Favorite Book You Ever Read? [Archive]

DFA

02-25-2006, 11:36 PM

After my worst book thread I felt this thread kinda had to be put out there.
This could expand to favorite series as well as book.

Anyways to get this thread started my favorite book of all time is The Phantom Tollbooth. It's one of the few books I read as a kid and loved even more when I re-read as a Teenager. It has excellent characters an interesting if plot and awesome dialog I highly recommend it.

It's to hard for me to pick a favorite series but Doctor Doolittle even beyond the story of and voyages remains the first real series of books I ever read and one of the most enjoyable to this day.

On a side note I probably own over 100 Boxcar Children books, first mystery series I really ever read however Tintin was the first one I ever watched. :)

But enough of my blabbering what's your favorite book?

talse

02-26-2006, 06:01 PM

well, i recall faintly reading the phantom toll both about 7 years ago, but i enjoyed it then, so maybe i should pick it up when i have the time.

anyways, I found the Ringworld saga very enjoyable, particularly engineers. The idea just compells me as a story teller. The sheer scale of it means that stories never run out.

Squishy Cheeks

02-26-2006, 06:15 PM

V for Vendetta. That is all. It may be a comic, but it still has a better tale than most novel fiction.

DFA

02-26-2006, 06:20 PM

V for Vendetta. That is all. It may be a comic, but it still has a better tale than most novel fiction.

I've been meaning to get around to that especially ebfore the movie comes out. I'm a fan of Watchmen if you've read Watchmen how do you feel it ranks to it?

Kaelus

02-26-2006, 06:31 PM

My favorite book would have to be the Neverending Story. It was the first GOOD fantasy book I've ever read, so I shall remember it forever. XD

RickZarber

02-26-2006, 07:26 PM

Hmm, this thread seems familiar... oh hey, isn't it the same one you did last year? :p But hey, plenty of people around now that weren't here then, and it does complement the hate thread nicely.

My list hasn't changed since then, but I'll add some reasons this time:

Lord of the Rings - Along with The Hobbit and Silmarillion, I get sucked into Middle-Earth like that. I'll likely never escape.

His Dark Materials - Decent enough fantasy books, but the ending knocks it up there to the top.

Hitchhiker's Guide - How can you not love them?

Casino Royale - If there was ever an underrated novel I like to espouse, it's this one.

Hearts in Atlantis - I'm a sucker for nostolgia, even if it's for times I wasn't even around for.

Heroes Die and Blade of Tyshalle - Clickie (http://forum.nuklearpower.com/showpost.php?p=288492&postcount=5).

EDIT FOR BELOW: Well, Althane, if you liked Traitor, be sure to read these ^ if you haven't already.

Althane

02-26-2006, 07:35 PM

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress: Fun book, and interesting to read. And deeply ironic.

Rondevouze (sooo badly spelled!) With Rama: A very cool book, and a type of third contact I prefer. "What the hell are you little bugs? Get the **** off our cars!" (ok, so it wasn't QUITE like that, but still. The next two sucked though. ;_; )

Farenheiht 451: Just an interesting book.

All LOTR (except Sil): I just don't like Silmarillion. Never caught me.

The Mote in God's Eye: A very interesting book.

NJO: Traitor: SUCKER for this book, it's the best in the series. Though Dark Journey was actually the first NJO book I ever read. XD

Edit for above (just to be funny): Actually, they're already on my considerable "To Read" list. I've read.. oh... 10 books this semester, which is a combination of wow (uh, it's not even 2 months in), and crap (most the books I read were pretty bad. Never ever, for example, read Flux). I'll move Hearts in Atlantis up though. It seems good.

Squishy Cheeks

02-26-2006, 07:35 PM

I've been meaning to get around to that especially ebfore the movie comes out. I'm a fan of Watchmen if you've read Watchmen how do you feel it ranks to it?

i liked it better. in Watchmen the chraracter were kind of unsympathetic. V however is very charasmatic.

pocheros

02-26-2006, 08:53 PM

Right now, Break, Blow, Burn is my favourite book. It helps me understand poetry >_>

After that, off the top of my head- The Voyage of the Dawn Treader, Dracula, The Bell Jar (give me my depressed rambling!), and The Bluest Eye.

Fifthfiend

02-26-2006, 08:57 PM

Favorite author would be Terry Pratchett, though I'd be hard pressed to name a single book as a favorite.

No, who am I kidding, it's Night Watch.

If comic books are permitted, then possibly JLA One Million.

