Top Ten Favorite Books

[Erin]

Seeing a post made by Sarajean earlier got me thinking...what are your top 10 favorite books of all time? I know we have the "What's your favorite book" thread, but I want to see the rest of them. And I like lists. :lol:

I need to think a bit about my top favorites, but will post them later.

[RolandDerRevolvermann]

I first have to check english book titles... :)

But so far non DT-books.

1. Eragon I + II - Christopher Paolini
2. The ODESSA file - Frederic Forsyth
3. Die Elfen (The elves) - Bernhard Hennen
4. Harry Potter IV, V, VI
5. Illuminati - Dan Brown
6. Das Sakrileg (The daVinci Code) - Dan Brown
7. Die Jury (The Jury) - John Grisham
8. Die Kammer (The Chamber) - John Grisham
9. Guard of the night - Sergei Lukianenko
10. Der Shatten des Windes (Shadow of the wind) - Carloz Zafon

And I currently read "The Pillars of the Earth" from Ken Follet and up to now it´s awesome. Propably this book will enter the list.

[sarah]

oh erin. this is a tough thread. I'll start my list...

in no order

1. The Dark Tower
2. Harry Potter
3. Tom Sawyer
4. The Lord of the Rings
5. Pride and Prejudice
6. Carrie
7. IT

[Darkthoughts]

Yeah man, this is hard! I think mine would be (no particular order):

1 - The Hobbit ~ J R R Tolkien
2 - The Cider House Rules ~ John Irving
3 - Kiss of the Spiderwoman ~ Manuel Puig
4 - not sure what to put as my all encompassing SK book...I'm tempted to put IT as it scared the crap out of me like nothing I'd read before...other than that it'd be DT as a whole, Insomnia or Black House.
5 - Great Expectations ~ Charles Dickens
6 - Prisoner of Azkaban ~ J K Rowling
7 - To Kill A Mockingbird ~ Harper Lee
8 - The Robber Bride ~ Maragaret Atwood
9 - Dracula ~ Bram Stoker
10 - American Gods ~ Neil Gaiman

thats not quite it though, because I haven't gotten in Wodehouse or Iain Banks or countless others, I like doing lists :D but they're almost always impossible. I couldn't make a 100% definitive one.

[Storyslinger]

I'm going to write the DT books as one whole story

1. DT
2. The Stand
3. Bag of Bones
4. The Talismin
5. Black House
6. Hatchet
7. Brian's Winter
8. My Life in Dog Years
9. The Transall Saga
10. The Gathering

[Wuducynn]

1. The Dark Tower

2. It

3. Insomnia

4. Black House

5. Bag of Bones

6. The Stand

7. Dreamcatcher

8. Rose Madder

9. The Shining

10. The Call of Cthulhu

[Storyslinger]

1. The Dark Tower

2. It

3. Insomnia

4. Black House

5. Bag of Bones

6. The Stand

7. Dreamcatcher

8. Rose Madder

9. The Shining

10. The Call of Cthulhu

Good Line UP:thumbsup:

[fernandito]

I agree with everyone else, this is a tough thread and I'm pretty sure the list I give out won't be 110% accurate (there's just so many books!) , but here it goes:

In no particular order -

1. The Gunslinger
2. Desperation
3. A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)
4. The Sandman (Neil Geiman)
5. The Watchmen (Alan Moore)
6. Enders Game (Orson Scott Card)
7. Enders Shadow (Orson Scott Card)
8. Imajica (Clive Barker)
9. The Talisman
10. Sphere (Micheal Crichton)

[Storyslinger]

I agree with everyone else, this is a tough thread and I'm pretty sure the list I give out won't be 110% accurate (there's just so many books!) , but here it goes:

In no particular order -

1. The Gunslinger
2. Desperation
3. A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)
4. The Sandman (Neil Geiman)
5. The Watchmen (Alan Moore)
6. Enders Game (Orson Scott Card)
7. Enders Shadow (Orson Scott Card)
8. Imajica (Clive Barker)
9. The Talisman
10. Sphere (Micheal Crichton)


The only one I haven't heard of is Imajica, but I've read the rest
Again, good line up :thumbsup:

[Wuducynn]

Imajica is considered by a lot of Barker's fans to be his best work from what I've heard. I tried reading The Great and Secret Show by him and got about half way and lost interest. I've been meaning to try reading Imajica.

[fernandito]

I've been meaning to try reading Imajica.

Pick it up, you won't regret it. Half-Human creatures, interdimensional travels, a main protagonist with telekinetic-like abilities, it's all there.

[funky dredd]

Tough one...and not really in any order.

1. The Gunslinger
2. Mr.Sebastian and the Negro Magician
3. IT
4. To Kill a Mockingbird
5. The Talisman
6. Interview with a Vampire
7. The Stand
8. Salem's Lot
9. Lord of the Rings
10. Eragon

[al'Lan Mandragoran]

1. The Iron Tower/Children of the Serpent Gate - Sarah Ash
2. The Dark Tower V: Wolves of the Calla - Stephen King
3. A Storm of Swords - George R. R. Martin
4. The Shadow Rising - Robert Jordan
5. The Eagles Brood - Jack Whyte
6. Eragon/Eldest - Christopher Paolini
7. A Game of Thrones/A Clash of Kings - George R. R. Martin
8. Balance Point - Kathy Tyers
9. It - Stephen King
10. The Dragon Reborn/Eye of the World/The Great Hunt - Robert Jordan

[Ikilledthecrimsonking]

1. The stand
2. It
3. the darkhalf
4. the longwalk
5. Darktower 7
6. Darktower 2
7. the outsiders
8. Hatchet
9. the forgotten soldier
10. the DaVinchi Code

1-6 by Stephen King
7.by S.E.Hinton
8.by Gary Pulson
9.by Guy Sajer
10.byDan Brown

[sarajean]

in no order at all

the lights in the sky are stars---fredric brown
perfume---patrick süskind
harry potter---jk rowling
the dark tower---stephen king
hitchhiker's guide to the galaxy---douglas adams
the princess bride---william goldman
jitterbug perfume---tom robbins
the man in the high castle---philip k dick
the stand---stephen king
the talisman---stephen king and peter straub

[Darkthoughts]

7. the outsiders

Oh man, good call!! Thats one hell of a book!! Infact I loved most of her stories - Rumblefish, That Was Then, This Is Now...:thumbsup:

[Erin]

No particular order...I included series as one book.

