The Kiwifarms Unofficial Sci-Fi/Fantasy Book Club

[Oxyjen]

If you wanna put Heinlein on the menu, then I'll recommend Moon is a Harsh Mistress. It's about moon colonists fighting Earth for their independence. Probably my favorite of his books

When I saw the contest I immediately thought “Have Space Suit, Will Travel”. But Moon is a Harsh Mistress gets my vote in its stead.

I would have had “Snow Crash” on the list too for most accurate depiction of future (from 1989) America.
If we’re talking Gibson, it has to be Virtual Light for most American.

Anyway looking forward to checking out the list.

 

[Major Filth]

Monster Hunter International stands as one of the few books I gave up on

I recently read through the series, and I will say it improves after the first book. I think the big problem with the first book is that Correia wasn't sure it would be picked up as a series, so he got too far over his skis in terms of the amount of story he crammed in there. It leaves too little room for nuance. He starts fixing this in the second book, but books 2 and 3 suffer a bit from that much story being introduced in the first book. By book 4, he reaches a good balance, and things flow along more smoothly.

That said, it's probably best to not take things deadly seriously with the series. Besides the obvious comedic parts, when you step back and realize what he's trying to do, it's very obvious he's writing with more than a bit of tongue in his cheek.

 

[Old King Koaleamos]

Surprised noone's mentioned something like Ward Moore's Bring the Jubilee. Or any of those old alt-history or time travel works involving american history.

 

[Morridowfag]

Also maybe Larry Correia's American Paladin, also from Ark Press, although I haven't read it yet so can't vouch for it.

I've picked it up and so far I've had a blast with it. Hard to go wrong with a book that opens with the protagonist explaining how he's got a dead pedophile in the back of his truck.

Edit: Forgot to add that Correia's lolbert polisperging is present as always, but the protagonist is basically a combination of The Punisher and Repairman Jack who swears so much that I want to bring up a certain book from a past month but I don't want to beat a pugnacious dead horse, so it at least feels like the character than the author more often than not.

I recently read through the series, and I will say it improves after the first book. I think the big problem with the first book is that Correia wasn't sure it would be picked up as a series, so he got too far over his skis in terms of the amount of story he crammed in there. It leaves too little room for nuance. He starts fixing this in the second book, but books 2 and 3 suffer a bit from that much story being introduced in the first book. By book 4, he reaches a good balance, and things flow along more smoothly.

That said, it's probably best to not take things deadly seriously with the series. Besides the obvious comedic parts, when you step back and realize what he's trying to do, it's very obvious he's writing with more than a bit of tongue in his cheek.

I think the concert scene from the second book is where the series starts really picking up steam and gets going by the third (I'm only mostly biased because Earl Harbinger is the protagonist in that one) and onwards. Also I would highly recommend going through the series in audiobook format, they're are a lot more fun to listen to than to read.

 

[Hugbox Kommissar]

Surprised noone's mentioned something like Ward Moore's Bring the Jubilee. Or any of those old alt-history or time travel works involving american history.

I was going to suggest Guns of the South but even I don't read that all the way through. Battle of the Wilderness going completely sideways for the Union is fun though.

 

[Boy_Blunder]

Why not Tom Clancy? How do you get more AMERICA! than Tom Clancy?

I fucking hate Tom Clancy is why. I liked Red October, and I got through Patriot Games and Present Danger because I liked the Harrison Ford movies, but then I made the mistake of trying to read The Cardinal of the Kremlin. The shameless deepthroating of three letter agencies was so egregious it retroactively ruined the ones I'd already read by opening my eyes.