Marblehead Johnson

02-26-2006, 09:16 PM

I, too, was trying to narrow down my favorite Pratchettian novel. As long as we're on single books, I'll cheat and go with:

Rincewind - Sure, it's four books in one volume, but it was the first Pratchett I ever read... and I read the whole thing in three days. I couldn't sleep without reading more chapters... it was amazing. It was the first time in YEARS a book or author had had that kind of effect on me. Otherwise, anything involving Vimes, either Night Watch (he time travels, right?) and the one where Vetinari pushes Vimes so hard, Vimes forgets to punch the wall (why can't I remember the name of that book?! GYAH!)

In other novels, I'd have to make it a tie between Neverwhere and Good Omens. Both are phenomenal for different reasons.

I'm probably going to get laughed at HARD for this, but Monster by Christopher Pike. I read it when I was like 12... and then I read it again. And again. And again. I don't know why I couldn't stop reading it, but it was like a switch being flicked on... I'd never read anything like it before. You can stop laughing now.

The Sherlock Holmes Omnibus Eight hundred pages of incredibly tiny font... an eleven day road trip with my relatives... and a ten year old boy. Read the whole thing, hours and hours every day in the back of a station wagon. Probably upped my IQ fifty points, just for making me think so hard for so long about the language, and the context, let alone the plot. Great book.

Fifthfiend

02-26-2006, 09:41 PM

Rincewind - Sure, it's four books in one volume, but it was the first Pratchett I ever read... and I read the whole thing in three days. I couldn't sleep without reading more chapters... it was amazing. It was the first time in YEARS a book or author had had that kind of effect on me.

To be honest I get that shit from Michael Crichton novels.

But in the case of Pratchett at least it is enjoyable.

the one where Vetinari pushes Vimes so hard, Vimes forgets to punch the wall (why can't I remember the name of that book?! GYAH!)

Men at Arms.

ElfLad

02-26-2006, 11:17 PM

Lord of the Rings
The Chronicles of Narnia
Thrawn Trilogy
A Series of Unfortunate Events

Tilion

03-09-2006, 02:09 PM

Let's se, this will be long :)

First of all, my LotR theory: It's a book that should be read twice (yep, i know, "its fsking long, and you want to go through it twice!?"). But the first time you are eager for the plot, and you read fast through many parts. The second time around, you can really get into the scenery, the descriptions, the minor details and all the glimpses of Middle earth mythology spread through the book.

Having said that, My favourite Tolkien book would be the Silmarillion: with all the epic stories, and characters: The curse and fall of the Noldor, the house of Feanor, Gondolin, Beren and Luthien, Turin Turambar,... I never get tired of that book :P

My computers at home/work are named after Beleriand/middle earth places, and Tilion was de maia put in charge of the ship of the Moon :P
sorry for the rant :/

Now for the list:

- Lord of the Light: I love Zelazny's writing style, and LotL was a great book, combining sf, fantasy, mythology and great characters.

- Use of Weapons: By Iain Banks. The Culture books I've read where great, but Use of Weapons was one of those books that give you an emotional blow, with a great character, that you really get to know and undestand, and an unforgettable ending.

- Hitchhicker's Guide: I've read all the books several times, I've seen the BBC series and the radio show. Repeat after me: "Mostly Harmless and that movie Do Not exist" ;)

- 1984: As the saying goes: one of those books everyone should read before they die.

- Some mentioned V for Vendetta, and I'll have to agree. Let's see what they do with the movie... ^_^

- As comics go, I'll have to add the Sandman (I know, typical, but I'm a sucker for good fantasy. And I love Death :) ), and Transmetropolitan (I don't know how I came across it, but I like it a lot, It has funny moments, very touching ones, and a good dose of social criticism)

- From Neil Gaiman, I liked a lot Smoke and Mirrors, the collection of short stories, and American Godds was good too. Haven't read Neverwhere or Coralline yet, but they're on the list.

- Terri Pratchett. I'm slowly reading my way through Discworld, and they are great. Don't care much about the witches, for example, but that's one of the greatness of the series, I read them all regardless.

- Good Omens. Gaiman and Prattchett writing together a novel about the end of the world. 'nuff said.

- William Gibson: the sprawl triology and the short stories. Genere defining books. I'm also a science fiction fan and Gibson manages to give that neon dream feeling with his writing, and it has also a great plot, that you really don't fully understand until the end.

I think that's it. I know it's long, but i couldn't really take out any of those :)

Satan's Onion

03-10-2006, 03:57 AM

...
- Hitchhicker's Guide: I've read all the books several times, I've seen the BBC series and the radio show. Repeat after me: "Mostly Harmless and that movie Do Not exist" ;)

Indeed. Well--the ending to Mostly Harmless and all parts of the movie that aren't Mos Def, Bill Nighy, Alan Rickman, and certain parts of the soundtrack do not exist. At least, they wouldn't in my vision of a truly just universe.

