Gushing About Shows You Like (Sugar Wiki)/Literature: Difference between revisions

* Since this very wiki was the one to introduce me to Markus Zusak's ''The Book Thief'' I'm happy to say here and now that it made my [[SturgeonsSturgeon's Law|10 percent]] immediately. Seriously. I wish I knew more people just so I could tell them about this heartbreaking, breathtaking, wonderful experience of a book.

* Mervyn Peake's ''[[Gormenghast]]'' trilogy is the topic of this troper's University dissertation (it's literary on top of being gripping and involving!). Peake's character's are bizarre, but they're also incredibly human; not since reading the ''[[Harry Potter]]'' novels as a kid has this troper been so emotionally involved in a piece of literature - some of the deaths in the books haunt him to this day. ''Titus Groan'' is a bit of a slog at first, but once you hit the half-way point you'll be reveling in Peake's elaborate prose - I've never came across another writer who cares so much for the aesthetic quality of words and their sounds: reading Peake's descriptions is like, if you'll excuse me, sex for the mental ear. And the atmosphere... This troper harbours ambitions of being an author, and after finishing ''Titus Alone'' was despondent, knowing he'll never write half as well as Peake.

** Just the novels? Forget [[Stephen King]] and [[HPH.P. Lovecraft]]--''Boy in Darkness'' is the most terrifying thing ever written.

* Two words: ''[[Good Omens (Literature)|Good Omens]]''. If you haven't read it yet, get thee to a library! It's worth it.

*** Psh, all you'd have to do is ask a ''[[Good Omens (Literature)|Good Omens]]'' fan to borrow a copy. I'm on my third one by now, mostly because the first one is still touring another state and the second one got left in the car one time too many. And the third copy is currently in another city being passed around by friends of friends...

** If you like ''Good Omens'', pick up ''[[The Sandman]]'' and/or a ''[[Discworld (Literature)|Discworld]]'' book. There are many, ''many'' reasons why they're so popular.

* While we're at it, let's have some love for the ''[[Discworld (Literature)|Discworld]]'' books in general. Perfect dry humor, characters that captivate you, incredible plots... Pratchett is a genius. My favorite bit is in ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Men At Arms|Men Atat Arms]]'', where several characters, talking about kings, bring up the sword-from-a-stone legend and say "Now, a man who can put a sword ''into'' a stone, now, he's a king." At the end of the book, {{spoiler|the "lost" heir to Anhk-Morpork's throne does ''exactly that'' - and [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|he puts it through a bad guy on the way to the stone]]...}} Just absolutely, perfectly done.

** I'm not afraid to say this. I don't care if people thought it was heavy-handed and irritatingly preachy, I loved ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Monstrous Regiment|Monstrous Regiment]]''. It was my gateway Terry Pratchett and I will always have fond memories of it.

*** I '''adore''' ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Monstrous Regiment|Monstrous Regiment]]''. It might possibly be my favourite stand-alone novel. [[Yuri Fangirl|Quite possibly because of all the subtext.]]

** While we're at it, this troper feels obliged to put in a word for ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Small Gods|Small Gods]]'', which she feels does not come up nearly often enough in discussions of ''Discworld'' despite being one of the best books not just in the series but quite possibly in the whole world. If it hadn't been the second ''Discworld'' book she'd read, after ''The Colour of Magic'', she might have dismissed the whole series as a lot of clever nonsense (not that there's anything wrong with that).

** This troper has to add her own for ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Carpe Jugulum|Carpe Jugulum]]''. It's her favorite, mainly due to the awesomeness of the vampires and it being the second book(after Reaper Man) she read, introducing her to the awesomeness that is Granny Weatherwax.

** [[Tropers/User:Riti Troll|This one]] screamed it on the top of her lungs on a different forum after going "This is coming at me from everywhere, might as well read it." One person borrowed it from a library, another then pointed her to [[Discworld|Reaper Man]] specifically.

** ''A Hat Full of Sky'' introduced [[Tropers/User:Queen Of Dorkness|me]] to the fact that it is possible to find funny, well-written fantasy. It will forever have a special place in my heart for that reason.

