Does anybody here have a favorite fiction novel?

I was wondering about Pressfield's other stuff. "Gates of Fire" makes my top-ten list every time, but I was sorely disappointed with "The Last Amazon." Glad to hear "Killing Rommel" is worth a read.

I really really like Stephen King as well. He has some junk books (Dreamcatcher) and a few that you just have to shake your head at how he could screw up a perfectly good premise (Cell), but his best books are outstanding (It, Salem's Lot, Wizard and Glass).

I have been reading some modern sci-fi lately, and found several by some combination of Eric Flint, David Weber and John Ringo. Flint and Weber both write excellent alternate-history books, and Ringo tends to liven up anything on which he collaborates. Stay away from Ringo's solo stuff, though. "Ghost" was a 300-page rape fantasy, and "Watch on the Rhine" was basically a blowjob for the Waffen SS. The "Belisarius" series that Eric Flint did with David Drake is excellent alternate-history sci-fi.

For pure fantasy, the only thing I've found that can compare to Tolkien is George R. R. Martin's "Song of Ice and Fire" series. Now if the old fat bastard will just finish book 5 before he dies of a coronary event...

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Originally Posted by jaxman7

Tom Clancy's Without Remorse

In short a former Vietnam era Navy SEAL (John Clark) has his family killed by a drug cartel and he goes crazy on them. That's the short version but of course it being a Clancy novel it has alot of detail to it.

-Jax

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That is a great book. I have read it at least 4 or 5 times. Tom Clancy is an excellent author.

Two other authors that I have enjoyed reading are Stephen Hunter and David Morrell.

Ditto on the Shooter movie with Markymark, stupid. The actual book was much better.

Link: http://www.stephenhunter.net/books/

My favorite Hunter books are: Blacklight, Pale Horse Coming, Dirty White Boys, and Point of Impact.

Hunter has an entire series on the Bob Lee Swagger character and his son. Good stuff, if you like action and reading about guns from someone who knows of what he speaks.

David Morrel
http://www.davidmorrell.net/books/index.cfm

My all time favorite Morrell book is the Fifth Profession. A work regarding a bodyguard and the profession in general. A classic for sure.

Morrell's other novels are excellent too. I have read 3/4 of the list on the webpage (link) I posted. My other two favorites of his are Botherhood of the Rose and Fraternity of the Stone. Good stuff.

SkiDevil

I'm rereading the Sword of Honour trilogy by Evelyn Waugh.

It's about an inconsequential man confronting the end of his epoch.

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Ray Bradbury. Everything.

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Bingo! "The Fruit at the Bottom of the Bowl"

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Originally Posted by chadbag

I tried to read the first one, The Sword of Shannara when I was in High School. It was such a blatant Tolkein rip-off that I gave up in disgust. I am sure that Brooks got past that problem with the later ones and I have heard good things about them, but the first was so blatantly a rip off that I gave up on it.

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"Inherit the Stars" by James P. Hogan is good. The whole series that this kicks off is ok-good but the this first one is the best imho. (My neighbor worked with Mr. Hogan in Sales Training at DEC when I was younger before Mr. Hogan decided to quit and write full time). "Two Faces of Tomorrow" by Hogan is also interesting.

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I got that too from the sword of shannara Chad. The elfstones of shannara is a great read. Epic story with huge battles and individual stories as well. Have read it so many times my book is falling apart.

S.M.

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Originally Posted by RancidSumo

It is a tough choice but I think The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is probably my favorite followed closely by the two Rand books I mentioned.

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The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a great book! It is unfortunate that so few people I know have actually read it.

A few of my other favorites:

Armour - John Steakley
A Game of Thrones - George RR Martin
The Engines of God - Jack McDevitt
The Eternity Artifact - L.E. Modesitt

And of course Starship Troopers and Gates of Fire.

The Casca series by Barry Sadler.

Too hard to just pick one, so I have to add the ones I read 3-4 times a year. I love reading, listening to music and reading is the best, made even better with a nice brew and my beautiful wife.


-1984
-Brave New World
-Animal Farm
-Atlas Shrugged
-Ulysses
-Lord of the Flies
-The Secret Agent
-A Clock Work Orange
-Heart of Darkness

I have everything by Robert A. Heinlein, but "Time Enough for Love" is my favorite.

I also love the "Bio of a Space Tyrant" series by Piers Anthony.

"The Things They Carried" by Tim O'Brien