1. Rant: An Oral Biography of Buster Casey - Chuck Palahniuk
2. Harry Potter - JK Rowling
3. The Dark Tower - Stephen King
4. The Sword of Truth - Terry Goodkind
5. Pride and Prejudice - Jane Austen
6. The Time Travelers Wife - Audrey Niffenegger
7. The Stand - Stephen King
8. Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton (I read this in 5th grade and have loved it ever since).
9. The Picture of Dorian Gray - Oscar Wilde
10. Still Life with Woodpecker - Tom Robbins

[Jean]

here's my top ten list of books written in English only. No particular order. I didn't include any Dickens, either, because he is my favorite writer and I can't discriminate between his novels (or, as Chesterton observed, nobody can because they are not bona fide novels, but it's another story); didn't include Wodehouse for much the same reason.

1. Huckleberry Finn - Mark Twain
2. Lucky Jim - Kingsley Amis
3. To Kill a Mockingbird - Harper Lee
4. Catch 22 - Joseph Heller
5. Father Brown Stories - G.K.Chesterton
6. The Ball and the Cross - G.K.Chesterton
7. It - Stephen King
8. The Stand - Stephen King
9. The Dark Tower (as a whole) - Stephen King
10. Hamlet, Prince of Denmark - William Shakespeare

[Storyslinger]

7. the outsiders


Yeah, I agree with Darkthoughts on this, That is a great book

[Daghain]

Again, in no particular order:

1. The Dark Tower (the whole series)
2. Harry Potter (series)
3. Pride and Prejudice (actually, ALL Jane Austen but that's my favorite)
4. Misery
5. The Stand
6. Anything by Edgar Allan Poe
7. The Talisman
8. She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb
9. The Long Walk
10. The Witching Hour - Anne Rice

[Letti]

I love this thread a lot. It gives me ideas and goals. :)

[sarah]

Again, in no particular order:

1. The Dark Tower (the whole series)
2. Harry Potter (series)
3. Pride and Prejudice (actually, ALL Jane Austen but that's my favorite)4. Misery
5. The Stand
6. Anything by Edgar Allan Poe
7. The Talisman
8. She's Come Undone - Wally Lamb
9. The Long Walk
10. The Witching Hour - Anne Rice



:wub:

[Daghain]

:D

My capstone class for my English degree was a whole semester of Jane Austen. That totally rocked! :D

[sarajean]

daggers, i don't think you can include harry potter since you haven't even read the whole thing. :P

[Daghain]

Shhhhhh. :lol:

But, I know I'll like #7. Is it driving you nuts I haven't read it yet? Because that would be a bonus. :rofl:

[sarajean]

IT IS!!!!

[Daghain]

Sweet. :D

[sarajean]

just read the damn book already.

[Daghain]

:nope:

When it comes out in paperback, I'll pick one up. Hopefully sometime in 2008. :lol:

[fernandito]

You're just saying that to piss her off aren't you? :lol:

[MonteGss]

:nope:

When it comes out in paperback, I'll pick one up. Hopefully sometime in 2008. :lol:

Cheapskate. :P

[Wuducynn]

I hate Daghain. What a bitch.

[Daghain]

:lol:

[Letti]

I hate Daghain. What a bitch.


:lol:

Allhail.. you are simply incredible. You might be a magician. You can say anything about anybody everybody hugs you loves you cuddles with you.
You are an artist.

[Daghain]

No, we just know he is full of shit. :lol:

[fernandito]

Nicely put :P

[Wuducynn]

I'm a full of shit artist.. :lol:

[Rjeso]

Top ten. Hard to pick. Here's the current incarnation of the list:

1. The Hound and the Falcon trilogy
2. The Merlin trilogy
3. The Otherland series
4. Lord of the Rings
5. The Dante Club
6. It
7. The Things They Carried
8. The Harry Potter series
9. Anansi Boys
10. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series

[Erin]

Random House conducted a poll asking readers what they thought were the

100 Best Fiction Books of the 20th Century (http://www.listsofbests.com/list/19?page=1)

What do you guys think of the list? Our man Stevie made the list at #29 with The Stand and again at #84 with IT.

[Telynn]

8. Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton (I read this in 5th grade and have loved it ever since).

Oh, yeah. This book was sooooooo much better then the movie.

[Erin]

You're so right. It was a million times better. I've read the book probably 10 times.

[Telynn]

Random House conducted a poll asking readers what they thought were the

100 Best Fiction Books of the 20th Century (http://www.listsofbests.com/list/19?page=1)

What do you guys think of the list? Our man Stevie made the list at #29 with The Stand and again at #84 with IT.


I can't believe Hubbard is on there so much, and so high.

[sarajean]

his science fiction stuff is really really good.

[Letti]

You're so right. It was a million times better. I've read the book probably 10 times.

May I ask why this book is so good?
I mean I saw nothing speciel in the movie. It was okay. Blood, bitings, big runnings and fear.
What's more about the book?
I really am interested in it.

