Favorite and memorable books

[drohem]

Inspired by the worst book thread and talk of Jason's new BRP supplement:

What's your favorite book or series? include brief description and/or why it's a favorite for you.

[drohem]

The Architect of Sleep by Steven R. Boyett.
An average Joe spelunker finds himself in an alternate earth where raccoons evolved into sentient creatures and humans remained apes. The raccoons communicate with a complex form of sign language.

Twilight Kingdoms, Tears of Time, and To Fall Like Stars by Nancy Asire.
Fantasy world where psionics replace magic. Two races in total war of genocide. One race has ethical vows against using powers for evil, but the other has no such qualms.

Hiero's Journey and The Unforsaken Hiero by Sterling E. Lanier.
Apocolypitc alternate earth future centered around Great Lakes area. A mutant priest's adventures. His companion and mount is a giant mutated moose. It has a grim-and-gritty Gamma World feel to it.

[Aycorn]

Originally Posted by drohem

Hiero's Journey and The Unforsaken Hiero by Sterling E. Lanier.
Apocolypitc alternate earth future centered around Great Lakes area. A mutant priest's adventures. His companion and mount is a giant mutated moose. It has a grim-and-gritty Gamma World feel to it.

Yeah, "Hiero" is a blast.

Some faves - fantasy: Gene Wolfe's "Book of the New Sun," Leiber's "Lankhmar" stuff. Lovecraft and lots of the Arkham gang (esp. "Who Fears the Devil" by Manly Wade Wellman). "The Mists of Avalon," "The Once and Future King." Recently I really like Jim Butcher's "Harry Dresden" books (forget the recent TV series).

Non-fantasy - "Lion of Ireland" and "Red Branch" by Morgan Llewellyn; "The Wanderer" by Henri Alain-Fournier, "The Magus" by John Fowles; "Lord of the Flies" - I probably re-read that one every 5-6 years. Also love the 1963 movie - one of my all-time favorites.

[drohem]

Elfquest graphic novels and books by the Pini's.

[Simlasa]

For fantasy: The Lord Dunsany stuff, E.R. Eddison, Mervyn Peake... Shakespeare... Robert E. Howard, Clark Ashton Smith, Burroughs... The Black Company series.
Master and Margherita by Bulgokov, Rose Red by Robert Coover.

[drohem]

The Videssos series by Harry Turtledove.

[raymond_turney]

Hard to say, but a few that made an impression quickly come to mind:

Harry Dresden series by Jim Butcher

Three Musketeers and Four Musketeers by Dumas

The VIking Art of War - By Paddy Griffith - not a good "Art of War" book but an interesting look at the Vikings and their weapons nonetheless.

Horation Hornblower serious by Forrester

Falco series by "Lindsay Davis"

Three Kingdoms - Chinese classic, Moss Roberts

I'm not sure these are my favorites, but they come to mind as books I've read at least twice and would not mind rereading;

[NickMiddleton]

Lord of the Rings and the Silmarillion.

LeGuin's Earthsea series, Hainish Cycle (especially the Left Hand of Darkness, the Dispossessed and Rocannon's World), always coming home and Searoad.

Susan Cooper's the Dark Is Rising sequence.

C J Cherryh's Alliance-Union-Compact books, especially Cyteen, Merchanter's Luck and Rimrunners. The Chronicles of Morgaine.

Michael Moorcock's original Elric Saga (i.e. everything up to ~1980), History of the Runestaff and the Chronicles of Castle Brass, the Warhound and the World's Pain.

Brian Aldiss's Helliconia.

Iain M Banks's Culture books, especially Use of Weapons.

Ken McLeod's Fall Revolution books, especially the Star Fraction and the Stone Canal. Learning the World

Alastair Reynold's Chasm City and Century Rain.

HP Lovecraft's At the Mountains of Madness.

William Hope Hodgson's House on the Borderlands.

Steve Erikson's Tales of the Malazan Book of the Fallen, especially Garden's of the Moon, Deadhouse Gates and Midnight Tides.

that'll do for the moment...

Nick Middleton

[drohem]

oooh...well, Tolkien of course, but I forgot about The Chronicles of Morgaine. I liked that series by C.J. Cherryh.

[Kloster]

- Good Omens, by Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman: the best non sensical story ever written.
- Foucault's pendulum, by Umberto Eco: the master of contemporary italian litterature tackles the historical complot. Dan Brown can go home.

Runequestement votre,

Kloster