Post by Hans Gruber on Sept 5, 2016 13:45:57 GMT -5
There are so many books out there. Thousands of writers, thousands of books, poems, and plays. Whether you like Shakespeare or Homer or Melville or Tolstoy, there is undoubtedly a book out there for you. To make a list of the greatest books of all time could be something of blasphemy, but what about best-written books? Of course that too is up to the reader to determine, but here I have decided to count down my picks of the best-written books. These are not personal favorites, per se, but more how good the style of the work is, how influential it is, or how epic it was for the writer to write. Without further ado then, these are the Top 10 Best-Written Books.
#10
Whenever you hear the phrase 'greatest writer', more often than not, William Shakespeare will come to mind. For a list of best-written books, it would be utter blasphemy not to include him on the list. Shakespeare wrote many plays during his lifetime, so it would be hard to pick one that is better than the rest. There's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, arguably his most famous play, and of course Hamlet, usually considered to be his best work, but for my Number 10 pick it has to go to Macbeth. Macbeth may well be Shakespeare's shortest play, but it is nevertheless one of his finest. With this play, Shakespeare went darker than he ever did, throwing in witches, black magic, murder, ghosts, and a ruthless tyrant, plus a twist ending. All of that is what makes this one of the best-written plays of all time.
#9
One of the greatest and most influential writers of the 1900s who always seems to gets snubbed on lists is Ayn Rand. In lists of greatest books, she rarely cracks the Top 20 if she's even on it at all. I find this rather strange, as she is one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century. Books such as Anthem and The Fountainhead are considered to be modern classics, as is my Number 9 pick, Atlas Shrugged. Is there any other book that opens as iconic-ly as it does, with the famous quote "Who is John Galt?" It might be longer than War and Peace, but this book about railroads that is not as much about railroads as it is about politics is still one of the greatest books of all time, and certainly one of the best-written.
#8
There are plenty of controversial books, and some of them are even considered to be better than many other books. Take, for example, my Number 8 pick, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. This book is considered to be one of the greatest novels of all time, but is nevertheless still one of the most controversial as well. Narrated by a pedophile who falls in love with his future step-daughter, he wins the reader over to his view of the events, despite the reader knowing deep down that what he is doing is wrong. It is for this reason that Lolita deserves a spot on this list.
#7
German writer Michael Ende wrote one of the best-selling books of all time, my Number 7 pick, The Neverending Story. This book is by far one of the best written. For starters, the book is split into two parts - Part 1 shows him finding and reading The Neverending Story, and Part 2 sees him entering it himself. Atreyu's quest and Bastian's eventually thirst for power and redemption are both amazing stories, and when put together, The Neverending Story might be a little confusing in parts, but nonetheless one of the best written books of all time.
#6
We've touched upon several books now, and even a play, but what about poems? Poets are some of the most misunderstood people, yet they are nevertheless some of the most popular as well. Several poems could easily make this list. For instance, there is "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Tennyson, but what if you went a step further and looked at the epic poems? There are also several that could make the list. Both Beowulf and Paradise Lost could have made the list, no questions asked, but for my Number 6 pick, it would have to go to Homer's Odyssey. The Odyssey is in part a sequel to the Iliad, but most would agree that it is better than the latter. Chronicling the adventures of Odysseus, who just wants to get home, Homer helped shape Greek mythology and literature all at once, and there is no way that it could be left off of this list.
#5
Herman Melville's first two books, Typee and Omoo were rather successful, but after that, no one cared for his books, as they felt they weren't as good as the first two. However, in the 1920s, people began to start reading Melville's works again, and one book stood out from the rest. That book is my Number 5 pick, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. This book is rather interesting as it is part story and part textbook. Story-wise, Moby-Dick is a great adventure tale. Textbook wise, Moby-Dick is filled with facts about whales, from their mating to their types and a lot more. It's a strange combination, but if you don't learn something about whales from this books, then you never will.
#4
What list of best-written books could leave out the master of the dystopian novel, George Orwell himself? There are a couple books to choose from - there's Animal Farm, which likens Communism to a farm environment, and of course, my Number 4 choice, Nineteen Eighty-Four, considered to be one of the greatest books of all time. Both books have twist endings, and both are good, but the latter gets ahead. Taking place in futuristic England with Big Brother watching everyone, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a bit slow at the beginning, but that only adds to your sense of dread and hope for the characters to make it out.
#3
What other writer is considered to be as great as Leo Tolstoy? His novels are considered to be some of the best of all time, and he is without a doubt one of the greatest writers ever. While his book Anna Karenina, highlighting the problems with adultery, is considered to be the greatest novel of all time, my Number 3 spot has to go to his most famous and most epic work, War and Peace. This book is a monster, but is nevertheless the very definition of epic. Taking place in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars, it started with a famous opening line, and had characters that are some of the greatest in fiction. You couldn't make a list of best-written books without including this one.
#2
As we draw this list to a close, what book is so well written as a good mystery? If you can surprise your readers with an unthinkable twist ending, then you have succeeded. There's The Hound of the Baskervilles, Murder of the Orient Express, "Murders in the Rue Morgue", The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, And Then There Were None, but for my Number 2 pick, I have to give it to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. This was the book that made Agatha Christie a household name. This book had such an unthinkable twist ending that had never been used before in the way that it was here that many people disliked it, as it took the fun out of guessing who was the killer. Nevertheless, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is considered to be one of the greatest mystery novels of all time, and there are very few books that are as well written as this one.
