It's a staple of any fantasy world. 

"Bulletproof Nudity" is an awesome phrase, and I shall endeavour to use it more often in conversation. 

... is full of fantastic phrases I can't think of any way to use in any other context. 

what's the price? 

KISS KISS ( a series of macabre short stories he wrote before moving on to childrens books)

oh and his kids books are good aswell. 

what's the price 

Foreign Language large frame paper backs run 12 to 20 US Dollars.

It isn't a good idea to taunt the Grand Inquisitioner ;) 

that price is not too bad 

[deleted by metlslime] 

yay 

Eh... to bump an old thread, but this is important.

Read all the Stanislaw Lem you can get your hands on. He is the genius.

(although there's some crap in the early production, maybe he had to write a couple novels of soviet propaganda to get the censors to relax while he published the _real_ writings)

Believe me, I've read a lot of scifi like heinlein, clarke, bear, vance, hoyle, le guin, dick, isom�ki, you name it.

I find Lem's "best" ones to be the tales of robots, like the short stories in Cyberiad (cyberias/kyberiad whatever it's translated in your language). They are both hilarious, cruel and extremely serious and philosophical at the same time.

All kinds of machines doing the strangest things. There are strange planets and kingdoms ... the speed is staggering and you feel like you've been on an intellectual highway after reading.

Last I read a short story about a cruel king who put uranium headsets on all his people (well, robots) so they couldn't gather around for a coup or the uranium would reach criticality and they'd blow up. But then, an... , well you can read it yourself. 

Read a little while ago:

Anselm Audley - Aquasilva Trilogy - (Fantasy) interesting idea, good setting, and an interesting political background, but too tedious overall, too much wittering on about politics and stuff, too much purposeless dialogue, and too little revelling in the curious world it's set it.

Iain Banks - Dead Air - (Real world) very down to earth, none of his earlier weirdness, a straight up semi-thriller sort of thing, but worth a read. Very well written as usual, plenty of sharpness, and actually captures the vibe of some aspects of modern Britain really well without descending into parody. Recommended

Stephen King - The Gunslinger - (Fantasy-ish) a good example of how horror writers can't write for shit. Starts of well with a strong alternate Wild West atmosphere, and descents into an incomprehensible journey full of lots of things that are named as if you should know about them and give no reason for you to care less about them. A pity as initially there seemed to be a chance I'd continue the series - not any more.

Tricia Sullivan - Maul - (Cyberpunk) might be good if you like this sort of thing, all annoyingly trendy exaggerations of what the world might be like in the future. Compared to her previous, more gripping (and more sci-fi themed) works, this is too much fashion and too little substance.

Robert Charles Wilson - The Chronoliths - (Sci-fi) another gem from this author, based on a premise that sounds quite brash and fantastical, it's actually executed quite subtly, with understated (rather than Hollywood-esque) writing and a nice twist. Recommended 

Read recently:

Ian Irvine - The Well Of Echoes series (Geomancer, Alchymist, Tetrarch, and awaiting Chimaera) -

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It appears I hit "Submit" instead of "Preview". Damn metl needs to iron these bugs (i.e. user stupidity) out... 

Read recently:

Ian Irvine - The Well Of Echoes series (Geomancer, Alchymist, Tetrarch, and awaiting Chimaera) - (Fantasy) one of the best fantasy series I've read for a long time. Despite a few non-sequitors, this is gripping stuff, with a strong background, plenty of depth and various threads, and quite a dark and bleak feel to it. Good characters too, who are never the typical shining heroes of some fantasy. Well recommended

Ian Graham - Monument - (Fantasy) simple, brutal fantasy, that similarly to Irvine's work has a bleak feel to it. The back cover introduction is very enticing, but the book doesn't quite live up to the promise of it's anti-hero - a bit heavy on the violence and a bit light on the moral depths it sometimes explores. Still pretty good though.

