Which book(s) left a lasting impression on you?

[wewbull@feddit.uk]

I don't think Choke is as good myself. Still a good read but Survivor has stayed with with more in the years since.

[vanilla_puddinfudge@infosec.pub]

The Southern Reach Trilogy by Jeff Vandermeer

It isn't just sci-fi, there's a lot of coming to terms with your limited amount of human influence on your environment and life, that there unknowns that will always be unknown, and that's ok, we're no different than the gains of sand by the lighthouse, as subject to nature as the grass, or birds.

There are also clones of people that have to come to terms with their identity as to what they are, even if they themselves don't fully understand it, and can't.

The universe is bigger than you, and your scope is limited, but that's ok. Find wherever you fit and try to find purpose in the chaos.

[dream_weasel@sh.itjust.works]

The ending of the last night angel books really follows you around.

[melsaskca@lemmy.ca]

Crime and Punishment.

[ramsgrl909@lemmy.world]

This was my answer as well. It's an amazing book amd I always recommend it.

[jhex@lemmy.world]

... "does the gentleman want his head smashed?"

[prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone]

I'd say it contains some existential horror...

[prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone]

Another great short story that I never see mentioned is "Teddy" By J.D. Salinger.

There is also a Dave Eggars short story that always stuck with me from his one collection called, "After I Was Thrown in the River and Before I Drowned."

Also, almost forgot, "An Occurence at Owl Creek Bridge" by Ambrose Bierce is also fantastic.

Top three short stories imo.

Edit: Yikes... without spoiling anything, I just realized that there is a (kind of dark) theme connecting all of those. Should I be worried?

[prole@lemmy.blahaj.zone]

I loved 1984, but when I was younger, I always found Orwell's treatise on language that takes up a big chunk in the middle to be dull and far-fetched.

Boy was I wrong...

[thezeesystem@lemmy.blahaj.zone]

Oh it was not a good book. Made by someone who's donated actively to organization that want to make me dead for existing. It was a shit book but the only novel.i ever read.

[sylence@lemmy.dbzer0.com]

Time Enough for Love was my favourite book as a young man. Tried re-reading it recently and really struggled. I feel like the last 20 years of social progress has really dated Heinlein's language especially (less so his ideas). Was a shame.

[widdershins@lemmy.world]

I won't disagree but I was under the impression the guy wrote at least 4 other Slaughterhouse books. With a title like Slaughterhouse I believed the book series was packed to the gills with blood and guts.

[wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works]

Especially after he explicitly tells Job that he is the progenitor of all evil and is proud of that fact.

[wolframhydroxide@sh.itjust.works]

• A Canticle for Leibowitz
• Cloud Atlas
• 1984

[unfortunateshort@lemmy.world]

"80,000 Hours", because not only does it teach you something about wealth, humanism and fulfilling careers, it also highlights imminent dangers that receive little (scientific/regulatory) attention and points out that everyone can do something without being rich or a genius.

Although I somewhat dislike their frequent measure of 'impact' in terms of money, the book puts quite a few things into perspective, and I can accept that you need to quantify things to do so. I particularly like that they encourage you to think about problems from different angles, and them pointing out that you can have a very real impact on the overall wellbeing of any living creature, pretty no matter what you do.

[tenchiken@lemmy.dbzer0.com]

Agreed. Several of his books have suffered the same fate unfortunately.

That said, the ideas do still ring very true... Albeit, many of them are the ideas I wish were more fantasy.

[joedyrt@lemmy.ca]

Alll those, yes.

[bilbobargains@lemmy.world]

The Trial

[fedegenerate@lemmynsfw.com]

Tigana

A book about loss. Loss of family. Loss of country. Loss of culture. Loss of all things. It's beautifully written, and the theme of loss doesn't mean a somber tone throughout, the found family is strong.

[topherclay@lemmy.world]

I have loved all of David Mitchell's books but Cloud Atlas was the perfect one that I started with that made me want to see everything else he read. I just love the structure of it so so much.