[Darkthoughts]

The book is so much more involved and interesting than the movie Letti. The movie was really a showcase for special effects. Timeline is also a great book.

Rjeso - who is the Merlin trilogy by?

[ManOfWesternesse]

A top 10 eh! Damn hard, but here's my best shot at it (for today!)....

1. Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
2. The Dark Tower - Stephen King
3. Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - Stephen Donaldson
4. The Stand - Stephen King
5. The Mote in Gods Eye + The Moat around Murchesons Eye - Niven, Pournelle & Barnes
6. IT - Stephen King
7. Magician trilogy - Raymond E Feist
8. A Song of Ice and Fire - GRR Martin
9. Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
10. Harry Potter - JK Rowling


&... just missed out.....

Dune (1st book) - Frank Herbert
Empire trilogy - Raymend Feist & Janny Wurts
Hitchhikers Guide etc... - Douglas Adams
Insomnia - Stephen King
Saga of the Exiles - Julian May

[Storyslinger]

The book is so much more involved and interesting than the movie Letti. The movie was really a showcase for special effects. Timeline is also a great book.

Rjeso - who is the Merlin trilogy by?

I can't remember either, but I remeber reading it, and it was great

[Erin]

You're so right. It was a million times better. I've read the book probably 10 times.

May I ask why this book is so good?
I mean I saw nothing speciel in the movie. It was okay. Blood, bitings, big runnings and fear.
What's more about the book?
I really am interested in it.


The book is so much more involved and interesting than the movie Letti. The movie was really a showcase for special effects. Timeline is also a great book.


Like Lisa said, the book gets far more involved than the movie. It explores the science behind how they re-created the dinosaurs better than the movie. Also, the characters are more exciting and I felt like the book was far more suspenseful than the movie. They just kinda went the "Big special effects and lots of blood!!!" route for the movie in my opinion.

And Timeline! I totally forgot about that book. Talk about another book waaaaaay better than the movie. If you haven't read Timeline, Letti, it might be another to look into. It's about a group of archaeologists who are working on a dig from the Middle Ages. The professor they are working with mysteriously disappears and they find in the dig a tablet engraved with something along the lines of "Help Me", written in the Professor's handwriting. Thinking it's a joke, they carbon date it, only to find out it's an authenic tablet from the 1300's. They then discover a company that has created a machine that will allow people to travel back in time and they go to the Middle Ages to try and save their professor. It's a really awesome book.

[Jean]

The book is so much more involved and interesting than the movie Letti. The movie was really a showcase for special effects. Timeline is also a great book.

Rjeso - who is the Merlin trilogy by?

I can't remember either, but I remeber reading it, and it was great

could it be Mary Stewart? If The Hollow Hills is part of the trilogy, then it's her.

[Storyslinger]

That wasn't the one I was thinking of, don't know about them

I found what I was looking for the author is T. A. Barron

[Rjeso]

The book is so much more involved and interesting than the movie Letti. The movie was really a showcase for special effects. Timeline is also a great book.

Rjeso - who is the Merlin trilogy by?

I can't remember either, but I remeber reading it, and it was great

could it be Mary Stewart? If The Hollow Hills is part of the trilogy, then it's her.

Yeah, this is the one I'm talking about. I'll have to check yours out now, Storyslinger. I love the Arthurian mythos.

[fernandito]

8. Jurassic Park - Michael Crichton (I read this in 5th grade and have loved it ever since).

Oh, yeah. This book was sooooooo much better then the movie.

Really? I think I need to check it out then, don't know why I haven't already seeing as how Sphere by Crichton is one of my all time favorite books.

[sarajean]

A top 10 eh! Damn hard, but here's my best shot at it (for today!)....

1. Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
2. The Dark Tower - Stephen King
3. Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - Stephen Donaldson
4. The Stand - Stephen King
5. The Mote in Gods Eye + The Moat around Murchesons Eye - Niven, Pournelle & Barnes
6. IT - Stephen King
7. Magician trilogy - Raymond E Feist
8. A Song of Ice and Fire - GRR Martin
9. Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan
10. Harry Potter - JK Rowling


&... just missed out.....

Dune (1st book) - Frank Herbert
Empire trilogy - Raymend Feist & Janny Wurts
Hitchhikers Guide etc... - Douglas Adams
Insomnia - Stephen King
Saga of the Exiles - Julian May

but not the gripping hand? those were near misses on my list, too.

[Telynn]

You're so right. It was a million times better. I've read the book probably 10 times.

May I ask why this book is so good?
I mean I saw nothing speciel in the movie. It was okay. Blood, bitings, big runnings and fear.
What's more about the book?
I really am interested in it.


The book is so much more involved and interesting than the movie Letti. The movie was really a showcase for special effects. Timeline is also a great book.


Like Lisa said, the book gets far more involved than the movie. It explores the science behind how they re-created the dinosaurs better than the movie. Also, the characters are more exciting and I felt like the book was far more suspenseful than the movie. They just kinda went the "Big special effects and lots of blood!!!" route for the movie in my opinion.




Yeah, the book had a lot more moments in it that were more "Oh crap!" suspenseful, instead of always T-Rex in your face. Of course the T-Rex is there too. but oooohhhh those Raptors.... :ninja:

[sarajean]

omg, the raptors. they scared the shit out of me in the book.

[Wuducynn]

9. Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan

I've heard a lot of conflicting opinions about this series.

[OchrisO]

It always takes me forever to get around to doing these lists, because it is so hard to choose. This list probably changes from hour to hour, as well.

10. Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
9. 1984 by George Orwell
8. The Dragonlance Chronicles by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman.(I haven't re-read these in ages, but they were a huge part of my falling in love with fantasy literature in middleschool)
7. A Song of Ice and Fire by George R R Martin
6. Harry Potter
5. Theif of Always by Clive Barker
4. The Dark Tower
3. Ishmael by Daniel Quinn
2. The Sword of Truth series by Terry Goodkind
1. American Gods by Neil Gaiman

[sarajean]

9. Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan

I've heard a lot of conflicting opinions about this series.

um....that wasn't on my list.

my list is on the first page.

chris, your #s 8 and 5 nearly made my list as well.

[Wuducynn]

Well excuse the hell out of me..my statement still stands.

[sarajean]

:lol:

i read, like, the first three of that series and then said "fuck it."

maybe i'll pick it up again sometime, but i doubt it.

[OchrisO]

:lol:

i read, like, the first three of that series and then said "fuck it."

maybe i'll pick it up again sometime, but i doubt it.

Read The Sword of Truth instead. :)

[Wuducynn]

Well thats a definite big strike against.

[sarajean]

:lol:

i read, like, the first three of that series and then said "fuck it."

maybe i'll pick it up again sometime, but i doubt it.

Read The Sword of Truth instead. :)

send it to me and i will. :D :P


Well thats a definite big strike against.

go look at my list. that's all stuff that everyone should be reading. :D

[OchrisO]

:lol:

i read, like, the first three of that series and then said "fuck it."

maybe i'll pick it up again sometime, but i doubt it.

Read The Sword of Truth instead. :)

send it to me and i will. :D :P



Haha. You can get all but the last one that isn't out yet it paperback, so they are pretty cheap. Of course, there's 11 of them so far, so it'd keep you busy for a while. It is really an amazing story, though.

[sarajean]

yeah, erin has been talking about it for a long time.

[OchrisO]

She put off reading them forever, though I kept suggesting them. Now she's all about them. haha.

[Girlystevedave]

I'm counting DT series as one book. So, in un-perfect order (except #1) mine are:
1. The Dark Tower
2. The Talisman
3. Eyes Of The Dragon
4. Hearts In Atlantis
5. The Dead Zone
6. Rose Madder
7. Night Shift
8. Desperation
9. On Writing
10. Gone With The Wind (seems out of place, huh?)

[Wuducynn]

The Dark Tower is always #1 :cool:

[sarajean]

really? gone with the wind is your only non-SK book? interesting.

[Girlystevedave]

really? gone with the wind is your only non-SK book? interesting.


I've read a lot of good books that weren't SK, don't get me wrong. But Gone With The Wind is the only one I've read more than once.

[Wuducynn]

Gone with the Wind is a wonderful book. It's great on audio too.

[Girlystevedave]

It's got what I always look for: an easy flow. Plenty of dialogue, not too much description. Good stuff.

[Wuducynn]

Have you listened to it?

[Girlystevedave]

No, but I'm guessing I should.

[Wuducynn]

You guessed right. :cool: The lady that does the reading is one of the best I've ever heard.

[Girlystevedave]

I've only listened to a few audiobooks. The damn things are just so expensive.

[Wuducynn]

Yeah. Check out http://www.audiobooks.com they often have good deals.

[Girlystevedave]

:) Thanks, I'll check it out.

[Erin]

:o I forgot about the Thief of Always!

[Wuducynn]

:) Thanks, I'll check it out.

No problem. Glad to help.

[sarajean]

*ahem* isn't there an audiobook thread?

[Wuducynn]

Yeah...and?

[ManOfWesternesse]

A top 10 eh! .....

[B]5. The Mote in Gods Eye + The Moat around Murchesons Eye - Niven, ....

but not the gripping hand? those were near misses on my list, too.
Yeah!, I love that "One hand....other hand.....Gripping Hand..." thing!
Great pair of books - re-read them regularly. best 'first contact' conception ever.


[quote=sarajeaniebeanie]9. Wheel of Time - Robert Jordan

I've heard a lot of conflicting opinions about this series.
I think that was mine CK.
Yeah, I've heard 'conflicting opinions' for years on this one.
But I like this series, a lot!
Most of those who complain are in the "it's too slow" camp - but that never bothered me in the least. I just hope someone has enough of his notes etc... to finish Book12. RIP RJ.

[Letti]

For my part I do prefer the so called "slow" stories.
800 pages. Not too much happening but I can know everything. The background... the characters' feelings and each flower in the garden.

[Jean]

oh yes, I agree

I especially love books where all those characters' feelings and flowers in the garden are more important than the story... that's why my favorite authors are Dickens and Wodehouse and Chesterton and Jane Austen and McBain...

[Wuducynn]

I think that was mine CK.
Yeah, I've heard 'conflicting opinions' for years on this one.
But I like this series, a lot!
Most of those who complain are in the "it's too slow" camp - but that never bothered me in the least. I just hope someone has enough of his notes etc... to finish Book12. RIP RJ.

I love the slow parts just as much as the fast ones too. Maybe I'll give it a shot..although Barker's Imajica is next on my list.

[Storyslinger]

The book is so much more involved and interesting than the movie Letti. The movie was really a showcase for special effects. Timeline is also a great book.

Rjeso - who is the Merlin trilogy by?

I can't remember either, but I remeber reading it, and it was great

could it be Mary Stewart? If The Hollow Hills is part of the trilogy, then it's her.

Yeah, this is the one I'm talking about. I'll have to check yours out now, Storyslinger. I love the Arthurian mythos.


