[Dr Trouble]

What are the 7 most influential books that you have ever read? the books that really changed the way you read literature, view other works, or see the world. Whatever. And you can have series of books counting as one, just have the series name if you like.

I don't have a definite list as of yet, but top three:

The Count Of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas
Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe
The Iliad - Homer

And maybe:
Heart Of Darkness - Joseph Conrad

And this isn't your favorite books, just the ones that have meant the most to you.

[paladin]

The Black Company series - Glen Cook

Reason: Changed fantasy for me from one of classic stories of powerful princes and such to a gritty, realistic war story. It rejeuvenated my lust in fantasy and made me desire to find more like it(which lead me to MBotF)

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series - Douglas Adams

Reason: Showed me that adult literature can be fun(ny).

The Bible - Various

Reason: It's amazing that a book of stories(real, imagined, or otherwise) can influence so many peoples lives. I find the power of the Bible to be second to none and you can learn a lot about culture and history reading it, whether or not you subscribe to Christian beliefs.

[Zanth13]

Because they were some of the first books to read as a kid, (guess it was my gateway drug) I have to say
Dragon lance, then
The dark is rising series
Death gate cycle
To kill a mockingbird (had to read it several times in school)
Left behind series
Shannara series

All the books above were read at a young age and gave me role models I guess. Some kids had chuck Norris while I had Haplo, and Tanis. I guess they kept me in line, You don’t take peoples lunch money when you want to be a hero.

Now that I’m older,

Malazan books, loved them and made me want to broaden my horizons and seek better novels. They really set the standard.

[Dr Trouble]

Alright, Comprised list, in no certain order with reasons (Because I want to be a cool kid like paladin )

Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? - Philip K. Dick - This was the first "Adult" book that I read, and sci fi as well. It really opened my mind up to different ways of thinking. Much in the same way as His other novel "A Scanner Darkly" really gave me empathy for drug addicts.

The Count Of Monte Cristo - Alexandre Dumas - I only just read this last year, but already it has altered everything I read. I believe this book to be among the greatest ever written. From page one Dumas really gripped me and kept me reading with his fantastic adventure and sometimes uneven writing style. Its a tale of love, torture, revenge and selfishness; and it speaks to me on so many levels.

Magician - Raymond E Feist - This is the book that started me reading fantasy. Originally I found the genre dumb, as I had only read dumb fantasy. And while Feists books might also be considered dumb, when I first read Magician I was amazed. It had everything that I was looking for. And it made me cry at the end.

The Book of the New Sun - Gene Wolfe - The first Wolfe Series that I read. To this day I have never read anything more complex. I always new that with novels you could twist and turn the story so the reader doesn't know whats going on and such, but I had never really encountered it done as great as what Wolfe does with this book. The use of his lying narrator Severian is splendid. This book changed my perception of how I write. Whenever I write a story or a paper, I always try to insert even an ounce of the Wolfe method (Although I normally fail miserably).

The Iliad - Homer - My first epic verse . It opened the way to me reading other such works. Such as The Divine Comedy and Paradise lost. so it did me a great service.

Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erikson - He really wrote a fantastic book. I don't care what anyone says, it my favorite of the series. Plus it lead me to a higher fantasy genre instead of the crap that I was reading before.

Legend - David Gemmell - It made me believe in heroes again.

I would have liked to put in the Bible, but I don't think it really fits the influential that I am looking for. By far it is the most influential book I have read, and continue to read. As I read it every day and study it. But it did it on a different level than the other books.

[Obdigore]

1) Ender's Game -Orson Scott Card. I was about 13, and yea... if you have read it, you understand.

2) Gardens of the Moon - Steven Erikson. Umm... Epic Fantasy, not the small little stuff that I was reading before.

3) The Darkness that Comes Before - Baker. Utter drivel. Proof that what a lot of people seem to like can be hated by me. And Is.

4) Hitchhikers - Douglass Adams (The whole series - I have a big leatherbound copy of all 5, so that counts as 1 book, right?). Good, Funny sci-fi. Only Sci-Fi I have read that I actually enjoyed since I got out of middle school.

thats about all I can think of off the top of my head.

[stone monkey]

Good grief, this is hard. Right then:

Aegypt - John Crowley
Simply the most beautifully written book I've ever read. Even now, twenty years later, I've yet to find anything that betters it.

