I also haven't read Hyperion. And I feel you on not filling a year with too many good books. I had three 10/10s in April and haven't hit that high since lol. Speaking of April, Flowers for Algernon is brilliant! I didn't cry, but no blurb cannot prepare you for what's coming. A Scanner Darkly, for me, took time to simmer. It's much slower than Ubik. When I finished earlier this year, I said 8/10. But I keep thinking about it. A LOT. It's my favorite PKD book because of that. I read Old Man's War YEARS ago. I enjoyed it! I didn't feel a desire to read the other books, it wraps up nicely enough that you can pretend it's a standalone (at least as I remember it. Might be time for a re-read).
I'm glad to hear Old Mans War stands alone, I don't mind a series but only if I want to continue, not if the first book just ends mid story and expects you to buy book 2, I hate that. God I love Ubik, I need to reread it, so much good sci fi grows on you like that, popping into your mind for months afterwards, I havnt had that feeling with other genres yet.
This is a great idea for a video! You've got a lot to look forward to. I must say though, even if you don't get on that well with Ender's Game, it's worth giving Speaker for the Dead a chance - a much superior novel in my opinion. The two books are so different from each other, they're pretty much separate subgenres of science fiction (military sci-fi YA vs. philosophical first contact) I have a few books in this sort of category, really popular works that I've not got round to yet. Probably highest among these is Ubik. I plan to tick that one off before the end of the year.
For Book of the New Sun you can listen to the Alzabo Soup episodes, after you finish a chapter from New Sun listen to the specific podcast episode of Alzabo Soup for that chapter.
Excellent video Benjamin! You will love The Shining, definitely one of his best, in my opinion. The book and the movie are both awesome, but very different. Dracula is an absolute classic but I can understand why many would not enjoy the book. I think you should absolutely devote October to horror, but I guess I am kinda biased. I would also love to start Wheel Of Time someday, but I am trying to run a horror channel. 😂 I also want to read Hyperion, mostly because I love his horror novels. Might just pinch this idea. 😀
This is another great video! Enders Game is personally one of my favorites and Speaker for the Dead is even better! I’d say they’re both top five Sci-Fi for me. Yes the movie isn’t great and “the book is always better” but this example I’ve found that to never be more true. Enders Game really surprised me and I feel like I think about it in some capacity at least once every couple of days. Like I mentioned on my brother’s comment, I personally found Dracula boring but overall glad I read it l. It struggled with the 1800’s prose and speak patterns and felt like there was a lot of set up and by the “pay off” I was just excited for it to be over. Yes! WoT! I’m patiently waiting for you to read them so I can talk with you about them. 800 pages and every page is worth it! Hyperion literally changed the way I saw what books can really do with storytelling. It is right up there with Dune for me as far as enjoyment. Also I found Simmons’ character work really impressive with the page count considering. Also you should 100% do a dedicated review for each book!
I'm super pumped for Dracula, it will probably be near Halloween I think. Hyperion is likely going to be a new favourite, so it's scary how high my expectations have been built going in. Thanks so much man!
For me, Hyperion is the greatest sci-fi story ever written, but you need to read Fall of Hyperion as well. It's essentially one story split into two books.
@@BenjaminsBookclub Endymion and Rise of Endymion are good, but not as great as the first 2 Hyperion books. They are not necessary reads, but I would suggest giving them a go. They flesh out the origin of the Shrike, expand the world building, and give some more insight into what becomes of some of the original cast. It is essentially a new adventure with different characters. If you are happy after the first two, feel free to stop there.
Add The Stand to that Stephen King list! I’m reading The Shining in the new year or so. The Book of the New Sun is fun because you don’t necessarily know what’s going on fully. Shelved by Genre is a great podcast that covers it. Excited to hear what you think about WoT 😅
I thought of The Strand,, but it's so long 🙀🙀 Maybe I'll do the audio book for that one, I have been excited for Book of the new sun for years, but keep chickdning out of it :D
Shining by king was just ok for me. I enjoyed the movie more. King gets into his ramblings in the book and it took me 4 months to read. I have the 580 page mass market and it was a struggle and needed to be cut down 150 pages. IT took me a week and a half and it was 1090pg so that tells you my opinion on those two.
I do find King just rambles a lot in the middle of his books, in Salem's Lot and Pet Semetary I thought it worked as charecter development after the fact, but at the time it was a chore.
