Welcome Guest [Log In] [Register]
Direct Connect: scod.game-server.cc
NWN List
Announcements
Welcome to the forums of Sigil: City of Doors. | New update 5/28/18 - read the update notes here!
Welcome to Sigil: City of Doors. We hope you enjoy your visit.


You're currently viewing our forum as a guest. This means you are limited to certain areas of the board and there are some features you can't use. If you join our community, you'll be able to access member-only sections, and use many member-only features such as customizing your profile, sending personal messages, and voting in polls. Registration is simple, fast, and completely free.


Join our community!


If you're already a member please log in to your account to access all of our features:

Username:   Password:
Multi-Quote Post on Multi-Quote Post off
Add Reply
  • Pages:
  • 1
  • 2
  • 4
Help wanted; What to read next...
Topic Started: Jun 27 2012, 11:03 PM (813 Views)
deusex2
No Avatar
Greybeard
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
The Wheel of Time starts PG-ish enough, but it gets more and more mature-ish with every book. So you risk reading them book one, but I wouldn't go further than that with five year old kids listening.

Oh! Oh! If you're lucky enough to dig out the old marvel cartoons, there was this old-style narrative cartoon about Thor, very pg and they don't really need to watch things, as narrative is the most interesting part of it, anyway.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
krandate123
No Avatar
Greybeard
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
I don't know if your kids/you would be interested or not, but Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is a good solid book that most somewhat older kids could get into. The first book is pretty accessible but the rest of the series includes some pretty interesting philosophical debates going on just under the surface. I enjoyed those immensely. Oh, and I think we need to have a "What are you reading now?" post like the "What are you listening to now?" post. Especially since those of use with kids are probably doomed to hear Demi Lovato or some crap ad nauseum.
Partial Character List:
Chardon: Mystic theurge lich. Devourer of souls and those little powdery mints people have at weddings.
Akki Takki: Kobold rebuker. Raised as a petitioner in the court of Kurtulmak before fleeing.
Opkfrumjotunn: Troll beserker. Planar mercenary.
Az'kar: Bladeling assassin. Noms on his victims.
Tyiedrni Pohuunrakihu: Skeletal minion of Chardon. Not much of a reader.
Lorkata: Self proclaimed prophet of Chaos, Doomguard member.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Agony_Aunt
Member Avatar
Get a Life
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
Just picked up good read today in Moscow (got out of there without encountering any Reptilers :P ). Songs of the Dying Earth. Big collection of stories set on the Dying Earth (Jack Vance's world from where D&D takes its arcane spell casting system from for the clueless). Some big name authors contributed. Already a third of the way through and some really cool stories.

Triva Note: The name of the arch-lich Vecna was made up from an anagram of the name Vance. ;)
Stepped down as admin, but still lurking.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
deusex2
No Avatar
Greybeard
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Agony_Aunt,Jun 28 2012
04:40 PM
Just picked up good read today in Moscow (got out of there without encountering any Reptilers :P ). Songs of the Dying Earth. Big collection of stories set on the Dying Earth (Jack Vance's world from where D&D takes its arcane spell casting system from for the clueless). Some big name authors contributed. Already a third of the way through and some really cool stories.

Triva Note: The name of the arch-lich Vecna was made up from an anagram of the name Vance. ;)

What the heck were you doing there?! Was the TV watching you?
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
DamienKnight
Member Avatar
Technomancer
[ *  *  *  * ]
Wheel of time. But only if you want to do ALOT of reading. My favorite of the series are the last two released. Not sure if its because it was a different author (Brandon Sanderson vs Robert Jordan) or more likely because the story is wrapping up and stories are coming to a close finally.

Ive read one of Robert Jordan's Conan books, loved it.

I just started Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson and I am really enjoying it. A friend read it and said the whole series (6 books I think) was great. Its basically about an empire that opresses its people, and a handful of commoners with Alamancy powers ( they injest metal, then burn it to give them powers ) that are organizing a rebellion.

Also, about the War of the Spider Queen series.. I read it and dont recommend it. There were alot of interesting things in the books, and if you are restricting your diet to D&D only stuff then I suppose its not bad, but every book is written by a different author and some Authors are better than others. There are better more consistent series out there.

If you like drow, the Starlight and Shadows series is better. It has a drow noble mage/cleric chick leaving the underdark and adventuring with a Barbarian (Frienzied Beserker?). It starts with 'Daughter of the Drow'.

This is of course assuming you have read all the Drizzt novels. They are a must read and supercede all other D&D novels.