Adam Roberts - Stone
Adam Roberts - Polystom - (Sci-fi / Unreal fiction) Roberts is getting better and better, these books share the bleak, surreal vibes and originality of his earlier books but are notably more purposeful and intriguing. Atypical sci-fi that lacks the standard spaceships and computers and technology focus, and should go down well with fans of the subtleties of Iain M Banks and Christopher Priest. Recommended

Currently reading:

Liz Williams - The Poison Master - (Fantasy) fantasy with a different flava and somewhat of a sci-fi background. Interesting setting that could prove quite inspiring for you mapping sorts. However I'm finding the story flits around a little. Will be interesting to see how it all pans out...

Currently waiting for the softback versions of:

Iain M Banks - Alchemist

Adam Roberts - The Snow

China Meiville - Iron Council

Alastair Reynolds - ???

...and something else I've forgotten 

Masters of Doom, ISBN: 0375505245
Details the start and rise of id Software, the notoriety their games such as Doom, up through Quake and Doom 3. It also digs into some key people in id Software such as John Carmack, John Romero, etc. An insightful, thus worthwhile, read.

Deviant: The Shocking True Story of Ed Gein, The Original Psycho, ISBN: 0671025465
A detailed and riveting look into the notorious and falsely labeled "serial killer", Ed Gein - Wisconsin necrophiliac "ghoul" of the 1950's, who served as the inspiration for such films as Silence of The Lambs and Texas Chainsaw Massacre. From Ed's strict religious childhood one may find themselves sympathetic, as it enlightens the reasons as to Ed's future derangement and loneliness. The book also features various photos, from crime scenes and victims, to Ed himself and other people. Also features some transcripts from interviews with Ed.

Jokes To Go, ISBN: 0740738992
Full of jokes, standup routines and one liners on a variety of topics from A - Z from classic comedians to edgier and modern comedians. Always a good laugh to be found throughout.

Stephen King: Night Shift, ISBN: 0451170113
A compilation of Stephen King horror, mystery and thriller stories such as "The Mangler", "Gray Matter", "Trucks" and "Children Of The Corn". A good read for a long trip or a moment before bed.

Stephen King: Nightmares & Dreamscapes, ISBN: 0451180232
Another King compilation, this time featuring stories such as "Night Flier", "Dolan's Cadillac", "The Moving Finger" and even an essay about kids and baseball, "Head Down".

Mountain Bike Emergency Repair, ISBN: 0898864224
A small, portable and to-the-point, very helpful guide to mountain bike troubleshooting and repair - whether with tools, or interim solutions (such as fixing a broken chain link with a zip-tie). If you moutain bike, you need this book.

Ancient Wisdom, Timeless Truths- Immortal Philosophers discuss the meaning of life, ISBN: 0760740542
A small book full of wisdom and philosophy bits. A perfect, timeless and thought provoking gift.

The Crow, ISBN: 0878162216
The moving and deeply tragic, yet beautiful graphic novel inspired by the death of the author's young wife. This graphic novel also inspired The Crow film(s), where actor Brandon Lee tragically lost his life after a scene gone wrong. A violent but thoughtful experience and read inspired by music such as The Cure and Joy Division, and the gothic subculture and dark classic poetry of such as Edgar Allan Poe. This particular book is out of print, instead get the re-issue: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/074344647X/002-1091551-8317622?v=glance&n=283155&s=books&v=glance

The Crow: Dead Time, ISBN: 0878165479
Another Crow graphic novel, but from 1997. Written by James O'Barr, creator of The Crow legacy and original graphic novel, and illustrated by Alexander Maleev. This story follows the unjust death of a Native American hundreds of years ago, ressurrected present day pitting revenge against modern-day reincarnations of his murderers.

Total Piano, ISBN: 1586637029
A very well done book to learn the basics of piano, and reading and playing from notated music, with several examples of time-withstood and classical songs. I've had it for 2 years and am still afraid to read it.

The Collected Tales And Poems of Edgar Allan Poe, ISBN: 0679600078
Full of many of Poe's stories and poems from "The Raven" and "Lenore" to "The Masque Of The Red Death" and "The Murders In Rue Morgue". An excellent and full compilation spanning over 1000 pages. 

obviously edgar allen poe.
anything by: David foster wallace, Vonnegut.
Oryx and Crake by Margaret atwood
An amazing book called "Cloud Atlas" by an author whose name eludes me.
Ronald Wright - a brief history of time. read it on a bus. very fascinating study of human civilisation and its marginal sustainability.
tom robbins, especially skinny legs and all. Lolita. Lord of flies, of course. etc. 

