Audience participation

[lightreads]

Okay, you guys were so great last time, let’s try this again. Any opinions on where one ought to start with these guys? Cautionary tales?

• Iain M. Banks’s Culture series: I understand they’re mostly standalones and that the first book by pub order is not great, so where do I start?
• Charles de Lint: *gestures helplessly* that is a pile of books.
• Andre Norton: ditto
• Gene Wolfe

Also, if anyone can rec a relatively sane biography of Anne Boleyn, I’d be most grateful. For values of “relatively sane” meaning with at least a pretense at considering evidence before speculating.

Comments

[eagle]

Ah, hm, I should have read the other replies first. I see Kate disagrees with me on Look to Windward, so I should temper my comment. I thought it gained from being read later in the series so that one understands more of the political situation, but I could be wrong.

It does have one of the best cocktail parties in fiction.

[kate_nepveu]

I did say _Look to Windward_ was a dark horse for a reason . . .