Ooooh, then I guess I should have known, I've read Game of Thrones up to the non existent current novel. Definitely ranks on the top ofmy list, buuuut Martin could learn better battle scenes from our spiritual Liege Tolkien.
And Steven Erikson His battle scenes blow my mind. Gritty and truthful. No romantic words either. Just the pure horror and brutality of war.
As a disillusioned Christian/Abrahamic, I found the Da Vinci Code really enlightening, and would rank it as one of my favourites.
Come on! Why has no one mentioned: HITCHHIKERS GUIDE TO THE GALAXY if you liked the witty dialouge in the malazan books (Fiddler and Hedge were awesome ) you should be reading Douglas Adams. Also anything by Peter F Hamilton, Patrick Rothfuss (brillant but slow writer), Brent Weeks (Lightbringer is great) and Brandon Sanderson (This guy is gold!). Edit: Dan Brown enlightening? *shrug*. I found Battles are the Best Bits to be a very informative book regarding western culture and religions. If you are intrigued by the way the western world seems so interconnected then this will float your boat. It is a history book, no fiction (well abit of Herodotus ), but I found it an enjoyable read. Careful though it will probably give you the history bug .
I read Douglas Adams off course! And Patrick Rothfuss is brilliant. But Oh so slow in writing. He is worse then Martin. He will be dead before the end of a song of fire and ice Fiddler and hedge were a couple of my favorite characters! And whiskyjack .. man .. whiskyjack ..
Off the top of my head in no particular order I would say: Atlas Shrugged by Ayn Rand 1984 by George Orwell Liberal Fascism by Jonah Goldberg The Broken Sword by Poul Anderson Conan (assorted) by Robert E. Howard Elric (original series) by Michael Moorcock Dracula by Bram Stoker Huckleberry Finn by Mark Twain Harrison Bergeron by Kurt Vonnegut "Repent Harlequin!" said the TickTockman by Harlan Ellison Federalist Papers by Assorted
I've heard that G.R.R.M is now giving the tv series a different ending to the books. Looks like HBO got fed up of his writing speed as well. I wonder what books they'll adapt next. I'd like to see today's screenwriters give Dune the series it deserves. If not it looks highly likely that Brandon Sanderson's work will end up on screen. Probably Steelheart . I'm hoping for a mistborn film as well.
Well I cannot blame them. He is agonizing slow with writing. Always hoped they would make movies out of the malazan books. Or a series. But I guess that will never ever happen.
