Fantasy Aficionados discussion

If you were stuck on an island and you could have one book, what book would you have? The book can not be multiple volumes in one. So, you choose.

I chose A Storm of Swords by George R R Martin.

Ha. Been there! Well kinda. I could only take one book with me on my first tour in Iraq and I ended up choosing The Stand. Funny, considering I'm such a fantasy buff but I love the book, figured it was worth a few rereads and could catch a bullet to boot! ;)

Oddly enough, I would probably go with Master of the Senate: The Years of Lyndon Johnson. It's fascinating and has so much detail it's taking me longer to read than anything has since I was in grade school, iirc.

Everyone would know what I would chose, The Crystal Shard, the book that I would feel would take away being lonely in the island by spending time with Drizzt & company before they were companions of the hall.

That's kinda hard...I don't know if I have any books large enough without multiple volumes.

Could I take one of my lit books with me? LOL


I think I might second Grant's choice of The Stand. It's a great read and it's pretty big.

Whatever book this is, that's the one I'd take.

You could build a house out of that thing...

I'm betting IRS tax codes :) have fun with your reading, Ala ;)

screw reading, I'd hollow that puppy out and use it as a canoe.

But think of the massive quantity of toilet paper you have ready at hand. Priorities, Ala. Priorities.

I'd want to have a real survival guide with me. Something that tells me what mushrooms not to eat so I don't end up the subject of a Sean Penn movie.

I third The Stand, but since that's already been said, I think I'd have to go with Shogun by James Clavell. Great book, very in depth, and would take a while to read.

Grant wrote: "Ha. Been there! Well kinda. I could only take one book with me on my first tour in Iraq and I ended up choosing The Stand. Funny, considering I'm such a fantasy buff but I love the ..."

I'd pick The Stand too. I've read it twelve times but its still great to go back to.

I think it'd have to be The Coming of the King by Nikolai Tolstoy, if only for the fact that when I read it the first time it took me several years to finish, and I only accomplished it through sheer bloody-mindedness.

Thus I'd always have something to read, and avoiding reading it would probably lead me to build a blimp out of kelp and float off to safety.

Hmmmm. No Omnibus's? Mean! I guess I'll choose The Stand. Mostly because everyone here seems to love it, and I haven't read it yet, so at least it will be something new! Hopefully I don't hate it though, otherwise it will become kindling.

I have never read War and Peace by Tolstoy...that's pretty thick as a book and would take lots of time.

Well, depending on how you look at it The Lord of the Rings isn't actually an omnibus because it was written as one book and broken up by the publisher... But I'll play nice.

Sort of. :) I'd go for either a survival book like Maxine, or Benet's Reader's Encyclopedia, because it has a little bit of a lot of other books in it. Then, of course, I'd die of frustration three weeks in because I wanted to read the books described... Hm. Well, then I wouldn't need the survival manual. There you go.

Tracey wrote: "Well, depending on how you look at it The Lord of the Rings isn't actually an omnibus because it was written as one book and broken up by the publisher... But I'll play nice.

Sort of..."

Ha! In that case I'd take the first 3 books of the belgariad - the series was written as a trilogy & the publishers broke it into 5.

..Or maybe The Deed of Paksenarrion - it was slated to be 1 book, too.

This reminds me of the '50s War of the Worlds movie, at the end is asked, "which books would you have taken?"— not in the novel, IIRC.

Assuming I knew how to survive and didnt need a survival encyclopedia, I think it would be a single volume Shakespeare or Dante, annotated.

I'd probably take Ulysses. Last time I read it, I had to use spark notes and a book of essays to get through it, but I figure a deserted island and nothing else to reference could get me through it without the companions.

I mentioned Ulysses here the other day somewhere. It annoys me that it's considered such a fine piece of literature when half the book makes candid references to a hundred other books that the reader is expected to know by heart. That always seemed a bit self aggrandizing to me. I thought I had a pretty fair classical education til I read it. It's a bit absurd that one would have to have multiple reference sources just to get the gist of a novel. Stupid Joyce.

