Hello Mutually Endeavoringers,

Periodically (unless Ehz slays this idea with her magnificent editorial veto), I'd like to present reviews of books that might be of particular interest to the role-playing community at large. Much like character spotlight nominations, I would like for readers (there's a double meaning in that) to suggest things for me to read and review for UM. I am not looking for uber-mainstream things like Harry Potter or Lord of the Rings, but I am interested in having a look at anything that you might use as character inspiration, or anything that you think would appeal to other players.

This is the part where you respond with suggestions, preferably a title and the name of the bloke/broad that penned it.

Author's name is Orson Scott Card. FABULOUS series. First four, original, books in the series are as follows:

• Ender's Game
• Speaker for the Dead
• Xenocide
• Children of the Mind

Card then later expounded upon the story by adding more books. They are as follows:

• Ender's Shadow
• Shadow of the Hegemon
• Shadow Puppets
• Shadow of the Giant

My husband has read them all. I've only read the first four. AMAZING. Point of interest. Rumor has it they're also making an Ender's Game movie, which we are both really excited about.

I'll annoy Dragon by getting these in here first, but there it is:

The Coldfire Trilogy by C.S. Friedman, consisting of Black Sun Rising, When True Night Falls, and Crown of Shadows. I'd barely heard of the writer before I read these books (I'd considered picking up In Conquest Born for years and never did), and those three were the ones that hooked me.

It's his fault.

gun, with occasional music by Jonathan Letham
Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World by Haruki Murakami
The Song of Ice and Fire series by G.R.R. Martin
Perdido Street Station by China Mieville
Rat King by China Mieville



seriously.

Ha! Need you ask? 'A River Runs Through It' by Norman Maclean.

...I don't care if it's not fantasy. It's the most perfect book ever written.

I know you said you weren't looking for anything "uber-mainstream," but I just HAVE to suggest the Discworld novels written by Terry Pratchett. ALL OF THEM. Never mind the fact that I've only read three so far.

Additionally, I know that a lot of people have heard of Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman, the legendary authors of the Dragonlance Saga. However, few people know that they also collaborated on another series of seven books known as the Death Gate Cycle. I recommend these books highly:

• Dragon Wing
• Elven Star
• Fire Sea
• Serpent Mage
• The Hand of Chaos
• Into the Labyrinth
• The Seventh Gate

Not at all Dragonlance related, however one of the characters from that series does make several guest appearances, under a different yet very similar name, in this Death Gate Cycle. I actually read those books before I had ever heard of the Dragonlance Saga.

As for an extremely little known author? I do know one. Woman by the name of Jennifer Roberson wrote this series of eight books known as the Chronicles of the Cheysuli. I really love these ones too.

• Shapechangers
• The Song of Homana
• Legacy of the Sword
• Track of the White Wolf
• A Pride of Princes
• Daughter of the Lion
• Flight of the Raven
• A Tapestry of Lions

I could probably name a bunch more. I'm a freaking bibliophile, what can I say? Definitely second the George R. R. Martin stuff too, though.