My Top 3 Must Have Fiction

I have always had a crush on fiction. The follow books are as they say, my personal creme-de-la creme. They have kept me awake at night, directly and indirectly pacified and soothed emotional distress, expanded my imagination and allowed me to dream.

I can only attest to their power and influence on me, and to some degree those that I have commended these books to. I have tried to omit novels which have found little consensus and have sparked little reaction in those whom I have had the pleasure of reading them with. Instead, I present a solid staple of quality fiction, that at least subjectively, has left me begging for more.

An immensely enjoyable space odyssey starring Banks' hugely popular "Culture", a Machine driven society where humans and other alien species are relegated to secondary roles due to the sheer mind-blowing power of the machine minds which chart their course through space.

Despite the timeless utopia which marks the "Culture" this novel is about one thing, and one thing only. Intergalactic war. Where colossal intellects plot, destroy and play across a galaxy spanning playing field.

The plot itself revolves around the appearance of an "Excession", a black body sphere that simply appears on the skein of space and time, apparently conscious and responsive. As the words spreads amongst alien species, a massive powerplay begins in order to control this foreign miracle in an attempt to control it. Without diminishing the novel in any way, I suppose that you could consider this novel a ramped-up, tech savvy search for the holy grail in outer space. 

On a personal level, I found the conversations and first-person machine sequences to be the high of the novel. I believe Banks has done a great job in creating a believable hyper-intelligent atmosphere without getting lost in terms of action. Machine minds make perfectly lovable (or fearful) characters, and it is hard not to feel some pride in watching them plot and overwhelm carbon-based life forms.

My favorite Discworld novel, what you might call a favorite amongst favorites. Jingo, makes fun of everything and everyone indiscriminately. And what better vehicle with which demonstrate this than by pitting his notoriously eccentric city watch in a petty war with their neighbors. 

For those who have never had the pleasure of reading Pratchett before, particulary a Discworld novel. Here is a sample. 

"It was so much easier to blame it on Them. It was bleakly depressing to think that They were Us. If it was Them, then nothing was anyone's fault. If it was us, what did that make Me? After all, I'm one of Us. I must be. I've certainly never thought of myself as one of Them. No one ever thinks of themselves as one of Them. We're always one of Us. It's Them that do the bad things."

Despite the overwhelming political commentary, it is easily forgivable even when our own beliefs are the butt of the joke. 

For those of you who are familiar with some of the Discworld series, this novel features Ankh-Morpork declaring war with a neighbor (Klatch) who happen to wave scimitars and live in tents. Yes, the parallels are unmistakable. 

What isn't there to like?

Legend is the story of perhaps one of the most epic fantasy sieges in history. A handful of heroes, including the Ageing, death-defying Axeman Druss, whose presence alone if enough to instill terror in the enemy and courage in his soldiers (Druss himself has many books devoted entirely to his heroics, including the bestselling "Druss The Legend".

An ancient fortress is all that holds the hordes of an unimaginably large invading army at bay. The fight is essentially doomed, there is little hope of victory, and I commend the author for this since the novel revolves less around winning or losing, but about the psychological transformation when facing certain death.

This is a novel about courage, love, pain and death. Where the kindle of humanity is tested against our worst fears. But despite the overarching gloom of a violent death, the novel is about life.

While not a treatise on psychology, it is every bit as convincing a character study as any novel I have written. Yes, the theatrics and motivations are occasionally superhuman, but this is after all a fantasy novel, and it should (at least to me) be part of the fun.

Needless to say, Legend is a barrage of action, suspense, drama and feeling.