You should, they were pretty good from what I remember

[sarajean]

Yeah!, I love that "One hand....other hand.....Gripping Hand..." thing!
Great pair of books - re-read them regularly. best 'first contact' conception ever.


d'oh! i just looked it up and realized that the book i know as the gripping hand is the same book that you know as the mote around murcheson's eye. i hate when they release the same book with a different title in different countries.

i have watchmaker motie nightmares sometimes after having read these books. i can't believe i just admitted that. :blush:

[Asterisco]

1) A Confederacy Of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole.
2) Perfume, Patrick Süskind.
3) El Aleph, Jorge Luis Borges.
4) Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury.
5) El enigma de París, Pablo De Santis.
6) The Antichrist, Friedrich Nietzsche.
7) The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
8) Lord Of The Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien.

[sarajean]

2) Perfume, Patrick Süskind.


sweet. we share this one, and it's in the same place on our lists. :D

[Telynn]

1) A Confederacy Of Dunces, John Kennedy Toole.
2) Perfume, Patrick Süskind.
3) El Aleph, Jorge Luis Borges.
4) Martian Chronicles, Ray Bradbury.
5) El enigma de París, Pablo De Santis.
6) The Antichrist, Friedrich Nietzsche.
7) The Little Prince, Antoine de Saint-Exupéry.
8) Lord Of The Rings, J.R.R. Tolkien.


Oh! I love The Little Prince. Been a while since I read it. Wonder if it still at my Mom's house somewhere....

[ZoNeSeeK]

Chris: I've read up to "Pillars of Creation" in the sword of truth series .. i didnt know if there were any more?

List:

1. The Dark Tower - Stephen King (2004)

2. Dune - Frank Herbert (1965)

3. Magician - Raymond E Feist (1982)

4. The Silence of the Lambs - Thomas Harris (1988 )

5. The Talisman - Stephen King / Peter Straub (1984)

6. The Hobbit - J.R.R. Tolkein (1937)

7. The Stand - Stephen King (1978 )

8. The Eyes of the Dragon - Stephen King (1987)

9. The Lost World - Michael Crichton (1995)

10. Lord of the Flies - William Golding (1954)

[OchrisO]

Chris: I've read up to "Pillars of Creation" in the sword of truth series .. i didnt know if there were any more?




Awesome. What did you think of them? I thought things slowed down at the beginning of Pillars of Creation and even put it down for a while, but the second half or so is great, especially:

Where he is so angry about Kahlan being kidnapped that he uses his rage fueled magic to kill those thousand people with one swipe of his hand

The series is twelve books with the last one coming out in november. Here are the ones after Pillars:

Naked Empire (2003)
Chainfire (2005)
Phantom (2006)
Confessor (to be released November 13, 2007)

[ZoNeSeeK]

ah ok thanks, i know theyre not expensive and need something to read at the moment .. i didnt like pillars as it started, i felt it was a bit aimless or something or the main plotline of the series started to fray at the edges a bit, but it finished strongly like you said.

Ill grab naked empire, i think ive seen it on the shelf but didnt connect it with the series because the name formatting has changed.

I liked faith of the fallen, but after that i wanted the main plotline to resume and it kinda goes off on another tangent which pissed me off :)

[Erin]

Naked Empire was my least favorite of the series. Richard just really pisses me off in it.

But I really liked Chainfire and Phantom was excellent. I really really can't wait for Confessor to be released. At the end of Phantom, the story is in a really good position and i'm dying to find out what happens.

[OchrisO]

I actually really enjoyed Naked Empire. Richard is somewhat annoying in it, but I like a lot of the interaction with the Bandakar.

[ZoNeSeeK]

richard pisses me off quite a bit :)

[OchrisO]

Yeah, that's true. I think that, maybe that is part of the appeal of the books to me. The protagonist is very far from being perfect.

[ZoNeSeeK]

i like the torture bitches the best

and the sisters of the light

and zedd and that slurry he wants to shag

[ManOfWesternesse]

Yeah!, I love that "One hand....other hand.....Gripping Hand..." thing!
Great pair of books - re-read them regularly. best 'first contact' conception ever.


d'oh! i just looked it up and realized that the book i know as the gripping hand is the same book that you know as the mote around murcheson's eye. i hate when they release the same book with a different title in different countries.

(**)i have watchmaker motie nightmares sometimes after having read these books. i can't believe i just admitted that. :blush:
Ah I see, I did'nt realise they released it with a different name.
2 great books anyway. Was th efirst book same name as here?
(**) - yeah! You and Horace both!!!!!





3. Magician - Raymond E Feist (1982)

Good to see another Feist fan here. He seems underrated/not as well known as I would expect (based on the quality of much of (not all of) his work. That original (Magician + Silverthorn + Sethannon) series was exceptionally good fantasy. (as was his collaboration with Janny Wurts on the 'Empire' trilogy).

[sarajean]

Ah I see, I did'nt realise they released it with a different name.
2 great books anyway. Was th efirst book same name as here?
(**) - yeah! You and Horace both!!!!!

:lol:


oh, yes. the first was still called the mote in god's eye. i picked it up several times before i was able to get past all of the light drive stuff at the beginning, but now i re-read them both once every year or two.

[ZoNeSeeK]

3. Magician - Raymond E Feist (1982)

Good to see another Feist fan here. He seems underrated/not as well known as I would expect (based on the quality of much of (not all of) his work. That original (Magician + Silverthorn + Sethannon) series was exceptionally good fantasy. (as was his collaboration with Janny Wurts on the 'Empire' trilogy).

Yeah - the first three were amazing .. then it got a little skewed but still ok, and then the 4 serpentwar books are awesome aswell. I especially like the Pug / Macross / Miranda / Nakor / Tomas involvement in it.

[Erin]

i like the torture bitches the best

and the sisters of the light

and zedd and that slurry he wants to shag

:lol: I love that Zedd bangs every chick he meets in those books. What a dirty old man.

