The Powers That Be at DeadofNight have compiled
a list of outstanding books that should not only be enjoyable to you as
literature, but also helpful in understanding the influences upon the game-world
of DeadofNight. While we generally try to be as original as possible,
none exists in a vacuum. These are the works that have shaped those
that shape your world. Wherever possible we have provided links so
that if our descriptions move you, you may immediately buy them from
Amazon.com
(some are even on sale!).
| Keith recommends the following series: | |
 The
Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
Stephen R. Donaldson This series is a dark fantasy trilogy chronicling the hallucinatory journies of the leprosy ridden anti-hero Thomas Covenant. Probably the second best fantasy trilogy I have ever read, behind LotR. |
Book 1 : Lord Foul’s Bane – Save 20%! |
 The
Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant
Stephen R. Donaldson Not as good as the first series, but good enough as sequels go. Of course, once you start, don't you have to finish? |
Book 1 : The Wounded Land – Save 20%! |
 The
Lord of the Rings
J.R.R. Tolkien The series that started it all. If you haven't read this and you're a mudder, or considering mudding, this is mandatory. This is a very nice boxed edition. |
Lord of the Rings Boxed Edition – Save 30%! |
| Kellie recommends the following series: | |
 The
Vampire Chronicles
Anne Rice If you like vampires, which, if you're playing DeadOfNight, you either love them or hate them, this series is a must. This box set is as cheap as buying the books separate. |
The Complete Vampire Chronicles : The Tale of the Body Thief, The Queen of the Damned, The Vampire Lestat, Interview with the Vampire – Save 20%! |
| Vampire : The Masquerade
White Wolf Game Studio Great pictures, great descriptions. If you have a Shadows character or code for the Shadows domain, get this. |
Vampire:
The Masquerade – Save 30%!
Werewolf: The Apocalypse – Save 30%! Mage: The Ascension – Save 30%!
|
| Wyvern recommends the following series: | |
 The
Black Company Series
Glen Cook |
The Black Company – Save 20% |
| Kazper recommends the following series | |
 Honor
Harrington
David Weber Space adventures featuring the hottest female captain in the galaxy. |
The
Short Victorious War – Save 20%!
The Honor of the Queen – Save 20%! The Field of Dishonor – Save 20%! |
| Thelan recommends the following series: | |
 The
Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10
Roger Zelazny Amber, one of the most original fantasy concepts I've ever read. The first 5 books follows Corwin, one of the princes of Amber. It has elements from a great detective novel to wonderful sword and sorcery. As the series continues you learn more of the deeper mysteries of the real world Amber -- of which everything, including our Earth -- is but a shadow. The last 5 books follows Corwin's son Merlin as he searches for his missing father. This book includes all 10 books of the series, amazing value and saves room in the bookcase for other fine selections. |
The Complete Amber Chronicles, 1-10 – Save 20%! |
 The
First Book of Swords
Fred Saberhagen Long ago, the gods forged Twelve Swords of Power and threw them onto the gameboard of life for greedy mortals to scramble over. Too late, the gods learned that they had forged too well; the swords could kill the gods themselves. |
The First Swords - Save 20%! |
 The
Golden Compass
Philip Pullman A quasi-fantasy where humans work with chameleon-type small demon familiars, and where a wild palace child finds herself involved in a dangerous mystery of missing children and a calling to head north. The real thrill begins in enjoying a complex tale in which a girl's personal battles reach into larger issues affecting the world. |
The
Golden Compass : His Dark Materials - Book I - Save 20%!
