From: "Jay W. Samples" 
Date: Thu, 05 Oct 95 23:52:22 -700
Subject: Suggestions

Doug

I just found your library home page and I love it. I will likely use it
as a future reference for my reading. I have a long list of books I would
like to buy, but don't have the money too. Consequently I am in the Science
Fiction Book Club, so I get hard backs at lower prices, but unfortunately, 
books aren't cheap

As To recommendations

1) You must read more Arthur C. Clarke. Please don't base your judgments
of him on his novel Cradle.  From what I've heard on the Clarke newsgroup,
that novel was mainly written by Gentry Lee and not Clarke.  The Rama
series is a definite must.  The first, second, and fourth books are
wonderful and the third is a keeper.  However, Lee's influence somewhat
tarnishes the story.  Also read 2001 and 2010.  These two are wonderful.
If you like those, try 2061, but only if you really love the predecessors.
It does drag on a bit.  Also, DO NOT READ _The_Hammer_of_God....It is a
pretty good book, but it was obviously thrown together and is not Clarke's
best work.  Consider some of Clarke's older novels. Childhood's End was
good, but I felt it became too philosophical for me to truly enjoy,
and the ending was disappointing.  I especially enjoyed _The_Deep_Range_.

2) I also tried the first book of The Shanara series and couldn't stand it. 
I never managed trying the next 2. However, I think you should try reading
The Magic Kingdom of Landover series. I think all of it is paperback now.
Once you get past the first 50 pages of the first book, the story is a
magnificent fantasy.  Although the 3rd and 4th books were a little rough
in places, over all the entire series is a must read.

3) Look for the prequel to Eon and Eternity, "Legacy", to be in paperback
some time, I just got it from the SFBC and will soon begin reading it.
It sounds great.

4) You must read Card's Homecoming series. The basic storyline is of humans 
on another planet. The computer who controls their thoughts and prevent
knowledge of war and such is breaking down, so it calls upon a family to 
migrate from their home city so they can return home to Earth after 40 
million years. Obviously, it is quite complex because of the intricasies 
of human nature.  The series is wonderfully written and extremely 
entertaining.  I think it does have hints of Card's style in Ender's Game.
A must read.

5) If you liked The Hitchhiker's Guide series, I highly recommend Red Dwarf. 
It is, in my opinion, as enjoyable and easier to comprehend. It is a funny
story that centers around a man, David Lister, who ends up on a journey
of many light years unintenionally.  He is put into a sleeping thing, I can't
remeber what they're called, that allows him to endure space without aging.
After this, the ships computer malfunctions and lethal radiation spreads
through the ship killing everyone but him, and a cat. He wakes up millions
of years later, after the radiation level is acceptable, with only a hologram
of a man he hates, a sentient cat, and a talking toaster to keep him company.
I give it 2 thumbs up and am hoping Grant and Naylor continue where they
left off.

6) I'm not sure if you've read it or not, but the next book in the Guardians 
of the Flame, The Road Home, has recently come out in paperback.  It is a
little weak, but extremely entertaining.

7) Another series I highly recommend is Stasheff's Wizard in Rhyme series 
about an alternate Earth where magic works through the power of poetry.  The
storylines in the four book are somewhat similar, and once I even caught 
Stasheff repeating exactly a passage in two books, although with different
characters. It is a good read if you like fantasy with wizards and their 
unlikely cohorts. It is wonderful.

8) I noticed that you enjoyed Turtledove's _The_Guns_of_the_South. I 
feel you might also like to read his newer series of Worldwar: In the
Balance when it is complete.  The final two books should be out soon.
The series, about an alien invasion during WWII is wonderful although it, 
as any novel, has its extremely boring moments.  Look for the entire series 
in a year or two. Just wanted to give you an advanced recommendation.

9) As you have already heard, the Death Gate Cycle is a must. I agree 
that the first novel is very slow and normal. However, after that the
story picks up incrasingly and climaxes beautifully. A true masterpiece
of fantasy with wonderful characters and conflicts.

10) I would also recommend two books by less prominent authors. 
_The_Engines_of_God_ by Jack McDevitt and _Assemblers_of_Infinity_ by Kevin
Anderson and Doug Beason.  The first is an entertaining novel after the
development of light-speed travel. It involves what I term Astro-archaeology.
[There is a real word for this:  Archeo-Astronomy]  Humans have discovered
the remains of two worlds that once held civilizations.  However, due to
human destruction of Earth, the humans need one of these worlds, Quraqua,
which is currently a haven of study, for a new human habitat.  The
archaeologists are hard pressed to discover as much as they can about
this civilization and the civilization of The Monument Makers, a strange
race that has left monuments through out the galaxy, including ones in
the Pinnacle system, home of the oldest known civilization, one on Iapetus,
a Saturnian moon, and one on the moon of Quraqua. All have scientists
baffled. It is an exquisite story with a wonderful climax of discovery.
I deem it a 10.  The other book, _Assemblers_of_Infinity_ deals mainly
with nano technology, the use of extremely small machines in billions
to accomplish tasks. A strange structure is being built on the moon by a
strange nano-technology. Scientists on and off the Moon try desperately
to discover what it is and if it is harmful to man's existence.  Although
I feel some of the story was unimportant, I give it two thumbs up.  Try
it if you have time.

Well, that's about it for my suggestions. Hope I haven't bored you 
through redundancy or made this e-mail blotchy because of my lack of
expertise and sending e-mail. Hope you enjoy these selections.

Jay Samples
tlsampl@airmail.net

Have a nice day!