And the "torture bitches" (:rofl:) are my favorite characters as well. If I had some red leather, I'd totally be a Mord-Sith for Halloween.

Also Zone, have you read Debt of Bones? It's a short novella set before Wizard's First Rule when Zedd is still First Wizard and the Midlands are at war with D'Hara. It details how he actually defeats and kills Panis Rahl.

[OchrisO]

I know someone else who was going to be Denna for Halloween, but never got around to making the costume. They were going to use fake leather because it would be cheaper, though.

[ZoNeSeeK]

i like the torture bitches the best

and the sisters of the light

and zedd and that slurry he wants to shag

:lol: I love that Zedd bangs every chick he meets in those books. What a dirty old man.

And the "torture bitches" (:rofl:) are my favorite characters as well. If I had some red leather, I'd totally be a Mord-Sith for Halloween.

Also Zone, have you read Debt of Bones? It's a short novella set before Wizard's First Rule when Zedd is still First Wizard and the Midlands are at war with D'Hara. It details how he actually defeats and kills Panis Rahl.

Yeah, thats what I read first (its in The Locus Awards, award winning scifi/fantasy short stories. Little Sisters is in there aswell I think) and then went out and bought the first book, and went from there. I have to say that the first 3-4 books i found have been the strongest so far.

[CRinVA]

Ah, I love top ten lists. right now my top ten books are:

1. The Stand
2. The Dune Series
3. The Dark Tower Series
4. The Lord of the Rings Series (w/The Hobbit)
5. The Harry Potter Series
6. The Road
7. The Talisman
8. The Shannara series
9. The Lord of the Flies
10. The Chronicles of Narnia

I guess that's a whole lot more than ten books now isn't it! :-)

[Brice]

Yes, you are probably closer to fifty books there.

[Storyslinger]

:lol: Ain't that the truth

[Telynn]

Well, you can't break a good series up. It would be like breaking up a family.

[ZoNeSeeK]

I just assumed if i put a single book from series then youd guess i liked the whole thing, as in the book i liked the most.

With Feist, it was a toss up between Magician, A Darkness at Sethanon or Shards of a Broken Crown

[Storyslinger]

Well, you can't break a good series up. It would be like breaking up a family.

Well said

[fernandito]

With Feist, it was a toss up between Magician, A Darkness at Sethanon or Shards of a Broken Crown

You've been talkign a lot about this series lately, whats it about?

[ZoNeSeeK]

The Riftwar trilogy is the start of a pretty epic group of books (there are only 2 "set" series in the whole lot, the Riftwar and the Serpentwar, but Feist has written a bunch of others that slot in between the series as they are set about a century apart, I think, but in the same world. Powerful characters who develop over the Riftwar series remain right through to the end due to their abilities, which is cool).

Magician is the first book of the whole lot and is your starting point :)

From wiki:


Concept
In the fantasy novels of Feist, a Riftwar is war between two worlds that are connected by a rift (tunnel) in time and space. In Feist's invented history there are several riftwars. The first Riftwar between Midkemia and Kelewan is described in the trilogy The Riftwar Saga. Other such wars may be described in future works.


Magician centres on two young boys, Pug (I know, don't laugh, how Feist managed to create such a legendary character with such a stupid name gives credence to his abilities as a fantasy writer) and Tomas, who basically have massive parts to play in direction of humanity. Its a familiar concept thats used in The Wheel of Time, having young teenage characters develop into greatness beyond that of ordinary mortals. Other major characters are written in and then out again as generations start to pass (this starts happening after A Darkness at Sethanon), and the scope of the entire work is revealed. I was initially disappointed that Feist started moving the story beyond the lives of some characters after the first three books but you quickly get over it as the new ones he introduces are just as worthy :)

Think Roland continuing on, and forming another ka-tet with new gunslingers, in a way. Thats a bad example, I should shut up.

Here is the start of the synopsis to get you going:



Upon the world of Midkemia, the mighty Kingdom of the Isles arose, beside the vast empire of Great Kesh to the south. The kingdom was then nearing an era of greatness; the nation spanned a continent, from the Sea of Kingdoms to the Endless Sea.

In the twelfth year of the reign of Rodric the Fourth, in the westernmost province of the Kingdom, the Duchy of Crydee, an orphan kitchen boy named Pug was made an apprentice magician to the magician Kulgan. An indifferent student of magic, he rose to high station by saving the daughter of Duke Borric ConDoin of Crydee, Princess Carline, from a dire fate and became squire of the Duke's court. Pug then found himself the object of Carline’s girlish infatuation and, as result, rival to young Squire Roland, a member of the court. At first Roland and Pug continually were angry at each other, but eventually, they both managed to settle their differences.

With his best friend, Tomas, Pug discovered a dying man of unknown nationality near an alien sailing ship wrecked by a terrible storm. The Duke's priest, Father Tully, used his magic to learn that the dying man was from another world, Kelewan...

[fernandito]

Excellent! and thank you for going the extra mile and getting me that sypnosis josh, it means a lot to my little brown heart <3 :)

[ZoNeSeeK]

aaaaaaaaaaaaaahahahahahahahaah

that pumps lime juice around your cactus body?

[ManOfWesternesse]

The Riftwar trilogy is the start of a pretty epic group of books (there are only 2 "set" series in the whole lot, the Riftwar and the Serpentwar, but Feist has written a bunch of others that slot in between the series as they are set about a century apart, I think, but in the same world. Powerful characters who develop over the Riftwar series remain right through to the end due to their abilities, which is cool).
.....etc....etc.....

Great post ZoNe..

