Book Recs Wanted

[kerravonsen]

The person at work (S) who loaned me the "Order of the Phoenix" DVD really likes Harry Potter (has read all the books at least twice). She hates the Narnia stories (only got half way through "The Lion The Witch and the Wardrobe" before she gave up because she felt she was being hit over the head with the Bible). She's just started His Dark Materials trilogy. I've just made her some recs, but I'd be interested in more. She said it isn't so much that she's interested in Fantasy as such, but the things that she loved about Harry Potter were the characterisation and the themes.

So this is what I recced to her:
- The Curse of Chalion (Lois McMaster Bujold) and the other Chalion books
- Sandman (Neil Gaiman)
- the Sime~Gen series
- Doctor Who (though she's mainly looking for book recs)

She also indicated an interest in good Star Wars books, but I couldn't help there, not really being that into Star Wars myself.

So, folks, have you got any book recs, for stuff which is thematically positive with memorable characters?

Comments

[kerravonsen]

Library Thing suggests Eragon by Christopher Paolini (liked by people who like Harry Potter). I haven't read it myself, but comments say it's better than the movie (which I haven't seen)

Hmmm, the only things I've heard about Eragon (the book) were disparaging, so I'm reluctant to rec it.

If it isn't fantasy per se, why not try Miles Vorkosign?

See my comment above. I'd rather first rec stuff that has strong themes as well as good characterisation, and I wouldn't necessarily say that Vorkosigan has strong themes, just that it's character-driven.

has she read LOTR?

She's seen the movies, but I got the impression that she found the book too hard to get into.

[watervole.livejournal.com]

Bujold - Spirit Ring.

[kerravonsen]

That's the one Bujold that I disliked. It struck me as very unoriginal(*) and made me think that she couldn't write fantasy, until "The Curse of Chalion" came along.

(*) The story is based on a legend I recall learning in Art History at school (but I can't remember who it was about), but unlike other historical fantasy that I've enjoyed, I felt that giving it a fantasy cast actually made the story worse.

[persephone-kore.livejournal.com]

You know, I really wouldn't say the Vor books don't have strong themes. Not quite the same kind, perhaps, but they're there.