Alao add to my list the His Dark Materials trilogy, A Series of Unfortunate Events (must...restrain...rabid Snicket fan-yammering...), 'most anything by Pterry, and the Narnia Chronicles. (The books, not that d*mn movie.) I've also been known to enjoy re-reading A Wrinkle in Time, The Giver and Behind the Attic Wall.

Sylvia Waugh's series about the Mennyms ain't half bad either, at least in concept (sometimes the prose itself is a bit pleh). Brian Jacques is pretty good reading, too, even tho' the plots are kind of interchangeable; same goes for P.G. Wodehouse. I'm really starting to dig the Doctor Who novels as well. Oh yeah--anyone ever read the Tripods Trilogy by John Cristopher? Not too bad, I thought.

If we're going to include graphic novels and the like, then I think it's hard to go wrong with ElfQuest. (Please don't beat me up.)

Leon-the-Dark-Knight

03-10-2006, 04:03 PM

Most of the books that I read are medieval fantasy, though I like some sci-fi and crime thrillers. Having said that, here are the authos that would humbly recommend to the rest of you:

David Eddings: Especially his first two fantasy series The Begariad and The Malleorean. An epic tale of mortals and gods, and a very unique perspctive on how fate influnces the world. All of his works are full of memorable characters, and some the best humor in this genre.

Terry Goodkind: His [I]Sword of Truth[I] series is one my favorites, and I am looking forward to the next installment. These books have heroes that you will love, and villians that you will absolutley hate. you will be shown that life can be very hard, and that hard decisions sometimes have to be made.

Major Blood

03-10-2006, 06:12 PM

I mostly read Jeffery Deaver novels(Lincoln Rhyme novels if you've never heard of them). My fave of the series is the Vanished Man. I've never quite been so amazed by the written word.

Flying Zamboni

03-12-2006, 11:56 PM

Oh yeah--anyone ever read the Tripods Trilogy by John Cristopher? Not too bad, I thought.

I didn't think that anyone else had read those. I read them in middle school and I remember that they were a fun read.

As for my favorite books:

-Watchmen: Just awesome on so many levels.

-Stephen King's Dark Tower Series: The sheer scope of the series is incredible, the way he works in characters from a bunch of his other books was well done.

-Lord of the Rings: The obvious reasons.

-Terry Prachett novels: I've only read one and a half and I think he's great.

-Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy and the Dirk Gently novels: Douglas Adams was a great comedic writer. I't so sad that he died so early.

-Nuklear Age: I'm a sucker for super heroes.

Fifthfiend

03-13-2006, 12:40 AM

Satan's Onion

03-13-2006, 05:25 AM

-Hitchhickers Guide to the Galaxy and the Dirk Gently novels: Douglas Adams was a great comedic writer. I't so sad that he died so early.It's sad that he died before I could cage him in a backwoods cabin until he made things right again.

I dunno if I'd try that, fifth. For one thing, writers are whiny as all hell. I tried locking one up once and all I heard from him every day was "Quit imprisoning me! Quit imprisoning me! I'm so escaping from here!" And then--then the b*stard had the nerve to call the cops on me when he got out. And the cops are nasty pieces of work, too. You padlock *one* novelist into your basement with only a pen, notebook, food dish and toilet bucket and they treat you like you're some kind of criminal. You call that protecting and serving the community? 'Cos I don't.

To yank his gradually back on topic, if you like decent poetry, you can hardly do better than either Shel Silverstein (I have Where the Sidewalk Ends and Falling Up) or Dorothy Parker, my two favorites.

Electric Monk

03-13-2006, 11:36 AM

- William Gibson: the sprawl triology and the short stories. Genere defining books. I'm also a science fiction fan and Gibson manages to give that neon dream feeling with his writing, and it has also a great plot, that you really don't fully understand until the end.

Some of my favorites, as well. This guy ruined writing science fiction for me. I'll never be able to contribute to the genre what he has.

My all-time favorite, though, has got to be "Dune" by Frank Herbert. I first read it when I was 13; over the last 12 years I've read it over countless times, and each time I get something new out of it.

If Herbert and Gibson are two parts of my scifi trinity, Ursula K. Le Guin is the third. "The Dispossessed," "The Left Hand of Darkness," and "The Lathe of Heaven" should be required reading.

Oh crap...I'm going to be late for class. Favorite non-scifi book? "Foucault's Pendulum" by Umbert Eco. Especially important book today because people seem to be crazy about a certain Jesus conspiracy theory. This book, published circa 1987, totally destroys all those crackpot theories in a most humorous way. Eco is one of the smartest people I (don't) know.

TheSpacePope

03-15-2006, 05:56 PM

can't really think of the books but as for authors

palaniuk-all of em
lustbader, eric-i like ninja's
anne rice
herman hesse-siddhartha is teh awesome
most classical authors like dickens and the like.
virginia wolfe

and others to be sure

but my all time favorite books
Hitchikers guide-life changers

EVILNess

03-15-2006, 10:07 PM

The Hobbit.

