionally well. Another thing of note is Cook's use of eastern (especially Hindu) mythology in the later books. It's something you don't often see in fantasy fiction, and is another thing that make these books stand out.

I bought this book in 1982 at a Schnuck's grocery store in St. Charles, Missouri (incidentally, I bought A Matter For Men from the same store). My family was preparing to go on a vacation and I needed something to read during the drive. The cover wasn't much to look at, and the blurb on the back wasn't that interesting, other than to say that the book had something to do with King Arthur. Nevertheless, the selection (and my browsing time) were limited, so I grabbed The Dragon Lord. I'm very glad I did; it's an exceptional book. The protagonists are a pair of mercenaries (Starkad, a Dane, and Mael, an Irishman) who enlist in the army of King Arthur and become embroiled in Arthur's affairs: his wars, infighting among his captains, and his paranoia and will to power. While Arthur, Lancelot, Gawain, Merlin, and other characters are in the book, this isn't really a book about Arthur and his court; that's used more as a backdrop for the story about Mael and Starkad. The book is a pleasing blend of historical and military fiction, heavily leavened with the supernatural (based on pagan myth, for the most part). I've read the book many times; I enjoy it more, now, than I did when I first read it, because I know more about history and myth, these days, and can appreciate the elements that Drake put into the book.

This is another series I started reading during the 80s, and which is still not complete (the last couple books I list, here have not been published, yet). You could categorize this as military/social sci-fi in the mold of Heinlein's Starship Troopers, Haldeman's The Forever War, or Steakley's Armor. The Chtorr books have their own feel and charm, though. The books include: A Matter for Men, A Day for Damnation, A Rage for Revenge, A Season for Slaughter, A Method for Madness, A Time for Treason, and A Case for Courage

This Hugo and Nebula award-winning book is a classic of the military/social sci-fi genre. Some consider it a response to Heinlein's Starship Troopers, as it has a similar setting, but a different depiction of the military which was influenced by Haldeman's service in Vietman (the novel was published in 1975). Some of the most fascinating parts of the book are the protagonist's visits back to earth; there's a definite Vietnam allegory, there. If you enjoyed Starship Troopers you will enjoy The Forever War. The Forever War presents a very different social argument with a strong anti-war message, but it's not explored as broadly or as deeply as the social and political elements in Starship Troopers.

I love these books, and have read them again and again. They are fascinating and well written, and offer an interesting twist on the messiah myth, as well as a environmentalist message. In some circles, the philosophies and beliefs in the Dune books (e.g. Bene Gesserit belief and practice) are considered profound, but they are an illusion that doesn't point to or reveal anything real. Herbert is a master of creating the illusion of profound philosophy, but it is a veneer. Herbert, himself, was aghast when people took the philosophical beliefs in Dune too seriously. When asked if he was trying to start a cult, he reponsded, "God, no!" The series consists of the following books: Dune, Dune Messiah, Children of Dune, God Emperor of Dune, Heretics of Dune, and Chapterhouse: Dune. All of them are good, but the first book and the last book are special treats, in my opinion. I was introduced to the Dune books by my father.

Around the time I was reading Edgar Rice Burroughs and Michael Moorcock, I was also reading the Robert E. Howard's Conan stories. Conan, of course, needs no introduction. Howard's Conan stories are quintessential pulp adventure, familiar to just about everyone, since Conan has been popular in a variety of media: books, comics, movies, et cetera.

H.P. Lovecraft is another favorite from my younger days. He wrote weird horror and science fiction in the 1920s and 1930s, turning out many short stories and a couple of novella-length works, as well. His work is universally dark, focusing on themes like degenerate strains of man, cannibalism, and horrible truths about the universe and man's place it in (truths that lead to insanity, if discovered). He is most famous for the "Cthulhu Mythos" works, which became a sort of "shared universe" that other authors (including Robert E. Howard and Robert Bloch, among many others) contributed to, as well. His influence can be seen in a variety of modern fiction and movies. His works are available in a variety of mass market paperbacks, but are best read in the three volumes available from Arkham House: The Dunwich Horror and Others, At the Mountains of Madness, and Dagon and Other Macabre Tales.

Michael Moorcock was my one of my favorite authors when I was in junior high. He writes swords-and-sorcery pulp fiction, and writes the same story again and again in different forms; but it's a damn good story. Out of all his "eternal champion" books, my favorite is the Elric series. Elric is the opposite of your typical swords-and-swocery hero. He's not a muscular warrior, he's a weak albino. He doesn't fight dangerous sorcerers in league with demons, he is a dangerous sorcerer in league with demons. Et cetera. Moorcock includes morally and sexually ambiguous themes and characters in his writing; indeed, he often wrote in concious opposition to genre clichés inspired by the work of Tolkien and Howard. In fact, Moorcock can't stand the writing of many authors I like, including Tolkien, Lewis, Heinlein, and Lovecraft. Despite these faults, Moorcock has still turned out some books I enjoy. The Elric series includes the following titles: Elric of Melniboné, The Sailor on the Seas of Fate, Weird of the White Wolf, The Vanishing Tower, Bane of the Black Sword, and Stormbringer.

Larry Niven is a well-respected author of "hard" science fiction. In my opinion, his best work is his Ringworld series, specifically the two books Ringworld and The Ringworld Engineers. I believe Niven has written some additional Ringworld books, but I have not read them and do not include them, here. The basic concept of Ringworld is that an alien race constructed a titanic ring around a sun, and the inner surface of the ring is inhabited. Niven introduces memorable characters and fascinating twists to the story.

Another military sci-fi novel, somewhat similar to Starship Troopers and The Forever War, but with a completely different twist because there are two story lines that interwine near the conclusion of the book. The armored battle scenes are exceptionally well-done, the writing is good, and the story draws you in. Unlike most other books in this sub-genre, Armor does not attempt any in-depth social or political commentary, but is a rollicking good story.