Neuromancer - William Gibson
This was what the future was going to be like. Turns out we were all a bit wrong about that, but that taught me something too.

The Iliad - Homer
Truly epic.

Macbeth - William Shakespeare
Taught me that classic literature wasn't to be feared at all.

The Silmarillion - JRR Tolkien
Substance trumps style.

Labyrinths - Jorge Luis Borges
Proper mind expanding stuff.

The Anthropic Cosmological Principle - Tipler and Barrow

I could easily come up with several more. There have been a lot of books in the last thirty seven years.

[paladin]

Neuromancer was definately on my list, but after thinking about, it doesn't change/influence my life, but it does influence the future(either with its terms that have been coined for public use or its ideas that seem to be on their way to coming true).

That said, I just wish it wasn't so hard to get into a Gibson book.. too many adjectives, adverbs, and otherwise overly descriptive sentences/paragraphs in the first few chapters make the books tough to get in to eventhough the payoff is always worth it.

[Morgoth]

hmm

Hamlet - William Shakespeare -> Because it taught me to read and enjoy the classic plays.

Peer Gynt - Henrik Ibsen -> There's nothing I've ever read that manifested itself in my language as much as this play did. And it taught me that everything gets more fun when on rhyme

Pan - Knut Hamsun -> No author is better at showing something happening without mentioning it at all. And this book also teaches how much beautiful prose really means to the reading experience.

Lord of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien -> Because fantasy addictions have to start somewhere

And Then There Were None - Agatha Christie I don't know exactly why, but this book's stayed with me ever since I read it years ago

Lasso rundt fru Luna - Agnar Mykle I suppose your favourite book always exerts influence on you. There's no book I enjoyed quite as much as this, nor touched emotionally as much as this book did.

The Sandman - Neil Gaiman Technically not a book, but this series of graphic novels taught me how fun it is to place hidden references to other works all over the place

jeez.. this was hard

[Varunwe]

The Lord of the Rings - JRR Tolkien
It showed me adult books could be entertaining and thrilling and fun, instead of the crap I was forced to read for school.

Malazan Book of the Fallen
The first dark and gritty stuff I enjoyed.

[Sir Thursday]

OK, here's mine...a few were obvious choices, a few I had to think about...

The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton - Never before had I read something quite so long - this book made me realise how the long narrative is so much more satisfying, how I prefer the stories with some meat to them.

Lord of Chaos by Robert Jordan - The Wheel of Time really opened my eyes to what fantasy could be. This was the book, with its interesting politicking, big battles and general awesomeness that convinced me I should get interested in the genre. A shame the rest of the series tailed off a bit.

Heart of Darkness by Joseph Conrad - I just love the writing style, the suspense generated throughout, and of course the ending. It made me realise why certain books are considered classics, and for the first time I actually appreciated one of them.

Only Revolutions by Mark Z. Danielewski - The way this book is written leaves me in awe. The author's ability to create something with such symmetry without compromising the beauty of the story, and prose structure being as it was kicked in my natural love for challenges.

Ash: A Secret History by Mary Gentle - Here is a satisfying book, here is a book that reminded me why I love reading. The metamorphosis of the story from a historical fiction profile of a medieval mercenary to something quite different will stick with me for a long time, as will the rising tide of my wonder as I read it.

Memories of Ice by Steven Erikson - Midnight Tides may be my favourite, but the emotional impact that MoI delivers makes it special. This is shock and awe writing, and it succeeds brilliantly.


At the moment I can't think of a seventh...hopefully something will reveal itself in time.

Sir Thursday

[Tristan]

Here's mine:

1. Perdido Street Station- I have never, ever, enjoyed reading a book as much as I did this one. The best reading experience of my life so far.

2. Gardens of the Moon- I felt that fantasy was bound by the rules laid down by Tolkien before I read this, changed the way I looked at fantasy.

3. Midnight's Children- Just brilliant, but not in a way that looks down on the reader for not being having a doctorate in English.

4. Cauldron Born- Its been ages, but this was the first fantasy book I ever read.

5. It- My favorite Stephen King book, one of the few books that genuinely scared me.

6. Watchmen- One of the most brilliantly constructed written works ever, just shows the power of people completely committed to putting together the most challenging work they can conceive.

