I read the first 3 Dune books after seeing the movie and hearing about the challenges of getting that story on the screen. Love the first 2, the ending of the 3rd was ok.
I’m 3/4ths through the 4th and final Hyperion books. Absolutely incredible, I’m disappointed knowing I’ll be done with it soon. I highly recommend it if you’re at all curious. The author does an excellent job sneaking deep references into the colorful narrative; Keats and Ancient Greek mythology among them. The characters are vivid, varied, and somehow all relatable.
When I was younger I liked Vonnegut, specifically Galapagos, cats cradle, and slaughter house 5. I recently read Philip K Dicks “do androids… electric sheep” and wasn’t a fan. I loved the film blade runner, but the book kind of trudged on for me with, what I felt was, a let down of an ending. Asimov’s foundation was ok, but it lacked action and the characters seemed thin; I do like the concept a lot, it was just missing something for me.
So what’s next? I read a few classics in school and wasn’t terribly moved by most of them. I’ve considered giving Philip K Dick another chance, and possibly exploring the Dune books not authored by Herbert. I’m not a big fan of fantasy- at least in the horse riding, sword wielding, magic and sorcery vein.
Thanks for any suggestions
I didn't really like the Hyperion series much myself, but both Dune and Hyperion are sci-fi with religious elements. Maybe A Canticle for Leibowitz.
I loved Canticle. I recommend it to everyone
Maybe Flowers for Algernon? I read this for the first time near when when I read Canticle. I much more connected to Algernon.
MaddAddam trilogy also touches close to home for me, not least because Atwood is Canadian.
I was also late to Childhood's End and The Chrysalids.
Flowers for Algernon is one of my top books of all time.
That being said, it's definitely a different vibe than Hyperion or Dune. It's a lot more personal and almost doesn't read like scifi.
Just bought that book, you will be hearing from me when I am 12 beers in after finishing it
After the end of that book you'll probably need 12 drinks.
12 more drinks.
Honestly, now — not promoting binge drinking or alcohol consumption at all — but that book tears something in you. It can't be undone.
Similar in nature, but a bit more space focused would be the Foundation Series. It's a series by Issac Asimov where a mathematician sets up a planet to try to speed up a galactic dark age due to an empire collapsing.
Apple TV has a series on it, but it actually focuses on what happens leading up to the main story of the first book.
Foundation Series and the Caves of Steel series are so good.