Favourite Books Of All Time

Today, I would like to talk a bit about my favourite books, fiction only.  These are novels I've read and re-read several times, some decades old, some more modern.

It's hard to nail down fave books I've read over the course of a lifetime - over fifty years worth of page turning. And I've read a lot of books in my time. I read steadily through primary school, trying out mostly thrillers, mysteries, horror and science fiction. During high school, I'd often devour a book in an evening, when I should have been doing homework. Oh well. When I was married, there was less personal time for reading, but I snuck it in wherever I could. Marriage didn't work out - she wasn't a reader at all, and couldn't understand why I should be, either - so once out on my own again, I found the time to pore over the pages of my favourite novels again.

There will be a bit of overlap with some previous posts where I've written about fave books of various genres, or stuff I've read over the course of a year. But here I'll try to rattle off as many all-time favourites as I can think of. These are not in strict order of any sort, but the ones I know belong at or near the top will be higher up in my list.

I think it's safe to say that my absolute favourite book of all time is:

Lonesome Dove

Its sequels often came very close to the same quality of Old West adventure and romance of this first book of the sweeping saga by Larry McMurtry. So without naming them all, I'll just say this series is at the top of my list.

The Border Trilogy, beginning with what I feel is the best of the series, All the Pretty Horses, by Cormack McCarthy... a newer favourite author of westerns, though these stories are set long after the days of the Old West. A very close second to Lonesome Dove.

Earth's Past Trilogy: Three Body Problem, etc... by Cixin Liu. This guy has impressed me as perhaps the greatest modern sci-fi writer. His ideas and style are unique and challenging, encompassing both hard and soft SF.

Dune, by Frank Herbert. Do I need to say more? This and its two sequels formed what I feel was possibly the best of the science fiction genre... ever. Inventive, imaginative, intelligent. Epic in scope and yet the reader is given a chance to develop intimate relationships with the characters. 

Deptford Trilogy: Fifth Business/The Manticore/World of Wonders, by Roberston Davies. I first read this dark fantasy series back in high school, where the first book was actually part of the curriculum. Hooray for that teacher! I re-bought and re-read these novels not many years ago. I appreciated them on more than one level this time around.

China Mieville's Bas-Lag series, starting with Perdito Street Station. I love these far-out dark urban fantasy novels, weird and gritty and highly unique. I can't wait to re-read them someday. Yes, they're that good.

The Historian, by Elizabeth Kostova. I've revisited this once... no, twice... and am always thrown into a dream-like state as I turn the pages of this hunt across Europe for the "real" Dracula. History and geography play a big role in this creepy adventure thriller. The chilling parts would best be read in daylight.

Game, Set, Match series and Hook, Line, and Sinker series by master spy novelist Len Deighton. I've read nearly every one of his approximately two dozen wartime espionage and adventure stories. Some of them at least twice.

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle's stories of the world-famous London sleuth, all of them, pretty much, but especially his debut collection The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes. I read these classic mysteries as a tween many moons ago, and have re-read them more than a couple of times since. Among the best storytelling of all time.

Author Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy, though focused on the wizard's life and times, does include his friend and employer, King Arthur. Wonderfully written with warmth, detail, and atmosphere, I always look forward to my next re-reading of these historical fictional tales.

The Big Sleep, by Raymond Chandler, is among the many, many detective mysteries I've read... yet, the author's stylish prose makes him stand out among his peers. While movie adaptations have not impressed me much, the original novel is captivating, a blast every time I read it.

Maddaddam Trilogy: Oryx and Crake/Year of the Flood/Maddaddam, by Margaret Atwood. Who says Canadians are boring? Ol' Marg created a bizarre and engaging world in this series, the first two novels far better than the third. But as a whole, one of the most unusual and fun stories I've ever read.

The Crimson Petal and the White, by Michel Faber. A massive work of fiction, this book took me on a vivid journey with its protagonists and antagonist in Victorian England. A long, long read, but very satisfying. Someday I'll tackle it again.

The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings... duh. With these monumental books, J.R.R. Tolkien was responsible for all the copycat fantasy crap that would rain down on us for decades. None of it ever came close to Tolkien's pioneering vision of an epic quest led by short, furry-footed people. 

Ray Bradbury, almost anything... it's been a long while since I've gone to my collection of Bradbury books, but I think I'm due. Between his novels and his many collections of short fiction, his old-timey warmth, wisdom and humour gave an immediately relatable air to his stories of the fantastic - horror, sci-fi, and fantasy. He expertly weaves nostalgic tones into his works, and I feel wistful now just thinking about reading one of his books.

The Club Dumas by Arturo Perez-Revert. What was this - a mystery thriller? It's been so long since I've read this engrossing tale, yet I do know the movie adaptation The Ninth Gate quite well. The film altered things a bit, so my memory of the source novel is muddled. But I know I loved it.

The Sisters Brothers, by Patrick deWitt... a charming, funny adventure in the Old West. It was worth re-reading and even the film version did it justice. 

The Demonologist, by Andrew Pyper, caught me off guard. I bought it on a whim, based on a review, and was won over entirely. A smart and creepy story that is dense with atmosphere... and I think I'm ready to revisit it soon.

Boy's Life, by Robert McCammon, remains a favourite summertime read. Set in the 60's, with all the turmoil of that period, it is at its core a fantasy story... and a terrific one, at that. 

Summer of Night was the first horror novel written by Dan Simmons, who went on to make a name for himself after this highly regarded debut. This is the stuff of Stephen King and the 80's horror movies... a vibe that is at once familiar and captivating in its eerie power.

Hyperion, also by Dan Simmons, is his sci-fi masterpiece. I read this for the first time recently, and yes, it lives up to the hype. It is a more human tale than I expected, and that is part of its appeal... the futuristic, spacey side of things is simply the setting for the adventure and drama within.

Fritz Leiber wrote herioc fantasy that grabbed my attention as a young reader, but it was his horror novel Conjure Wife that really slayed me. I get chills just thinking about that book. I've seen a couple of film adapations, only one of which (Burn, Witch, Burn!) came anywhere close to this classic. Can't wait to do this one again. 

Michael Moorcock's Elric saga... I first plowed through this series of "sword and sorcery" fantasy back in high school, loved it, but left it at that. Many years later, I sold off all those mint condition books. Even more years later, I regretted that move and re-bought the series. Yes, still fun and cool as the reluctant emperor is tormented by his magic bloodthirsty sword.

Lyndon Hardy released Master of Five Magics back in 1980, and still, after all these years, it's a great read... an early example of "hard fantasy", which is to say the story follows a young man intent on learning the five disciplines of magic, and here we get into the nitty-gritty of what it takes to harness each of the systems: thaumaturgy, alchemy, magic, sorcery, and wizardry. 

Back in the early 2000s, I made a happy discovery at the local library. Canadian author Charles de Lint did wonders to revive my interest in the fantasy genre with his blend of folktale, myth, fairytale, dreams, and urban legend - which melded into his version of urban fantasy. I am most familiar with the novels he wrote in the 80's, like Moonheart (probably my favourite), Greenmantle, and Wolf Moon. Excellent and unique stuff, at least back then. I suppose the market is now flooded with imitators of this pioneer of the genre, but go back to de Lint for the real deal. I really need to explore more of his bibliography.