Hothouse - Brian Aldiss, Neil Gaiman, Brian Aldiss

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1. HOTHOUSE
Author - Brian Aldiss
A wonderful romp in the VERY distant future where humans are 1 foot tall and kilometre sized spiders spin webs between the Earth and the Moon. The plant life is terrifying and enjoys human flesh, to survive here takes nerve and a keen eye. A novel that is sometimes dark but always inventive.
This is a book you WILL read again.

2. SENTENCED TO PRISM
Author ...
...distant future, giant corporations hunt for virgin worlds to exploit. Keeping any planets they find secret for as long as they can so as to gain an advantage once the opposition moves in also to exploit the planet. Prism, where life is silicon based, has lost communication with a secret station placed there. A problem sorter is sent in but what he finds and what happens to him are incredible to read. The imagination of Foster is superb and this is ... more

Top Ten Sci-Fi & Fantasy Books

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Always loved a bit of Sci-Fi and some Fantasy so here are my Top Ten.
And a few extras.

1. HOTHOUSE
Author - Brian Aldiss
A wonderful romp in the VERY distant future where humans are 1 foot tall and kilometre sized spiders spin webs between the Earth and the Moon. The plant life is terrifying and enjoys human flesh, to survive here takes nerve and a keen eye. A novel that is sometimes dark but always inventive.
This is a book you WILL read again.

2. SENTENCED TO PRISM
Author - Alan Dean Foster.
In the not to distant future, giant corporations hunt for virgin worlds to exploit. Keeping any planets they find secret for as long as they can so as to gain an advantage once the opposition moves in also to exploit the planet. Prism, where life is silicon based, has lost communication with a secret station placed there. A problem sorter is sent in but what he finds and what happens to him are incredible to read. The imagination of Foster is superb and this is a brilliant book.
This is a book you WILL ALSO read again.

3. THE HOBBIT
Author - J.R.R.Tolkien.
In a hole in the ground..............
Surely everyone knows this story?
A wizard, A Hobbit, Bilbo and 11 Dwarves go treasure hunting. Along the way they will battle Ogres, Wood Elves, Huge spiders, Dragons and a few humans. This is a simply well written and eternal book.
Sorry for being repetitive but his is a book you WILL ALSO read again.

4. WEAVEWORLD
Author - Clive Barker.
The novel starts in Liverpool and involves wizardry, hidden worlds and evil spirits. The carpet is the secret path to the Fugue, a hidden world peopled by the 'Seerkind', who being hunted by an evil presence named Shadwell. It is a large novel which will hold you spell bound, no pun intended.
A superb page turner, you will be unable to put down.

5. CELL
Author - Stephen King.
Sci-Fi meets the zombie genre. Excellent story and King at his best. A virus gets into the phone systems throughout the world and enters the human brain upon answering your phone.
This novel reminded me a little of Quatermass and ringstone round.
A great novel and you will enjoy this book.

6. THE DAY OF THE TRIFFIDS
Author - John Wyndham
I wonder, should a meteor storm light up the night skies, how many people would avoid watching it after reading this book. The meteor shower ends up burning out peoples eyes, permanently, rendering nearly all the human are blind. At the same time Triffids have been being farmed for their oils, Triffids are walking plants that can kill with their stingers.
Once the Triffids escape, the humans become hunted, slayed and eaten.
A classic apocalyptic novel.

7. FEET OF CLAY
Author - Terry Pratchett.
A series of mysterious deaths comes to the attention of Commander Vimes who with the help of the 'watch' is trolls and Dwarfs sets out to solve these peculiar deaths. Enter a strange Golum who has begun to think independently, throw into this the exotic backdrop of Ankh-Morpok and the threat of civil unrest and this is my favourite pratchett story of all. Coming a close second is 'Going Postal'
An excellent page turner.

8. MID FLINX
Author - Alan Dean Foster
This book is one of a series starring Flinx and his pet mini dragon, pip. This novel finds them running from the bad guys on a planet with carnivorous plants and evil alien race called the 'Ann'.
It's basically an enjoyable adventure through wonderfully thought out landscapes whilst trying to avoid being eaten by the local flora and fauna.
An enjoyable read that might inspire you to read more Alan Dean Foster.

9. THE GREEN BRAIN
Author - Frank Herbert
Set in the not to distant future mankind has successfully managed to poison mother earth. From atomic bomb testing, pollution spills and attempting to kill off insects, the human race now faces payback time.
The insects have learned to work together but whom or what is directing them?

10. CLOUDROCK
Author - Garry Kilworth
Cloudrock is a spit of land sticking out of the ground to a height of a couple of miles. Think of a huge mushroom but with a flat rather than doomed top. Add in forests, lakes, animals and people and you have your own enclosed society.

It is a cleverly written book starting with, but not exclusively about, 2 brothers, one of whom is a Shadow.
NO don't stop reading he's not actually a shadow but because he was born deformed he was to be thrown from the edge of cloudrock to a ghastly death below.
However, because of the love of his slightly older brother he is spared and is now his brothers 'Shadow', following him around, eating scraps of food and wearing cast off rags.
His life always hanging in the balance for if someone should acknowledge his existence, it would mean a swift and certain death.

I won't go into the story anymore but it does involve things such as incestuous marriages, cannibalism, secret people catching the babies that are cast into the abyss, the night people, secret passages to the ground miles below, earthquakes, poisoness gases etc.........

In parts the book reminded me of the caste of people in India called the 'Untouchables' of whom no one acknowledges, only in this book it's taken to its extreme.

Greg.

Some that just missed out on the top ten are;

EMPIRE OF THE ATOM
SLAN
THE TIME MACHINE
QUATERMASS
ICERIGGER
THE NAKED SUN
THE FOUNDATION NOVELS
DROWNING WORLD
OFF ARMAGEDDON REEF

Summary: Escapism for a short while. 

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