I read Ender's Game after seeing the movie. I'd previously read only one of Card, I think called Songbird. It's about a boy who sings to calm the mood of the intergalactic emperor. It had some content that worried me. After reading Ender's Game that content was there again and it made me wonder why the author writes about naked little boys. I'm not interested in any of his other stuff. If you've not read any Gene Wolfe, Book of the New Sun is not the best place to start. My suggestion is to read The Fifth Head of Cerberus first. It's a good intro to how Wolfe writes, with his love of turning the plot back onto itself to make the reader question "Where am I in this book?" New Sun is probably the only book (the whole five volumes) that I would suggest it's OK knowing a few spoilers first. Wolfe's writing is so good that you'll lose nothing by being told where the bumpy parts of the road ahead are found. People rave about Hyperion. I found the setup to be very clumsy and needed a re-write to make the pilgrim's conversations more organic. Nobody ever says, "Let's take turns to tell our story as we travel." The writing hardened up as it progressed and things started to interleave and join the people together. And, there's the absurdist ending scene dragging it down again. However, I will read Fall of Hyperion as the bulk of the story is better than the start and end pieces. In counseling we pay attention to the first thing a person says, and the last. We call them 'doorknob comments'. Authors usually do something similar by starting and ending high. Hyperion does neither.
I havnt read any Card yet, but I have heard good reviews about a few of his books, and questionable reviews of him as a person, but all my ones are second hand so I don't worry about it much. I havnt heard of Fifth Head of Cerberus, I'll check it out! Thanks! Thanks so much for the advice :D
I read old man’s war last year and it’s fantastic and is a very fast paced, haven’t read the sequels but I can say the first book more hints at a potential for a continuation of the story rather then feeling like just part one of a bigger story. So you can just enjoy the first on its own I am planning on reading the sequels after I finish the main dune novels and the expanse novels
I don't mind reading books in a series, but I hate it when the first book doesn't wrap up at all and just expects you to finish it in the sequels, seems like Old Mans War doesn't fit that bill though so I'm pumped!
As you're fairly new to fantasy I'd wait to start Wheel of Time as it's such a long time investment. And that's coming from a huge fan of the series. There are many other good and shorter series for you to try. I'm the opposite to you: I'm new to sci-fi and prefer fantasy. Hyperion is one I'd like to get to this year. Hello from a fellow Aussie. 😊
I look forward to your thoughts on Dracula! I hope you like it so you can tell @DiggerdanReads how wrong he is about the book. I’ve read this book physically and on audio, and enjoyed it both ways. I think the “audible” version on audible is really good if you want to go that route.
Bro Dracula sucks IMO (yes pun absolutely intended) It has interesting concepts and I’m glad I read it since it’s a classic, BUT I found myself bored 90% of the time and kept waiting for it to get good
You don't need help with The Book of the New Sun. Don't follow along with any blog or readalong, especially on your first read; they will only clutter your experience with half-baked speculation and nonsense. Experience Wolfe on your own terms, and make the book your own first. It's not a difficult book. It's well written and full of cool, fun stuff.
I never got Into Orson Scott Card and at a time I thought I would try I heard all about his politics and just scratched him off the list. That's not to say I'll never try but it's in a far away place. Dracula is very good. On a related note Frankenstein was surprisingly great and I enjoyed the illustrated version I got. I love The Shining film, scarring the piss out of me the first go. I never tried the book and always heard King didn't like the film though he has flip flopped on his opinion from time to time. Plus, I have enjoyed a couple of King books but they are loooooooong. I read the first Old Man's War and though it's decent enough I found it overrated. The Book of the New Sun bored me to DNF. Hyperion I really liked but the sequel is boring as hell. I might have tried Wheel of Time but I always hear how much useless detail they contain that slows the books down. Also, Sanderson finished the series and I have DNF too many times.
Yeah I made sure to get my Card books second hand for that reason. I also have Frankenstein sitting on my shelf waiting for me, but of the two Dracula is the one that excites me most right now. Thanks so much for watching mate!
@BenjaminsBookclub I'm about 250 pages into the way of kings and I'm enjoying it. But apparently the book really picks up in the middle so I'm interested to see where it goes
I also haven't read Hyperion. And I feel you on not filling a year with too many good books. I had three 10/10s in April and haven't hit that high since lol.
Speaking of April, Flowers for Algernon is brilliant! I didn't cry, but no blurb cannot prepare you for what's coming.
A Scanner Darkly, for me, took time to simmer. It's much slower than Ubik. When I finished earlier this year, I said 8/10. But I keep thinking about it. A LOT. It's my favorite PKD book because of that.
I read Old Man's War YEARS ago. I enjoyed it! I didn't feel a desire to read the other books, it wraps up nicely enough that you can pretend it's a standalone (at least as I remember it. Might be time for a re-read).
I'm glad to hear Old Mans War stands alone, I don't mind a series but only if I want to continue, not if the first book just ends mid story and expects you to buy book 2, I hate that.
God I love Ubik, I need to reread it, so much good sci fi grows on you like that, popping into your mind for months afterwards, I havnt had that feeling with other genres yet.