7. The Picture of Dorian Gray- Its not only a great story, but it is fun reading something by someone who is smarter than everyone else and knows it.

All these books changed the way I think, the way I approach reading, and just the way I look at the world in general. Plus reading all of the was a hell of a lot of fun.

[Riot]

1. Call of Cthulu and other stories - H.P Lovecraft. Amazing work, creepy and messed up in a good sense

2. The Odyssey - Homer. Masterful storytelling.

3. It - Stephen King. First true horror story that freaked me out. I mean, clowns are scary...

4. Hyperion Cantos - Dan Simmons. One of my favourite writers, produced a series of books that blew away the genre.

5. The Fall of the House of Usher and other stories - Edgar Allan Poe. Like Lovecraft, creepy as hell, yet brilliant.

6. The Grapes of Wrath - John Steinback. A sad, sad story.

7. Deadhouse Gates - Steven Erikson. Fantasy taken to the next level. The Fall being one of the greatest scenes in fantasy, ever.

[Falco]

In no particular order:

Heinlein's 'Starship Troopers'- First time I realised that fantasy/sci-fi could and should make people think. I did not agree with a lot of Heinlein said, but it forced me to think about his ideas and principles. I was quite young at the time, early teens.

'Pride and Prejudice'- The first piece of literature that I read and loved. Liz Bennett was my first literary crush. First time I realised that classics were just that for a reason, and that I should read a lot more than contemporary fiction. Again, read it in high school.

'Fever Pitch' by Nick Hornby- Opened my eyes to the world of non-fiction, again in my teens, and thus opened a whole new world of reading for me. Brilliantly written, perfectly-pitched. I keep giving copies of this book away...am upto owning my 4th or 5th. Bit of a familiar theme developing here.

Brian Friel's 'The Freedom of the City'- I'd read a few plays before this, mostly Shakespearian (sp?), but this was another eye-opening read for me. Not just because it planted the plays firmly into my reading landscape, but also because it actually taught me something about Irish conflict, which growing up in Aus, wasn't something I knew a lot about. It seems a little heavy-handed now, but still a great read.

GotM- I know its not SE's best book. I prefer the emotional punches in MoI or DG myself. But before I picked it up, I'd actually slightly given up on fantasy. Or at least reading new fantasy. SE brought me back to the genre, and this was the first book that did it.

John Stuart Mill's 'On Liberty'- Yes, he was a hypocrite of sorts. But if you at all call yourself a liberal (as I do from time to time), you must know what classical liberalism is, and this was an argument for it in its purest form. A superb read and again a book that will make you think and examine your beliefs, especially if you don't agree with what Mill wrote.

Tossing up for the 7th spot between quite a few books...'Don Quixote', Macchiavelli's 'The Prince' etc. Can't pick one.

[caladanbrood]

Hmmmm... why 7, by the way? Just a random number?

Again, no particular order (well, the order I think of them).


The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe - C.S. Lewis
The original Sword and Sorcery book. Narnia was the first full series I ever read. Loved it. Except for the last one, but we'll, urr, ignore that:o

Duncton Wood - William Horwood
Ah, Duncton:) A six-book epic consisting entirely of moles. Awesome. This probably remains one of the most memorable books I've read, simply because it was so damn long, and had an overly complex plot, but I still managed to keep track of what was going on throughout the entire series.

Memories of Ice - Steven Erikson
It's how good fantasy can be - nothing else I've ever read has matched it. Even the Red Wedding doesn't compare to Itkovian's last scene for emotional impact. The fixed point I judge every other book I read against.

The Skinner - Neal Asher
This book taught me that sci-fi can be stuffed full of AIs, bat-shit insane droids, kick-ass immortal humans, hyper-intelligent hive minds, an overly evil alien race intent on the destruction of the human race and living goddam sails and STILL be well written, poignant, intelligent and very clever.

The Player of Games - Iain M. Banks
And this one taught me that it don't actually need any of those things to still achieve an exciting ride.

The Scar - China Mieville
The ultimate in "how the hell did he ever actually think of that" books. More authors should be brave enough to build up something for an entire book and then end it in a way that is not only completely unexpected, but also makes total sense when you re-read it, even if it didn't at the time.