** As soon as I opened up ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Hogfather|Hogfather]],'' and read the dedication - "[[Sincerity Mode|To everyone who ever wanted to believe]]" - I knew that [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|I'd stumbled on something truly magical.]] And I wasn't disappointed. How Sir Pterry can be so ''right'' about everything - about the depravity and sheer ''indifference'' of so much of humanity and life, and yet its beauty and goodness and hope at the same time, will forever baffle and delight me.

*** The sheer amount of awesome, funny and heartwarming in ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Hogfather|Hogfather]]'' can hardly be expressed in words.

** I'd like to give a special mention to ''[[Discworld (Literature)/Night Watch (Discworld)|Night Watch]]'' for being the first Discworld book I bought for myself (as opposed to getting from the library), for being the first book I [[Tear Jerker|cried at]], and for just being a damn fine book. The rest of the City Watch books are also amazing, hilarious, heartwarming and tearjerking, often at the same time. And Vimes is just awesome.

* ''[[Harry Potter (Literaturenovel)|Harry Potter]]'' itself is truly amazing. Honestly, how many of you can't say you were disappointed when you didn't get your acceptance letter to Hogwarts at age 11? It combines a well-moving plot, good writing, and absolutely amazingly realistic characters with a truly magical setting that I would love to be a part of more than almost any other.

** ''The dedication of [[Harry Potter and Thethe Deathly Hallows (novel)|this book]] is split [[Arc Number|seven ways]]: to Niel, to Jessica, to David, to Kenzie, to Di, to Anne, [[Crowning Moment of Heartwarming|and to you, if you have stuck with Harry until the very end.]]''

* ''[[I Am Legend]]'' the book, is probably one of the best [[Our Vampires Are Different|vampire]] novels, one of the best [[After the End|apocalypse]] and novels, and the absolute best [[Genre Busting|Vampire]] [[Ninja Pirate Zombie Robot|apocalypse]] novel ever written.

{{quote| "Yeah, well, whatever. You can't teach God anything.<br />

** [[The Silmarillion]] took all the problems I had with The Lord of the Rings and ''fixed them''. The elves aren't perfect and angelic. There are plenty of female characters. And the sheer amount of story and effort that Tolkien put into it is mindblowing, plus practically all the characters are [[Badass|badass]]. It's like LOTR with awesome x1000.

*** Too true. Whilst I love the major works, there are all the gems like ''[[Farmer Giles of Ham (Literature)|Farmer Giles of Ham]]'', ''[[Smith of Wootton Major (Literature)|Smith of Wootton Major]]'' and ''[[Leaf By Niggle (Literature)|Leaf Byby Niggle]]'', which are also awesome.

** I discovered Middle-earth at age 12 and since then everything Tolkien has ever written, plus the film adaptations, have been my all-time favorites. When [[The Hobbit (Filmfilm)|The Hobbit]] movie was announced, I squeed for four hours straight.

* ''[[The HitchhikersHitchhiker's Guide to Thethe Galaxy]]'' is a brilliant [[Deconstruction]] of, well, [[Real Life]]. It revels in its own [[Fridge Logic]] and to say [[It Runs Onon Nonsensoleum]] is an understatement. It jets faster than the speed of light on Nonsensoleum and doesn't even pretend that is rational. The characters are entertaining by themselves, but the real joy is how the entire [[Fridge Logic]] universe is juxtaposed to them, and how human reason pales in comparison to the wide, wide universe. A massive subversion of [[Sci -Fi Writers Have No Sense of Scale]] if there ever was one. And of course, you learn the answer to the ultimate question of Life, The Universe and Everything.

* Erin Hunter's ''[[Warrior Cats (Literature)|Warriors]]'' series [[Needs More Love]] on this wiki! Sure, it's a series about cats for pre-teens, and sure, it has plenty of flaws, but there's something about it that charms and captivates me like no other book series. I love these kitties.

