The old "stuck on an island" question

[Mike_the_webmaster]

Over the years I have usually heard this question asked as "If you were going to be stuck on an island and could only have ten albums/tapes/cds to listen to, what would they be?"

Instead I am asking "if you were going to be stuck on an island for 20 years and all you had for entertainment were the complete works of ten authors, who would those authors be?"

This is the question I will be posing to Phil Farmer this month, but I thought it would be interesting to see how some of his fans would answer this question. Below are my choices. As you will see I tried to choose prolific authors and mostly ones that I have not already read everything they have written.


Philip José Farmer: Obviously! I have no problem reading most of his books over and over again.

Mark Twain: I still have not read half of his books and I love reading humorists.

P.G. Wodehouse: See Mark Twain, except Wodehouse is usually funnier.

Isaac Asimov: The idea is to include ALL of an author's works, and it would probably take 20 years just to read all of his books. The wide range of subjects would be great when I needed a break from fiction.

Rex Stout: I love Nero Wolfe and would love to reread them all (in order this time!). I have only read a few of his other books so I have those to look forward to as well.

Robert Heinlein: I haven't read half of his books yet but I have enjoyed them all, even the juveniles.

Philip K. Dick: I have only read a handful of Dick's books so far so I still have a lot to look forward to. Plus if I were to alternate reading Heinlein, Dick, Heinlein, Dick, etc... there is a good chance I could give myself a split personality.  

Dick Francis: The problem with this choice is that I have read all of his books and not that long ago. But being on an island by myself there is the chance I could fall down hit my head and get amnesia. Then I would really enjoy reading them all again. Otherwise I would probably wait 15 years before I picked them up again.

Robert Jordan: This is on the condition that as his new books come out they will be delivered to me. Hopefully in the next 20 years he will finish the Wheel of Time series!

Winston Churchill: I've always wanted to read his A HISTORY OF THE ENGLISH SPEAKING PEOPLES, books about World War II and his other history books, but I know I never will.

[Chris]

Okay, here goes:


Philip Jose Farmer

Edgar Rice Burroughs

Jules Verne

Sean Russell (one of the few contemporary writers in the Fantasy genre that I can read; also writing great mysteries, with Ian Dennis, under the pseudonym T. F. Banks)

Arthur Conan Doyle (Holmes & Challenger stories, in particular)

Frank Herbert

C. S. Forester (Hornblower stories)

H. P. Lovecraft (in case I want to get scared)

Kenneth Robeson (Lester Dent)

Rupert Sheldrake (biologist, proposed the hypothesis of morphic resonance)


There you have it.

Chris

[Sam_Leis]

Hmm, it's a tough question, but let's see:

Philip Jose Farmer

Frank Herbert

Isaac Asimov

Philip K Dick

Edgar Rice Burroughs (I've never read any of his stuff, but I really want to)

Jules Verne (Same with Verne, I guess a desert island would be a good excuse to read his works)

Stephen King

Agatha Christie (A good way to keep my brain in check)

John Marsden

Terry Pratchett

[relayer]

Okay, this sounds like some fun. Complete works of 10 authors for life (or until rescued).

1. Philip Jose Farmer

2. Robert A. Heinlein - (i like his Future History / Lazarus Long stories best).

3. Kurt Vonnegut

4. David Eddings - especially the Elenium Series

5. Midori Snyder - especially the Oran Series (New Moon, Sadar's Keep, and Beldan's Fire). I only got to read the middle book from this series, and i can not find any of the books anywhere. But the one i did read was one of the best books i've ever read. I can't even find them in Barnes & Nobles.. Fantansic books though.

6. Harry Harrison - Gotta have the Stainless Steel Rat books!

7. Tad Williams - the Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn series especially.

8. Complete collection of TSR's Forgotten Realms books.

9. Complete works of Lemony Snicket

10. Complete poems of John Keats

[HippiWitch]

It is funny that this is a topic because I have pondered this verry question on many an occasion.  
 
1.  E.R.B.  He is The Master.
2.  William L. Chester.  only 4 books, but I would not live anywhere without them.  Kioga rules!
3.  P.J.F.  Thanks Mr. Farmer for the smiles.  P.S. Your Tarzan is a blast.
4.  Allen Dean Foster.  More smiles and outright laughs.  Play on Spellsinger.
5.  Julian May.  Lets all pray for Intervention.  We too can evolve.
6.  Dean Koonz.  Because if you are all alone on an island it might as well REALLY SCARE THE S**T out of you.
7.  Michael Moorcock.  Maby I also am The Etarnaly Champion.
8.  Roger Zelazny.  You cant have The World of Teirs without needing to read the Amber books.
9.  Tolkien.  
10.   Isaac Asimov.  If I was on an Island all by myself I 'Might' be able to finish the Fondation series.
11.  Frank Herbert.  Speeking of large books.
12.  Jean Auel.  If I get too bored on the island I can always build a sailboat and use her exceddingly longwind to fill the limp and lifless yet bright and pretty sail...
13.  Zecharia sitchin.  For things to ponder as I search the stary night sky.
14.  Anne Rice.  As if I wasn't scared enough.
15.  The U.S. Armed Forces Survival Manuel.  Lets be practical.
16.  Susan Cooper.  For those times when I pine for my youth.
17.  Lin Carter.  Good, strong, fun psi-fi.  Not to mention that he wrote some E.R.B. inspiered noves.
18.  Jennifer Roberson.  Ok, I know that I am a guy...but I like her works.
19.  Jules Verne.  I love old psi-fi.
20.  A 2nd set of E.R.B.  Just in case