David Baldacci - hour game (ISBN 0-330-41173-X) 722 pages, Thriller/Crime
I read about 500p so far.

Total crap:
1) The characters have approximately 0.1172 depth and when they have, it's EXACTLY what you'd expect. The one character i could remotely relate to was killed early.
2)
I have to do this in bullet points:
a) One char has some theory
b) Your next thought is: "What the fuck! This is complete and uttermost bullshit!"
c) the next sentence is "hm, interesting theory!"
d) the next chapter is when it all comes through (for no specific reason other than that the author couldn't think of a better plot)
3) It reads like a screenplay; In a way that it doesn't describe the environment or characters in a sufficient way. This would be interesting for a shortstory, though.
4) The plot was actually interesting at the beginning (now there hasn't anything happened for dozens/hundreds of pages besides a few more killings )
5) Language isn't all THAT bad - for a non-native english reader at least (yes, I read it on english). Way better than the worst book ive ever read in that regard: Crichton's Timeline(?).
6) like most English books, it suffers from having not enough margin at the inner sides, so it becomes kind of a pain to read it.

3/10 for effort

ps. i have to mention that i got this as a present, thus having no influence on the selection. 

I am really not a huge fiction reader, the most of my fiction reading falling into either sci-fi stories (like Asimov) or Fantasy/Medieval stories (such as Deathgate Cycle)

As for my other reading, I enjoy history, especially about the Cold War. Soviet Russia was quite an interesting establishment I must say. 

I remember picking up the first book of that series and enjoying the story about an assassin who is caught and nearly killed by townfolk only to be saved for the purpose of carrying out a quest.
I was really into it and then suddenly it jerks you out of that story into a realy stupid one about a tinker dwarf couple and their Goddamned cutesy story of domestic tranquility.

Bbrrrr . . . 

So it might be nice to be able to download comic books in digital form and slap 'em on a USB drive so I can take them with me and read them while I'm on campus and bored. Now, assuming I don't want to rip off talented artists by downloading scanned comics, does anyone know/recommend a legitimate service? 

Here�s my picks;

The HP Lovecraft Omnibus, (trilogy) can be difficult to get hold of, try old bookshops.

Iain M Banks Culture Sci-fi series, Just avoid Against a Dark Background (pointless shite) the best ones being (in this order) Use of Weapons, Excession and Look to Windward.

The Games Workshop short story collections are pretty good, though they vary greatly in quality, my favourite specifically and overall was The laughter of Dark Gods.

The later gamebooks from the Virtual Reality Adventure series; Heart of Ice and Necklace of Skulls (post-apocalyptic Sci-fi and Aztec mythological, respectivly) were good reads. The earliers were hit and miss, mostly miss.

Iain Rankin for crime writing (Rebus) - haven�t read them all yet but I�ve yet to be dissapointed, though the style seems to be maturing into more solid and stronger writing.

Terry Practchet - fantasy / humour. I�ve read all the Discworld series, at least and they�re literary genius. The last I read was Going Postal, the sheer moral impetous of the work moving it away from fantasy with jokes. Either start at the start of the series and read forward, or at the present and read back.

As to older books try hunting for Everyman�s Library short story additions - these were what people did on the train before MP3 or the pulp novel (which is what I�d call 75% of modern fiction). Condensed, entertaining and creative. 

by Iain M Banks Alchemist do you mean Algebraist? Or Paulo Coelho?

also, the TeamShambler Archives are quite a good read as well :) 

So I haven't been reading much lately.

I finished Cloud Atlas a while ago. That was fun -- multiple stories, written in different genres, but all loosely related. The structure is interesting, and the writing is fun to read (one reviewer compared him to Nabokov, and maybe that's overstatement, but I did enjoy the prose in the same way I enjoyed Lolita's.)

Now working on Shadow of the Wind, which I've had trouble staying interested in, but is moderately interesting. I'll hold off on a final judgement until I finish it. 

I think I got recommended Cloud Atlas recently.