Mine is the wings of fire series, it is a “kids” novel (think like warrior cats age range)
But Tui T sutherland is so good at writing characters and introducing and describing worlds and characters that i reread it every so often. Like, she managed to write a book from the pov of a mind reader and it works.
Every book is from a different character’s pov and each character feels wholly unique.
The main issue with the series is that the plot is kinda average at best, the characters really carry the story.
The Phantom Tollbooth
It’s an amazing book, but no one would consider it a masterpiece.
I absolutely consider Phantom Tollbooth a masterpiece. There’s nothing else like it, and it has extraordinary persistence.
My kid is devouring the wings of fire series.
For me I’d say the Children of Man series by Elizabeth C. Mock. I hadn’t read Wheel of Time before starting Children of Man. Now that I have I see a lot of Wheel of Time influence, so in that genre Children of Man isn’t really groundbreaking.
That said though, I still really enjoy the characters and the story, and am anxiously waiting for the release of the 4th (and final) book.
I loved the Black Jewels books even though I don’t think they are good. The worldbuilding was vivid.
Kind of feel that way about all the Brandon Sanderson books. I can’t say they are good but good to read just because you do drop right into those worlds.
My favorite book is The Golden Ass by Apuleius, it’s not qualified as a masterpiece but it is one I guess.
george rr martin’s wildcard series
its actually written by many authors so the quality/styles fluctuate. no real ending either as its more an episodic alternate reality. feels like its missing cohesion.
Sword of change series, I hold it dear but it has it’s issues.
The sword of Shannara
Perfume: The Story of a Murderer by Patrick Süskind. I read it years ago and still remember how gripping it was, not sure how well the movie has aged, but it was a fantastic book.
I do hope you didn’t properly read the question? It’s what book you love despite its somewhat low quality/ not being a “masterpiece”.
Perfume is on all major literature and best books of all time lists.
The title remained in bestseller lists for about nine years and received almost unanimously positive national and international critical acclaim. Wikipedia
This is one of the great books of the 20th century. Who are you to imply its not of quality?!
“Night Soldiers” by Allan Furst. After his younger brother is killed by a fascist mob, a Bulgarian fisherman is recruited to join Russian intelligence. Trained as a spy in Moscow, he begins to question his trainers and their motives. After being sent to fight in the Spanish Civil War, he makes his way to Paris.
Great book. Reads like Franz Kafka and Ian Fleming decided to collaborate.
I’ve been reading some litrpg-genre books, and a lot of the better books in that genre are extremely enjoyable despite obvious literary flaws.
Some top recommendations are He Who Fights with Monsters and Defiance of the Fall.
I can’t scroll by this post and not mention Dungeon Crawler Carl. Though, it may not fit this thread, seeing as it is a goddamn masterpiece. Particularly the audiobook.
True, DCC is fantastic. Guess it slipped my mind because it’s been awhile.
Mother of Learning is another high recommendation, but I’d definitely rank it as a masterpiece (although the audiobook can be rough with some of the female voices).
Oh man, that’s a lot of what I read.
Maybe the ‘My Teacher Is An Alien’ series by Bruce Coville, the ‘Blood Oath’ series by Christopher Farnsworth, and the Serpentwar Series by Raymond Feist.
Bruce Coville is such an incredibly fun read for young Sci-Fi fans. I flipped through some of the Aliens Ate My Homework series recently now that I’m older and it’s still a great time. Coville really did well at writing in a way that makes it understandable and enjoyable for kids without dumbing down ideas that would help spark the imagination and garner understanding for more advanced works.
I should flip back through the My Teacher is an Alien series too at some point. I’m pretty sure I at least still have a copy of My Teacher Flunked the Planet here somewhere.
Lucky Wander Boy.
Great book, but the “ritual” scene bars it from ever being a masterpiece.
We are Legion (We are Bob). It’s probably the most fun I’ve had reading science fiction. It’s not a masterpiece, but damn is it entertaining! The whole series is pretty great, and there’s another book coming any month now.
I love this series as well. Definitely not a masterpiece, but it is great sci fi.
I just found this can be downloaded from archive.org. Does anyone know whether this is legal / OK? https://archive.org/details/taylor-dennis-e-bobiverse-1-we-are-legion/Taylor_Dennis_E_-_Bobiverse_1_-_We_Are_Legion
I have no idea. Sorry. But if you can’t afford to buy the book in a better format, then just read it from there! I don’t think Dennis will miss nine dollars or whatever the book costs.
In a similar vein I’m really enjoying the Murderbot series by Martha Wells. It has a similar feel and it has an addictive action pace with snippets of deadpan humor and wit. If it was a movie it would be a popcorn muncher.
Thanks for the recommendation! I’ll check that out after I finish A Little Bit of Hatred.
Diane Duayne’s Young Wizard series, at least the first three books. I have really good memory of books and so it’s difficult for me to read any book more than once but I’ve read them tens of times.
There’s always something new to discover. It’s honestly a really good and well-written series.
The Percy Jackson series. You can tell Riordan likes taking his liberties, and there’s a lot of Americanism mixed in with the Greek way of thinking that is supposed to come from tales of Greek gods, but it says something that I like it better than the actual legends from Greek culture.