I’m so glad you covered the reasoning behind your “Wheel of Time” shelf! Proper LOL moment here at that! 😂
I sure hope I like the first book when I get to it 😅
This is a great idea for a video! You've got a lot to look forward to.
I must say though, even if you don't get on that well with Ender's Game, it's worth giving Speaker for the Dead a chance - a much superior novel in my opinion. The two books are so different from each other, they're pretty much separate subgenres of science fiction (military sci-fi YA vs. philosophical first contact)
I have a few books in this sort of category, really popular works that I've not got round to yet. Probably highest among these is Ubik. I plan to tick that one off before the end of the year.
I have heard that speaker for the dead is a lot of people's preferred book.
I adored Ubik, one of my faveorites of all time!
For Book of the New Sun you can listen to the Alzabo Soup episodes, after you finish a chapter from New Sun listen to the specific podcast episode of Alzabo Soup for that chapter.
Ohh that could be fun! I did that with the Gundam Animes, made it feels like a watch party :D
Excellent video Benjamin! You will love The Shining, definitely one of his best, in my opinion. The book and the movie are both awesome, but very different. Dracula is an absolute classic but I can understand why many would not enjoy the book. I think you should absolutely devote October to horror, but I guess I am kinda biased. I would also love to start Wheel Of Time someday, but I am trying to run a horror channel. 😂 I also want to read Hyperion, mostly because I love his horror novels. Might just pinch this idea. 😀
Definitely pinch it! Id love to see your list!
I'm really keen to jump into Dracula, I think it might end up being next!
This is another great video!
Enders Game is personally one of my favorites and Speaker for the Dead is even better! I’d say they’re both top five Sci-Fi for me. Yes the movie isn’t great and “the book is always better” but this example I’ve found that to never be more true. Enders Game really surprised me and I feel like I think about it in some capacity at least once every couple of days.
Like I mentioned on my brother’s comment, I personally found Dracula boring but overall glad I read it l. It struggled with the 1800’s prose and speak patterns and felt like there was a lot of set up and by the “pay off” I was just excited for it to be over.
Yes! WoT! I’m patiently waiting for you to read them so I can talk with you about them. 800 pages and every page is worth it!
Hyperion literally changed the way I saw what books can really do with storytelling. It is right up there with Dune for me as far as enjoyment. Also I found Simmons’ character work really impressive with the page count considering.
Also you should 100% do a dedicated review for each book!
I'm super pumped for Dracula, it will probably be near Halloween I think. Hyperion is likely going to be a new favourite, so it's scary how high my expectations have been built going in.
Thanks so much man!
For me, Hyperion is the greatest sci-fi story ever written, but you need to read Fall of Hyperion as well. It's essentially one story split into two books.
How about Endymion? Would you suggest continuing after Fall of Hyperion?
@@BenjaminsBookclub Endymion and Rise of Endymion are good, but not as great as the first 2 Hyperion books. They are not necessary reads, but I would suggest giving them a go. They flesh out the origin of the Shrike, expand the world building, and give some more insight into what becomes of some of the original cast. It is essentially a new adventure with different characters. If you are happy after the first two, feel free to stop there.
Add The Stand to that Stephen King list! I’m reading The Shining in the new year or so.
The Book of the New Sun is fun because you don’t necessarily know what’s going on fully. Shelved by Genre is a great podcast that covers it.
Excited to hear what you think about WoT 😅
I thought of The Strand,, but it's so long 🙀🙀
Maybe I'll do the audio book for that one, I have been excited for Book of the new sun for years, but keep chickdning out of it :D
Now I need to add “Hothouse” to my list since I really enjoyed “Non-stop” by Aldiss. Lots of great books to look forward to on this list!
I really hope I like it 😀
Shining by king was just ok for me. I enjoyed the movie more. King gets into his ramblings in the book and it took me 4 months to read. I have the 580 page mass market and it was a struggle and needed to be cut down 150 pages.
IT took me a week and a half and it was 1090pg so that tells you my opinion on those two.
I do find King just rambles a lot in the middle of his books, in Salem's Lot and Pet Semetary I thought it worked as charecter development after the fact, but at the time it was a chore.
I read Ender's Game after seeing the movie. I'd previously read only one of Card, I think called Songbird. It's about a boy who sings to calm the mood of the intergalactic emperor. It had some content that worried me. After reading Ender's Game that content was there again and it made me wonder why the author writes about naked little boys. I'm not interested in any of his other stuff.