I also like the Highwayman series by R.A.Salvatore. Basically a Physically Gimp finds a magic stone and a book written by Monks and learns to become a fighting monk, then basically does the batman thing. Very good series, and benefits greatly from Salvatore's ability to write awesome combat scenes.
"All men Dream, but I can tell a dream for a dream and this--" Lan touched his sword, "is reality."
-Robert Jordan, The Great Hunt
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
deusex2
No Avatar
Greybeard
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
DamienKnight,Jun 28 2012
06:50 PM
Wheel of time. But only if you want to do ALOT of reading. My favorite of the series are the last two released. Not sure if its because it was a different author (Brandon Sanderson vs Robert Jordan) or more likely because the story is wrapping up and stories are coming to a close finally.

Ive read one of Robert Jordan's Conan books, loved it.

I just started Mistborn: The Final Empire by Brandon Sanderson and I am really enjoying it. A friend read it and said the whole series (6 books I think) was great. Its basically about an empire that opresses its people, and a handful of commoners with Alamancy powers ( they injest metal, then burn it to give them powers ) that are organizing a rebellion.

Also, about the War of the Spider Queen series.. I read it and dont recommend it. There were alot of interesting things in the books, and if you are restricting your diet to D&D only stuff then I suppose its not bad, but every book is written by a different author and some Authors are better than others. There are better more consistent series out there.

If you like drow, the Starlight and Shadows series is better. It has a drow noble mage/cleric chick leaving the underdark and adventuring with a Barbarian (Frienzied Beserker?). It starts with 'Daughter of the Drow'.

This is of course assuming you have read all the Drizzt novels. They are a must read and supercede all other D&D novels.

I also like the Highwayman series by R.A.Salvatore. Basically a Physically Gimp finds a magic stone and a book written by Monks and learns to become a fighting monk, then basically does the batman thing. Very good series, and benefits greatly from Salvatore's ability to write awesome combat scenes.

I really don't recommend reading Starlight and Shadows series. Maybe it's because I've tried reading right after finishing R.A.Salvatore's books about Drizzt, Artemis Entreri and Jarlaxle but the author's writing was inferior to Salvatore and quite a lot times she was messing up the lore established by Salvatore.

Well, anyway if you ever watched Lost Girl tv series then you get the direction those books were going.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Rust
Member Avatar
Agent of Chaos
Dungeon Master (Emeritus)
Just got Rule 34, Charles Stross, today.

Errr, NOT for kiddies, heh. Good for Mama, though!
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ozzimandias
Member Avatar
Real life Bard, Traveler of the Spheres, Master of Mischief
[ *  *  *  * ]
I don't know if you know the book krabat, but it's a very good book from ottfried preussler.
I enjoyed the eragon books alot as well. You recognized how the writer evolves from kid writer to a mature man with every following book
last but not least i'd suggest tad williams otherland-series. Very well written.
All these books are suited for kids as well i think
Actual played Characters:
Garen Aerthen: Citizen of "Death of Innocence", Mystic Theurge
Tinkeen: Kobold thief, beggar, Informant, delivery boy
Pyrian Flameborn: Young Fire Genasi searching for his heritage
Garvas: "Drow" Blackguard.
Iron Golem: Must obey....Master!
Liana: poor servant
Vincent Seiler: Artist/Musician "Ozzimandias the Jester"

this list is not complete in lenght
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
deusex2
No Avatar
Greybeard
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Ah! I've just remembered about some series of book I've read long time a go, sadly I could only get my hands on the first book only. What's worse I don't really remember th name of the book or the characters, just the major story.

So there's this kid who's an apprentice to the mage in a low magic world, where magic is shun upon and people still do Erich hunts of sorts(not our world). So the mage promises kid to show him how to summon demon and he goes on summoning it, but at the very end he gets assassinated by some hooded figure(turned out to be a gang of imps from different world). He still manages to summon a green-scaled demon, who turns out to be the mage's old friend from the different world. And since both mages loved playing pranks on each other, the green-scaled one's magic was taken away from him.

So the "demon" and the apprentice go on a run together, because those assassins are onto them and at the same time he goes on teaching kid a magic while they both try to investigate the death of the mage.

I think the mage's name was Harkins and the "demon's" home world was called Perv, which made him a...pervect... Although everyone kept confusing and calling him a pervert :)

There was also a pet baby-dragon involved, along with some knight on a Pegasus and a race of daemons(?) most of whom are the biggest scum of the universe-namely lawyers.

The book very well written and seemed innocent enough to read it even to five year olds. I just somebody knows the name of it, hehe

Just remembered the name of the book! It's called Another Fine Myth, by Robert Asprin.

http://www.goodreads.com/book/show/64401.Another_Fine_Myth
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Theorum Of Neutrality
No Avatar
What Makes A Man Go Neutral?
[ *  *  *  * ]
If you're into pure popcorn fiction fantasy fun (that's THREE F's, AH AH AH AH!), you will be entirely unable to put down the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Ravel's Heart
Member Avatar

Dungeon Master (Emeritus)
I knew I could count on Sigil! :clap:

Let's see...