BUT - you've totally got to add the 3 'Empire' books:-
-Daughter of the Empire
-Mistress of teh Empire
-Servant of the Empire

these were co-written by Feist with Janny Wurts (note to self: got to find something she's wriotten herself dammit!!).
They are essentiall the Kelewan side of the Rift during the same period as th eoriginal Riftwar trilogy.
Magnificent books with absolutely brilliant characterisation (I think Wurts' influence does tell on them - subtly different style from the solo-Feist stuff).

Have you read these 3 ZoNe??

[ZoNeSeeK]

No, I never got into those - ive heard alot of good things about them though, so one day maybe :P

[Armand St Pierre]

Infinite Jest ~ David Foster Wallace
A Prayer For Owen Meany ~ John Irving
Epic of Gilgamesh
Breakfast of Champions ~ Kurt Vonnegut
The Drawing of The Three ~ Stephen King
Morals and Dogma ~ Albert Pike
The Twelfth Planet ~ Zechariah Sitchin
Bleak House ~ Charels Dickens
Physics as Metaphor ~ Roger S. Jones
The Celestine Prophecy ~ James Redfield

[Steve]

1.) The Stand by Stephen King
2.) Blood Meridian, or the Evening Redness in the West by Cormac McCarthy
3.) The Crossing by Cormac McCarthy
4.) It by Stephen King
5.) Outer Dark by Cormac McCarthy
6.) As I Lay Dying by William Faulkner
7.) Lisey's Story by Stephen King
8.) Cities on the Plain by Cormac McCarthy
9.) The Thin Red Line by James Jones
10.) The Road by Cormac McCarthy

[Hannah]

1. Memory and Dream by Charles de Lint
2. The Dark Tower series
3. The Talisman & Black House
4. Harry Potter
5. Pride and Predjudice
6. Choke by Chuck Palahniuk
7. Lord of the Rings
8. Perfume
9. IT
10. Lisey's Story

[TerribleT]

I can only pick ten?!?!?!?!?!

*whines like a little bitch*

Hard to pick my ten favorite books, because I have hundreds. Here's a try..NOT necessarily in this order



The Stand (Long Version) by SK
The Talisman by SK
The Mote in God's Eye by Larry Niven, and Jerry Pournelle
Centennial by James Michener
Space by James Michener
Cardinal of the Kremlin by Tom Clancy
The Hunt for Red October by Tom Clancy
Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton
Wizard and Glass by SK
Steel Beach by John Varley.

[CPU]

In no particular order:

The Stand - Stephen King
IT - Stephen King
The Chronicles (1st, 2nd, and Last) Of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever - Steven R Donaldson.
The Gap series - Steven R Donaldson
The Otherland series - Tad Williams
Memory, Sorrow, and Thorn (series) - Tad Williams
Nights Dawn Trilogy - Peter F Hamilton
Godel, Escher, Bach - Douglas R Hofstadter
The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
The Dark is Rising (series) - Susan Cooper

Honorable Mention:
Lucifer's Hammer - Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle
Ringworld (series) - Larry Niven

[TerribleT]

Honorable Mention:
Lucifer's Hammer - Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle


SHIT!!!! I meant to put that one in my top ten too, I loved that book. Did you read The Mote in God's eye and the Gripping hand also?

[CPU]

Yepper's. To be honest I meant to put Lucifer's Hammer in the top ten but then realized I'd gone way over 10 :lol:

[TerribleT]

Yepper's. To be honest I meant to put Lucifer's Hammer in the top ten but then realized I'd gone way over 10 :lol:

Those guys write GREAT Sci Fi, if you liked those, you might really enjoy Steel Beach too.

[CPU]

Cool, I'll keep an eye out for that one.

Speaking of great Sci Fi, check out Peter F Hamilton!

[JasKo]

I love crime and fanatsy books. Ofcourse the dark tower rank really high. But there is only one series I could count up there with the DT books. And it's the thrilogy about The Last Nightwarrior.

It's a series written by a norwegian writer, they are translated to English and German. I can truly recomend these books if you are looking for some books to read. Truly great books.

Read the eight first chapters of the book here:http://www.havnes.com/Translated/English/Part1Chapter1.shtml You will not regret it!!

/Peace!

[Sympathy For The Devil]

This is really hard, well here goes...

1. The Dark Tower (all the books)

2. The Lord of The Rings

3. A Scanner Darkly - Philip K Dick

4. The Stand - Stephen King

5. Magician - Raymond E Fiest

6. The Vampire Lestat - Anne Rice

7. The Straw Men - Micheal Marshal Smith

8. Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter Thompson

9. The Catcher in The Rye - J.D Salinger

10. High Fidelity - Nick Hornby

[ManOfWesternesse]

....
The Chronicles (1st, 2nd, and Last) Of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever - Steven R Donaldson....

And what did you think of Fatal Revenant? (just finished it last week myself - good as he ever was!)

[jayson]

1. Dark Tower Series - Sai King
2. The Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
3. The Silmarillion - Tolkien
4. The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series - Douglas Adams
5. The Stand - King
6. The Hero With a Thousand Faces - Joseph Campbell
7. Miles, the Autobiography - Miles Davis & Quincy Troupe
8. Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency - Adams
9. The Phantom Tollbooth - Norton Juster
10. The Time Machine Did It - John Swartzwelder

[Matt]

That last one sounds like a good book, I may need to look it up.

<--loves time travel stories.

[jayson]

That last one sounds like a good book, I may need to look it up.

<--loves time travel stories.

In case you didn't recognize the author's name, Swartzwelder is one of the original writers for The Simpsons. His novels are hilarious! Very Douglas Adams-esque.

[CPU]

....
The Chronicles (1st, 2nd, and Last) Of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever - Steven R Donaldson....

