Book Recommendations
| Yves' Pages |
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Book Recommendations
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Here are some of the books I've enjoyed reading. They are very carefully arranged in complete random order:
| The Pillars of the Earth | Gates of Fire | Under the Eagle |
| Ken Follett ISBN: 0451166892 The splendid story of a cathedral builder in the medieval England. The tale spans two generations and is a masterpiece of storytelling. |
Steven Pressfield ISBN: 055358053 This superb telling of the battle of the Thermopiles in 480 BCE shows not only the famous stand of a few Greeks against the huge Persian army, but provides a great insight into the harsh Spartan society. |
Simon Scarrow ISBN: 0312278705 A great first novel where the plot takes you across several places of the Roman Empire in a well detailed and action-packed story. |
| Salambó | Contact | The Sand-Reckoner |
Gustave Flaubert A flamboyant recreation of Carthage after the first Punic war, base on a historical conflict (241-238 BCE) between the city and an army of mercenaries. This novel is a pure gem, especially in its style and descriptions. |
Carl Sagan The tale of the first contact between humans and an extra-terrestrial life. Much better than the movie (as most original novel usually are). This is the book where other science-fiction authors took their worm-holes theories from. |
Gillian Bradshaw An excellent novel that imagine part of the life of Archimedes in Syracuse. This is one of the best books by Gillian Bradshaw, and every single of her novels is almost perfect. Reading anything by her is a true delight. |
| Mossflower | Hyperion | The Name of the Rose |
Brian Jacques Mossflower is the second book of the delightful Redwall series, and in chronology the first one. All volumes of the series are a great read, but this one is probably one of the best. The medieval-ish universe of animals is very refreshing. Some of the dialogs may be hard to follow, but the overall content is enchanting and a perfect counter-point to so many novels dripping with unnecessary blood and violence. |
Dan Simmons This first volume of the series of the same name is a great work of imagination. Between the farcasters, the tombs where time goes backward, and many other brilliant visions, the world of Hyperion is very unique and astonishing. The other volumes of the series are also excellent. |
Umberto Eco Set in medieval Italy, this novel is about a murder in a Benedictine monastery. It is slick and very well written. One of Umberto Eco's best work. |
| Speaker for the Dead | The Eye of the World | Duncton Wood |
Orson
Scott Card The second book of the Ender Wiggin series. This one is even better than the excellent and famous "Ender's Game" first book. |
Robert
Jordan This book is the first and one of the best volumes of the splendid Wheel of Time saga. The richness, inventiveness and complexity of Jordan's world, the depth of the numerous characters and the scope of the story make this powerful fantasy comparable to The Lords of the Ring series, but vastly larger. |
William
Horwood The chronicles of the Duncton moles, of which this title is the first volume, is a splendid, deep and profound tale. The two trilogies are very rewarding and refreshing to read. |
| Doomsday Book | Relic | Year Zero |
Connie Willis A very captivating parallel of two suspenseful stories about pandemics, between past and future, in Oxfordshire. |
Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child This story of a strange beast hunting in the dark alley of the New York Museum of Natural History will keep you turning the pages. The book is much better than the movie, and has a surprising epilogue that wasn't used in the movie. |
Jeff Long An interesting tale of end of the world, touching on cloning and religion. Long's fast but still poetic style is a delight. This is a rather intense book that may leave you unsettled at times. If you like it, read also The Descent by the same author. |