Fevre Dream - George RR Martin
Not only is this his best book, but it showed that vampires don't all have to flow out of the pen of Lauren K Hamilton. Thank god. Maybe there is hope for that particular sub-genre yet, even if he did write it more than a decade again.

[Dr Trouble]

Everybody does, "Your top 10 ...." So I just thought Seven would make it a bit harder.

Fevre Dream is good? I'll pick it up I think.

[caladanbrood]

Well, I liked it;)

[Falco]

I'll 2nd Fevre Dream. Not an influential book, but certainly in my top 2 vampire books.

'Sunshine' by Robin McKinley is the other.

[The Tyrant Lizard]

Dracula, Bram Stoker; it was the first the first adult book I read, and have done so numerous times since.

Waylander, David Gemmel; this one got me into fantasy books, and I havent stopped reading them since. Thanks to Waylander, my scope is now very limited.

Salem's Lot, Stephen King; made me realise that Drac was not the only decent vampire novel. Also got me into some of the horror books, and even made me have a stab at writing horror myself.

Bravo two zero, Andy Mcnab; I know it isnt a novel, but it made me think a lot about some of the crap humans can go through and survive.

Gardens of the Moon, Steven Erikson; basically changed my overveiw of every single book I've read since. My expectations are much higher since this book, and I have halted halfway through many a tale that I might previously have finished. This, i think, is a good thing.

[Werthead]

caladanbrood;191587 said:

Fevre Dream - George RR Martin
Not only is this his best book, but it showed that vampires don't all have to flow out of the pen of Lauren K Hamilton. Thank god. Maybe there is hope for that particular sub-genre yet, even if he did write it more than a decade ago.

A quarter-century ago now. The book came out in 1982.

My list:

2010: Odyssey Two by Arthur C. Clarke
My first adult SF novel, which I read when I was nine or ten years old. The reason I'm still reading SF&F now.

The Lord of the Rings by JRR Tolkien
Although I'd read some fantasy before, SF had been my first love until I read this at age sixteen. It changed a lot of opinions I'd developed about the genre.

War and Peace by Tolstoy
Huge and insightful war epic, which began my interest in historical literature and widened my appetite for densely-written texts.

A Storm of Swords by George RR Martin
The best epic fantasy novel written in the last fifty years. Paced to perfection with moments of gut-wrenching betrayal and pain mixed with exhilarating battle sequences and rare moments of triumph. Also features the best swordfight in epic fantasy. Ever. And a killer final chapter as well.

The Nine Hundred Days by Harrison E. Salisbury
The best history text I've ever read, a harrowing account of the bloody Siege of Leningrad by the Wehrmacht's Army Group North during WWII (where nearly one-half the city's population starved to death and the remainder survived on a few grams of bread a day for months on end). No other book I've read shows what savagery human beings are capable of, or what humans are capable of when it comes to survival in the face of overwhelming horror.

The Reality Dysfunction by Peter F. Hamilton
Big, brash, bold, different and a furious page-turner, mixing elements of space opera, thriller, horror and economic theory. Hamilton creates a plausible but still colourful image of humanity six centuries from now and unleashes a genre-bending does of horror upon them. The two sequels are nearly as good, but suffer from pacing problems, whilst the first novel is perfectly judged. Plus the best jungle combat sequences since Predator.

The Wasp Factory by Iain Banks
Demented, horrific and outrageously funny (the battle with the psychotic rabbit in a minefield is a Monty Python-inspired highlight), Banks' debut novel is simply unfeasibly good and affecting, with an interesting last-minute twist.

[Myshkin]

Are we talking novels, or any book? If we can add religious or philisophical works, the Tao Te Ching, the Bhagavad Gita, and The Tibetan Book of the Dead would all make my list. But I'll stick to novels for my list, because that sounds like more fun.

One Hundred Years of Solitude - Gabriel Garcia Marquez

The Satanic Verses - Salman Rushdie

Les Miserables - Victor Hugo

The Idiot - Fyodor Dostoevsky

Thus Spake Zarathustra - Friedrich Nietzsche

War and Peace - Lev Tolstoi

Crime and Punishment - Fyodor Dostoevsky

The last two in conjuntion with each other, because I read them one after the other and they gave opposing views on the subjects of fate and free will, both using Napoleon as an example.