Your Top Five Fiction Books of All Time

[NuWaveRx]

I'm a fairly heavy reader--it seems I've always got 2-3 books going at one time--so its natural that I get several for X-mas. For those who read alot, what would your "Top 5 Fiction Works" be? I guess the equivilant of a Desert Island Disc poll?


My 5:

1-The Tomorrow File--Lawernce Sanders. This mystery writers only attempt at science fiction is haunting, hilarious, and an interesting experiment into why futurism is so often wrong. The protagonist one of my favorite fictional characters of all time.

2-Shogun-James Clavell. The longest of the "Asian Saga" books and the best, IMO. If you liked the mini-series (for those old enough to remember it) you'll love the book.

3-The Big Nowhere-James Ellroy. The start of the LA Confidential Trilogy is my favorite by him. Incredibly complex, riveting and terrifying.

4-The Man in the High Tower--Philip K. Dick. One of the seminal works in the sci-fi sub-genre of alternate history. What would happen if the Axis won WWII and The Japenese colonize the Pacific Northwest and California. Typical faciniating weirdness from the master who wrote, "Do androids dream of electric sleep?"

5-The 81st Site--Tony Kenrick. Nothing particuarly deep or complex. A simple action thriller that doesn't disappoint. A fanatical follower of Hitler spends half of his adult life trying to find an operating V2 rocket site in France and intends to launch a V2 with a nuclear warhead at London unless our hero (a American insurance salesman living in London) can stop him.

Anyone else? Looking forward to some good leads on new books!

[empyrean]

My choice. These are not new but i love them. And im not a heavy reader either. [;)]

The Godfather series - Mario Puzo

The Ananski Boys - Neil Gaiman

Misery - Stephen King

Harry Potter series - JK Rowling

Any Edgar Allan Poe short stories.

[edisonoside]

I LOVE the "ENDER'S GAME" series.

[ben_at_work]

Whenever I'm asked about favorite books, the one I'm currently reading usually is on the list, so...

"American Psycho" - Brett Easton Ellis
"A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court" - Mark Twain
"Lord of the Rings" - J.R.R. Tolkien
"The Stand" - Steven King
"Ulysses" - James Joyce

[WolverineSyr]

I haven't read fiction in so long, I really miss it!

My top 5 would be

The Stand - Stephen King

We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson (typical Shirley Jackson weirdness)

The Summer Book - Tove Jansson, nice subltle story of a girl & her grandmother spending a summer together on an island.

Cobalt - Nathan Aldyne, pre-AIDS P'town murder mystery with a drunken/stoned Nick & Nora type team. No substance, just funny.

Lovely Bones - Alice Sebold. This story has haunted me ever since I first read it. Unfortunatly the concept has been appropriated & done to death now, but at the time it was so unique and sad.

[iposse]

I haven't really found the time to read at all lately, but I liked (in no particular order):

His Dark Materials series by Philip Pullman (it's a series for young adults, but it manages to incorporate tough subjects such as quantum physics, dark matter, and the theory of consciousness. The series will be made into big budget motion pictures starting next year. Not sure why they've seemingly rounded up the entire cast of Casino Royale [|)]).

The Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson (the first 2/3 of the book was the most engrossing sci-fi I've ever read, making up for the fact the last few chapters are pretty stupid).

2001: A Space Odyssey by Arthur C. Clarke (I read the book as a young kid long before I actually saw the movie).

The Stone and the Flute by Hans Bemmann (obscure and translated from German, this 800+ page long fantasy title is about a young man who sets out to discover the meaning of his life from his birth to his death. The lack of action or epic battles may deter some readers, but the rich and sometimes haunting storytelling really carries it through).

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (easily the best of his work and probably the only book written in the 19th century I didn't have to force myself to finish).

[ben_at_work]

[quote][i]Originally posted by iposse[/i]

Great Expectations by Charles Dickens (easily the best of his work and probably the only book written in the 19th century I didn't have to force myself to finish).
[/quote]

Ditto!A great read!

[ben_at_work]

[quote][i]Originally posted by WolverineSyr[/i]

We Have Always Lived in the Castle - Shirley Jackson (typical Shirley Jackson weirdness)

I loved "The Haunting of Hill House." It totally freaked me out. I read it a long time ago but just reminded myself of how dark and gothic it was. Thanks for the remind of Ms. Jackson. I remember reading "The Lottery" in High School, I think she wrote that as well.

[DonGately]

Ben, congrats on getting through and (I assume) enjoying Ulysses. I've enjoyed what parts I've read but still haven't been able to make it all the way through.