The Subtle Knife : His Dark Materials - Book II - Save 20%! The Amber Spyglass: His Dark Materials - Book III - Save 30%! |
 Neuromancer
William Gibson Here is the novel that started it all, launching the cyberpunk generation, and the first novel to win the holy trinity of science fiction: the Hugo Award, the Nebula Award and the Philip K. Dick Award. With Neuromancer, William Gibson introduced the world to cyberspace -- and science fiction has never been the same. |
Neuromancer - Save 20%! |
| Pax
recommends the following books:
Note, not all of these are strictly "fantasy," instead they are some of the most imaginative and vivid tales I have read. All of these have influenced how I imagine the people, places and things that I code for DeadofNight. |
|
 The
Philip K. Dick Reader
Philip K. Dick Philip K. Dick is considered by the non-Asimov/Heinlein/Clarke camp to be the greatest American science fiction writer. Certainly he is the most literary and disturbing. Stories in this collection include "The Father Thing" (great for kids you don't like), "We Remember it for you Wholesale" (the basis for Total Recall), and "Second Variety" (the basis for Screamers). Supposedly too paranoid for some, these stories are intriguing and laced with a bit of macabre humor. |
The Philip K. Dick Reader |
| Alone Against Tomorrow
Harlan Ellison This collection of stories contains many gems, none more valuable than "I Have No Mouth and I Must Scream." Probably the most disturbing array of ideas I have ever read, almost all of these stories permanently altered what I envisioned to be the difference between good and evil, happiness and despair. Not for the weak of mind -- these stories should keep you up at night. |
Alone Against Tomorrow : Stories of Alienation in Speculative Fiction |
 The
Oresteia
Aeschylus This trilogy of dense, surreal plays makes it clear that disturbing theater existed long before David Lynch. The Oresteia chronicles the aftermath of Agamemnon's murder by his wife as his son Orestes must consider both vengeance and matricide. Oddly enough, the "real-life" Agamemnon and Orestes Atriedes of The Oresteia (ancient, even by the standards of Aeschylus) are the ancestors of the fictional Atriedes of Dune. |
The Oresteia: Agamemnon, The Libation Bearers, The Eumenides - Save 20%! |
 His
Master's Voice
Stanislaw Lem Remarkably unknown inside the United States, Stanislaw Lem is Europe's best-selling author. This is somewhat surprising since his hyper-educated style of writing might put off some readers. His Master's Voice, a tale of humanity's first message from the stars, is so original, thorough and literate that it marks novels like Contact as derivative drivel. The terrifying notion of His Master's Voice is that the alien may be so utterly alien as to make all of our advances in thinking useless. Beautifully told as the memoirs of a brilliant mathematician once involved in Manhattan Project-esque research, this is a book for poets and scientists at once. |
His Master's Voice - Save 20%! |
 The
Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series
Douglas Adams Extremely funny and thought provoking, the increasingly inaccurately named Hitchhiker's Trilogy is an existentialist space saga. It frequently causes a reader to laugh out loud, as it is packed with insane characters, situations and dialouge all delivered in Douglas Adam's wry tone. A must for anyone with a sense of humor. |
The Ultimate Hitchhiker's Guide |
 The
Harry Potter Series
J. K. Rowling Although blessed with popularity akin to fake-bands and fashion, and doomed to ruin at the hands of Chris "Bicentennial Man" Columbus, the series of Harry Potter books have so far remained pure and refreshing. As with the works of Roald Dahl, these children's tales are enjoyable by readers of all ages who still enjoy contents of good and evil laced with mild humor. J. K. Rowling has imagined some surprising and new ideas that are sure to shape more "advanced" literature for years to come. |
Harry
Potter and the Sorcerer's Stone - Save 50%!
Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets - Save 50%! |
 Rosencrantz
& Guildenstern Are Dead
Tom Stoppard Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead is an extremely funny and convoluted play. Neither a tragedy nor a comedy in the literal senses, Stoppard's play is supremely existential. The two unnecessary, indistinguishable minor characters from Hamlet become unnecessary indistinguishable protagonists in a new story seamlessley integrated with Shakespeare's work. Full of speculation on the nature of reality, discovery of the laws of physics (universal graviation being my favorite) and the most assinine investigative process ever invented (the beloved game of "Questions") this play is extremely entertaining. Also an outstanding film, as directed by Stoppard himself. |
Rosencrantz & Guildenstern Are Dead - Save 20% |
 Dune
Frank Herbert Perhaps the best non-Tolkien work of science fiction or fantasy,
Dune envisions a far future humanity. Within the frame of Persain-like
politics and literal Machiavellian maneuvers, Dune gives a vivid description
of power like know other book. Dune is extremely innovative without
becoming nonsensical. Unfortunately the later books (there are five),
while maintaining the same feel, lose their coherence. On its own,
however, Dune is more than enough to satisfy a reader.
