Guys Read Manly Fiction

Men, the theory goes, are bored by stories that explore relationships and favor plots centering upon the pursuit of a clear goal. Yet, we must keep in mind that many authors use action to define character, and pursuit of a goal is often the means by which relationships are explored.

Adventure: For some good adventure reading, we suggest authors such as Michael Crichton, Clive Cussler, Douglas Preston or Matthew Reilly. Of note to read:
Timeline by Michael Crichton
Sometime in the future, a group of students is studying an archaeological site in France when the professor in charge disappears. While uncovering 600-year-old documents from the remains of a monastery, they discover a note dated April 7, 1357, and written in the professor's hand that says "Help me." Three students then embark on a journey back in time to rescue the professor.

African-American: For excellent writing by African-American men, try something by Chester Himes, Walter Mosley or John E. Wideman. Of note to read:
Fearless Jones by Walter Mosley
Paris Minton's world is turned upside down when a woman named Elana Love walks into his bookstore and asks a few questions. Within the next 24 hours, Paris is beaten up, made love to, shot at, robbed and his bookstore burned to the ground. He's in so much trouble he gets his friend Fearless Jones out of jail, because this man knows violence better than any man should.

Classics: There are many great classic books & authors out there written by men, and three authors that we particularly suggest are James Fenimore Cooper, Ernest Hemingway and Jack Kerouac. Of note to read:
The Sun Also Rises by Ernest Hemingway
A brilliant profile of the Lost Generation, Hemingway's first bestseller captures life among the expatriates on Paris's Left Bank during the ‘20s, the brutality of bullfighting in Spain, and the spiritual dissolution of a generation.

Fantasy: For fantastical lands where magic abounds or political treachery with swords, then we suggest writers like Raymond Feist, Terry Goodkind and George R.R. Martin. Of Note to read:
A Game of Thrones by George R.R. Martin
The first volume in Martin's epic fantasy saga combines intrigue, action, romance and mystery in a family saga. The family is the Starks of Winterfell, in a society in crisis due to climatic change that has created decades-long seasons, and a society almost without magic but with human perversity abundant and active.

Historical: Many men love reading about history, both in Fiction and Nonfiction. Three excellent Historical Fiction authors are Bernard Cornwell, E.L. Doctorow and Patrick O’Brian.
Of note to read:
Master and Commander by Patrick O’Brian
It is the dawn of the 19th century; Britain is at war with Napoleon's France. When Jack Aubrey, a lieutenant in Nelson's navy, is promoted to captain, he inherits command of HMS Sophie, an old, slow brig unlikely to make his fortune. But Captain Aubrey is a brave and gifted seaman, his thirst for adventure and victory immense. With the aid of his friend Stephen Maturin, ship's surgeon and secret intelligence agent, Aubrey and his crew engage in one thrilling battle after another.

Humorous & Quirky: Men & women often have a very different sense of humor; some suggested authors who write funny fiction that guys would appreciate are Dave Barry, Carl Hiaasen, Christopher Moore and Kurt Vonnegut.
Of note to read:
Island of the Sequined Love Nun by Christopher Moore
In an effort to outrun a previous employer's lawsuit against him, reprobate pilot Tucker Case takes a job with a mysterious Pacific island doctor that brings him up against such challenges as a typhoon, a shark, a cargo cult and a talking bat.

Horror: For guys who like frightening tales of suspense and the supernatural, we suggest such authors as Clive Barker, Stephen King and John Saul. Of note to read:
Coldheart Canyon by Clive Barker
Set in the 1920s and today, this story centers around a room constructed of hand-painted tiles removed from a Romanian monastery and installed in a Hollywood estate. Not only is the room an aesthetic masterpiece but it is also possessed by the Devil.

Inspirational: For guys who enjoy stories featuring the Christian faith, try the works of authors Davis Bunn, Jerry Jenkins, Bill Myers and Walter Wangerin. Of note to read:
The Book of God by Walter Wangerin
Retells the major stories of the Bible from Abraham and Moses to John the Baptist and Jesus. Of course, you can't actually turn the compressed language of the Bible, by turns poetic and tedious, into a novel, but Wangerin is a good man to try. Wangerin's skill shines brightest in a synthesis of the Gospels that poetically captures the courtship of a small-town couple named Mary and Joseph, the birth of their son, and the rise, political repression and crucifixion of a messiah.

Intrigue & Espionage
Spy novels are among the very core of “Manly Fiction”; what guy doesn’t wish to be James Bond? Try Nelson Demille, John Le Carre or Robert Littell. Of note to read:
The Company by Robert Littell
If Le Carre is the Joyce of spy novelists, Littell is the Dickens. Littell represents the entire espionage landscape on his canvas, the social and political aspects as well as the psychological. Seamlessly mixing real events and real people with the story of four fictional spies, Littell presents the history of the CIA, from postwar Berlin to the present. As we follow the intersecting careers of three Company agents and one KGB operative, we see the major events and personalities of the cold war from the inside.

Legal Thrillers: For courtroom drama and lawyers working to catch the bad guys, you can’t beat John Grisham, Brad Meltzer and Lisa Scottoline. Of note to read:
The First Counsel by Brad Meltzer
A young white House lawyer, Michael Garrick, begins dating the President's daughter, Nora Hartson. Michael thinks he can handle the pressures of the White House and all the power...until, while together late one night, he and Nora witness something they were never meant to see -- and become ensnared in a secret scheme by a White House insider that includes betrayal and murder.

Literary Fiction: For a great story and characters you can really relate to, try Pete Dexter, John Irving, Norman Mailer or Cormac McCarthy. Of note to read:
Tough Guys Don’t Dance by Norman Mailer
Meet Tim Madden, an unsuccessful writer addicted to bourbon, cigarettes and blonde, careless women with money. On the 24th morning after the decampment of his wife, Patty Lareine, he awakens with a hangover, considerable sexual excitement, and, on his upper arm, a red tattoo bearing a name from the past. Of the night before, he remembers practically nothing. What he soon learns is that the front passenger seat of his Porsche is soaked with blood and that in his marijuana stash rests a blonde head, severed at the throat. Is Madden therefore a murderer? He has no way of knowing.

Mystery & Crime: There are many types of Mysteries and Crime stories, but four very different authors we suggest are Harlan Coben, Michael Connelly, Elmore Leonard and George Pelecanos. Of note to read:
Drama City by George Pelecanos
Hoping to start over after serving eight years in prison, Lorenzo Brown returns to the Washington, D.C., neighborhood of his youth to take a job as a Humane Society officer but finds challenges from a local drug boss.

Science Fiction: For interstellar adventure and futuristic technology, three great authors we suggest are Robert Heinlein, John Ringo and David Weber. Of note to read:
The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein
A one-armed computer technician, a radical blonde bombshell, an aging academic, and a sentient all-knowing computer lead the lunar population in a revolution against Earth's colonials.

Techno Thrillers: For gripping stories that feature technology and the military many guys will enjoy Dale Brown, Larry Bond, Tom Clancy and Richard Marcinko. Of note to read:
The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
The Soviets' most valuable ship, a new ballistic-missile submarine with their most skilled naval officer at the helm, is attempting to defect to the United States. It is high treason on an unprecedented scale, and the Soviet's mission is to seek and destroy her at any cost. If the U.S. fleet can locate the Red October and get her safely to port, it will be the intelligence coup of all time. But the submarine has a million square miles in which to hide, and the deadly game of hide-and-seek is on.