For my top 5, I'll pick ones that have really imprinted themselves on my brain over the past few years rather than reaching back through the cobwebs:

1. [i]Infinite Jest[/i] by David Foster Wallace - a doorstop of a book. At times, frustrating, sad, suspenseful, and hilarious. Features things such as corporate-sponsored calendar years, a gang of wheelchair bound assassins, a genius tennis player who reads the OED, scads of drug addicts, and about 100 pages of footnotes. Oh, and it's non-linear to boot, so I can have a lot of fun connecting all the dots while I'm stuck on my desert island.

2. [i]Glamorama[/i] by Bret Easton Ellis - It's either this or [i]Lunar Park[/i] by the same writer. Tough choice. Both are highly entertaining, great satire. The father/son stuff in [i]Park[/i] is deeply moving.

3. [i]Heart-Shaped Box[/i] by Joe Hill. I just got the Advanced Reader Edition for Christmas and I'm already 80 pages in. The book will actually be out in February. This guy has written some great short stories. I'm enjoying this one a lot, although there's so much action in it, I'm wondering what the hell's gonna happen for the next 300 pages. The premise is simple: A aging rock star with an big collection of occult-related stuff buys a ghost off the Internet. And then the shit starts to come down. Hill is nowhere in the league of Wallace or Ellis, but this is good popcorn reading.

4. [i]Special Topics in Calamity Physics[/i] by Marisha Pessl - This is a great mystery, although it's a bit slow at first. Really, really energetic writing. It would be fun to re-read knowing how it ends.

5. [i]King Dork[/i] by Frank Portman. One of the best novels about high school I have ever read (maybe the best). Bonus points for all of the great music references, band names and album names (such as, "Margaret, this is God. Shut Up."), and the exposing of the cult of [i]The Catcher in the Rye[/i].

[DonGately]

[quote][i]Originally posted by ben_at_work[/i]
<br>
I loved "The Haunting of Hill House." [/quote]

I almost put this one on my list. This is a great book.

[Bitter Almonds]

1. <p align="justify">[i]The Stranger[/i] was, at the time I read it, so eye-opening that I felt a change in me. It's actually one of the dividing lines where I [i]matured[/i] (a little). I told my best friend about this book some years back and was surprised he had not heard of it. He read this and [i]A Happy Death[/i] and I saw a change in him, or, perhaps, I saw his views affirmed by these two works. Therefore, I place it as the best of the best in fiction.

2. [i]The Temple Of The Golden Pavillion[/i] was the next level. I often say it is my New Testament. In the book, the author jokes that one who is malafflicted will often choose to befriend others whom they think are on their level of suffering in hopes of finding a yoke fellow and, as frightening as it may sound to some, I found Yukio Mishima to be very inspiring.

3. [i]The Magic Christian[/i] and [i]Candide[/i]. Good satire and sarcasm has never gone out of fashion, although it seems that competent satirists are as rare and unseen as the unnamed elements of the periodic table.

4. [i]Macbeth[/i]. Either this one or [i]Julius Caesar[/i] I'd rank near the top. They're not totally fiction since they are based on historical figures. At any rate, I memorised quite a few lines and soliloquys from both. God, what I wouldn't give to have half the wit and panache of such pompous speech. Sure, I'll come off like a ham, but I LOEV it <3

5. [i]The Little Prince[/i][8D]

[coop41]

[quote][i]Originally posted by DonGately[/i]
<br>

5. [i]King Dork[/i] by Frank Portman. One of the best novels about high school I have ever read (maybe the best). Bonus points for all of the great music references, band names and album names (such as, "Margaret, this is God. Shut Up."), and the exposing of the cult of [i]The Catcher in the Rye[/i].
[/quote]


He's the lead singer of The Mr. T Experience, a funny pop punk band that has been around a long time! Been dying to read this but haven't yet! Have never read a bad review!

[NuWaveRx]

You guys are making me feel like I read harlequin novels all day with the classics in your top five[:I] I guess I need to pick up a copy of Great Expectations soon

King Dork sounds great--I'll search the net for a copy

[Bitter Almonds]

[quote][i]Originally posted by NuWaveRx[/i]
<br>You guys are making me feel like I read harlequin novels all day with the classics in your top five[:I] I guess I need to pick up a copy of Great Expectations soon

King Dork sounds great--I'll search the net for a copy


[/quote]

<p align="justify">I kid you not, but I cried near the denouement of [i]Great Expectations[/i]. I'm not gonna spoil it for ye, but, damn, that was sad. It's one of a few of Dickens's novels that does not have a happy ending[V]

[abacab66]

Lord of the Rings - Tolkien

For Whom the Bell Tolls - Hemingway

The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn - Twain

2001 A Space Odyssey - Clarke

Heir to the Empire(Star Wars) - Zahn

Many years ago I saw the video to Great Expectations but now I'll have to give it a read.
Currently reading The Agony and the Ecstasy by Irving Stone. Excellent biographical novel of Michaelangelo that transports you back to 15th century Tuscany.