** ''The Darkest Hour'' has been my favorite book for six years, and it probably always will be. Firestar's nine lives ceremony was breathtaking, Tigerstar's death was horrifying, and the battle with BloodClan was just all-around awesome. There are several moments which will stay with me forever. I feel this way about many books in ''[[Warrior Cats (Literature)|Warriors]]'', but ''The Darkest Hour'' really takes the cake.

** This troper loves Wrinkle, but ''[[A Wind in Thethe Door]]'' is her personal favorite on Proginoskes alone.

* And can we get a little love for [[Lloyd Alexander]] in the house? To cite one of his lesser known works, ''The Remarkable Journey Of Prince Jen'' is just a darling, heartwarming and entertaining, wise without being smarmy, the true [[The Heros Journey|Hero's Journey]] distilled into its finest form.

** ''[[Pride and Prejudice]]'' quickly became one of my favorite books the first time I read it. Although I don't like the plot or characters of ''[[Northanger Abbey (Literature)|Northanger Abbey]]'' as much, the [[Genre Savvy]] narrator's snark, wit, and [[Conversational Troping]] just make it ''so'' enjoyable to read -- I actually fell in love with that book ''purely'' because of the writing style! I didn't care ''what'' she was writing about -- before that, I didn't think it was possible for writing to ''literally'' do that for a book. Yet, I think I found a new Austen favorite this past winter... ''[[Mansfield Park]]''. Why? Because the heroine is the anti-Elizabeth Bennett (physically weak, quiet, depressed, no confidence in herself or her opinions, and madly in love with her love interest from the start), but she's more real and familiar. She's a victim of emotional abuse, starved for parental and familial love, and the damage this causes to one's psyche is not disguised or glossed over ''but'' neither is it dwelled on; the hardships and injustices of her life are actually ''shown'', not told. In spite of all that, she still has the strength to stand her ground when it really counts, which makes her rejection of Henry Crawford far more impressive than Lizzie's rejection of Mr. Collins. Plus, in its comparison of the hardships faced by rich families and poor families, the novel averts the condescending Aesop of "the rich have more money, but no love, thus you're lucky if you're poor and should feel sorry for the rich." No, way! The heroine and the narrator both know that, no matter how many problems the rich have, it's definitely preferable to be rich than poor. Jane Austen, you never cease to amaze me!

** [[Pride and Prejudice]] will always be This Troper's favourite book and Darcy and Elizabeth her favourite couple. Them being verbal sparring partners at first, Darcy's quiet admiration of Elizabeth and suddenly proposing, Darcy then trying to remould his character after getting a good [[What the Hell, Hero?|calling out]] by Elizabeth and then ''her'' finding herself falling in love and the ending they get makes This Troper forget all the prejudice she's ever held against love for a few days after another re-read every time.

* Carrie Vaughn gets a mention for the ''[[Kitty Norville]]'' series. A fun [[FirstpersonFirst-Person Smartass]] romp through the worlds of things that go bump in the night. Easy to get into, and definitely worth your time.

* This Troper likes pretty much every [[Dragonlance]] novel he owns(which is a lot). Sure, the series may get disparaged some for being based off of [[Dungeons and& Dragons]], but the books are generally quite fun reads.

* [[Neil Gaiman]] is a master of creating darkly beautiful and mesmerizing worlds that you'll find yourself wonderfully lost in. It doesn't hurt that he's also got some highly creative ideas and plots to go with them, but his [[Signature Style]] is what makes his stories so engrossing and memorable. I love rereading ''[[Stardust (Literaturenovel)|Stardust]]'' and ''[[Neverwhere]]'', and can appreciate the extensive research and detail poured into ''[[American Gods (Literature)|American Gods]]'' even if the mythology angle didn't click with me as it did for others (if you're a mythology buff, however, you'll have a great time reading it).

** I ''am'' a mythology buff. Holy shit, is ''[[American Gods (Literature)|American Gods]]'' fun for us. Hunting down references and seeing if you can name all the mentioned gods is a heck of a lot of fun.

