Vihzel

What do you believe to be the best novel of all time? It's not necessarily your favorite book but if you believe your favorite book would be what you would consider to be the best, then go ahead.

1984 by George Orwell

EarlyMon

Cryptonomicon, Neil Stephenson

NightAngel79

Sounds interesting.......

Best Book....... Hmmmmmmm

Well its hard to peg 1 single book..... The Complete Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy (though technically not one book when i first read it it was all together)

Best single book.... surprise, book 6 of Sword of Truth, Faith of the Fallen - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Book brought me to tears, it was seriously THAT emotional. Its about the value of human life (big theme of entire 12 book series)

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tfek70

Atlas Shrugged - Ayn Rand

For me this was very influential. I was unhappy and everything was hard and I didn't know why until I read this book. Now I'm the happiest guy here. This book turned a bunch of light bulbs on for me. I don't know if it's because I was such a train wreck before I read it or if it really is all that. Probably some of both.

Sak01

Hard to say but I'd give a +1 to 1984

Ulysses by James Joyce is usually numero uno in these kind of lists. Sadly, it was beyond my intellectual capabilities and is the only book I couldn't get my head around so I never finished it.

ScottColbert

Slaughterhouse Five for me; really anything by Vonnegut.

NYCHitman1

The Great Gatsby

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Peter D

That's a hard one.

I change my mind all the time about my favourite novel, but that isn't necessarily the best novel of all time?

So,

My current favourite

batgeek

wow, this is a hard one. i don't think i could pick just one.

Gary Friderichsohn

Yes I would agree with that. I have downloaded the BBC dramatization and will star listening to Frank Delaney's re-Joyce podcast, but I'm not holding out much hope.

For best I can't decide between Tale of Two Cities, The Grapes of Wrath and My Antonia.

Outlaw71

Damn it man, you beat me to it (by just a little over a month)!!!

So I'll have to nominate instead....





The passage that discusses Nikki Sixx walking into a meeting with some of their labels execs, smacked out of his mind, and taking a keen interest in one of the suits girlfriends is only one of the unbelievable stories that makes this book something you just can't put down.

Because unlike when mere mortal men like myself takes a keen interest in one of his bosses girlfriends, it doesn't generally end in a book worthy moment. That's because in that type of situation, me and a handful of lotion would have a good time at home that night thinking about her... and that would be the extent of it.
MOD EDIT: NSFW



If you haven't already read this book you might be sitting there thinking that this must be the most shocking account of Motley Crues wild behavior in the entire book. But those of you who have read this book know as I do that it is far, far, FAR from being the most shocking story in the book. It's actually quite mild in comparison to the truly unbelievable stuff that's all there for the reader to discover in the pages of this book.

This certainly doesn't make my list of 'Best Novels of All Time' because of it's sofistication or brilliance. It only makes it on here as my recommendation because it is truly a book that once you open it up and start reading... you simply CAN'T put it down!

LOL... but then again, I'm probably more of a barbarian than many of you! haha

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Last edited by NightAngel79; June 13th, 2011 at 03:02 AM.

BabyBlues

I think I'm going to have to stop by the library tonight on my way home. Sounds like just the kind of thing I need to read. (Really wish it was on the Kindle though!)

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Outlaw71

Well I expect we won't be hearing for you for a few days then... or however many days it takes you to read the book. Oh, and Kindle wouldn't dare touch this book for obvious reasons! lol

BabyBlues

Got it on my lunch hour today.....can't wait. And wishing Kindle could touch it - I forgot that the lesser used books at the library have that 'old book' smell going on. Lol.

Mac_Leod

The Lord of the Rings.

Second place would have to be The Princess Bride. That book is brilliantly written.

jimvit1

Almost anthing written by James A Michener. It will be hard to say which one is best but maybe Centennial or Texas or Alaska.

Ha can't do it.

SuaveFrog

a lot of critics say the best american novel is Moby Dick. I went through that book and I have to say that it's a great story, but very very difficult to read all the way through, especially with the old english thing.

LilacBleeds

I actually find
Pride and Prejudice by Jane Austen
But really love heat wave by Richard Castle which makes me laugh and everything

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NukeBenji

I really love Catcher In The Rye but seem to relate to it less the older I get.

I guess for now I'll stick with that although there are books I probably like better.

zailaiyichi

Well its hard to peg 1 single book..... The Complete Hitchhikers Guide To The Galaxy (though technically not one book when i first read it it was all together)

9to5cynic

I think I've read Catcher more than any other book. Hmm.. I hope I don't stop relating to it >.>

But I think (at least right now), I'd go with The Godfather as my all time favorite book.

Roze

+1 as being the BEST series every written

I think the best novel of all time is Animal Farm. Short and very well written. I simply love the analogy and metaphors of the story to the Russian Revolution. The story made me really interested in knowing more about the Revolution.