Yeah, I am pretty well read on the classics (even some of the very obscure ones), but damn if he doesn't manage to find some Victorian poem that was out of print for a decade before he even started writing the book to throw a plot-relevant reference to. I wouldn't mind it so much if they were just little nods, but without understanding all the references, it is very difficult to understand what he's talking about in the rest of the sentence.

Ah well, I liked A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man, at least.

MrsJoseph wrote: "Tracey wrote: "Well, depending on how you look at it The Lord of the Rings isn't actually an omnibus because it was written as one book and broken up by the publisher... But I'll play nic..."

I did not know that.

MrsJoseph wrote: "Tracey wrote: "Well, depending on how you look at it The Lord of the Rings isn't actually an omnibus because it was written as one book and broken up by the publisher... But I'll play nic..."

Well what about Song of Ice and Fire and The Wheel of Times, both were suppose to be a trilogy when the both series started out.

Hmm I'm going to have to go with Wilderness Survival for Dummies :) Hoping it teaches me how to make a Gilligan Island style radio. Or a generator to power the eReader :D

I enjoyed A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man and Dubliners and plenty of his other works but Ulysses just seemed rather snobbish. I agree wholeheartedly on your comment about his plot relevant references often being absurdly obscure.

Leighann wrote: "Hmm I'm going to have to go with Wilderness Survival for Dummies :) Hoping it teaches me how to make a Gilligan Island style radio. Or a generator to power the eReader :D"

If someone comes out with a solar-powered eReader, we can bring all the books to the island!

I would not mind being stranded on that island. Also the question states that you are stranded but doesn't say alone - so if we EACH bring a book we could have an awesome book swap

Kevin wrote: "MrsJoseph wrote: "Tracey wrote: "Well, depending on how you look at it The Lord of the Rings isn't actually an omnibus because it was written as one book and broken up by the publisher......"

I bought a copy (well, two...) of The Rivan Codex: Ancient Texts of the Belgariad and the Malloreon

Leighann wrote: "I would not mind being stranded on that island. Also the question states that you are stranded but doesn't say alone - so if we EACH bring a book we could have an awesome book swap"

+1 Great Idea!

We vote to all be on the island...

Now we just have to pass out a list to everyone on which book to brink. Grant! Bring some tools to build a library... :-P

MrsJoseph wrote: "We vote to all be on the island... "

Great when do we leave? I'll start packing now!

MrsJoseph wrote: "Grant! Bring some tools to build a library... :-P"

I love, love, love that that was "build a library" and not "build a shelter"!! *sigh* I've come home. :D

*packs sunscreen, waits for book assignment*

One must have priorities, Tracey! ;)

I'll bring the comfy beach chairs!

Look, all I know is this... when it all comes crashing down, and we end up going all Lord of the Flies on each other...

I'm on Aloha's team.

Becky wrote: "One must have priorities, Tracey! ;)"

And I think ours are obvious! :D

I already have plans drawn up for an awesome, awesome library. Now we just have to get stranded on an island with a large supply of mahogany

:-) I love you guys.

^Seconded

*tries to find up arrow like Grant's*
*fails*
/\ Thirded.

^fifthededed


*copy/paste ftw*

eta: yes, i accidentally a number there. i dun care.

Can I come on your island, please! You'll need a librarian to organize your books!

Oh what great times it will be on our island :)

http://www.privateislandsonline.com/i...

I think this one might do :) And it's a mere $5mil

Nice, Leighann :) I found the library for said island ;)

Nice - I'm loving it! So fund raiser anyone?

*begins baking cookies at a furious pace*

I make a mean banana pudding (from scratch)... :-)

Known to make a grown man cry.

Bake sale! Yes! Count me in for strawberry pie and cookies which could bring world peace. (That's a quote. "Seriously, put little parachutes on 'em...")

Grant wrote: "Nice, Leighann :) I found the library for said island ;) "

That is one of the prettiest things I've ever seen.

I'll bring the peanut butter cookies! :D