That book is like a fine wine, it just gets better with age. IMO much better than the LOTR trio.

Huzzah for Bilbo Baggins!

Mondt

03-16-2006, 09:12 AM

Ender's Game. And Speaker for the Dead. And Xenocide. And Children of the Mind.

And the Bean books.

Orson Scott card be my favorite, although I've never read his other stuff O_o

Edit: His Dark Materials - Decent enough fantasy books, but the ending knocks it up there to the top.Agreed. Actually, I liked the entire plot and how it developed. I just don't like the very, very, very last part of the ending.

DarkCORN!

03-18-2006, 12:03 AM

Yo.

The Eragon Trilogy: Come out with the third book, dammit!
The Bartimaeus Trilogy: Wise cracking demons? Hell yes!
Hitchhikers guide to the galaxy: All of them jewels.
The Diadem series: too short

GARUD

03-18-2006, 01:11 AM

David Eddings: Especially his first two fantasy series The Begariad and The Malleorean. An epic tale of mortals and gods, and a very unique perspctive on how fate influnces the world. All of his works are full of memorable characters, and some the best humor in this genre.

Have to agree. THE BEST FANTASY BOOK SETS YOU WILL READ.

I also liked the Sir Sparhawk series, and the Redemption of Althalus. All the characters in all series have good humour and strength of character. I liked the books so much, I would even read them in the toilet. Seriously.

DarkCORN!

03-18-2006, 01:56 AM

I agree with GARUD. Also, I forgot my very favorite book- Warriors: Dawn

Decker

03-19-2006, 04:54 PM

I agree that Pratchett and Adams take the cake, with one exception. I really do not like Rincewind at all. The man is an annoying twit. and as Pratchett himself said there is only so much you can do with someone who is a coward and dosn't care who knows it.

I'm a personal fan on the Witches and the Watch stories, but my personal favorite Pratchett book is Going Postal.

Has anyone ever read Good Omens? Pratchet co-wrote it with some other guy that I can't remember right now, but it was really, really good.

Igtok

03-20-2006, 05:16 PM

I feel obligated to make a post here since I did in the other thread.

Lord of The Rings: For anyone who has read this book, they already know why it is good. For people who haven't, well, they probably aren't reading this.

The Lion, Witch and The Wardrobe: Other than the part where I hear "Turkish Delight" uttered every other word, this is a thoroughly enjoyable book.

The Hobbit: This is the funnest read I have ever had.

Most Discworld books that I have read I enjoyed a lot (except for Pyramids & Carpe Jugulum). My favorite would probably be The Color of Magic.

Kinda funny that I have less to say about the books I like than the books I dislike.

Leon-the-Dark-Knight

04-01-2006, 10:41 PM

The Dragonlance Series, especially the ones written by Margeret Weis and Tracy Hickman is quite an addictive series for me to read. From the War of the Lance, to Raistlin Majare's war against the gods, to the War of the Souls (Mina is still my favorite character), and now the Amber trilogy, I could not put these books down. It has an interesting view of mythology, where the fates of the gods is highly dependent on the actions of mortals. I tend to like the villains more so than the heroes. I mean Mina was just freakin' awsome! What other seventeen year-old girl can speak for the only god currently on the planet, can lead an army of one-hundred thousand of almost invincible undead, and can ride an uber-powerful ghost dragon that represents all of the dragons that had died in the previous thirty years? I have got to get a hold of Amber and Iron. Weis's other series, particularly the Sovereign Stone Trilogy, are also very good reads.:D

Toast

04-01-2006, 10:53 PM

Dune, enough said. All six. I really need to get around to reading the House books and the Butlerian Jihad ones as well.

Jane Lindskold's Firekeeper series.

Just getting into some Terry Pratchett books, Reaper Man was pure awesome.

Watership Down will always remain a favourite of mine.

King_black_mage

04-01-2006, 11:59 PM

Muffin Mage

04-02-2006, 08:51 AM

If you haven't read Zelazny's Chronicles of Amber, you fail at life. Period.

Terrry Pratchet's books are great. I don't necessarily like all of the books with the watch or the witches, but they're still good books.

Catch-22 is amazingly amazing.

The Fountainhead, Atlas Shrugged and Anthem are all fantastic books.

Eddings is good, but kind of predictable. I'm not sure if I should bother with the new series.

I'm rather fond of the dystopian type books: Farenheit 451, 1984, Brave New World, that sort of thing.

I went on an epic poetry bonanza at the beginning of the year and liked everything I read. I finally got through the Iliad, reread the Oddesey and Beowulf and the Inferno and got about halfway through the Purtagorio and two pages into the Song of Roland before I gave up.