** It has been briefly mentioned above, but this troper cannot rave enough about ''Neverwhere''. Most people cite ''[[American Gods (Literature)|American Gods]]'' as Gaiman's best book, but I disagree. ''Neverwhere'' may not have the masses of research poured into it, but is amazing in a simpler kind of way, in that the story is just a brilliant kind of awesome.

** ''[[Coraline (Literaturenovel)|Coraline]]'' and ''The Graveyard Book'' are two of the best children's books in recent history--and like all the great children's books, are thoroughly enjoyable no matter how old you are.

** For this troper, it's ''[[American Gods (Literature)|American Gods]]'' for the brain food and mythology-nut in her, and ''[[The Sandman]]'' for her inner writer. "The Sound of Her Wings" is what this troper aspires to write like when she grows up.

* ''[[Chronicles of Narnia]]''! [[CSC. LewisS. (Creator)Lewis|CS Lewis]] introduced me to fantasy, for which I will always be grateful.

** ''Where is [[Howl's Moving Castle (novel)|Howl's Moving Castle]]???'' Nearly one and all DWJ fans will agree that it's far from being the author's ''best'' book, but that doesn't mean it isn't anything short of fantastic. It takes fairy tale convention and gleefully turns it on its head, and a number of next-gen DWJ fans can point to HMC as being the book that got them started. Sophie and Howl's relationship is deliciously bizarre, and if you've only seen the movie but haven't read the book, you have not lived.

{{quote| To defy the lightnings is to be victorious.}}

* Sometimes you have read the synopsis of a classic, read it and then go "meh". Sometimes you've read the synopsis of a classic, read it, and discover how frickin' beautiful the language itself is. This was This Troper's reaction to Steinbeck's ''[[The Grapes of Wrath (Literature)|The Grapes of Wrath]]''

* If your only knowledge of ''[[The Princess Bride (Literaturenovel)|The Princess Bride]]'' comes from the movie, you are missing out! (Not that the movie isn't awesome.)

* [[Ursula K. Le Guin]]. Her Hainish cycle works are jaw-dropping books of genius. ''The Left Hand of Darkness'' is one of very few science fiction books to explore themes of gender and queerness from a feminist perspective. ''The Dispossessed'' is also a masterpiece of speculative fiction.

* ''[[GauntsGaunt's Ghosts]]'' is a series that not only manages to make the [[Redshirt Army|Imperial Guard]] [[Badass Normal|competent, dangerous, and respectable,]] but also brings much-needed humanity to the wild insanity of the ''[[Warhammer 4000040,000]]'' universe. Its funny, its heartrending, its just plain awesome....and unlike other aspects of the fiction, the characers don't need to be space elves, super soldiers, genetically engineered warrior fungi, or deathless automotons to be awesome.

*** Not to mention the in-depth, believable characters, the array of clever [[Plan|plans]] and kudzu plots that still manage to make sense, the humor, and [[Badass|Harry]] [[This Is for Emphasis, Bitch|Fucking]] [[Full -Contact Magic|Dresden's]] [[Deadpan Snarker|snarky]] [[FirstpersonFirst-Person Smartass|narration]].

* George Orwell's [[Nineteen Eighty -Four]] was one of the best things I've read for school. It had meaning AND it was a thriller. Wow.

* Hey, you! You like fantasy, pal? Then let me do you a favor: Go and read the ''[[Fablehaven (Literature)|Fablehaven]]'' series ''right this instant.'' Don't let the [[Non -Indicative Name|cutesy-sounding name]] and [[Covers Always Lie|glittery fairy-laden covers]] put you off. The first book is a cheery, whimsical and oftentimes charmingly silly romp that will make you wish ''your'' grandparents were that cool. And then the later books? They get '''''[[It Got Worse|dark.]]''''' Not only does the series paint a unique view of the traditional [[Fantasy Kitchen Sink]], but the characters are wonderful, the web of constant [[The Mole|turncoats]] and [[Gambit Roulette|chancey plans]] will keep you on your toes--and who knows? You might just come to think of those glittery fairies as occassionally, capably [[Badass]].

* ''[[Artemis Fowl (Literature)|Artemis Fowl]]''. The books are very original, very funny, very exciting and at times, very moving. What more could I possibly ask for?

