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Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?

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Re: Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?

#171

Post by slothtrop »

adamredwoods wrote: post #139

Siddhartha, by Hermann Hesse https://www.gutenberg.org/files/2500/2500-h/2500-h.htm This book resonated at a perfect time for me, opened my eyes to what peace in human mind could be, peace through acceptance, and above all the rejection of strict god-judging religions. This was important because instead of chasing "happiness" I began to work towards "contentness" which has lead to minor emotional improvements in my l…

It must say something about a person which among Hesse's work resonates the most. I read Demian which has a more ruthless Randian will-to-power tone to it, and the Glass Bead Game. Haven't yet touched Siddhartha.

Re: Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?

#172

Post by walterbell »

Isaac Asimov's Profession (1957) with the "House for the Feeble-Minded". The surprise conclusion has shades of China Meiville's The City and the City, about two virtual cities inhabiting one physical city. Our modern world includes public, non-public, national, extra-national, cyber and fictional worlds overlaying geographical spaces.

https://www.abelard.org/asimov.php

> For most of the first eighteen years of his life, George Platen had headed firmly in one direction, that of Registered Computer Programmer. There were those in his crowd who spoke wisely of Spationautics, Refrigeration Technology, Transportation Control, and even Administration. But George held firm. He argued relative merits as vigorously as any of them, and why not? Education Day loomed ahead of them and was the great fact of their existence.

Re: Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?

#173

Post by krupan »

Several have mentioned Terry Pratchett's discworld books, which are awesome, but I have a special place in my heart for one of his non-discworld books, Nation. Inspiring story about survival, helping others, finding truth, breaking down barriers, and with some great humor too of course. "Does not happen!"

Re: Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?

#174

Post by The_Colonel »

raintrees wrote: post #11

Much of Neal Stephenson's work provides me inspiration, similar to William Gibson's work. It envisions future tech/life that stirs me to see if I can create some of it.

I kind of fell in love with the Anathem's monastic world.

Stephenson is awesome, I love some of his books, but others are for completely lost on me.

Re: Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?

#175

Post by The_Colonel »

jamesrcole wrote: post #89
danbmil99 wrote: post #83

Philip K Dick. Everything he wrote

I find his works a mixed bag. I thought “A Scanner Darkly” was quite good. I really liked the crazy, out-there nature of “Ubik”. But then I found “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep”, and some short story collection I read, to be pretty ordinary.

His ideas were good, but his writing style did not really click with me.

Re: Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?

#178

Post by mellosouls »

marvion wrote: post #26

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy + all parts. It's a common recommendation for exactly that - but I'm amazed by how much it's in the back of my head and gives me support. Especially in the current time. I can't point to an exact quote.. but I'm listening to all audio books(as background noise) by Douglass Adam's for the last weeks and it just feels like there is a part in the books for almost every weird situatio…

On the mention of audio books, it's worth bearing in mind for anybody unaware, the wonderful BBC radio series was the original format, the books came later.

Re: Ask HN: Great fiction books that have had a positive impact on your life?

#179

Post by krupan »

As an engineer raised by a doctor and a nurse, I've never been into art, but somehow I found "My Name is Asher Lev" by Chaim Potok and that totally helped me understand art and artists better. Also a very interesting look into Judiasm and Jewish culture for me.
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