Cere:
Quote:
 
Can't help you with the kiddies, Ravel. I'm going to ASSUME they've already had the Hobbit read to them, being your children...


Not yet. I was 7 when I first read it. I read the LotR a few months later. That was the same year Star Wars came out, and I would have to say that the combination of Star Wars, Lord of the Rings, and being a 7 year old boy pretty much turned me into the ridiculous geek I am today.

Also, it is hard to pass up anything by Terry Pratchet. We went shopping for some new suitcases yesterday, and I just kept saying "The Luggage" and giggling. My wife thinks I'm weird! :lol:

@Melancholy Dreamer: Oooh! Those look promising!

@CaptV and Damien: I read the War of the Spider Queen novels as they came out. I think I have somewhere in the vicinity of 200 Forgotten Realms novels, most purchased secondhand. I enjoyed that series. It doesn't pretend to be anything other than good fun.

@Damien: I agree with you about Starlight and Shadows. I like most of Elaine Cunningham's FR novels, and enjoyed her more adult (i.e.: sexier) Changeling novels even better.

@ONMF and Trystram: I have read very little steampunk. Have either of you read The Half Made World? The sequel is coming out in November, and I have to admit that I can't wait.

@Plaxy: I'll add it to my list of possibilities. Thank you!

@Miriel: Huh... Can't believe I didn't think about dear old Clive Staples. When I was far too young to appreciate it, and for reasons that I do not to this day understand, my father recommended The Screwtape Letters to me. And so it was that I read Lewis' most foreboding fiction while I was in grade school, but didn't get around to the Narnia Chronicles until I was in college!

@Goatrider: I am not considering any of your suggestions until Quorrit comes back, so there! :P

@Felight: I have started reading the Bible a couple of times and never gotten through it. I guess that says more about me than it does about the author. ;)

Deusex2:
Quote:
 
I'd recommend you The Witcher series, Dune(the originals, not "the prequels") but since you have five years old involved...Errrr...Hmmm...The Wheel of Time, maybe? Or maybe you should get Harry Potter for your kids.

Oh, have you read the Star Wars books, have your kids watched the original trilogy? Well, reading the book is better than watching the movie, as it explains a whole lot more, actually.


Okay, so I have wondered for a long time...

Is that name because you are from God, because you really liked the game, or because it looks like "Do Sex" when you're not paying attention?

I read Dune and two or three of the sequels. I lost interest after that, but I really enjoyed the original. I read the original SW trilogy, of course, but I never read the novelizations of episodes one through three.

I was just wondering the other day what order to screen SW in for my children. I think that 4,5,6,1,2,3 is the only way that makes sense, but maybe I'm too traditional!

When I was in medical school, I compulsively read the Timothy Zahn Heir to the Empire trilogy over and over instead of studying. I did the same thing with LotR for a while. I would just finish them and start them over.

Anyway, I am sort of pushing for Potter, but my wife thinks that five is a little too young for them.

@cryptc: You did me a service with the Butcher books. I'll probably check out Christopher Moore.

If you get any mail from my wife...umm...you probably shouldn't open it. ;)

@Mr. O.: No suggestion?! :whip2:

@Silinrul: Only you would recommend 10,000 pages that you havn't actually read. :lol: I, however, have read them all at least twice and listened to them on audio once. Very good series that starts to drag around the time the Aiel take Faile and stays dull until Mat and Tuon flee Ebou Dar. If you don't mind the boring 3000 pages near the middle of the series, the other 7000 pages are really top notch!

I actually mean that.

krandate:
Quote:
 
I don't know if your kids/you would be interested or not, but Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card is a good solid book that most somewhat older kids could get into.


Ender's Game is arguably my favorite sci-fi novel, and probably fits somewhere in my top five of all time. Of course, I think I have probably 30 novels in my all-time top five. Sue me! The rest of the books in that series get progressively worse, but the Shadow subseries starring Bean is actually really good. If you haven't read those, I'd recommend them well ahead of SFTD, X, and CoM, the last of which is simply dreadful. Card painted (wrote) himself into a corner, and then deusex-ed himself out. (You see what I did there?) ;)

@AA: I really like short story anthologies, and those sound perfect for the beach.

@deuesex2 Mark II: He lives there!

@Damien Mark III: Haven't read any Sanderson except the WoT. Honestly, given the way he breathed life back into that series, I am willing to give him a shot.

@Rust: Rule 34 sounds interesting...

@Ozzimandias: I don't know krabat. I enjoyed the Eragon books and I agree with your assessment. I feel like I have read some Tad Williams, but I don't remember what.

@ToN: Ooooh! Also sounds interesting...

Thank you all for the recommendations, and please keep them coming!

