What are your six favourite fiction books (or authors) ?

[MN Dave]

Oh, and it's good to see others here into the dark fantastic.  0:)

[gomro]

Just a question: does anyone know the very stylish and poetic fantasy stories of Clark Ashton Smith? He is one of the 'Three Musketeers' of the magazine Weird Tales. The others are H.P. Lovecraft and Robert E. Howard (of Conan fame).

Wonderful writer, very underrated. Probably the most articulate and poetic of the Three Musketeers. Mordant sense of humour: his Monster of the Prophecy is a real gem. Of course, he and Lovecraft were correspondents and borrowed each other's monsters, imaginary evil tomes and alien gods for background in their stories, thus beginning the pseudo-mythology that spread throughout Weird Tales magazine and was eventually termed the Cthulhu Mythos. Smith, however, knew people much better than Lovecraft, and so his human characters are quite a bit more well-drawn (for the time and the genre); HPL would have never been able to write the story Phoenix, for example, which draws its final irony from a lover's promise.   

[MN Dave]

Wonderful writer, very underrated. Probably the most articulate and poetic of the Three Musketeers. Mordant sense of humour: his Monster of the Prophecy is a real gem. Of course, he and Lovecraft were correspondents and borrowed each other's monsters, imaginary evil tomes and alien gods for background in their stories, thus beginning the pseudo-mythology that spread throughout Weird Tales magazine and was eventually termed the Cthulhu Mythos. Smith, however, knew people much better than Lovecraft, and so his human characters are quite a bit more well-drawn (for the time and the genre); HPL would have never been able to write the story Phoenix, for example, which draws its final irony from a lover's promise.   

Indeed. Lovecraft wasn't interested in love. Or money.

For the record, Howard is my favorite of the three.

[J.Z. Herrenberg]

Indeed. Lovecraft wasn't interested in love. Or money.

For the record, Howard is my favorite of the three.

I am looking at ten Conan books from where I am typing this, so I am not exactly averse to the Hyborian Age and its chronicler (with L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter as auxiliary forces)...

Wonderful writer, very underrated. Probably the most articulate and poetic of the Three Musketeers. Mordant sense of humour: his Monster of the Prophecy is a real gem. Of course, he and Lovecraft were correspondents and borrowed each other's monsters, imaginary evil tomes and alien gods for background in their stories, thus beginning the pseudo-mythology that spread throughout Weird Tales magazine and was eventually termed the Cthulhu Mythos. Smith, however, knew people much better than Lovecraft, and so his human characters are quite a bit more well-drawn (for the time and the genre); HPL would have never been able to write the story Phoenix, for example, which draws its final irony from a lover's promise.  

It's good to see other members who know about CAS. I have been rereading Smith lately, and was again very impressed.

[MN Dave]

I am looking at ten Conan books from where I am typing this, so I am not exactly averse to the Hyborian Age and its chronicler (with L. Sprague de Camp and Lin Carter as auxiliary forces)...

And let's not forget Bran Mak Morn, Solomon Kane and Kull--not to mention all his other characters. There is lots there to read despite the author's short, tragic life.

[orbital]

Margaret Atwood: The Handmaid's Tale

My discovery of the year so far. I am about to begin The Blind Assassin.

[gomro]

Indeed. Lovecraft wasn't interested in love. Or money.

For the record, Howard is my favorite of the three.

Lovecraft was mine; this blog illustrates how deeply and unfortunately ingrained he has become, over the years: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=14671423&blogID=369753626

[MN Dave]

Lovecraft was mine; this blog illustrates how deeply and unfortunately ingrained he has become, over the years: http://blog.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=blog.view&friendID=14671423&blogID=369753626

Oh yeah. the Cthulhu mythos is all the rage.

[gomro]

Oh yeah. the Cthulhu mythos is all the rage.

I think you may have misunderstood my point in that blog -- maybe not, but bear with me. The weirdest thing about that phone nonsense was the way everyone fell silent when I first uttered one of the Dread Names, just like people do over and over again in HPL tales, though I'm sure none of them had ever read any Cthulhu stories, by Lovecraft or anyone else. My guess: they weren't accustomed to anyone trying anything other than the tried and true codewords in dealing with the phone-bot.  Of course, when I noticed their silence, my Dramatic Hambone gene began to twitch, and thus things went from mildly ridiculous to out and out idiotic.

The "unfortunately ingrained" comment in the original post had nothing to do with their reactions, but with my own nearly automatic choice of Cthuloid quotations when confronted with the need for some gibberish. A lot of brain cells wasted on monsters from the id -- and not even MY id, but LOVECRAFT's!

