# A list of original stories?



## ViKtoricus (Mar 18, 2014)

I am not looking for the classics. I am merely looking for contemporary modern literature that defined their genres, like the way Lord of the Rings defined fantasy novels. Or Star Wars defined the galactic sci-fi genre.

Of course, I am looking for literature, not movies that were novelized, not comics either.

Like, I heard from someone here that the Hunger Games was a copycat of this thing, which was the copycat of another thing, which was also the copycat of this thing...

I prefer something that is really out of my comfort zone, such as romance, young-adult, and thrillers.

Honestly, I'd hate to read them, but I'm trying hard to expand my reading list, as reading improves my writing.

Good recommendations are highly appreciated.


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## Sam (Mar 18, 2014)

People say _The Hunger Games_ is a rip-off of _Battle Royale _or _The Running Man_, without realising that all of them took ideas from a short story by Richard Connell called _The Most Dangerous Game_. 

Homer's _The Odyssey _is widely considered to be the first thriller ever written. In the twentieth century, you have the works of John Buchan, John Le Carre, Dashiell Hammett, Eric Ambler, Nelson DeMille, Raymond Chandler, Ian Fleming, Frederick Forsyth, Robert Ludlum, Jack Higgins, Tom Clancy, and Scott Turow. All of them were influential in creating modern espionage, military, and political thrillers. 

If you're looking for original romance, you won't find it in any modern incarnation of the genre. You'll have to go back to middle English and chivalric romance. _The Canterbury Tales _is one such example. I'm assuming that isn't what you're looking for. Try Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte, E.M. Hull, and Georgette Heyer. For modern romance, _The Flame and the Flower _by Kathleen Woodiwiss is the first romantic novelist in American publishing history to follow the participants into the bedroom. Rosemary Rogers followed close behind with her work.

Young-adult fiction started in the 1920s, just before the term 'teen-ager' was created and the period of childhood given classification, but there were several earlier novels that appealed to young people: _Oliver Twist, The Count of Monte Cristo, Alice in Wonderland, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer, Adventures of Huckleberry Finn. _By mid-1950 you have _Treasure Island, A Tree Grows in Brooklyn, The Hobbit, The Catcher in the Rye, Lord of the Flies, _and _The Outsiders. _


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## A_Jones (Mar 19, 2014)

Every story is a copy of a story I mean when you get down to it.  There are only 4 types of story.  Man against Man.  Man against himself. Man against nature. Man against the unknown.  
_
The __Odyssy s_pawned so much, thriller as Sam said, but it was also a great Epic Adventure, which is what The _Lord of the Rings_ is. (An Epic is a emotional and physical journey in which the surroundings are usually metaphorical of something.)

I suggest you read Battle Royal.  That one is out of my comfort zone.  It is an amazing novel.  Japanese.  Thriller.

As for romance... I am not quite sure.  I dont read them myself.  They are mostly girly if I do and I cant see you wanting to read them.  Tell me your interests and Ill try and suggest something. 

Young adlult.  Read Howels Moving Castle.  AMAZING work.  Neil Gaimen believes Diana Wynne Jones to be the fantasy queen of YA.  Its a great book, very out of your comfort zone but you might like it a lot.


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## Jeko (Mar 20, 2014)

> Lord of the Rings defined fantasy novels. Or Star Wars defined the galactic sci-fi genre.



There did not 'define' their genres. They're just popular. No one work or writer defines a genre of literature. 

IMO, a genre is really defined by everything that exists within it; in this way, genres are constantly changing, as literature should be.


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## Skodt (Mar 20, 2014)

^ In the same sense though; if you say fantasy a lot of people will think LOTR. He may have not defined fantasy, but he surely did a lot to make it popular and what it is today. 

Ernest H, has a really good love story called A farewell to arms. I am not into that kind of thing at most times, but this book drew me in nicely.


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## ViKtoricus (Mar 20, 2014)

Alright. Thanks, everyone.


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## Greimour (Mar 20, 2014)

Cadence said:


> There did not 'define' their genres. They're just popular. No one work or writer defines a genre of literature.
> 
> IMO, a genre is really defined by everything that exists within it; in this way, genres are constantly changing, as literature should be.



I agree with this.
To me, a book that does not get compared to another book for being "similar" is a standalone. 

You could always draw comparisons, like Twilight to Buffy, or Buffy to Dracula, Dracula to Frankenstein, Frankenstein to Van Hellsing... and so on... but to me, they each stood alone respectively. 

I would suggest you read the ones that seriously caught the hearts or imagination of people instead.

50 Shades of Grey - which I have not read, is one such example. It exploded... so it had that unique something a stand alone requires.


For me; it is stories like: 
The Northern Lights and the entire "*His Dark Materials"* by Phillip Pullman that does the trick for Fantasy Fiction.
*
Skullduggery Pleasant* books by Derek Landy for Magical Young Adult fantasy fiction. Mystery, Magic and Witt

*The first Law book 1,2,3* by Joe Abercrombie for medieval fiction, war and magic, barbarians and society... also displaying the points of view of multiple characters with great efficiency, you can really learn from his work. His style of writing is now my ideal.

*Wolf of the Plains* and subsequent books of it, by Conn Iggulden, Historical Fiction based on Ghenghis Khan. Contain actual historical facts with a good story made from fiction. One of the best Historical Fiction writers I have read.

I loved Dan Browns Da Vinci Code, more so than Angels and Demons and Deception Point...


The oldest story I have ever read was maybe the oldest recorded story known to man, which is *Gilgamesh*, I kind of liked what remained of that story.

Other stories that are considered must reads include : To kill a Mocking Bird, by Harper Lee, 1984 by George Orwell (though i preferred animal farm), Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen, Jane Eyre by Charlotte Bronte, The Book Thief by Markus Zusack (I really enjoyed that one), Of Mice and Men by John Steinbeck, there is quite a large list...

So, it's hard to say what you should actually read... I think all the books/stories listed above are worth reading and studying to further better your writing... or even to just enjoy reading a good book.


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