Don Quixote is just a fun book. You feel really, really bad for him after a while, but you realize that he brings it on himself.

That's it for now.

Vile

04-02-2006, 04:52 PM

I wouldn't. All of Eddings' series have the exact same characters, and very similar premises. He ended up completely turning me off of non-Tolkien fantasy after Althalus, simply because he was pretty much the best out of them, and his style had completely dried up.

Favorite would be a tie between Moby-Dick and Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency. Moby-Dick is simply the greatest book ever to come out of America, and DGHDA is the greatest piece of comedy ever written in prose. The H2G2 radio series still beats it, but not by much.

My favorite author, on the other hand, is Vladimir Nabokov. Odd wit, f-ed up premises, and a flair with the language that I wish that I could emulate.

chocobo_man

04-03-2006, 08:54 PM

My favorite book, hmmmm. Any thing by Douglas Adams, but I really liked Life, the Universe, and Everything great book man, great book.

Satan's Onion

04-04-2006, 05:29 AM

I cannot fnucking believe that I forgot to mention either The Big Over Easy or the Thursday Next series, both by Jasper Fforde. Nursery rhyme murders, time travel police, mysteries set in a literature-obsessed society, and George Formby as unelected President for Life of England? I know it sounds like I'm raving, but--read this series, please.

Mirai Gen

04-04-2006, 03:15 PM

Star Wars: Episode III, Revenge of the Sith by Matthew Stover.

I wish I could explain why, but the guy is so incredibly badass I just can't put it into words. Fantastic author. Fixed everything I hated about the movie - heavily reccomended.

MotasMan

04-10-2006, 12:42 AM

Fantasy seems to be the predominate genre running throughout this thread, though I've seen some science fiction, which is good, 'cause my all time favorite book would have to be Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard.

I read a lot, and I mean, A LOT. So far though, I haven't found another book to engage my interest as much as it does. If you haven't read it, you should, it is a very engaging story.

Also, I loved all the Hitchhiker's books, Dune, and almost anything by Clarke or Asimov. All Sci-Fi for the most part, but good stuff at least.

For fantasy there are a lot of good ones too, but my absolute favorite series would have to be anything in the Magician series by Raymond E. Feist. The Empire trilogy, co-written with someone I can't remember, is especially good.

Muffin Mage

04-10-2006, 11:59 AM

OH! The Hollow Chocolate Bunnies of the Apocalypse! Can't remember the name of the author, but it was a great book.

Leon-the-Dark-Knight

04-10-2006, 08:19 PM

Her Wayfarer Redemption series is very good. The Troy Games and the Crucible series are also very interesting. It is hard to explain but all of her books are just a little on the weird side.

Mondt

04-10-2006, 11:27 PM

Fantasy seems to be the predominate genre running throughout this thread, though I've seen some science fictionI'm almost sure we can all agree that Ender's Game, Speaker for the Dead, etc. are completely awesome. In every way. And non-ways. It's that good.

Although, I could be wrong.

Chris Redfield

04-26-2006, 03:42 PM

My favourite book, that's easy!

A Song of Ice and Fire is the series, my favourite book in the series is a much harder decision.

Hmmmmmmmmmmmm... I'd have to say... A Feast for Crows.

(\/)ea(ulpa

04-29-2006, 02:20 PM

My top five favorite:

5: Ender's Shadow, Orson Scott Card
4. Carrie, Stephen King
3. Ender's Game, Orson Scott Card
2. Speaker for the Dead, Orson Scott Card
1. A Rose for Ecclesiastes (sp), Roger Zelazny

Buddha Fett

05-10-2006, 01:03 PM

This is a really difficult question...

oh, wait, Night Watch.

Elminster_Amaur

05-10-2006, 02:18 PM

I cannot believe no one (At least, I didn't see anyone) said Wheel of Time by Jordan.

Forgotten Realms is good.
Tad Williams' Memory, Sorrow and Thorn are a little hard to get into, but after you get past the overly descriptive beginning, it's a great Trilogy.
Anne McCaffrey's books are pretty much all good.

Kitana Paladine

05-10-2006, 09:46 PM

Favorite book....

That's really hard, what with all the books I've read.... Um....

Mercedes Lackey-Last Herald-Mage trilogy(yes, they are my favorite books by her)

Anne Rice-The Mummy(or Ramses the Damned), The Vampire Lestat, Queen of the Damned

Stephen King-The Gunslinger and Drawing of the Three

Frank Herbert-Dune, Dune Messiah(unfortunately, I haven't read the other books in the series by Frank, but I have a few of the ones his son Brian wrote), Butlerian Jihad(I so need to get the last two in this trilogy)

Weis and Hickman-Legends trilogy(the three books about Raistlin's war with the gods), War of the Lance trilogy. I have other favorites in the DragonLance series, but I can't remember their titles save for Soulforge and Brothers in Arms.

