Five more books

One of my first posts on this blog was dedicated to five books that had a significant impact on me.  With my revived interest in writing fiction (see my other blog 365 Pages), I thought it might be a good time to revisit the concept.

1.  The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, Douglas Adams

I think I was around 15 when I first read The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, and it rocked my world.  I'd never really imagined anyone mixing comedy and science fiction before, but I loved it.  This was also my introduction to the sort of dark, dry comedy the British do so well, which I still love to this day.  There's a pretty steep fall-off in entertainment value as you move through the "increasingly misnamed trilogy", but this first book is gold.  I doubt I've ever written a story that didn't in some way rip off Douglas Adams.

2.  The Belgariad, David Eddings

This one's kind of a cheat, because The Belgariad is actually five books.  Last time I did this I said that The Hobbit opened my eyes to fantasy, but it was The Belgariad that grabbed me by the arm and dragged me in.  Looking back, it's pretty formulaic, and David Eddings could only really write about three kinds of characters; all that said, though, I stand by this series as the perfect introduction to epic fantasy.  If you know a teenage boy who likes fantasy literature at all, give him this series and he'll be hooked for life.

3.  The Cost of Discipleship, Dietrich Bonhoeffer

And now for something completely different.  You may have noticed from my earlier "Five sermons" post that I have a thing for getting kicked in the head.  I like to be made to think -- or even to be made uncomfortable -- by people who know God's word and aren't afraid to speak its hard truths.  The Cost of Discipleship isn't a thrilling read, but it is a worthwhile one.  Bonhoeffer had a knack for seeing the crux of an issue and bringing it to the fore, while not getting caught up in secondary issues.  Christians love to argue about everything under the sun, but when it comes down to it, there are certain demands that following Christ will make on us.  If we're not willing to meet those demands, then we have no business calling ourselves his followers.

4.  That Hideous Strength, C. S. Lewis

The Narnia books are Lewis' best-known fiction, but for my money his Space Trilogy is far better.  That Hideous Strength is the final book in the trilogy, and while none of the three exactly fit the SF mold, this one is by far the strangest, while at the same time being amazingly prescient and relevant to our world.  It reminds me most of Orwell's 1984,  though without that book's monochromatic oppressiveness.  That's not to say that That Hideous Strength doesn't weigh down on the reader; in fact, the evil in this book is far more horrifying than in 1984.  Amidst that horror, though, and ultimately overcoming it, is a current of raw, powerful, glorious hope.  It's an amazing book, moreso every time I read it.

5.  The Pursuit of God, A. W. Tozer

If I ever have a son, I'm going to do my best to name him "Tozer".  That's how much I think of the man.  I've never read a better book on the basic human need to be united to God, or on the necessity of the burning desire to meet that need in the practice of the Christian faith. We are to desperately desire God; not what he can do for us, but God himself.  The writing is by turns academic and popular, mystical and practical, yet always clear and undeniably Tozer.  This is a great book, y'all.  (There's a free Kindle edition, as well.)

How about you?  What books have helped make you what you are today?