Comments | ekorber: geek book meme

ekorber

geek book meme

Feb 08, 2006 04:40

Comments 9

abooth February 8 2006, 19:29:00 UTC

I've only read 1 and 9, though I feel I should read 2 and 3.

ekorber February 9 2006, 00:39:24 UTC

I think those are the two most "important" books on the list (for some arbitrary fuzzy value of "important"... but you know what I mean). I would read them. They're also both pretty short, so won't take too long.

bbsy February 8 2006, 20:06:50 UTC

Top 20 Geek Books (bold the ones you've read)
1. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy -- Douglas Adams
2. 1984 -- George Orwell
3. Brave New World -- Aldous Huxley
4. Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? -- Philip K Dick
5. Neuromancer -- William Gibson
6. Dune -- Frank Herbert
7. I, Robot -- Isaac Asimov
8. Foundation -- Isaac Asimov
9. The Colour of Magic -- Terry Pratchett
10. Microserfs -- Douglas Coupland
11. Snow Crash -- Neal Stephenson
12. Watchmen -- Alan Moore & Dave Gibbons
13. Cryptonomicon -- Neal Stephenson
14. Consider Phlebas -- Iain M Banks
15. Stranger in a Strange Land -- Robert Heinlein
16. The Man in the High Castle -- Philip K Dick
17. American Gods -- Neil Gaiman
18. The Diamond Age -- Neal Stephenson
19. The Illuminatus! Trilogy -- Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
20. Trouble with Lichen - John Wyndham

I think I'll add 4, 7, 9, and 13 to my reading list. 4 simply for the title.

Why guilty?

ekorber February 9 2006, 06:05:14 UTC

FYI, the movie Blade Runner is based on 4 (don't know if you've seen it). It is a fantastic title. And if you're going to read 1 Stephenson book, Cryptonomicon is definitely the best.

"Guilty" because cyberpunk is not exactly great literature. But I suppose the Baroque cycle doesn't fall under that banner at all, and Cryptonomicon not much. Diamond Age and Snow Crash definitely are though. I've read Zodiac as well - not sure how to classify it other than as an "eco-thriller" which is what's given on the cover.

rdore February 8 2006, 23:33:05 UTC

1,7,8,15. Have tried readin both 2 and 5 and gotten bored. Somehow they picked two of the few prominent PKD books I havent read. (OK, so I haven't read A Scanner Darkly either.)

I didn't like 15 either, but this may be my mistake for reading the unabridged version.

ekorber February 9 2006, 00:37:44 UTC

You got bored reading 1984? Give it another go. And I wasn't really enthralled by 5 either, but remembering how long ago it was written makes it more impressive.

rdore February 9 2006, 05:22:09 UTC

1984 just seemed to me to be a lot of bludgeoning the reader over the head with the same unsubtle point repeatedly.

ekorber February 9 2006, 06:07:13 UTC

I suppose I view it as more of a character-focused work. Agreed that the point is not exactly subtle, but if the only purpose was to convey that point, a short story would have done.

prog_squirrel April 25 2006, 17:44:05 UTC

Never read any of these, and am proud of it. But I heard "I Robot" (1977) by Alan Parson's Project :)