Favorite Book

[Joosbawx]

just found this thread, so I thought I'd throw my $.02 in as well. some of my favorites have been mentioned already, so I will try to omit those.

The Stand by Stephen King
truly an epic read that takes the reader through several levels of reality before you reach the final layer of truth. not for the casual reader, but absolutely worth the journey.

Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard
yes, that L. Ron Hubbard. possibly the most comprehensive plot development I've read in any genre. I would compare the scope of this book to the lies of The Count of Monte Cristo or Great Expectations without blinking an eye. the story takes you from the smallest seed of an idea and follows it all the way through to where hat seed has become a mighty mature oak. also not for the casual reader; however, truly worth the investment. and really, how can you not read a work of science fiction by the man who brought us Scientology? seriously, the man invented a religion! no offense intended. the only thing this book has in common with the movie "based" on it is the title, and is the entire reason that John Travolta is dead to me.

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
best. series. ever. hands down. this man is a gamer, fantasy and sic-fi geek that writes for gamer fantasy sic-fi geeks. the character development is excellent, and the plots and nuances to the stories tie together so perfectly to paint a picture of a world so like our own, yet so much deeper and inviting. the modern noir aspect to the narrative is spectacular without overshadowing the story. Butcher has taken the Wizard Private Investigator in Modern Day Chicago sub-genre and breathed new life into it! Okay, okay....so that genre may in actuality be wholly comprised by the Dresden Files series alone, but who can resist a talking skull, holy knights, fallen angels, three different kinds of vampires, one kick ass blonde police lieutenant and, dare I say it, an undead tyranosaurus rex? and that's just in the first three or four books! seriously. read it! the Sci-Fi Channel series loosely based on this series, while okay, really dumbed down the essence of what JB put into the world he created...kind of like how Sci-Fi has ruined pretty much every series they've gotten their meat hooks into. KC, you have been warned!

Codex Alera Series by Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher does high fantasy. amazing character development and exceptional storytelling. the world of Alara is unique and elaborate, full of magic and intrigue. the plot this series covers is, again, immense and covers ground from political espionage to epic pitched battles to the life story of a young man as he learns to cope in a world to which he was born an outsider. I personally guarantee you will not be disappointed by this series. in fact, if you read the entire series based on my recommendation and can truthfully claim you hated it, I will buy you a paperback of your own choosing as compensation for your lack of a soul.

[Solanine]

The Stand is great, I just finished the extended version, I reckon that 1200 pages isn't bad for £6 of our british pounds.

[seantpage]

The Church by John McCuarig is a good one from the UK - I also love most stuff by Eric S Brown.

[Highwayman]

Wastelands Stories of The Apolcalypse Edited By John Joesph Adams

This is a great read its basically a collection of short stories about what it means to remain Human in the wake of Armageddon

[Eviebae]

Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell It's a fantasy set in an alternate history. Magic, oblivious monomaniacal fairies, a meditation on the effects of miserliness in a magician and the Napoleonic Wars fought by an England with a magician on their side. I wish I could reach into each of your collective brains and cause you all to listen to the audio book en masse. The reader is perfect.

[Tandem25]

Reading Alas, Babylon by Pat Frank as a kid really set the stage for what I would and wouldn't like in books and movies growing up. It is a must read. I read it again a couple of years ago... Still great. Dated, yes. But still great.

[Waldo Butters]

I'd have to say my favorite series is the Dresden Files, it gets pretty amazing

Ra1th, you got me as a fan just for this one post.

[Waldo Butters]

The Dresden Files by Jim Butcher
best. series. ever. hands down. this man is a gamer, fantasy and sic-fi geek that writes for gamer fantasy sic-fi geeks. the character development is excellent, and the plots and nuances to the stories tie together so perfectly to paint a picture of a world so like our own, yet so much deeper and inviting. the modern noir aspect to the narrative is spectacular without overshadowing the story. Butcher has taken the Wizard Private Investigator in Modern Day Chicago sub-genre and breathed new life into it! Okay, okay....so that genre may in actuality be wholly comprised by the Dresden Files series alone, but who can resist a talking skull, holy knights, fallen angels, three different kinds of vampires, one kick ass blonde police lieutenant and, dare I say it, an undead tyranosaurus rex? and that's just in the first three or four books! seriously. read it! the Sci-Fi Channel series loosely based on this series, while okay, really dumbed down the essence of what JB put into the world he created...kind of like how Sci-Fi has ruined pretty much every series they've gotten their meat hooks into. KC, you have been warned!

Codex Alera Series by Jim Butcher
Jim Butcher does high fantasy. amazing character development and exceptional storytelling. the world of Alara is unique and elaborate, full of magic and intrigue. the plot this series covers is, again, immense and covers ground from political espionage to epic pitched battles to the life story of a young man as he learns to cope in a world to which he was born an outsider. I personally guarantee you will not be disappointed by this series. in fact, if you read the entire series based on my recommendation and can truthfully claim you hated it, I will buy you a paperback of your own choosing as compensation for your lack of a soul.

He is my favorite author for just these reasons, and you didn't even mention the dozen or so short stories that flush out the world even more than the main casefiles do.

[Creem_Filling]

The Maximum Ride series by James Patterson. A group of kids that were breed in test tubes, are have bird have human. (They have wings, good eyesight, strong bones) And they are escaping the facility they were made in and discovering it's secrets. Best books I've ever read. It has so much that I can't properly explain it here, so don't really go off what I said here. But I strongly recommend it.

[MancheeLivesOn]

Ooh favorite book. I only get one? Lolz. The Ender's Game series is amazing, Good Omens is a riot, The Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks is incredible, the Chaos Walking Trilogy, Divergent, Xisle... i've got a good sized list.