*** [[Action Girl|Holly]] [[This Is for Emphasis, Bitch|Fucking]] [[Little Miss Badass|Short]].

* I don't understand how anyone can hate ''[[Inheritance Cycle (Literature)|Eragon]]''. [[ClicheCliché Storm]]? [[Tropes Are Not Bad]]! It's really the classic distillation of [[A Boy and His X]] on [[The HerosHero's Journey]].

* On ''[[Twilight (Literaturenovel)|Twilight]]'', I may not go as far as to say that every book is amazing, but I think the reason the Twilight series is so popular (besides legions of fangirls wanting their own "Edward Cullen") is because Meyer took a concept and molded it into her own. Sure, she made the vampires sparkle and turned them from beasts to happy invincible creatures (then again, Anne Rice started this), but you can't deny that she has a entertaining plot. Even with the haters, you will find that they have at least ''one'' favorite character from this series, be it Alice, Jasper, or even James. Meyer's characterization may be off, but she leaves it for the reader to decide, in a way.

** Say what you want about ''[[Twilight (Literaturenovel)|Twilight]]'' - paper thin characters, purple prose, no literary value - it's still ridiculously fun to read in all it's absurd glory.

* ''[[The Neverending Story (Literaturenovel)|The Neverending Story]]''. More like the story everyone needs to read at least once in their life. The book ''[[Momo (Literature)|Momo]]'', by the same author, is also simply wonderful.

* ''[[Cold Mountain]]'' is as compelling and epic a Civil War story as ''[[Gone Withwith the Wind]],'' with protagonists that could be cliche, but turn out as anything but. And it was the only novel I have ever read for school that [[Tear Jerker|made me cry.]]

* ''[[The Queens Thief|The Queen's Thief]]'' series by Megan Whalen Turner. Pseudo-history with epic politics, war, romance that by all rights ''should'' be dysfunctional but is instead amazing, and just the slightest hint of magic in the form of a Greek-styled pantheon (but with less dallying and more governing). As someone on the series's page said:

{{quote| It's pretty much agreed on by '''all''' of the fans that everything Gen does qualifies for this. He eats Awesome Flakes for breakfast...in your rafters.}}

** Oh God, yes. The Vorkosigan series just plain ''rocks''. ''[[Wham! Episode|Memory]]'' and ''[[Crowning Moment of Funny|A Civil Campaign]]'' are especially [[Crowning Moment of Awesome|epic]].

* [[PGP. G. Wodehouse (Creator)|PG Wodehouse]]'s books in general, but especially the [[Jeeves and Wooster (Literaturenovel)|Jeeves and Wooster]] books. Whether you see them as bright and sunny like they're portrayed or not, whether the plots are somewhat repetitive or not, you can't pretend they're not some of the funnest, funniest, books around. The scene when Gussie Finknottle gives his speech to the boys' school in 'Very Good, Jeeves' will have you in tears every time you read it. Also, the great relationship between Jeeves & Bertie. You have the genius servant, always ready with a drink and a good quote of poetry to calm his master down and fish him from the soup, and you have the idiotic, but still somehow totally charming, master, who is forever willing to do anything for his friends, no matter how stupid or cruel they can be, and when you have the two of them together, you have two characters who are really devoted to each other in the most awesome way, whether you see them as [[Yaoi Guys]] or just good ol' fashioned [[Heterosexual Life Partners]].

** And don't forget about [[Psmith (Literature)|Psmith]], who is sort of like Jeeves and Bertie put in a blender, and Mike, who is sort of like a teenage Bertie without the aunts.

* All right, I'm going to shame myself with my own geekery and bring [[Animorphs (Literature)|Animorphs]] into the conversation. The quality in the ghost-written books varied wildly, I spent a lot of time yelling at the characters, and I personally wish the last half of the last book hadn't happened, but at the end of the day, it's a weirdly beautiful investigation of innocence and war and morality and childhood. And it's aimed at twelve-year-olds. (For reference, I was eighteen when I read the books.)

