What should I (you) read first?

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Hi there,
well I went on a shoping spree last night and got home with

Ringo:
"A Hymn Before Battle" 4 books

Simmons, Dan:
"Hyperion" 4 books

Kay, Guy Gavriel:
"The Fionavar Tapestry" 3 books

I'm a bit tired these last days so not the "heaviest" one first please

 

Then the Kays first they're the lightest of the three

 

Funny thing is I don't have slightest idea what Kays books are about

I know a few bits about the other but nothing about Tapestry
Just read in a few of our "what are you currently reading" that they were very nice so I bought them.

 

Ready Hyperion first. Read it now. Don't sleep 'til you're done.

OTOH, the vast difference in quality between Simmons and the other two might cause you to be disappointed in them if you read them after you finish Hyperion. So maybe read it last.

Actually, scratch that; just noticed the "not the heaviest first" qualifier. In that case, go with Ringo, then Kay, then Simmons.

 

Yeah if you want something light then Ringo is the way to go. The series isn't a classic by any stretch of the imagination but if you are in the mood for reading about resourceful humans blowing huge hordes of aliens into pulp it is a good choice.

One side effect of reading that series is that you may end up checking out Sluggy Freelance which is not necessarily a bad thing but if you start at the beginning it will consume a huge amount of your time.

 

Never heard of any of those books so can't help. To the people who have answered, are they any good? You guys know what I like (Erikson, Hobb, Martin, Dickens, Tolkien).

 

@ Harbourboy - Unless you want something at the complete opposite end of the literary spectrum from the authors you have listed stay well clear of John Ringo. His novels are fun if you are looking for some light pulp military science fiction.

Personally I find that refreshing from time to time but it certainly isn't for everyone.

 

I don't think I could ever take someone called "Ringo" seriously anyway, so it's good that he is light.

 

Well according to many book threads and top lists "Hyperion" is brilliant and that is when it is bad

I read bits of one thread on another forum where poster explained how the book "changed his life", of course I didn't ask questions, just went out and bought it
Sadly my time is very limited so it'll go slowly whichever I choose first. Another bad thing is format of the book... It is very big and heavy and not that good for reading in bed. We'll see... I think I'll start both Ringo and Kay and see what I like best first

 

You will like Hyperion, HB. It should remind you of Erikson and Martin, albeit in an intelligent scifi setting rather than a fantasy setting.

The others, not so much, unless you're up for, as JSBB says, pulp military scifi (Ringo) or "light" fantasy (Kay).

If you want to give Ringo a try, check out the baen free library at http://www.baen.com/library/

 

I have to say that I wasnt all that impressed by Hyperion. Sure it was a good read but nothing spectular, to me it had a bit of "thrashy" feeling, dont know how to explain it but the writing reminded me of the books that tend to be sold in huge numbers and top all charts for years on end. Then again, it wasnt really like one of those books, it was just something in the writing style that reminded me of those kind of books (Da Vinci code is a prime example).

 

Guy Gavriel Kays Fionavar series is about several US college students teleported into another world, where they fullfill their destiny and save the world from an elder evil. Fairly standard work if you ask me, but I enjoyed it when I was 16 or 17 years old. There are some catchy fight scenes and the characters are well thought out, as far as I can remember. Oh, and the ending is quite unsuspected.

The only remarkable thing about the series is its strong tie with the King Arthur myth.