All-time Favourite Books - Hilath's Home Page

My Favourite Books of All Time

The following list is based on strictly my personal taste and not based on a professional or critical judgment.

5) The Elfstones of Shannara

Author: Terry Brooks

My favourite fantasy of all time. This is a book of epic proportions. The story itself is epic. The best war sequence ever described in a book. Plus a host of characters I loved; Amberle, the Ellcrys, Allesedil the King of Elves, the Reaper, the Changeling, etc. A true fantasy classic. And perhaps, it is the combination of The First King of Shannara, The Sword of Shannara, The Wishsong of Shannara along with Elfstones that makes the dynasty of Ohmsford the most enduring epic fantasy of all time. Terry Brooks at his top story-telling form.

4) Relic

Authors: Lincoln Child and Douglas Preston

Great characters. Funny interaction. The character build-up is something itself. But ultimately, it is the storytelling power of these two authors that make Relic one of the most enduring sci-fi novels ever written. I don't want to spoil anything, much less the shocking ending. So let's just stick to the commercial one-liner that briefs the book: "A museum is haunted by a 'beast' and it is up to the hero and heroine to save the day before any more people are killed!" But don't judge a book by its cover. I wouldn't have put this book in this list if it was as simple as that!

3) Jurassic Park

Author: Michael Crichton

An awesome sci-fi thriller that is also a non-stop adventure of suspense. Great characters who are all too human. Crichton's detailed account of DNA-cloning, plus description of other scientific theories, makes this an educative and enlightening read. It is also a page-turner where the resurrected dinosaurs are frighteningly real.

1) Boy's Life

Author: Robert R. McCammon

Unlike any other book I have ever read. Deserves to stand on a pole of its own. What made this book win my heart is its great storytelling. McCammon's choice of words eclipses every other book I have ever read. Reading Boy's Life made me long to go back to that age of innocence where, in the unpoisoned mind of a child, everything can become a creation of magic. Come into the life of Cory Mackenson as he gears up for the adventures of life that will grow with him into adulthood in the small town of Zephyr where everything has a life of its own.

1) Boy's Life

Author: Robert R. McCammon

2) The Last Unicorn

Author: Peter S. Beagle

The last unicorn on earth goes in search of its kind, helped along the way by a clumsy magician and a sharp-mouthed woman from the forest, who together must confront an evil king who has trapped all the unicorns in the sea for his pleasure with the help of a mythical red bull. The story sounds straightforward but it is not: The Last Unicorn is one of the few truly literary fantasy stories which tries to find meaning in life and in humanity, and in immortality and death. This is one of the few books I am able to read over and over again, each time feeling as if I am reading it for the first time, and each time finding a new depth to the meanings of every word and phrase I encounter in this truly great read.