* ...This unknown tropette is deeply disappointed in all of you. There is a sad, pathetic lack of [[The Wonderful Wizard of Oz (Literature)|The Wonderful Wizard of Oz]] on this page. If you've seen the movie, read it. It's just so wonderfully, lovingly written, and one can tell that L. Frank Baum was trying very hard to make a Fairyland that the audience would enjoy (very obvious in the foreword) , and succeeded with that. He also seemed to be enjoying himself as he wrote it. You can see everything the book describes as though you've known it all your life. The illustrations, both in their style and in their color, are fantastic. And the CHARACTERS, good lord, the characters. You ''love'' everyone you're meant to like almost right off the bat. This tropette hasn't read the sequels, and quite frankly, she doesn't want to. She's so completely, utterly satisfied with the current ending that she doesn't ''want'' to hear about Ozma or whatever. She reads it all the time and never gets tired of it. She ''can't'' get tired of it. It's her absolute most favorite book in the world.

* Last winter, I read ''[[Wuthering Heights (Literaturenovel)|Wuthering Heights]]'', and I loved it. This summer, I read ''[[Jane Eyre]]'', and I loved it. A few weeks ago, I read ''[[The Tenant of Wildfell Hall]]'', and I was aghast. It is the most cruelly underrated novel I have ever come across! Why do I find the most obscure and neglected Bronte novel to be the best and most engaging of the sisters' works?! With no exaggeration, ''The Tenant'' is truly the most gut-wrenching novel I've ever read. It shakes me to my very core in a way no book has ever come close to. Never before have I almost been unable to bear reading a book for its power. It's also only the third book in my life <ref>after ''[[Little Women]]'' and ''[[Cyrano De Bergerac]]''</ref> that actually brought on an unstoppable torrent of tears as I read. The First Feminist Novel desperately [[Needs More Love]], and [[Anne Bronte (Creator)|Anne Bronte]], you'll always have my vote as the best writer in your family.

* No [[Superhero]] story or comic book in the twentieth century and beyond has been able to recreate the excellency that is ''[[The Scarlet Pimpernel (Literaturenovel)|The Scarlet Pimpernel]]''. For one thing, the eponymous invincible hero is the [[Big Good]], but the ''protagonist'', who [[Character Development|grows and develops]], whom the reader follows and sympathizes with, who undergoes an arduous [[The Heros Journey|Hero's Journey]] and an awakening and disillusionment just as painful is ''his wife''. For another, the romance and adventure plots are perfectly interwoven and really display that marriage just may be as difficult a task to undertake as saving the world (so to speak). It's also one of those rare works that show how [[Badass]] [[The Power of Love]] can be. Who wins in the end -- Chauvelin, who controls his men so thoroughly with fear that they're scared to death to disobey the [[Exact Words]] of his orders even at the expense of common sense, or the Scarlet Pimpernel, whose 19 devoted followers are willing to die for their beloved leader and proud of it? Exciting, gripping, and impossible to put down until I finished it, ''The Scarlet Pimpernel'' is everything a good <s>adventure novel</s> romance should be.

** I second the notion. I think it is no exaggeration to claim that Jacques is as great a writer as [[CSC. LewisS. (Creator)Lewis|CS Lewis]] or, dare I say, [[JRRJ. TolkienR. (Creator)R. Tolkien|JRR Tolkien]] himself? Just like Tolkien, Jacques has created a world full of diverse creatures, each with their own cultures and dialects, and like Lewis, Jacques has crafted unique stories and characters that defy expectations. Yes, his books began to get a bit repetitive, but it's worth noting that, in his most recent books, he appears to have noticed this and made pains to avert, subvert, or otherwise avoid the very tropes his works are known for. And the books are better for it.

