Books/Movies that have interesting ideas..

[Grooveman2007]

Well, for fiction, Naughts and Crosses is basically a story where the roles of whites and blacks are reversed. It's mostly a love story, but it does raise a few questions.

Non-fiction, by far, is a series of essays compiled in a book called What If?. It basically takes various historic events and attempts to figure out how the world might be different because of a few things gone differently.

Alexander the Great surviving after the age of 33? Napoleon winning Waterloo? Hitler listening to his generals about invading Russia?

Really, a lot of historical events and possibly todays world could be different if a battle had been won by the other side.

Those are some of the stuff they address, yes.

Others are "What if Lee's Lost Orders had never been found by Union soldiers?" or for a real controversial one "What if Pontius Pilate had not executed Jesus of Nazareth?"

I'd provide more of them, but I seem to have temporarily misplaced my book...

What if Japan had followed the attack of Pearl Harbor with an invasion of Hawaii? What if the French Revolution was stopped before it got going? What if the U.S. joined WWI on Germany's side?

[muy_thaiguy]

If the US had joined on Germany's side, Britain and France would have been royally screwed over, to say the least.

[Hologram]

If the US had joined on Germany's side, Britain and France would have been royally screwed over, to say the least.

But the impact would go much much farther than that. There never would have been a Hitler, and there certainly wouldn't be a Holocaust because the Jews would never be blamed for losing a war that wasn't lost. Austria-Hungary would probably still be around in some form today. The nuclear age would have taken much longer to get around than it did and probably would've taken a much different face, with Germany, or more probably, the Soviet Union making the first step into it. As for the American fate, we would have gone reclusive after the war like we did, but without another world war to get involved in, we would have stayed out of foreign affairs, or at the very least, in our own hemisphere.

/edit: Japan would have become the major power in the Pacific and would have easily taken British Malaysia after Britain's humiliating defeat at the hands of the Central Powers and America, and America would not have seen a need to intervene in the invasion of British Malaysia, so there would be no oil and steel embargo on the Japanese, and Japan would not have subsequently felt the need to challenge America's industrial power and attack Pearl Harbor.

[Genghis Khant]

Dune is good if you like the whole new world thing (the author, can't remember his name...)

Frank Herbert.

[Grooveman2007]

Dune is good if you like the whole new world thing (the author, can't remember his name...)

Frank Herbert.

Great book, terrible movie.

[Hologram]

Dune is good if you like the whole new world thing (the author, can't remember his name...)

Frank Herbert.

Mmmm, Dune. Good book that. Or series, rather.

[heavycola]

It has to be sci-fi!

The Dispossessed by Ursula le Guin -
is about 2 planets that orbit one another; one is a tropical capitalist paradise, the other a desert planet. The latter is inhabited by a truly anarchical society, and the book explains how that might function, how capitalism corrupts... sounds dry but it blew me away


Also for the best first line, I have to suggest Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess:
'It was the afternoon of my eighty-first birthday, and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the archbishop had come to see me.'

[Skittles!]

The book of The Day Of The Triffids was goood.

The movie just sucked.

[suggs]

The book of The Day Of The Triffids was goood.

The movie just sucked.

Good call, had forgooten about that. All the John Wyndham ones have to recomended-did he do the one about the Village of The Damned, or am i getting confused.
But anyway, read the Day of The Triffids-a cool "monsters take over the world", but much better than I am making it sound.

[Guiscard]

Any of Asmiov's robot stories really. Not the shitty hollywood versions but the original short stories. Brilliant and intriguing premises, plot twists that make you think 'well that's logical and reasoned... how could it ever have turned out any other way?' when you were clueless as to the outcome right up until that point...

[heavycola]

Any of Asmiov's robot stories really. Not the shitty hollywood versions but the original short stories. Brilliant and intriguing premises, plot twists that make you think 'well that's logical and reasoned... how could it ever have turned out any other way?' when you were clueless as to the outcome right up until that point...

agreed. Each one is like a little logic puzzle. he was a clever chappie. And i think his laws of robotics were, for a time, expected to be the basis for actual AI when it came along.