If you've not read any Gene Wolfe, Book of the New Sun is not the best place to start. My suggestion is to read The Fifth Head of Cerberus first. It's a good intro to how Wolfe writes, with his love of turning the plot back onto itself to make the reader question "Where am I in this book?" New Sun is probably the only book (the whole five volumes) that I would suggest it's OK knowing a few spoilers first. Wolfe's writing is so good that you'll lose nothing by being told where the bumpy parts of the road ahead are found.
People rave about Hyperion. I found the setup to be very clumsy and needed a re-write to make the pilgrim's conversations more organic. Nobody ever says, "Let's take turns to tell our story as we travel." The writing hardened up as it progressed and things started to interleave and join the people together. And, there's the absurdist ending scene dragging it down again. However, I will read Fall of Hyperion as the bulk of the story is better than the start and end pieces. In counseling we pay attention to the first thing a person says, and the last. We call them 'doorknob comments'. Authors usually do something similar by starting and ending high. Hyperion does neither.
I havnt read any Card yet, but I have heard good reviews about a few of his books, and questionable reviews of him as a person, but all my ones are second hand so I don't worry about it much.
I havnt heard of Fifth Head of Cerberus, I'll check it out! Thanks!
Thanks so much for the advice :D
@@BenjaminsBookclub Fifth Head is one novel in the guise of three novellas. They weave together like a celtic knot tattoo in a very beguiling way.
I read old man’s war last year and it’s fantastic and is a very fast paced, haven’t read the sequels but I can say the first book more hints at a potential for a continuation of the story rather then feeling like just part one of a bigger story. So you can just enjoy the first on its own
I am planning on reading the sequels after I finish the main dune novels and the expanse novels
I don't mind reading books in a series, but I hate it when the first book doesn't wrap up at all and just expects you to finish it in the sequels, seems like Old Mans War doesn't fit that bill though so I'm pumped!
As you're fairly new to fantasy I'd wait to start Wheel of Time as it's such a long time investment. And that's coming from a huge fan of the series. There are many other good and shorter series for you to try.
I'm the opposite to you: I'm new to sci-fi and prefer fantasy. Hyperion is one I'd like to get to this year.
Hello from a fellow Aussie. 😊
Yay Aussies! If I don't read Wheel of Time @diggerdanreads is going to fly to Australia and bully me though.
@@BenjaminsBookclub 😂 But you don't like big books and they just get bigger and bigger.
I look forward to your thoughts on Dracula! I hope you like it so you can tell @DiggerdanReads how wrong he is about the book. I’ve read this book physically and on audio, and enjoyed it both ways. I think the “audible” version on audible is really good if you want to go that route.
Bro Dracula sucks IMO (yes pun absolutely intended) It has interesting concepts and I’m glad I read it since it’s a classic, BUT I found myself bored 90% of the time and kept waiting for it to get good
I'll read it in October and let's see how wrong this Dan charecter is, very shady that one. Always going on about some time wheels
Old Man's War a long series?! Try out the Culture books 😂
Wheel of Time is next level though.
I've read and loved all the Culture books, I was devastated with the Author passed away :( they are some of my favourites of all time.
You don't need help with The Book of the New Sun. Don't follow along with any blog or readalong, especially on your first read; they will only clutter your experience with half-baked speculation and nonsense. Experience Wolfe on your own terms, and make the book your own first. It's not a difficult book. It's well written and full of cool, fun stuff.
Good call, I'll go in blind!
I never got Into Orson Scott Card and at a time I thought I would try I heard all about his politics and just scratched him off the list. That's not to say I'll never try but it's in a far away place.
Dracula is very good. On a related note Frankenstein was surprisingly great and I enjoyed the illustrated version I got.
I love The Shining film, scarring the piss out of me the first go. I never tried the book and always heard King didn't like the film though he has flip flopped on his opinion from time to time. Plus, I have enjoyed a couple of King books but they are loooooooong.
I read the first Old Man's War and though it's decent enough I found it overrated.
The Book of the New Sun bored me to DNF.
Hyperion I really liked but the sequel is boring as hell.
I might have tried Wheel of Time but I always hear how much useless detail they contain that slows the books down. Also, Sanderson finished the series and I have DNF too many times.
Yeah I made sure to get my Card books second hand for that reason.
I also have Frankenstein sitting on my shelf waiting for me, but of the two Dracula is the one that excites me most right now.
Thanks so much for watching mate!
September 2025: The 10 books i finally read
Book of the new sun is a book I'd love to read soon as well. But I've just started the stormlight archive and that will take up a lot of my time 😆
😂
I think I'll start on some more Sanderson next year, I adored the three Mistborn books
@BenjaminsBookclub I'm about 250 pages into the way of kings and I'm enjoying it. But apparently the book really picks up in the middle so I'm interested to see where it goes
@@artem_mma Fantasy books are crazy, 250 pages in and not at "the middle" yet is crazy haha
🥳🥳🥳