You guys can all blame Fortune for this one.

Various discussions recently (like the 2070 corp thread I started in the SR4 section of the forums) brought about the fact that there are still quite a few of us, who arnt really aware of various revelations and happenings directly related to 'cannon' material because it was in novels we'ev never read. (Or possibly even heard of)

So what I'd love to see here is a list of recommended SR novels for reading. Either becaus they gave a good 'feel' for the world of shadowrun, or simply becuase they offer up information about the happenings behind such things as the big D's assassination (which turned out not to really be an assassination)

Personally to date one of my favourites is 2XS. I've got two others, one which is somewhat decent, but I cant recall the name of it atm and.. once again I'm posting from work. (I also may have put the novel away in storage somewhere)

It was a good one though too I felt, had dying team member, a healthy screw job, some runin with the mafia etc. Had a pretty good feel to it I felt.

Unfortunately that rather tiny insignificant list is my whole experience with the various novels. You can still find most of them floating around used bookstores and online. Though it greatly helps to have an actual listing of the titles.

Sooo, then as with the topic, anyone care to contribute a 'suggested reading list' of various novels that cover the various happenings in the world of Shadowrun?

(There has for example been mentioned this dragon heart trillogy or some such?)

Everybody always blames me ...

I'll just repost what I wrote on this in the other thread.

A list of the (English language) Shadowrun novels can be found here.

Thanks Fortune, I have been meaning to look up and get more of the SR novels. I have only read the newer ones (since WizKids got the license, except Drops of Corruption) and one of the older novels, Ragnarok, which is one of my favorites so far. I have been trying to find more of them in used bookstores aroud my area and I may soon delve more into internet purchases to get some of them.

Cool Fortune, that helps alot.

And while I agree with reading any one can get their hands on, there are still the odd 'exceptional' books. One that -really- get that SR feel going, or at least reveal some pretty important information that has a good deal of relevance to the SR storyline as a whole.

Which is more why I was asking for abit of a list of what people thought such books were.

Just gettin' the ball rollin'.

Technobabel has some pretty important information. Substantial amounts of it may be lame important information, but it's still important information.

~J, foe of the Humanized Deus

And naturally, I disagree, for the reasons listed above.

And sometimes you go through an intiatory like ordeal reading them. In this case, sacrifice, a point of logic. Yadda yadda yadda.
The whole "what doesn't kill you makes you stronger" is not necessarily true for books. It's like killing off a little bit of yourself for every wated page, every wasted hour, that you just wish you could get back.

It's a small price to pay for insight and inspiration.

Besides, there are a lot of people here that have read the books, and most of them are hardly the worse for wear because of it.

debateable

But to add something meaningful, I liked most of the stuff nigel Findley did :LoneWolf, 2XS, and House of the Sun. Burning Bright was also good (not so much Burning Time though). Headhunters good, Shadowplay, didn't care for personally. Same for Shadowboxer. Liked Psychotrope, although it's been years since I read it. Recall liking Wolf and Raven.

See Fortune these are the books I need to pick up. Fade to Black not so much. I'll still get it, I'll still disagree with you.

As much as I hate to admit it, there really isn't a one of those books that I can think of that I haven't taken something away from that gave me some idea or helped. The one exception was Poison Agendas. Got absolutely nothing out of that one.

For some more specific:

Psychotrope covers the '61 Matrix crash in Seattle and an AI

Dragon Heart Trilogy: Dunkie's Dead. Get his ruby slippers

LoneWolf: Cutter's gang and Lone Star and the Tir

House of the Sun: Hawai'i and some immortals stuff and Dirk Montogomery

Shadowboxer: Bad book after the first half. interesting group of runneres but the plot gets a bit ridiculous (well, as ridiculous as it can get in a world with elves and trolls on cyber decks and bands like Darwin's Bastards).

HeadHuneters: Jack Skater's team. Good stuff

Burning Bright: Good Bug city stuff, Ares, and cool mage

Wolf and Raven: Basically a Robin Hood type runner with a series of short stories by Michael Stackpole. I like him, and I like the take on the character, which is basically a shamanic adept that follows, suprise of suprises, Wolf!

Hope that helps a bit more. I recommend Used Book Stores (includes that old book smell!) or amazon.com to hunt down Used Book Stores.

I really like Dead Air. It's been a while since I read it, thoiugh, but I know it is one of the few novels that I didn't hate when I was finished.

see, if i didn't like you, i could cripple you for life. all i'd have to do is recommend you read Shadowboxer. and you'd find it, and open it, and afterwards, you'd never be the same.