[MN Dave]

I think you may have misunderstood my point in that blog -- maybe not, but bear with me. The weirdest thing about that phone nonsense was the way everyone fell silent when I first uttered one of the Dread Names, just like people do over and over again in HPL tales, though I'm sure none of them had ever read any Cthulhu stories, by Lovecraft or anyone else. My guess: they weren't accustomed to anyone trying anything other than the tried and true codewords in dealing with the phone-bot.  Of course, when I noticed their silence, my Dramatic Hambone gene began to twitch, and thus things went from mildly ridiculous to out and out idiotic.

The "unfortunately ingrained" comment in the original post had nothing to do with their reactions, but with my own nearly automatic choice of Cthuloid quotations when confronted with the need for some gibberish. A lot of brain cells wasted on monsters from the id -- and not even MY id, but LOVECRAFT's!

What's strange is that I dealt with a "phone-bot" on Sunday morning to see when our power, which has been out all morning, was coming back on. So, when it asked me to say a number, I just mumbled some nonsense till I got a real person. Didn't think of using Lovecraft.  I suppose I could have said, "Crom!"

[gomro]

What's strange is that I dealt with a "phone-bot" on Sunday morning to see when our power, which has been out all morning, was coming back on. So, when it asked me to say a number, I just mumbled some nonsense till I got a real person. Didn't think of using Lovecraft.  I suppose I could have said, "Crom!"

You could have, but I think one of the advantages, as Conan saw it, of having Crom as a deity is that he never does anything. Moorcock's Elric, on the other hand, served a deity that one could only HOPE wouldn't do anything... Nevertheless, fictional deities aside, yah, you see my point. Sad as it may be.

[MN Dave]

You could have, but I think one of the advantages, as Conan saw it, of having Crom as a deity is that he never does anything. Moorcock's Elric, on the other hand, served a deity that one could only HOPE wouldn't do anything... Nevertheless, fictional deities aside, yah, you see my point. Sad as it may be.

"Blood and souls for my Lord Arioch!"

Yeah, I'd take Crom any day. 

[Kullervo]

My discovery of the year so far. I am about to begin The Blind Assassin.

I forgot to ask you: what did you think of Of Human Bondage?

[vandermolen]

I forgot to ask you: what did you think of Of Human Bondage?

I know this question is not addressed to me but Somerset Maugham's "Of Human Bondage" (if that is the one you mean) was one of my favourite books of my (relative) youth. I couldn't put it down. I also enjoyed "The Razor's Edge".

[Kullervo]

I know this question is not addressed to me but Somerset Maugham's "Of Human Bondage" (if that is the one you mean) was one of my favourite books of my (relative) youth. I couldn't put it down. I also enjoyed "The Razor's Edge".

I read it for the first time about a month ago and enjoyed it very much.

[orbital]

I forgot to ask you: what did you think of Of Human Bondage?

Very very highly. I particularly enjoyed how the author made people come and go in and out of the novel -almost casually.

[vandermolen]

I read it for the first time about a month ago and enjoyed it very much.

Have you read The Razor's Edge? If you liked of Human Bondage you will probably enjoy that. Interestingly I discovered Spinoza's "Ethics" (which I don't really understand) at the time of reading the Maugham book and that is where the title "Of Human Bondage" comes from (I guess) as it is one of Spinoza's chapter titles. At the time of reading "Of Human Bondage", which was recommended to me by my mother, I was rather obsessed with a girl who reminded me of Mildred in the novel. My mother saw the connection and recommended the novel to me. I really enjoyed it and must read it again some day  (it's over 20 years since I read it).

[Haffner]

I have to throw in H.P. Lovecraft's At The Mountains of Madness (collection), and Stephen King's The Shining, Carrie, and Salem's Lot here.

[Henk]

Kafka is hardly mentioned. 

[Franco]

William Faulkner, "The Sound and the Fury", but I like all of his books.

Cormac McCarthy, "Blood Meridian", ditto above

Raymond Carver, "What We Talk About When We Talk About Love" (or any of his story collections), but I also like his poetry

Walker Percy, "The Moviegoer"; close 2nd "The Last Gentleman"

Joseph Conrad, "Nostromo"; close 2nd "Lord Jim"

Harper Lee, "To Kill A Mockingbird"


Runners up:

Henry Miller, "Sexus" "Nexus" "Plexus" - really, one long book.
Herman Hesse, "Damien"
Jack Kerouac, "Dharma Bums"; "The Subterreans"
Larry McMurtry, "Lonesome Dove"