So a few days ago my fellow author Jonathan C. Bruce tagged me on Facebook in a list of ten books that stuck with him after reading. (Also, he mentioned Zeus Is Dead, so my suggestion that the publisher dip the entire book in superglue paid off.) It is therefore incumbent upon me to carry on with my own list. After all, this is the Internet, and failure to do so would cause the immediate collapse of civilization as we know it.
That’s how it works, people. Look it up.
Astute readers may have, at this point, noticed that this is not posted on Facebook. But I’ll be linking it from there, so I think that should still prevent any societal implosion. (And if not, I’m sorry. Begin hoarding gasoline and toilet paper, and remember: It’s “TWO men enter, ONE man leaves,” people!)
In no particular order, as is my wont:
The List of 7 – A great supernatural potboiler by Mark Frost, co-creator of Twin Peaks, set in Victorian England with Arthur Conan Doyle as the main character.
Hyperion – The best literary sci-fi saga, period. (Sorry Dune.) By Dan Simmons
Fantastic Mr. Fox – I checked this one out from the library on multiple occasions as a kid. A Roald Dahl classic.
Life, the Universe, and Everything – The best (so far as I’m concerned) of Douglas Adams’s Hitchhiker’s Guide series.
Shadow of a Dark Queen – The opening book of Raymond E. Feist’s Serpentwar Saga, and, I think, the best. Nakor likely influenced Felix in A Shadow in the Flames.
The Herald of Autumn – A recent discovery, this novella from J.M. Guillen is an imaginative, visceral and haunting tale of the wicked things of folklore that lurk in the shadows.
The Elfstones of Shannara – I have to include this one from Terry Brooks, as it’s the book I was reading when I decided to become an author.
Lonesome Dove – While not my usual reading taste, this is an epic tale of a cattle drive from Texas to Montana led by two aging Texas Rangers. Excellent characters by Larry McMurtry.
The Merlin Trilogy – An excellent, low-magic version of the Arthurian legend from Mary Stewart.
The Case of Charles Dexter Ward – This novella from H.P. Lovecraft’s novella is not what you would call a powerhouse of character moments or dialogue (but then, those weren’t his strengths), but it is nevertheless something I enjoyed reading enough to mark it my favorite of his–just ahead of The Shadow Over Innsmouth–and enough for me to steal the name of Joseph Curwen for A Memory in the Black.
Special bonus book!
Ethan Frome – I’m supposed to list books that stuck with me. I read this sucker in 11th grade English class, and it still burns in my memory as the most hated book I’ve ever read. Starts out depressing, dangles some hope, and ends up REALLY depressing. I confess that’s all I really remember anymore. Oh, and a sledding accident.
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