[Guiscard]

Any of Asmiov's robot stories really. Not the shitty hollywood versions but the original short stories. Brilliant and intriguing premises, plot twists that make you think 'well that's logical and reasoned... how could it ever have turned out any other way?' when you were clueless as to the outcome right up until that point...

agreed. Each one is like a little logic puzzle. he was a clever chappie. And i think his laws of robotics were, for a time, expected to be the basis for actual AI when it came along.

I think they still are, in a very basic sense. Invented the term 'robotics' by accident as well (he assumed it already existed).

[kleep]

I loved Asimov's Robot Visions. God I really need to quit work and just read full time...

[Colossus]

mtg already beat me to Brave New World....my favorite book, probably.

As for movies, anyone seen The 13th Floor? It's no cinematic masterpiece, but I think the premise is pretty wild.

The Dark Tower series by Steven King also has some kind of mind-blowing concepts in it, in my opinion. It's not only very well written and riveting, it's also very original and makes some very interesting comments on the nature of creativity, I think.

[mandyb]

Haven't read any of the Dark Tower series. Did read a lot of Stephen King when I was younger - he has a very simple but effective style doesn't he? I remember liking 'The girl who loved Tom Gordon' very much. I also got lost when I was little - very scary experience. Maybe that's why the book made such an impact on me.

[greenoaks]

Otherland series by Tad Williams

humans have created a 3-d internet so real that you put on the head-gear and walk around inside it. the various people/organisations who funded this project have created their own separate worlds within this internet.

unfortunately something has gone wrong, some children who have gone online to play games are not able to disconnect. those who have parents who remove the headgear die, the rest slip into a coma.

the story follows those trapped inside. online though, they are their avatars.

[kleep]

The Dark Tower novels are my favorite books ever, albeit I haven't read a ton of books (considering I only really started reading seriously 4 years ago).

But I just absolutely loved the characters, especially Roland, and the story is just amazing. Also, it presents some crazy ideas which make me think.

If you guys haven't yet, I'd recommend the Dark Tower comic books series. They have some extra content and are done really well. Also, the next set in the series is going to follow Roland after he returns from Mejis. All unreleased content!

[mr. incrediball]

don't know if these have been mentioned, but The Mortal engines novels by Philip Reeve are pretty crazy. basically, humanity as we know it destroyed itself in a disaster known as "the sixty minute war". a thousand years later, North america is a dead continent, and everywhere else, the cities go around on wheels. eating each other.

again. cities. on wheels. eating each other. if that isn't a crazy premise, i don't know what is.

[kleep]

don't know if these have been mentioned, but The Mortal engines novels by Philip Reeve are pretty crazy. basically, humanity as we know it destroyed itself in a disaster known as "the sixty minute war". a thousand years later, North america is a dead continent, and everywhere else, the cities go around on wheels. eating each other.

again. cities. on wheels. eating each other. if that isn't a crazy premise, i don't know what is.

I bet Bangkok is a slut huh?

[john9blue]

don't know if these have been mentioned, but The Mortal engines novels by Philip Reeve are pretty crazy. basically, humanity as we know it destroyed itself in a disaster known as "the sixty minute war". a thousand years later, North america is a dead continent, and everywhere else, the cities go around on wheels. eating each other.

again. cities. on wheels. eating each other. if that isn't a crazy premise, i don't know what is.

I bet Bangkok is a slut huh?

Anyway, I've read some great science fiction lately. 2001: A Space Odyssey (genius,) 1984, and A Clockwork Orange. Those books are all fantastic.

