Greatest book/series ever!

[ToMuchAtOnce]

Hmm my favorite?

Redwall -defined my childhood.

His dark materials - for the early teenage years.

Wheel of Time- which i am currently on, at book 4 of 13; the best out of all the book series I have read so far; for the sheer expansive world, the details of races and their mannerisms and the (reportedly I cannot say as I am not to far but my brother assures me) great character development.

 

[Chal]

Just about all of my favorite series have already been mentioned. The Escapist has great taste.

*thumbs up*

A few favorite classics that I didn't notice anyone mention yet:

Journey to the Center of the Earth, King Solomon's Mines, The Three Musketeers

What I would nominate as the all-time greatest work of literature:

Crime and Punishment

Yes, it was required for a high-school lit class. It was also the most jaw-dropping novel I've ever read. So many amazing twists and tear-jerker moments from the get-go. The deeper meanings are equally astounding, though I'll refrain from writing an essay on that for the forums. Done enough of those essays for a lifetime anyway.

 

[Vortex Traveller]

Charlie and the Choclate Factory, my favorite book ever.
Best series, Harry Potter's good and I was always fond of the Animorphs books.

 

[astrav1]

Anything by Christopher more. Check him out.

 

[Rhymenoceros]

Charlie and the Choclate Factory, my favorite book ever.
Best series, Harry Potter's good and I was always fond of the Animorphs books.

I once read a few of the animorph book but there were so many I just got bored. That I kinda out grew them

 

[ALuckyChance]

I used to read the Animorphs like mad. The ending was a gigantic tease, though.

 

[Rhymenoceros]

I used to read the Animorphs like mad. The ending was a gigantic tease, though.

ooh ooh ooh! tell me! tell me! tell me!

 

[Chelsizzle]

Maybe not the greatest book ever, but I thoroughly enjoyed The Phantom Tollbooth by Norton Juster. Yes, it's a kids book, but I still love to read it even now. And The Stand by Stephen King.

It's already been said, but my vote for best series is Hitchhiker's Guide.

 

[pyers]

I have two trilogies that no one seems to have mentioned:

1) Hero of Ages Trilogy by Brandon Sanderson (a freaking great series with one of the biggest twist endings I have ever read).

2) Demon Trilogy by Peter V. Brett (The first book is The Painted Man which is my number one favorite book. The second one The Desert Spear, which he just made recently, was pretty good but it was mainly just build up for his third and final book)

 

[KrazyShrink]

As a kid I fucking adored Deltora Quest. Best fantasy books ever with an awesome twist at the end.

 

[ManiacRaccoon]

Discworld.

nothing more, nothing less.

Agreed. It gets extra points because it's been going on for so long. So I don't have to wait for new ones to come out to get more. I think I might have read half of them now, but I haven't counted recently, and he's released a few more and that's not to mention the Science of Discworld books which were discontinued or something. I still have to track those down.

 

[Chal]

Greatest series: The Codex Alera by Jim Butcher.
Greatest book: The Brothers Karamazov by Fyodor Dostoevsky.

I'm actually right in the middle of the latter one right now. Hefty stuff. Good choice! Have to second Chelsizzle on being guilty of picking up The Phantom Tollbooth even past high school. Anyone 'round these parts a fan of Crichton? That was something else I failed to mention earlier. Love his stuff.

 

[ALuckyChance]

I used to read the Animorphs like mad. The ending was a gigantic tease, though.

ooh ooh ooh! tell me! tell me! tell me!

Well, fine:

Spoiler

At the beginning of the book, Ax is promoted to Prince, and ends up investigating a derelict space vessel. Inside, he finds a clear hair, and the book switches to the other main characters, in Earth.

Near the end of the books, the government finally realizes the Yeerk threat. By this time, all surviving main characters are in their teenage years. Jake and Marco steal a Yeerk cruiser and jump in with a team of Andalites as a 'special ops force.' After they run into the 'derelict space vessel,' they find Ax has been assimilated into a being known as "The One." Jake smiles, and orders the crew to ram the ship.

That's when the book ends. That is really the end of the entire, 52-book, epic story Applegate created.

 

[Hlain]

Wheel of Time!

Robin Hobbs three trilogies about Fitz, the Fool etc. are at a strong second place. =)

 

[John O'Toole]

Well I really liked the Night Angel Trilogy by Brent Weeks, but....
of ALL time? Yeah that would be Hitchhiker's Guide series.

I loved the Night Angel Trilogy, to me those were the best books I have ever read.

I would also like to throw in Darren Shan's Demonatta series.

 

[dfphetteplace]

Drizzt Saga.

 

[gim73]

Wheel of Time is definately up there at the top of the list. Brandon Sanderson is doing a fine job filling in for Jordan for the final three books (that Jordan envisioned as a single massive 3000 page book). I love the series, but books 9 and 10 could have been a single book and worked better. Personal favorite is book 4.

Anything by R.A. Salvadore. Well, I haven't read EVERYTHING by him, but pretty much all the forgotten realms stuff and a few of his newer ones were well worth reading. Few authors can actually make a cleric work as a main character like Cadderly does.

A Song of Ice and Fire. If Martin doesn't finally give us book 5 after all these years of waiting we might just have to go all crazy on him. Then he teases us with chapters with bran and tyrion...

Memory, Sorrow and Thorn by Tad Williams. Oddball great 'trilogy' that has four books. I love it!

Coldfire Trilogy: If you haven't read this book, you gotta go out and get it. It's a world where your random fears can create demons that will eat you alive. Plus one of the main characters is essentially a vampire.

Anything by Simon R. Green. Deathstalker is one of the best sci-fi sagas of all time. Hawk and Fischer is essentially a crime fighting mystery story set in a fantasy setting. The Nightside gives us a modern day world with a supernatural side private eye story. Very enjoyable read.

 

[Rhymenoceros]

Can I just point out an inconveniant truth to all those who love the Diskworld

Spoiler: Very Sad

Terry Pratchett is getting alzheimers. He says that sometimes it "feels like I'm typing through thick rubber gloves" soon the world will lose an amazing person and one of the greatest authors ever.

 

[Kuroneko97]

I love two series: The Series Of Unfortunate Events, and The Saga Of Darren Shan, also known as The Cirque Du Freak series. Both stories talk about how cruel the world is, only in Cirque Du Freak, there's a meaning behind it...

[small]Yes, I'm trying to get you interested.[/small]

I'm also finally trying out the Harry Potter series. I've only read the first book so far, but I'm gonna finish it when I can get the rest of the books.