|
Dune - Save 20%! |
 Beowulf
E. Talbot Donaldson (translator) The first English language literature is an eerie tale from an actual post-apocalyptic world. Full of longing for the majesty of the fallen Roman Empire, and fear of an unknown world laced with the beginnings of Christianity, the tale of Beowulf still has great power. The boasts of events past and the descriptions of the conflicts with Grendel and his Mother make this a must read for fans of fantasy. A favorite of Tolkien's -- he enjoyed reciting it in the original Old English. |
Beowulf |
 The
Silmarillion
J.R.R. Tolkien While not nearly as enjoyable as The Lord of the Rings which was based upon The Silmarillion, this collection of epic poems, published after Tolkien's death, are at times colorful, moving, scary and always meticulously crafted. A strange, polytheistic world from a devout Catholic, these poems contain the best depictions of majesty and nobility in modern fantastic literature. |
The Silmarillion |
 Rendezvous
with Rama
Arthur C. Clarke My favorite novel of Clarke's, this tale of First Contact is quietly disturbing. When an alien starship performs a slingshot maneuver around are sun, the astronauts and cosmonauts sent to investigate discover very little despite their best efforts. Unlike most mainstream science fiction, Clarke imagines just this once that the human experience may be irrelevant to true Outsiders. This premise is basically ruined by the sequels Clarke co-authored much later, but Rendezvous with Rama itself is outstanding. |
Rendezvous with Rama - Save 20%! |
 The
Rime of the Ancient Mariner
Samuel Taylor Coleridge Like one that on a lonesome road
Need I really say more? This moderate-length poem by heroin-addled Coleridge is full of some of the most eerie, vivid descriptions you'll ever read. While having an illustrated hard-copy is nice, an e-text is available from Project Gutenberg. |
The Rime of the Ancient Mariner |
| Midnight recommends the following series: | |
 The
Belgariad
David Eddings If you haven't read this series you are certainly missing something. The Belgariad is a very engaging series which kept me coming back to know more about the characters. I found myself very sad when I finally reached then end. Luckily there is always the Malloreon which brings back our favorite characters from this series (well those that live anyway). I would highly recommend this series, it may seem long being 5 books and all, but believe me when you reach the end you will want to know more. |
Pawn of Prophecy - Save 20%! |
 The
Malloreon
David Eddings This series continues where the Belgariad left off. Let's just say that Garion isn't done with his work quite yet. These books read quickly and are just as engaging as the first series. If you enjoy fantasy these books are for you. The only thing I didn't like about these books is that they had to end. |
Guardians
of the West - Save 20%!
King of the Murgos - Save 20%! Demon Lord of Karanda - Save 20%! |
 Belgarath
the Sorcerer
David and Leigh Eddings Have you ever read a book or a series of books and wondered how you got to this point in the first place? Belgarath the Sorcerer fills in most of the history that is important to explain how the first series of books reached the point that they had. Usually history is boring because you already know the result, but this has enough twists and turns to keep you engaged, and it does cover several thousands of years in just 700 pages. |
Belgarath
the Sorcerer - Save 20%!
|
 Polgara
the Sorceress
David and Leigh Eddings Well something was missing from Belgarath the Sorcerer's history, and this book looks to fill in the gaps. After reading all 12 of these books I don't feel there is much left out. Again my only regret, that the series doesn't go on. But you have to leave your favorite character behind someday. I mean Speed Racer couldn't drive that car forever now could he? |
Polgara
the Sorceress - Save 20%!
|
 The
Elenium
David Eddings At no time is the world really in total peace, there is always something somewhere lurking, just waiting to arise. And who said that all gods are good? Sparkhawk is the image of a Paladin, though that isn't what they call it. This is a series of honor, adventure and a lost jewel. After reading this series I wished it had 5 books like the Belgariad series. Great series. |
The Diamond Throne - Save 20%! |
 The
Tamuli
David Eddings Just when you thought the world could finally rest, a new evil arises to cause turmoil someplace in the world. Sparkhawk is called on to help on the other side of the world. And you thought a god was hard to deal with, how about the being which created the gods? This series is fast, exciting and just too short. I highly recommend this, but not unless you read the first series. |
Domes of Fire - Save 20%! |