said, “I need a John Wick reading list!”
Okay, here ya go. This list in no way infers quality. It’s mearly a list of books I enjoy to read… over and over again. For very different reasons. The books are in no particular order — just the order that I thought of them.
From Hell
The movie is not the book. Anywhere near the book. The book is terrifying (inspires terror), awful (inspires awe), and viscious. Alan Moore understands madness on a level that frightens me. His madmen are unlike any other. Rorchach, V, and now Jack Flash hisself. Read this book, but do not do it alone, and don’t do it in the dark.
Foucault’s Pedulum
Umberto Eco’s book of paranoid conspiracy theorists willing their paranoias into existance is fascinating. What begins as a simple game turns into a trip down the rabbit hole that even Alice’s innocence could not survive. Another tale of terror that makes you really wonder about the sanity of people who believe in invisible things.
The Illearth War
I have such mixed feelings about the Thomas Covenant series. The protagonist is reprehensible in his self-imposed impotence, and yet, the characters of The Land are powerful, majestic, and unforgetable. I completely understand and sympathize with my female friends who tell me they cannot read this series. I was just as appalled as you were… trust me. But, I keep coming back to it for three reasons: Morham, Foamfollower, and Hile Troy. And the mortally wounded Elena… I don’t know what to make of her. The depth of characters is immense, even if they sometimes are flawed beyond sympathy.
Charlie and the Chocolate Factory
Okay, you get a light-hearted one.
And if you believe that statement, you’ve only seen the movie.
The King of Elfland’s Daughter
Tolkein is NOT NOT NOT the king of modern fantasy. He learned every trick he had from Lord Dunsany (and C.S. Lewis, who I’m convinced came up with all the good ideas — you know — like plot?). History had all but lost Dunsany in Tolkein’s shadow. If Robert Plant had invoked Dunsany rather than Tolkein, we may all be waiting for the last installment of Peter Jackson’s interpretation of this book instead.
The Mourner
Richard Stark is the pseudonym of Donald Westlake, a brilliant mystery/comedy writer who decided to write a men’s adventure novel one day… and found that he couldn’t stop. “The Parker Novels” are witty, fun, clever romps of criminal indulgence that have the consistancy of kabuki theater. We all know how they’re gonna end, we’re just waiting for Parker to do his sweet thang. They’re popcorn, and I love ’em. This one is my favorite.
Deathbird Stories
The word “extreme” has been so overused, it’s lost all its meaning. But it is also the only word that can describe Harlan Ellison’s fiction. This collection of short stories is so unnerving, so disturbing, they really shouldn’t be taken in one sitting (as the author suggests). I read these in college, and I’ve forever been trying to match even one tenth of their depth, insight, and skill. I’m still working.
Practical Magic
Alice Hoffman has an understanding of love and magic that is so profound, it defies description. The movie is a profane mockery of this book. Avoid it at all costs. The book is sublime and beautiful, drawing me to tears on more than one occasion. Once you are done reading this book, you will never look at magic the same way again.
The Illuminatus Trilogy
More fun. Dark fun, of course. Dark, wacky, insane, off-the-wall fun. The key to understanding this book is simple. The authors convince you of a truth… then show you just how silly that truth is. They do this once every ten pages or so. The most Discordian thing ever written… until I write my own, that is.
Fight Club
I debated putting this book on the list, only because everyone on my Friends List has probably already read it. Palahniuk himself said, “After seeing the film, I’m ashamed of it.” But, it was a book that profoundly changed how I write and how I look at books. The opening line caught me, hit me between the eyes, grabbed my lower lip and dragged me on a roller coaster ride until the very end. Now, I can’t buy a book without picking it up, and reading the first line. If it doesn’t catch me, I put it right back. Chucky did that to me. All you Wheel of Time fans who can’t believe I’m not willing to read through the “first three books before it gets going” can blame him.
So, that’s my list. There are other books I could probably put on there, or even replace, but I’m not too concerned about accuracy. If there’s something you haven’t read, go and read it. You might like it. I hope you do. Then, we can talk about it. See ya then!