[Belisarius Rockbottom]

This is a fun question, so I'd like to add my ten -

1. P. J. Farmer
2. A. E. Van Vogt
3. Livy (not the best Roman historian, but interesting)
4. Frazer (Golden Bough)
5. Sir Rich Burton (his footnotes are hilarious and thanks to PJF for introducing him to me)
6. Joan D Vinge
7. Steinbeck
8. Shakespeare
9. Tom Robbins
10.A big fat dictionary with etymological info (so that I could learn about the insect life on the island I am stuck on.

[justiceinc]

PJ Farmer
Gardner Fox (which would net me a slew of great books AND comics -- heh heh heh)
A. Conan Doyle
J.R.R. Tolkien
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Fred Saberhagen
Ray Bradbury
Harlan Ellison
H.G. Wells
Jules Verne

...and I would never, ever be bored.

[dean]

All those sound great, and I would add Wilbur Smith.

Dean

[Gary]

1. REH
2. ERB
3. PJF
4. Jim Thompson
5. Eric Ambler
6. Chuck Palahniuk
7. Jack London
8. Raymond Carver
9. Ian Fleming
10. Donald Goines

[Pun]

1.Robert A. Heinlein.  I love re-reading all his books
2.Isaac Asimov. He wrote 475 books on everything I'm sure one of them would help me build a boat to get off the island when I'm done reading
3.Mark Twain. I love  the fact that he hates J.F. Cooper as much as I do
4.Frank Herbert. Dune series was too good.
5.C.S. Lewis. Love that Narnia
6.Philip K. Dick. Need I say more?
7.Philip Jose Farmer. I haven't read anything but Riverworld but I'd like to expand that
8.Frank L. Baum. The Oz series is fun
9.Ray Bradbury. He hooked me with Martian Chronicles
AND LAST BUT NOT LEAST...
10.E.E. "Doc" Smith. GO LENSMEN!

[ladyrattles]

In no particular order my choices are:

1. Philip Jose Farmer
2. Edmund Cooper
3. Arthur C Clarke
4. Kim Stanley Robinson
5. Stephen Donaldson
6. Robert Silverberg
7. Piers Anthony
8. Anne McCaffrey (ok.... but in my defence I'm a girl)
9. Philip Pullman
10. Orson Scott Card

[frickin_bomb_squad]

FRITZ LEIBER

HARLAN ELLISON

WILLIAM GADDIS

JACQUES DERRIDA

JORGE LUIS BORGES

HUGH HEFNER (it's a deserted island, right?)

CERVANTES

SHAKESPEARE

DANTE ALEGHERI

RAY LAFFERTY

THOMAS PYNCHON

and if i cannot get the entire published Hefner ouvre I select WILLIAM FAULKNER

this list will change without notice, because neil gaiman and stephen r donaldson and roger zelazny and hg wells, and edgar rice burroughs and clark ashton smith and franz kafka  and tom robbins and kurt vonnegut mean a lot to me.



Rick

[Marcus]

In my first boat:

Daniel Defoe (I can always use some survival tips from here)
Jonathan Swift
Jules Verne
H.G. Wells
Arthur Conan Doyle
Edgar Rice Burroughs
Karel Capek
C.S. Lewis
Isaac Asimov
Ian Fleming (and all the other James Bond writers   )

In my 2nd boat:
Alexander Dumas (the elder)
Rudyard Kipling
J-H Rosny
Olaf Stapledon (so I get more of Lewis' Space Trilogy)
Arthur C. Clarke
Robert Anson Heinlein
Mickey Spillane
Ray Bradbury
Philip José Farmer
Denis Lindbohm (so I'll have some Swedish SF)

[Treefork]

PJ Farmer
Robert Heinlein
Poul Anderson
Isaac Asimov
Kurt Vonnegut
Stephen King
Michael Moorcock
and any other 3 PROLIFIC writers!  I want quantity not quality!  I have a LOT of time to kill on this Island when I'm not cracking coconuts and hanging out with the Swedish Bikiki Team I got stranded with.