And what did you think of Fatal Revenant? (just finished it last week myself - good as he ever was!)


I wasn't aware Fatal Revenant was out yet! (scurries off to local book store...) :D

I know some people that didn't/don't like the Thomas Covenant books, but they've been some of my absolute favorites for more than 20 years now. The Gap series was also incredible in my opinion.

Thanks for the heads up on the 2nd book of the last Chronicles! :clap: :excited:

[ManOfWesternesse]

[1] I wasn't aware Fatal Revenant was out yet! (scurries off to local book store...) :D

[2] I know some people that didn't/don't like the Thomas Covenant books, but they've been some of my absolute favorites for more than 20 years now. The Gap series was also incredible in my opinion.

Thanks for the heads up on the 2nd book of the last Chronicles! :clap: :excited:

[1] OK - I'll give you a brief synopsis.....:excited: (*has he run away yet?* :lol:)

[2] Brilliant series indeed - & I too have been hooked for over 20 years.
I only ever read 1st book of The Gap. Everyone says you have to go to the 2nd book to 'get' it - I ain't got that far yet!

[Matt]

That last one sounds like a good book, I may need to look it up.

<--loves time travel stories.

In case you didn't recognize the author's name, Swartzwelder is one of the original writers for The Simpsons. His novels are hilarious! Very Douglas Adams-esque.

Wow! Really?

I didn't recognize that. Makes it on the list for sure now. Thanks R of G

[Rjeso]

The Otherland series - Tad Williams
The Dark is Rising (series) - Susan Cooper


:clap: Nice choices, TDiR was my favorite series when I was younger, and Otherland made my Top Ten list as well. Williams was just so creative with his vision for those, I love how he made things happen in those books... :wub:

[CPU]

The Otherland series - Tad Williams
The Dark is Rising (series) - Susan Cooper


:clap: Nice choices, TDiR was my favorite series when I was younger, and Otherland made my Top Ten list as well. Williams was just so creative with his vision for those, I love how he made things happen in those books... :wub:

I was suprised when I found out they were making a movie (aka - the Seeker) from the series. I always figured I was the only kid to have read those books back in the mid-70's :lol:



I only ever read 1st book of The Gap. Everyone says you have to go to the 2nd book to 'get' it - I ain't got that far yet!


The Gap series is definitely different from anything else Steven R Donaldson had/has written. I went into it expecting Thomas Covenant in Space :lol: but was very pleasantly surprised by his vision of the "future". The characters are all so damn "flawed" (like Covenant) that they just sucked me in.

[Rjeso]

Yeah, but sadly, it sounds like it's not going to be much like The Dark is Rising. I loved those books too much to go see them butchered by Hollywood. Apparently Cooper's disassociated her name from the movies, too, so if that's any indication.... yeah.

[CPU]

Crap, that's too bad. I hadn't heard about her not wanting to be tied to the movie(s). I'm sure my memories of the stories are probably a lot better than the movie would have been anyway :lol:

[sarajean]

**bumpity bump**

[candy]

1. the dk series - sk
2. imajica - cb
3. the stand - sk
4. desolation road - ian macdonald
5. lightening - dean k
6. odd thomas - dean k
7. the time travellers wife - audrey niffenegger
8. it - sk
9. the magic cottage - james herbert
10. weaveworld - cb

it was a tough choice to get it to 10, and i'm sure that if i review this in a month i wil have changed my mind!!

[flaggwalkstheline]

1 The Dark Tower Series- Stephen King (couldn't pick just one)
2 The Regulators- Richard Bachman
3 Whats eating Gilbert Grape?- Peter Hodges
4 The Children's War- JN Stroyer
5 The Great and Secret Show- Clive Barker
6 The Wasteland and other poems- TS Elliot
7 Necroscope (whole series)- Brian Lumley
8 The Silmarillian- JRR Tolkien
9 Choke- Chuck Palahniuk
10 Gasoline- Gregory Corso

[Munchausen]

Order, schmorder. Depends on my mood.
Dark Tower Series of course.
The Forever War by Joe Haldeman
Pillars of the Earth by Ken Follett
Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell by Susanna Clarke
The Titan Series by John Varley
Starship Troopers by Robert A. Heinlein
Red Storm Rising by Tom Clancy
Guns of the South by Harry Turtledove
Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
Clan of the Cave Bear series by Jane Auel
Mountains of Madness by HP Lovecraft
Conan by Robert E. Howard
Elric of Melnibone by Michael Moorcock
A Tale of Two Cities by Charles Dickens
The Diffence Engine by William Gibson and Bruce Sterling
The Nightmare Years by William L. Shirer
The Chronicles of Narnia by CS Lewis
La Mort D'Arthur by Thomas Malory
The Uncanny Xmen, the Phoenix Saga by Chris Claremont

Oh. That's nineteen. Fancy that. Somewhere in there is a top ten list. And even that may change.

[divemaster]

Top 10, huh? I'll limit King to only 3 spots so he doesn't Bogart my list.

The Stand (I think this will always be #1)
Wizard & Glass
'Salem's Lot

As for the rest:

Re-Birth (aka The Chrysallids) -- Wyndham
Starship Troopers (Heinlein)
Crime and Punishment (Dostoeskvy)
The Bonfire of the Vanities (Wolfe) -- probably will always be either #2 or # 3
Memoirs of a Geisha (Golden) -- no matter what, this will always be in my top 5. Absolutey compelling story.
The Stars My Destination (Bester)
King Lear (ok, it's a play not a novel, but Shakespeare has to make an appearance--he writes so well and is tapped into human nature to an extent that will never be matched, although King at his best comes close)