Best. Book. Ever.

[shalter]

What is the "best" book you have ever read? Best is just as subjective as worst, but some qualities that best might share could be favorite book or a book in which the quality of the writing leaves you in particular awe. I would like this thread to be about what books are best to you. If someone posts about a book that you don't like, try to refrain from harsh criticism and focus on your favorites/bests. Think back over the course of your reading life, not just what you are currently happy with. Have fun.
My favorite book is "Lord of Light" by Roger Zelazny. I've read it more than 20 times. Zelazny's writing is wonderful and he packs so much into this relatively short volume. In today's trends, it would probably be a ten book epic.
"The Lord of the Rings" trilogy by J. R. R. Tolkien is certainly up there and I've always loved "The Three Musketeers" by by Alexandre Dumas. "Stand on Zanzibar" by John Brunner is breathtaking.
What are some of the books you like the best?

[Ian P. Johnson]

I don't know how to objectively measure the goodness of a book, but few books had quite an impact on me like Lord of the Rings did when I was ten.

[shalter]

Don't worry too much about objective criteria--if you have some feel free to mention them, but think about books that you really like. Impact is a good category by the way.

[anthonypero]

The Name of the Wind is currently the best book I've ever read. That will change, of course. It used to be Dune.

[Ian P. Johnson]

Well, if we're talking impact, then the Discworld books and the Sandman series had as much of an impact on my high school years as LotR had on my middle school years…

AnthonyPero: Love NotW! It's exquisitely written, has a firm foundation in realistic worldbuilding, and it's one of the most intriguing examinations of the "myth of the hero" that I've ever seen. Honestly, when I read it, I was constantly thinking, "This is a first novel? Damn, but this Rothfuss guy is good.

[anthonypero]

It was so good, in fact, and took so long for him to write and publish, that I was sure he was going to be another Harper Lee... he still might, if you view Kingkiller Chronicles as a single book.

[Marquoose]

My personal fav is 'The Time Machine' by HG Wells. When you think about how much the genre has been influenced by it, it's astonishing. Not just the time machine itself, but the format of the book and the idea of exploring speculative societies. You only have to watch episodes of Star Trek and Stargate to see it's influence

[tnh]

"Best book" and "biggest impact" are two different things. I still remember the dizzying rush of skiffy goodness I got from reading an undistinguished 1950s SF novel, back when I was first discovering science fiction. Decades later, I told the author about it and he visibly flinched. I promised him that I had no intention of ever re-reading it.

Nothing's perfect, but in my opinion, these come closer than most: Barry Hughart, Bridge of Birds. Roger Zelazny, Nine Princes in Amber. (I have a running argument about this with Steve Gould, who thinks it only qualifies as nearly perfect when paired with The Guns of Avalon. We both agree that it's best to pretend the rest of the series doesn't exist.) Fritz Leiber, The Big Time. Tim Powers, Last Call. Lord Dunsany's tiny but perfectly formed short fantasy stories.

Best hard SF series: Stan Robinson's Mars novels. Best multi-volume fantasy: The Lord of the Rings. Best unclassifiable series: Edward Whittemore's Jerusalem Quartet. Best series that isn't technically in the genre, but is read as though it were: Patrick O'Brian's Aubrey/Maturin novels.

Three mainstream novels I've never seen anyone dislike:

To Kill a Mockingbird, Harper Lee
The Killer Angels, Michael Shaara
The Perfect Storm, Sebastian Junger

(The latter two were made into disappointing movies. Ignore them.)

[Coriolanus]

Tops for Influence: One Flew Over the Cuckoos Nest.

Tops for Biggest Genre Impact: Elric of Melnibone

Tops for that moment when you realize this is the best author ever: The Book of the New Sun.

[tnh]

Tops for that moment when you realize this is the best author ever: The Book of the New Sun.

He's definitely in the running for Best Ever. For me, the experience was more like "I'm in over my head ... and it's great." I knew I wasn't in control of the reading, but I had a strong sense that Gene Wolfe was, so my only real option was to lie back and enjoy it.