The weirdest books I've ever read are probably the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams. For those who haven't read it, here's the plot: the Earth is a giant supercomputer which has been operating for millions of years to find the meaning of life, and it is destroyed by evil aliens 5 minutes before the computing is finished. One Earthling named Arthur Dent survives because his friend Ford Prefect (an alien in disguise, who was collecting data for the Guide) helps him escape. They travel around the galaxy with the eccentric emperor Zaphod, his Earthling girlfriend Trillian, and the depressed supercomputer robot Marvin on a starship powered by improbability. Something completely random happens every other page. It's hilarious... ask anyone who's read it.

[InkL0sed]

It has to be sci-fi!

The Dispossessed by Ursula le Guin -
is about 2 planets that orbit one another; one is a tropical capitalist paradise, the other a desert planet. The latter is inhabited by a truly anarchical society, and the book explains how that might function, how capitalism corrupts... sounds dry but it blew me away


Also for the best first line, I have to suggest Earthly Powers by Anthony Burgess:
'It was the afternoon of my eighty-first birthday, and I was in bed with my catamite when Ali announced that the archbishop had come to see me.'

Yes, the Dispossessed is an amazing book. I almost always mention it nowadays, I don't know why I didn't in this thread.

[Hitman079]

"It was a bright, cold day in April, and the clocks were striking thirteen".

THE BEST EVER OPENING LINE. God he was good.

Great book - I like the closing paragraph even more though..

Another great opener;
“Maycomb was a tired old town, even in 1932 when I first knew it. Somehow, it was hotter then. Men's stiff collars wilted by nine in the morning. Ladies bathed before noon after their three o'clock naps. And by nightfall were like soft teacakes with frosting from sweating and sweet talcum. The day was twenty-four hours long, but it seemed longer...” To Kill a Mockingbird - what I wouldn't give to be able to write like that....
Also loved War of the Worlds - the film too, even if it did have Tom Cruise in the lead role

i don't know about you, but war of the worlds has got to have the shittiest ending ever.

btw anything before 1900 is public domain, is that right?

[Iliad]

don't know if these have been mentioned, but The Mortal engines novels by Philip Reeve are pretty crazy. basically, humanity as we know it destroyed itself in a disaster known as "the sixty minute war". a thousand years later, North america is a dead continent, and everywhere else, the cities go around on wheels. eating each other.

again. cities. on wheels. eating each other. if that isn't a crazy premise, i don't know what is.

I bet Bangkok is a slut huh?

Anyway, I've read some great science fiction lately. 2001: A Space Odyssey (genius,) 1984, and A Clockwork Orange. Those books are all fantastic.

The weirdest books I've ever read are probably the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series by Douglas Adams. For those who haven't read it, here's the plot: the Earth is a giant supercomputer which has been operating for millions of years to find the meaning of life, and it is destroyed by evil aliens 5 minutes before the computing is finished. One Earthling named Arthur Dent survives because his friend Ford Prefect (an alien in disguise, who was collecting data for the Guide) helps him escape. They travel around the galaxy with the eccentric emperor Zaphod, his Earthling girlfriend Trillian, and the depressed supercomputer robot Marvin on a starship powered by improbability. Something completely random happens every other page. It's hilarious... ask anyone who's read it.

True that. Hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy was an awesome book.

An interesting premise was the liveship trilogy by Robb. Set in medievalish times. Pretty much there are these wooden ships which are alive. There are the first immigrants who came there and now are the Traders and each Trader family has a liveship.

Pretty much a live ship is a out of cocoons of serpents which become dragons. So yeah pretty interesting

[kleep]

Man so many good books! I'm currently reading "Swan Song". Basically Russia and America go all out nuclear mode and launch all their nukes at eachother. And there is this crazy evil guy that is (I believe) trying to destroy humanity.

It's really good so far, only thing I don't understand is that some of the characters are walking around bomb zones... wouldn't they instantly die of radiation?

[Curmudgeonx]

None of you 13-16 year boys have mentioned Philip Roth's Portnoy's Complaint?