Edit: I remembered some! Anne Bishop's Black Jewel trilogy and its related books, The Invisible Ring and Dreams Made Flesh. I highly recommend those books to anyone who loves magic, fantasy, and romance.

If I remember any others, I'll add them later.

Muffin Mage

05-10-2006, 10:14 PM

I cannot believe no one (At least, I didn't see anyone) said Wheel of Time by Jordan.

That's because the Wheel of Time is Godawful long. The payoff when he kills off more of the 250 main characters will be hella worth it, though.

I'm not sure if I mentioned this, but I really like epic poems. I don't know why.

PraetorZorak

05-23-2006, 02:27 AM

As far as Science Fiction goes, I have a few favorite series that I consistently return to no matter how long its been:

Star Wars:
The Thrawn Trilogy by Tim Zahn, which together really reads like one book.
The X-Wing series by Michael Stackpole and Aaron Allston, for some great Rebel military reading without all that Force business

Orson Scott Card:
The original Ender's Game Quadrilogy

He Who Needs Not Be Introduced:
Hitchhikers Guide Etc.

As far as fantasy goes, other than the of course great LOTR etc. and my old favorite Dragonriders of Pern series, I greatly enjoyed both Five Children and It and The Phoenix and the Carpet.

I've also been a fan of most of Tom Clancy's earlier novels before he went off the deep end. The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Red Storm Rising, and Without Remorse especially to name a few, and the Jack Ryan storyline in general without it being bastardized by certain recent movies.

Similarly, I also enjoy some of Michael Crichton's earlier novels such as Andromeda Strain, The Great Train Robbery, Jurrassic Parks, and Sphere...ditto about good stories being bastardized by mediocre movies. I also liked Timeline.

Finally, the author that's been the inspiration and guide for much of my own writing, published, in progress, or otherwise: Dave Barry. His columns are gold, his novels are the best kind of rediculous yet plausible circumstance, and Dave Barry Hits Below the Beltway was the America: The Book before America: The Book existed. Where else can you learn that modern government was formed to provide defense from Giant Prehistoric Zucchini?

Gorefiend

05-27-2006, 11:53 PM

To anyone who hasn't read more than the first two or three Dune books: KEEP GOING! God Emperor of Dune and its sequel, Heretics of Dune, are some of the best books ever written.

That said, while Dune is surely a great book and series, my favorite book ever is probably The White Plague by Herbert. God, I love that book. In it lie politics, insanity, world crisis management, biochemistry, Irish history and mythology, plagues, sigularity, terrorism on a global scale, and so much more. Give it a read, go on.

Hellstrom's Hive is also pretty good, despite the weird book jacket that appeals to phychadelic 70's and 80's teens (at least in my library's old edition).

So, yeah, I'm a huge Herbert fan.

That said, Discworld and Hitchhiker's Guide are both comedic masterpieces, and Orson Scott Card's work is masterful. I'm also a huge fan of the His Dark Materials series.

Leon-the-Dark-Knight

06-24-2006, 08:19 PM

I also like Robert Jordan's extremely, extremely long series. I have to be in the right mood though. You have to be willing to plow through hundreds of pages of boring about characters that you do not really care about, before you get to the good parts. Usually a little bit after the halfway point is when it actually gets intersting again. So it is a mixed bag. I still own all of the Wheel's books, so they cannot be that bad.

It has been a while since I posted, but I am here to announce that The Dark Knight is officially back in the forum.:cool:

MariusTwilight

07-09-2006, 11:28 AM

I've actually read alot of books. Some were good, some were quite good, others were abosulutely horrible. Though of the books I actually like, I do prefer the book Dune by Frabj Herbert. It is possibly my most favorite of any book I read.

Maybe it was something about the messed up religions.. the well done fight scenes... Or perhaps the fact half the people in that book should be thrown into an insane assylum sometimes. I don't know.. either way, it is one damn good book.

Myst Warrior

07-09-2006, 11:56 AM

My favorite main idea in a series of books is the Daniel Quinn Ishmael, My Ishmael, and The Story of B, simply because of the thoughts they provoke. For the best read? The Myst trilogy-The Book of Atrus, The Book of Ti'ana, and The Book of D'ni. They take a while to build up, but when they do, you just don't want to put them down.

HardEBM

07-19-2006, 07:24 PM

Not to be self absorbed here, but the best book I've read is the one I wrote... well, still writing, Unfortunatly, it wont actually be in print for a long time. mainly because its still in the editing stages.
Other than that, I'd have to say 1984 by George Orwell.

Check below please.

If you want more info on my book (entitled Static, genre fantasy) PM me or Talk to me on MSN

Chipper173

07-19-2006, 08:41 PM

I'm gonna kiss Brian's ass and say Nuklear Age.