Perhaps a blacklist of shadowrun novels you better never ever look at would be more usefull.

I own, and read them all, and I feel that one could do without a Lisa Smedman novel.

blacklisted:
1) Shadowboxer. wow. just... wow.
2) Striper Assassin. i've never actually read this one, to be honest, but a) the premise is just... too teen fantasy, and b) i wasn't a fan of the short story in Into the Shadows.

speaking of which, i definitely recommend Into the Shadows. i like it even better than the two Dirk books.

Well, definately comming away with some good recomendations here at least. This kinda thing is definately helpful to those like me who have barely scratched the surface of SR novels.

I've actually got two of the novels listed so far. Yay!

I am going on a amazon.com searching spree with the recommendations from here...I just hope my search fu is good.

Looking at the history of similar threads (not just on this board) all I can say is: Read them all. Make your own decissions.

There are people who dislike Run hard, Die fast others just loved Argent for his "cool" moves in said book.
I witnessed people saying that they actually liked Terminus Experiment while I just hated it.
My personal favourite (despite its ugly cover) Changeling happens to receive ambivalent reactions as well.

And when it comes to metaplot, even books like the Dragonheart-Trilogy are a "must" regardless of the highly controversial character of Ryan "Quicksilver" Mercury and Nadia Daviar's physical attributes that seem to be mentioned every second page throughout that trilogy (serious exageration!).

I tend to agree with the "make your own decision" crowd...

The one thing i've always pulled from every book i've read...is the great way some of them use the atmosphere, really drew me in.

I also always like how some of them would insert weapons or other things from the game, something familiar and very invocative of the SR universe.

Personally i like stackpole, kenson, Findley, Dowd, Charrette, and Odom's work...

I have a soft spot for "Into the shadows" as it was my first book i purchased.

Writing for thirteen-year olds and writing like thirteen-year olds are two very different things.

What's his backstory?

Of the SR novels I have 43. I'm still reading them in order. Right now with The Forever Drug (#37). Great novel so far...

I like them all. The least I liked, if I had to choose one, will be Psychotrope (too much matrix for me)...

I like all that have been mentioned so far, but you should check Fade to Black, Changeling, and the Secrets of Power trilogy... They are great...

Shadowrun novels and literary criticism do not mix well IMO.

Given that I fall with the "make your own choices" crowd, I also believe our time in this world is simply not enough to try everything for yourself, sometimes peers can provide shortcuts through advice and shared information. And this is a forum, isn't it?

I liked Changeling and House of the Sun, could not get 2XS where I live but heard good comments on it.

I didn't like the dragonheart trilogy and neither did Psychotrope. The first SR novel(s) I red was the "secrets of power" trilogy and I liked some of it, but hated the main character Sam.

Wolf and Raven is nice too, particularly because of Wolf's personality. The book was written before SR rules were totally compiled, and that shows a little, but the guy's great.

I have wholeheartedly taken ideas from every book I read, but I also pick up ideas from the moisture spots in my walls and can't say all of them they are worth the time either.

And I started reading the Terminus experiment, but I had to quit. The horror, the horror...

I think I am the only person on Earth who likes the Dragon Heart Saga.

I liked the experience of reading the Dragonheart Saga, as long as I didn't stop to actually analyze anything that happened. It felt like (high powered, heavy magic) Shadowrun, but it didn't think like it.

I second Dead Air as a sleeper favorite.

I'd also like to reread Just Compensation to figure out how I feel about it. I can't remember it at all except that there was some CAS/UCAS shadow politics stuff.

Am I the only one who really liked 80% of Night's Pawn? Burning Bright wasn't Dowd's only good one.

Dead presidents seem to be a good reason to bring out the big-hammer. Dead dragons as well, so put them tougther, and you have an excuse to go a bit over the top.

It was just touched on, but the Secrets of Power trilogy are what started the whole thing.

Never Deal With A Dragon
Choose Your Enemies Carefully
Find Your Own Truth

Well considering there will be no new Shadowrun novels (those bastards!), could anyone suggest some fan fiction online that doesn't suck out loud?

shapcano.com and Winterhawk's Magespace

On shapcano, read the "San" series, I think it was called "Two as One" or something to that effect. Been a while.

And on WInterhawks, well hell they're in order.

Fortune is correct, Into The Shadows was the first SR novel. But it was in a slightly larger format (similar to the White Wolf 'Nod' in-game bible/books, like The Book Of Nod & Revelations of the Dark Mother). I still have mine. It was reprinted & you might be able to back-order it.

Your best bet is to haunt Ebay for them & get them in multiple-book sets.

Here's the reprint, as seen on the Borders website.