[supremespleen]

This is now the good book thread. Post about cool books others should check out!

I'm looking for something good to read during homeroom, etc - preferably sci-fi (maybe fantasy!). I'm also looking for these things in it.

1. Easy to find at a book stores
2. Interesting (swashbuckling?) - something that is fun to read through the whole book, epic, but doesn't pull a Peter Jackson (long and unnecessarily drawn out)
3. Action packed!
4. Good comic relief would be fun
5. Not Star Wars or Star Trek (I have plenty of these!)
6. Mostly self-contained - I don't want to have to buy a million books to finish it up

Thank you for your assistance, feel free to recommend stuff that does not exactly fit these criteria, I know that's pretty specific.

[Baleshadow]

Snow Crash by Neal Stephenson. That meets every item on your list.

Also try Gridlinked and The Skinner by Neal Asher.

EDIT: Wow, that's a lot of Neals.

[GeckoYamori]

Hitchhiker?

[Black Mage]

I enjoy Arthur C. Clarke's Hammer of God as a good, quick read. The story is kinda predictable, and moves fast.

[Brim]

Hey, I might look into these books myself.

[Amayirot Akago]

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy. Quite simply a book everyone should read at least once in their lives.

[RamRod]

Any of Clive Cussler's Dirk Pitt novels sounds just about right here. Same hero but different stand-alone stories. A fun and easy read.

[supremespleen]

Unfortunately, my ride to the Borders appeared early and I was unable to read any but the first reply.

Then, after spending 30 minutes looking and needing to go home and do homework, I realized the book I had chosen was the third in a trilogy. So, I grabbed the first Neal Asher book I saw, Cowl. Looks odd, here's to hoping it doesn't suck!

[Red Shadow]

today i read through half of Kurt Vonnegut's "Hocus Pocus"

it is not action packed, per se, lest you count human interaction as action

i cant describe it since i havent finished it yet but there are things that made me grin like a motherfucker and that is why i love vonnegut

EDIT: oh looks like you made this thread useless before i decided to post

[Baleshadow]

Cowl is okay, but Gridlinked and The Skinner are leaps and bounds above it, imo. Although, if you want action, Cowl has plenty of it.