Other than that, Fight Club, 1984, Dark Knight Returns and City of Light, City of Dark all rank high on my list.

Elbodo

07-20-2006, 02:06 AM

Wow!! Nice to know there a some well-read people 'round these parts. Hmm, I usually go on "author-kicks" -- if I read something I like from one author I'll usually go hunting up everything I can by them and read it -- and most of my favorite stuff has already been mentioned in this thread. So I'll pretty much agree with anyone who said anything good about:

Douglas Adams
Orson Scott Card
David Eddings
Robert Heinlein*
Stephen King
C.S. Lewis
Terry Pratchett
Ayn Rand
J.R.R. Tolkien

I'll also throw in Asimov and his Foundation series -- along with all the rest of his fiction since the're really one overarching history.

And yes, the original book The Neverending Story was incredible. The first movie did alright by it but the sequels piss me off.

* As far as Heinlein goes, I saw somebody mention The Moon is a Harsh Mistress but not its semi-sequel The Cat Who Walks Through Walls. So I'll list my favorite series of all time as those last books R.A.H. wrote:

Time Enough For Love
The Number of the Beast
The Cat Who Walks Through Walls (preluded by The Moon is a Harsh Mistress)
To Sail Beyond the Sunset

I'd recommend anyone who's going to read those to first read Revolt in 2100 / Methuselah's Children (A couple of stories, actually, released together in one volume -- not really one of those last books but they enhance the experience of those that follow). These last few books also reference The Rolling Stones, Between Planets, Glory Road, Friday, and some others.

Hmm. I'm noticing a pattern. Asimov, Heinlein, and King all seem to have capped their careers by writing volumes of related work that manage to tie most (or all) of their previous work together in one fictional uni(multi?)verse. And they are three of my very favorite authors ever.

King_black_mage

07-20-2006, 02:22 AM

If i may post anothergreatbook, I suggest a book called Up in a heavel it is a really good book and it alos has a great ending too!

KBM (Byron)

Demetrius

08-03-2006, 02:56 AM

Stephen R. Donaldson's Thomas Covenant books are most excellent
Wheel of Time I say is not long enough and I want more more more!
Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind disgusts yet keeps me reading
Asimov, Prachett. Clarke, Tolkien (the unfinished stories kick ass!)
Eddings and Brooks are ok, too many similarities in plot and characters
I also go for just a random history text book every now and again (french history is better than most new books)

All in all if its a well written and well thought out book with almost any depth to it I'll read it and enjoy it. All good books are my favorite

OAB

08-04-2006, 02:18 PM

- Letters from the Earth
- Sex, Drugs and Cocoa Puffs
- Nirvanna's Children

:0

Ryanderman

08-04-2006, 02:49 PM

Any Prattchet book with Thud being my favorite, followed closely by Night Watch and Monsterous Regiment.
Asimov
Agintha Christy
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Timothy Zhan - especially A Coming of Age
David Weber's Honor Harrington series
The Hitchhiker's Trilogy of six books.
LoTR
Michael Crichton

The Dark Blue Messenger

08-05-2006, 11:57 AM

Mine was Shogun by James Clavell. It was 1210 pages long, so it took me a while, but I simply could not put it down because the characters were so well developed.

Supreme Edgemaster

08-28-2006, 02:31 PM

There are a number of books I'd name at the top. Just to name a few.

The Avatar Trilogy - Richard Awlinson
Prince of Lies - James Lowder
The Dark Elf Trilogy - R.A. Salvatore
The Icewind dale Trilogy - R.A. Salvatore
The Legacy of Darkness - R.A. Salvatore
Paths of Darkness - R.A. Salvatore
The Hunters Blades Trilogy - R.A. Salvatore

As you can see, I have every book in this list in the "Forgotten Realms of D&D fantasy" setting. That is because I wont read any others. I just dont find interest in any other types of literature. Although I will read dragonlance once in a while if I've read all these books like 10 times.

ElfLad

08-28-2006, 04:41 PM

I am a huge Narnia geek. I love all seven of these books, particularly Magician's Nephew and Voyage of the Dawn Treader. Screwtape Letters is another good Lewis book.

Hawk

08-28-2006, 05:56 PM

The Dark Tower
'Nuff said

-Hawk

Buddha Fett

08-29-2006, 02:36 PM

The Pendragon Cycle by Stephen R. Lawhead. It puts a weird, semi-historical spin on the whole King Arthur legend. It gets to a point where you go, "Wait, did this actually happen? It sounds like it did..."

Also, the Once and Future King.

RayJack

08-30-2006, 04:28 AM

The Dark Tower
'Nuff said

-Hawk

I second that.