I really like the movie but I didn't know that it was based on a book, so I'll look into that

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jerofld

Personally, I like the Iron Druid Chronicles by Kevin Hearne. I don't think I've laughed so hard while reading before.

geranimo

for me being a western nut it has to be....shane...by zane gray,a classic.

seepage

Stig of the dump. Probably would not enjoy it now, but when I read it I loved it.

Last edited by seepage; December 2nd, 2011 at 12:59 PM. Reason: same as ever. Bad spelling.

seepage

Did he make fishing reels?

NukeBenji

Back when I worked at Borders my buddy and I scooped those books up and read them. They really are great. Highly recommend them to anyone thats a fantasy/urban fantasy fan

NightAngel79

I miss Borders

Clangador

I agree with Slaughterhouse Five. That's his masterpiece. His other stuff varies in quality.

alpha0990

Frankenstein. Don't laugh, if you haven't read it.

Clangador

I have read it and it's a classic, but I wouldn't rate it as the best novel of all time.

Clangador

I would rate it in my top 10. The ending was very "good."

mathi

"Magic Mountain" by Thomas Mann

Clangador

What's it about? I've never heard of it before.

mathi

It's Nobel awarded novel. first published in November 1924. It is widely considered to be one of the most influential works of 20th century German literature. The book blends a scrupulous "realism" with deeper symbolic undertones of world war I. Translated in English and more than 70 languages.

LilacBleeds

Plus I think Harry Potter series is my favourite as well as I said before in my post
Pride and Prejudice

cmybliss

+ 1 for The Lord of the Rings. I've re-read those books every year for the last 15 years.

The Harry Potter series is, imo the best young reader's series ever written.

As for the classics, anything by Jane Austen. I do admit that my love of the Regency period influences my decision heavily here.

janas

The Wind-Up Bird Chronicle was the best Japanese novel I have ever read.

Wow.

agentc13

Ender's Game - Orson Scott Card.

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Roze

Isn't there a movie based on the book coming out this year?

agentc13

There have been rumours of something along those lines for years (maybe decades). I know there is something currently in the works, but I don't keep up on it. If one is coming out this year I would be surprised, but it's possible I am behind the times when it comes to the movie news.

I don't think a movie can do it justice.

Unforgiven

I'll +1 all of the nominations for the Hitchhikers Guide. I love that series.

While my favorite of all time isn't of the influential variety, it is by far my favorite book. The Company by Robert Liddell. I have read it more than a dozen times and pick up some new twist or detail each time. The first time I read it I had to keep checking the cover to make sure it was fiction.

I can't begin to describe the storyline as I couldn't do it justice, but by the name, you can figure out it is an OSS/CIA spy novel.

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NightAngel79

Loved it!!

Keep meaning to try to get into all the 'Ender' novels that came after it. Hate series where the timeline is all screwed up. So many to choose from not sure where to start with the rest of them
hope so (if they do it right)

agentc13

For the original series:
Ender's Game
Speaker For the Dead
Xenocide
Children of the mind

I don't remember the shadow series off the top of my head, but it starts with Ender's Shadow and parallels the original and goes on between EG and SFtD, but from a different character's perspective. And there are a few short stories and a novel that goes between EG and SFtD (but was written much later).

Last edited by agentc13; February 18th, 2012 at 03:43 PM.

NightAngel79

\
Yea, thats kinda what i mean. I know I heard that a 'true' sequel just recently came out? (i think)

Hard to figure out which book to read....

agentc13

I would recommend reading in the order they were written. It may be out of timeline order, but it's not weird to do so. The first book os by far the best, but I very much enjoy the rest in the series (and most other things he writes as well).

NightAngel79

so just go by publish dates?

agentc13

I listed the original series in order for you above, when I get home later tonight I will figure out the others and report back.

NightAngel79

Thanks Sharon! ()

no seriously though, i'd appreciate it player

agentc13

The original series:

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

The Shadow Series (First book runs parallel to Ender's Game and the rest happen between that and SftD:

• Ender's Shadow
• Shadow of the Hegemon
• Shadow Puppets
• Shadow of the Giant
• Shadows in Flight (just released in January)

There is also a couple Novels that relate to the original series, but were written recently.

• A War of Gifts: An Ender Story (takes pretty much in parallel with Ender's Game/Ender's Shadow)
• Ender in Exile (Expands the final chapter of Ender's Game and takes place between that and SftD, also very close to the time of the rest of the shadow series)

Those are all the novels, there are a decent number of short stories that fit in there and a few more novels that will be released sometime soon (apparently this summer for one and another novel after that).

I would recommend reading them in the order I listed (that they were written) instead of in the actual chronological order of the overall story. Either way could be considered "right" but I read them in this order (started between the time the original 3rd and 4th books were written) and I don't find it at all confusing. If you want here is a graphical timeline type thing with the chronological order (and the years originally published as well) if that might help keep everything straight. The ones in red are short stories (that I didn't include in my list).