* ''[[Flowers for Algernon (Literature)|Flowers for Algernon]]'' Made this troper cry at the end, it touched me in a way that i want to treaure and savor this story for a lifetime

* ''[[Perelandra]]''. Which is ''the'' best book I have ever read. [[CSC. LewisS. (Creator)Lewis|CS Lewis]] took the [[The Bible|story of Eden]], infused it with imagination, shot it into space, and somehow it blossomed into one of the most exquisitely beautiful epics in the English language. Here is the power of myth in modern language with modern characters, yet undiluted by them. The story is such that it only serves to make it more potent. God, the Devil, sin, suffering, redemption, and the purpose of the human race are written in ways that will turn your worldview inside out. Because Lewis knew how to write the scale of the universe that didn't make us smaller, but made ''it'' bigger. And richer, and more complex, and more extraordinary, and absolutely breathtaking. I read it again and again because every time I get to the end, my soul is awake and singing.

* ''[[Alice in Wonderland (Literature)|Alice in Wonderland]]''. Seriously, Lewis Carroll is a brilliantly hilarious writer with a witty imagination. The characters, while parodies of Victorian society, have aged well enought enough to garner both entertainment from children and adults alike with their eccentric personalities and entertaining stories. There's a reason why there's been so many adaptations and inspirations coming from these books.

* Holy mother of god, ''[[The Bartimaeus Trilogy]]''. Snappy, witty, stemming from a simple and clever world-building device (what if politicians were magicians?) and creating a world both like and unlike ours. Handles the two (and then three) narrators deftly, never revealing too much or too little, and creates strong, believable voices for each one. Plants multiple [[Chekhov's Gun|Chekhov's guns]] as early as the first book, and does a beautiful job of each book being a satisfying episode within a larger arc. Ranges from absolutely hysterical to frighteningly dark and brutal with ease, and manages to tackle issues of slavery, personhood, and ambition without being heavy-handed. The protagonists are all beautifully grey, they're ''wrong'' a lot of the time, and you still love and root for them. And ''THAT ENDING''. One of the best and most daring {{[[User|Smilingsoprano]] this troper}} has ever read.

* ''[[Honor Harrington (Literature)|Honor Harrington]]'':

* I'd like to mention the [[Star Wars Expanded Universe]] novels. Every single one of them is a gem, especially Zahn's and Stackpole's work. Though many people would like to disagree (vehemently), I thought that LoTF was brilliant, and excellently chronicled the fall of a hero, from [[Well -Intentioned Extremist]] to an almost-[[Complete Monster]] who just didn't know it. I'd also like to profess a profound liking of Karen Traviss's novels, [[Mary Sue]]-Mandos or not.

* [[The Stormlight Archive|The Way of Kings]] by Brandon Sanderson. The first novel in a planned 10 part epic fantasy series, and by God it is EPIC. Set on a world hit by hurricanes every couple of weeks, Brandon manages to create an entirely new ecology for most of the world - and it is described to us without relying on [[As You Know]]. From the opening chapter where we see Szeth, a [[One -Man Army]] assassin, use his incredible powers to kill a king and start a war, to the brutal warfare on the Shattered Plains half a decade later, we feel like we are a part of this world. The interludes show us glimpses of the rest of the continent, so even though the three main characters are all from the same culture, and the action only takes place in one part of the world, it feels like there is so much else out there. And dear Lord, the characters. I've rarely seen such compelling and interesting characters in a fantasy novel, all of which have their own personal conflict. Kaladin was once a warrior, but is now a slave in the army, forced into the dangerous job of carrying bridges, and struggles between his desire to save everyone and the despair of inevitable death as a bridgeman. Shallan is torn between her love of learning under her teacher, Jasnah, and her need to steal Jasnahs valuable soulcaster for the sake of her family. Finally, we have Dalinar, the General of one of 10 armies fighting on the [[S Hattered]] Plains, he is torn between the pressures of the divided, carefree military upper class he is a part of and his personal compulsion to be an honorable man and a good soldier - all the while fearing he is being driven insane by vision he receives each highstorm. The ending of the book is just fantastic, with an epic battle that doesn't detract from the characters internal conflict. And after that, in the epilogue, while most books may have one [[Wham! Line]], this book has half a dozen incredible ones that shake up all we thought we knew about the world. A truly fantastic book, which is only the first part of a 10 part series. I can't wait for the rest.

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