To return the favor, I'd recommend The Half Made World, Thirteen Reasons Why, and Miss Peregrine's Home for Peculiar Children as vacation reads. I read all three of them last summer, and they are each very creative. None of them are either fantasy or sci-fi, but the first and third have some fantasy themes.
"What can change the nature of a man?"
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
deusex2
No Avatar
Greybeard
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Quote:
 
Okay, so I have wondered for a long time...

Is that name because you are from God, because you really liked the game, or because it looks like "Do Sex" when you're not paying attention?

I read Dune and two or three of the sequels. I lost interest after that, but I really enjoyed the original. I read the original SW trilogy, of course, but I never read the novelizations of episodes one through three.

I was just wondering the other day what order to screen SW in for my children. I think that 4,5,6,1,2,3 is the only way that makes sense, but maybe I'm too traditional!

When I was in medical school, I compulsively read the Timothy Zahn Heir to the Empire trilogy over and over instead of studying. I did the same thing with LotR for a while. I would just finish them and start them over.

Anyway, I am sort of pushing for Potter, but my wife thinks that five is a little too young for them.


LOL, so now you're signing me up into the Signers...Or would Godmen fit better? :D I am a huge fan of the original game. The "2" is there because "deusex" is usually taken 99% of the time, but nobody likes the Invisible War.

If you want my advice on SW-don't let your kids know there are 1,2,3 at all, in fact, keep calling "The New Hope" as number one, "Empire Strikes Back" as number two and "Return of The Jedi" as number three. Do everything withing your power to protect the kids from harmful exposure to Jar-Jar Binks.

As for Dune, the best part about it, imho, is that you get to see how the influence that the characters from the previous books leave on the universe. Also, the Dune universe expands beyond just one planet and shifts to greater, global scale with every book. For example the third book takes place hundreds of years after the second book and Letho II is being called god-emperor.

Fourth book takes place even further along the time line and there are no Atreides dynasty left to rule, but Bene Gesserit are actively using agents of Atreides bloodline due to Letho's parting gift that he left to his bloodline. And all this time the world is changing and reacts to the actions of the characters.

Potter is a good start for little kids, I also recommend Another Fine Myth. And if all that fails...Do those kids know who Mery Poppins is? :rolleyes:

Quote:
 
@deuesex2 Mark II: He lives there!


Wait, what?! I know Reptiler hails from Russia, but Agony too?! How many ruskiez do we have here?! ...so, does the TV watches you in Russia? :blink:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Agony_Aunt
Member Avatar
Get a Life
[ *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  *  * ]
deusex2,Jun 29 2012
09:56 AM
Wait, what?! I know Reptiler hails from Russia, but Agony too?! How many ruskiez do we have here?! ...so, does the TV watches you in Russia? :blink:

He he, no, i'm a Brit, i just live in Russia.

Oh, and for light holiday reads I can recommend The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Not sci-fi. About an autistic kid and a dog. I was skeptical when a friend recommened it to me, but thouroghly enjoyed it.
Stepped down as admin, but still lurking.
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
Mr_Otyugh
Member Avatar

Dungeon Master
Ravel's Heart,Jun 29 2012
10:22 AM
@Mr. O.:  No suggestion?!  :whip2:

It's been ages since I last read books and most books I read aren't suitable for 5 year olds to listen :P besides I supported the Star Wars idea. *nod* There's not enough geeks that knows the irrelevant information about Star Wars universe.

But fine... Hobbit, there and back again. by J.R.R. Tolkien, that's childrens book, but awesome at it :P if I missed someone already suggesting it, well... that's too bad ;) I haven't read even half the comments here.
Time Zones - Alignments - Name Generator
NWN 2 Mechanics - PnP Mechanics - Dice Roller
Character Builder - 2nd edition Monster Database - Monster Finder
In-case of problems: Click Here
Online Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
deusex2
No Avatar
Greybeard
[ *  *  *  *  * ]
Agony_Aunt,Jun 29 2012
10:58 AM
deusex2,Jun 29 2012
09:56 AM
Wait, what?! I know Reptiler hails from Russia, but Agony too?! How many ruskiez do we have here?! ...so, does the TV watches you in Russia?  :blink:

He he, no, i'm a Brit, i just live in Russia.

Oh, and for light holiday reads I can recommend The Curious Incident of the Dog in the Night-Time. Not sci-fi. About an autistic kid and a dog. I was skeptical when a friend recommened it to me, but thouroghly enjoyed it.

What, why?! Why would you live in Russia?! They don't drink tea with milk! They use lemons and vodka! :sleepy:
Offline Profile Quote Post Goto Top
 
ZetaBoards - Free Forum Hosting
Free Forums. Reliable service with over 8 years of experience.
Learn More · Sign-up Now
Go to Next Page
« Previous Topic · General Discussion · Next Topic »
Add Reply
  • Pages:
  • 1
  • 2
  • 4