[SiriusL]

The First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant - all three books, were definitely gut-punching, if you could get through them. Or, at least, they left you depressed and feeling morose for a while.

Oddly enough, the Chain of Dogs was sad, but not as emotionally taxing as the Icarium/Mappo story line during my first read. Not sure why. MoI-particularly Itkovian-also.

[Yellow]

Dolorous Menhir;190406 said:

Got to agree. The Usual Suspects is actually pretty dull, it's only well regarded because the twist makes the previous long stretch of not-very-interesting stuff seem important. It doesn't stand up to repeated viewing.

Use of Weapons is the same, but without the problem of it being mediocre without the twist. It's an excellent story with great characters, original ideas and pitch-black humour Banks always delivers. But the twist is what truly makes it great, and not in some tacky "wow I had no idea" sense, but because it really does transform everything that came before into something else. Banks has toyed with language almost invisibly throughout, and it all comes together for the reader at the end.

Sorry, but you think Usual Suspects was dull and mediocre without the twist? Doesn't stand up to repeated viewing? Kind of makes me disregard the rest of your post.

I guess there is no agreement to be found between us. Move along!

[paladin]

the twist makes the movie yellow.. without it, the way the movie is filmed doesnt work, and if it was anyone but who it was it would just be a run of the mill caper movie, especially since it wasnt like it was award quality acting or story up until that point. a movie like the departed still is solid without the ending/fallout because the story up until that point is excellent and the acting was as well, but the usual suspects was nothing particularly special until that point other than the mythological presence of "kaiser soze" eventhough the movie had a good amount of quality actors in it. so i agree with dolorous on that point

[Dag]

Just remembered another one:

"It's Hard to be a God" by Brothers Strugatsky.

One of the greatest books I've ever read - left me all aching and emotionally beaten up in the end. It was... wow. I read it for the first time when I was about 10, and it had a heavy influence on the shaping of my world views at that time. Since then I've read it at least ten more times, and every time I discovered soomething new in it...

[Astra]

Dag;192742 said:

Just remembered another one:

"It's Hard to be a God" by Brothers Strugatsky.

One of the greatest books I've ever read - left me all aching and emotionally beaten up in the end. It was... wow. I read it for the first time when I was about 10, and it had a heavy influence on the shaping of my world views at that time. Since then I've read it at least ten more times, and every time I discovered soomething new in it...

What language did you read it?

[Astra]

The Lord of the Rings

The Great Book of Amber

Tigana

The Last Light of the Sun

The Count of Monte Cristo

Ivanhoe by Walter Scott

The Mysterious Island by Jules Verne

If trilogy is counted then The Farseer Trilogy

[Deragoth]

Red Wedding in aSoS.

Seriously, no other scene has made the rest of a book I was reading so emotionally barren.

[the corinthian]

lord of emperors

when it all comes crashing down

[SiriusL]

I just finished "The Road" by Cormac McCarthy. This is probably the most gut-punching book I've ever read. Or, maybe gut-tearing. Or something equally...uh...violent.

[Deornoth]

I don't know if anyone has mentioned this but King's 'Dark Tower' books were real gut punchers :eek: Don't know if they had a satisfying ending though... :confused:

[Astra]

Deornoth
No one has mentioned because it is 7 books series, otherwise I would mention it too

Quote

Don't know if they had a satisfying ending though...

What do you mean?

[Deornoth]

astra_lestat;195714 said:

Deornoth
No one has mentioned because it is 7 books series, otherwise I would mention it too


What do you mean?

Don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the last book....
Some people think the end of the last book isn't a good one *shrugs*

[Astra]

Deornoth;195909 said:

Don't want to spoil it for anyone who hasn't read the last book....
Some people think the end of the last book isn't a good one *shrugs*

Oh, I see. you do know it but you dont wanna say what you think about it.
Fair enough
Though you can say whether you like it not. People still don't know how it is going to end. It would be merely your opinion.

[Deornoth]

Cool, I've just got a nasty habit of dropping spoilers by accident... :Blush2:
Here goes...
I loved the 'Dark Tower' books and I think every one of them is a gut puncher. As far as the ending of book 7 goes, I thought it was satisfactory (although a lot of Dark Tower fans would disagree with me!)

[Fiddler]

roughest part of King's the dark tower series is the death of the Billy-Bumbler, Oy. I got tears in my eyes remembering how my dog had died in a similiar fashion. I still miss that dog.

[paladin]

dude, spoiler

[Astra]

Deornoth;195945 said:

I loved the 'Dark Tower' books and I think every one of them is a gut puncher. As far as the ending of book 7 goes, I thought it was satisfactory (although a lot of Dark Tower fans would disagree with me!)

I am second to it (I am not of those fans who would disagree with you!).

[Deornoth]

It's definitely a series I will always re-read Have you read any of the comics? (Sorry, offtopic!)