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  & 33 users

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Type: fiction

Status: now reading

Author: Philip K. Dick

Tags: drugs dystopia science_fiction

Description: A Scanner Darkly is a 1977 science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick. The semi-autobiographicalA Scanner Darkly is a 1977 science fiction novel by Philip K. Dick. The semi-autobiographical story was set in a dystopian Orange County, California in the future of 1994. The book can be considered Dick's master statement on drug abuse, in light of his extensive portrayal of drug culture and drug use....

2006-06-01

  & 5 users

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Type: fiction

Status: favorite

Authors: Iain Banks Iain M. Banks

Tags: science_fiction

Description: Amazon.com
In The Player of Games, Iain M. Banks presents a distant future that couldAmazon.com
In The Player of Games, Iain M. Banks presents a distant future that could almost be called the end of history. Humanity has filled the galaxy, and thanks to ultra-high technology everyone has everything they want, no one gets sick, and no one dies. It's a playground society of sports, stellar cruises, parties, and festivals. Jernau Gurgeh, a famed master game player, is looking for something more and finds it when he's invited to a game tournament at a small alien empire. Abruptly Banks veers into different territory. The Empire of Azad is exotic, sensual, and vibrant. It has space battle cruisers, a glowing court--all the stuff of good old science fiction--which appears old-fashioned in contrast to Gurgeh's home. At first it's a relief, but further exploration reveals the empire to be depraved and terrifically unjust. Its defects are gross exaggerations of our own, yet they indict us all the same. Clearly Banks is interested in the idea of a future where everyone can be mature and happy. Yet it's interesting to note that in order to give us this compelling adventure story, he has to return to a more traditional setting. Thoughtful science fiction readers will appreciate the cultural comparisons, and fans of big ideas and action will also be rewarded. --Brooks Peck...

2005-11-23

• Current

Type: fiction

Status: to read

Authors: Heather Chaplin Aaron Ruby

Tags: games

2005-11-18

  & 309 users

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Type: fiction

Status: —

Author: J.D. Salinger

Tags: fiction classic

Description: The Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J. D. Salinger. First published in serial form in theThe Catcher in the Rye is a novel by J. D. Salinger. First published in serial form in the USA in 1945-46 and in book form in the USA and Britian in 1951, the novel remains controversial to this day, especially to noted book critic EJ Carver, "I enjoyed the book immensely, despite being asleep for half of it. I would call it a masterpiece of modern times". It has long been considered "inappropriate" and "immoral" in more conservative areas of the United States. It was the 13th most frequently challenged book of the 1990s, according to the American Library Association....

2005-09-25

  & 62 users

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Type: fiction

Status: —

Author: Antoine de Saint_Exupéry

Tags: french childrens illustrated

Description: The Little Prince (French Le Petit Prince), published in 1943, is French aviator Antoine deThe Little Prince (French Le Petit Prince), published in 1943, is French aviator Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's most famous novel, which he wrote while staying at a hotel in New York.

Ostensibly a children's book, it makes several profound and idealistic points about life and love. In it, Saint-Exupéry imagines himself stranded in the Sahara Desert where he meets a young extra-terrestrial prince. In their conversations, the author reveals his own views about the follies of mankind and the simple wisdom that adults seem to forget when they grow up....

2005-09-25

  & 350 users

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Type: fiction

Status: —

Author: George Orwell

Tags: dystopia science_fiction

Description: Nineteen Eighty-Four (often 1984) is a political novel written by George Orwell. The storyNineteen Eighty-Four (often 1984) is a political novel written by George Orwell. The story takes place in a nightmarish dystopia where the omnipresent State enforces perfect conformity among members of a totalitarian Party through indoctrination, propaganda, fear, and ruthless punishment. The novel introduced the concepts of the ever-present, all-seeing Big Brother, the notorious Room 101, the ubiquitous thought police, and the bureaucrats' and politicians' language Newspeak. Many commentators draw parallels between today's society and the world of 1984, suggesting that we are starting to live in what has become known as Orwellian society. The novel was successful in terms of sales, and has remained one of the most influential books of the 20th century....

2005-09-20

  & 52 users

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Type: fiction

Status: —

Author: Paulo Coelho

Tags: religion philosophy dreams

Description: The Alchemist is a book that was first published in Brazil in 1988 and is the most famous workThe Alchemist is a book that was first published in Brazil in 1988 and is the most famous work of author Paulo Coelho. It is a symbolic story that urges its readers to follow their dreams....

2005-09-20

  & 14 users

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Type: fiction

Status: —

Author: Kim Stanley Robinson

Tags: science_fiction nebula_award

Description: The Mars trilogy is a series of three science fiction novels by Kim Stanley Robinson, chroniclingThe Mars trilogy is a series of three science fiction novels by Kim Stanley Robinson, chronicling the settlement and terraforming of the planet Mars. The novels are Red Mars (1992), Green Mars (1993) and Blue Mars (1996). An additional collection of short stories was published as The Martians (1999)....

2005-09-20

  & 28 users

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Type: fiction

Status: —

Author: Cory Doctorow

Tags: cyberpunk science_fiction

Description: Down And Out in the Magic Kingdom is a 2003 science fiction book, the first novel by CanadianDown And Out in the Magic Kingdom is a 2003 science fiction book, the first novel by Canadian author and digital-rights activist Cory Doctorow. Probably its most notable feature is the fact that, concurrent with its publication by Tor Books, the entire text of the novel was released under a Creative Commons license on Doctorow's website, allowing the whole text of the book to be read for free and distributed without his or his publisher's permission. This has not seemed to adversely affect the book's sales; it received mostly positive reviews and sold relatively well....

2005-09-20

  & 14 users

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Type: fiction

Status: —

Author: Cory Doctorow

Tags: cyberpunk science_fiction

Description: Eastern Standard Tribe is a 2004 novel by Cory Doctorow, who also wrote Down and Out in theEastern Standard Tribe is a 2004 novel by Cory Doctorow, who also wrote Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom and A Place So Foreign and Eight more. Like Doctorow's first two novels, the entire text was released under a Creative Commons license on Doctorow's website, allowing the whole text of the book to be read for free and distributed without his or his publisher's permission....

2005-09-20