Salookanana

08-30-2006, 05:04 AM

Hitchikers Guide to the Galaxy and Catch 22. Both incredibly funny novels at the opposite ends of the humor spectrum.

That Yossarian!

BitVyper

09-08-2006, 01:52 PM

I just got my hands on The Princess Bride recently, and I love it. Makes all of the characters considerably more baddass (especially Humperdinck).

It's also made me appreciate the movie quite a bit more.

Darth SS

09-08-2006, 11:01 PM

If non-fiction is allowed...

Freakonomics.

Seriously, this book opens your mind in ways normally reserved for pharmaceuticals.

Ryuu74

09-10-2006, 06:33 PM

Hmmm...

Romance of the Three Kingdoms: Luo Guanzhong, both Moss Roberts and Brewitt-Taylor translations. The Brewitt-Taylor version is available in full, for free, at http://www.threekingdoms.com/

The book is an example of how awesome historical fiction can be, even though it goes with a 70/30 fact/fiction split. Most of the characters were real people. Taken as a whole, it's longer than LOTR (including the Hobbit), but that didn't keep me from plowing through it in four days. Ever wonder what those guys in Dynasty Warriors were like in 3rd century AD China? Here's your chance to find out.

Honor Harrington series: David Weber.

Probably one of the better sci-fi book series to come out of the US recently. It dispenses with the "WWII... In SPACE!" style of warfare that seems to have become part of most science fiction since Star Wars, and it's good fun, overall.

Jeneralissimo

09-20-2006, 10:00 AM

My favorite book of all time would have to be Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Favorite Pratchett is Interesting Times. I also love George R. R. Martin's A Song of Ice and Fire series. (Hurry up with that fifth book already!) War for the Oaks by Emma Bull is awesome. Found that one on Amazon over the summer. Thank God for Listmania!

mrfrogac

09-23-2006, 12:29 PM

I would have to say my favourite book right now is Black Hawk Down

RakkaQueen

09-24-2006, 08:15 PM

These are my top faverites:

EAST- A mixture of my three faverite farie tales

BEAUTY- the type of story you can't put down so you stay up all night reading it.

BLOODY JACK- An AWESOME book.

THE HOBBIT- My faverite of J.R.R. Tolkein

TIL WE HAVE FACES- A very thought provoking book by C.S. Lewis

ALICE IN WONDERLAND\THROUGH THE LOOKING GLASS- A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!!!

TSUBASA- The best Mangas EVER!

Selfish

09-24-2006, 08:45 PM

A few of my favourites, `cause, hey, who could have just one?

The Screwtape Letters
Out of the Silent Planet
Narnia anything
The Great Divorce
all by C.S.Lewis

I Sing the Body Electric, Ray Bradbury

Kidnapped, Robert Louis Stevenson

Pigs don`t fly, Mary Brown (starts with My mother was the village whore, and I loved her very much.)

Dragon`s Bait
Never Trust a Dead Man
both by Vivian Vande Velde

There were also the Pern(?) series, something like DragonDrums, but they came out way long ago.

Ya. Nerd/Daydreamer = me.

Marble

09-25-2006, 05:25 AM

i liked [V for Vendetta] better. in Watchmen the chraracter were kind of unsympathetic. V however is very charasmatic.
Aw, that I just can't agree with. Dan Dreiberg was one of the most melancholic and friendly characters I've seen in a work of literature. I mean, I agree that V is charisma incarnate, but as a masked vigilante figure, his virtual sympathy is kind of incompatible with his vengeful killing. Take a guy like Rorschach on the other hand, he doesn't pretend to be nice to anybody. That makes him, I suppose, more morally credible than V. xD

This does not mean I'm favouring Watchmen over V for Vendetta. They are both marvellous creations and I enjoyed them equally.

The best book I've ever read... well, Neil Gaiman's American Gods is what I'd say offhand. It's just so bloody complete a story. I feel sort of boring and mainstream for choosing a Gaiman book as my favourite, but come on, the guy is a modern genius.

Captain Hat

09-25-2006, 03:18 PM

While my favourite book of all time would have to be Dune (in my mind, there's simply no beating it), I would agree with the above poster that Watchmen has some fantastically resonant characters: Not the least of whom is, scarily enough, Rorschach.

Rorschach represents both the best and the worst of humanity struggling to cope with a world viewed through the black-and-white morality filter his upbringing drove him to cling to. As such, he is one of the most fascinating characters in all of fiction, certainly in "superhero" fiction, in my view at least.

And then there are classic lines, like "None of you understand. I'm not locked up in here with you. You're locked up in here with me." It was the first Alan Moore comic I read, and it was a real eye-opener. Things like the scene where Rorschach remembers the moment he stopped being Walter Kovacs, three full pages where the pictures tell the story, and the creeping realisation of the whole thing... simply fantastic use of the medium, and great storytelling to boot.