#1
And so we have now come to the Number 1 spot. We have touched upon plays, epics, mysteries, fantasy, and so much more, that you might be surprised by my Number 1 spot, but it will make sense when you read the book. Number 1 is not The Brothers Karamazov, it's not Don Quixote, it's not Les Miserables. No, my pick for the best-written book of all time is none other than Bram Stoker's Dracula. Dracula is one of the greatest horror novels of all time, but the reason it makes the list is not because of the atmosphere of the book. Very few people realize that Dracula is not written like a standard-type book. Rather, Dracula is narrated using diary entries, newspaper clippings, letters, and ship's log entries, by more than one character, in what is called the epistolary format. Because of this, Bram Stoker made the events in Dracula seem a bit more real than like in that of other horror stories, and it's for this reason that Dracula is the best-written book of all time.
So, do you agree with my list? Be sure to give your thoughts below, and tell me what I missed!
#10
Whenever you hear the phrase 'greatest writer', more often than not, William Shakespeare will come to mind. For a list of best-written books, it would be utter blasphemy not to include him on the list. Shakespeare wrote many plays during his lifetime, so it would be hard to pick one that is better than the rest. There's A Midsummer Night's Dream, Romeo and Juliet, arguably his most famous play, and of course Hamlet, usually considered to be his best work, but for my Number 10 pick it has to go to Macbeth. Macbeth may well be Shakespeare's shortest play, but it is nevertheless one of his finest. With this play, Shakespeare went darker than he ever did, throwing in witches, black magic, murder, ghosts, and a ruthless tyrant, plus a twist ending. All of that is what makes this one of the best-written plays of all time.
#9
One of the greatest and most influential writers of the 1900s who always seems to gets snubbed on lists is Ayn Rand. In lists of greatest books, she rarely cracks the Top 20 if she's even on it at all. I find this rather strange, as she is one of the greatest writers of the 20th Century. Books such as Anthem and The Fountainhead are considered to be modern classics, as is my Number 9 pick, Atlas Shrugged. Is there any other book that opens as iconic-ly as it does, with the famous quote "Who is John Galt?" It might be longer than War and Peace, but this book about railroads that is not as much about railroads as it is about politics is still one of the greatest books of all time, and certainly one of the best-written.
#8
There are plenty of controversial books, and some of them are even considered to be better than many other books. Take, for example, my Number 8 pick, Lolita by Vladimir Nabokov. This book is considered to be one of the greatest novels of all time, but is nevertheless still one of the most controversial as well. Narrated by a pedophile who falls in love with his future step-daughter, he wins the reader over to his view of the events, despite the reader knowing deep down that what he is doing is wrong. It is for this reason that Lolita deserves a spot on this list.
#7
German writer Michael Ende wrote one of the best-selling books of all time, my Number 7 pick, The Neverending Story. This book is by far one of the best written. For starters, the book is split into two parts - Part 1 shows him finding and reading The Neverending Story, and Part 2 sees him entering it himself. Atreyu's quest and Bastian's eventually thirst for power and redemption are both amazing stories, and when put together, The Neverending Story might be a little confusing in parts, but nonetheless one of the best written books of all time.
#6
We've touched upon several books now, and even a play, but what about poems? Poets are some of the most misunderstood people, yet they are nevertheless some of the most popular as well. Several poems could easily make this list. For instance, there is "The Charge of the Light Brigade" by Tennyson, but what if you went a step further and looked at the epic poems? There are also several that could make the list. Both Beowulf and Paradise Lost could have made the list, no questions asked, but for my Number 6 pick, it would have to go to Homer's Odyssey. The Odyssey is in part a sequel to the Iliad, but most would agree that it is better than the latter. Chronicling the adventures of Odysseus, who just wants to get home, Homer helped shape Greek mythology and literature all at once, and there is no way that it could be left off of this list.
#5
Herman Melville's first two books, Typee and Omoo were rather successful, but after that, no one cared for his books, as they felt they weren't as good as the first two. However, in the 1920s, people began to start reading Melville's works again, and one book stood out from the rest. That book is my Number 5 pick, Moby-Dick; or, The Whale. This book is rather interesting as it is part story and part textbook. Story-wise, Moby-Dick is a great adventure tale. Textbook wise, Moby-Dick is filled with facts about whales, from their mating to their types and a lot more. It's a strange combination, but if you don't learn something about whales from this books, then you never will.
#4
What list of best-written books could leave out the master of the dystopian novel, George Orwell himself? There are a couple books to choose from - there's Animal Farm, which likens Communism to a farm environment, and of course, my Number 4 choice, Nineteen Eighty-Four, considered to be one of the greatest books of all time. Both books have twist endings, and both are good, but the latter gets ahead. Taking place in futuristic England with Big Brother watching everyone, Nineteen Eighty-Four is a bit slow at the beginning, but that only adds to your sense of dread and hope for the characters to make it out.
#3
What other writer is considered to be as great as Leo Tolstoy? His novels are considered to be some of the best of all time, and he is without a doubt one of the greatest writers ever. While his book Anna Karenina, highlighting the problems with adultery, is considered to be the greatest novel of all time, my Number 3 spot has to go to his most famous and most epic work, War and Peace. This book is a monster, but is nevertheless the very definition of epic. Taking place in Russia during the Napoleonic Wars, it started with a famous opening line, and had characters that are some of the greatest in fiction. You couldn't make a list of best-written books without including this one.
#2
As we draw this list to a close, what book is so well written as a good mystery? If you can surprise your readers with an unthinkable twist ending, then you have succeeded. There's The Hound of the Baskervilles, Murder of the Orient Express, "Murders in the Rue Morgue", The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde, And Then There Were None, but for my Number 2 pick, I have to give it to The Murder of Roger Ackroyd. This was the book that made Agatha Christie a household name. This book had such an unthinkable twist ending that had never been used before in the way that it was here that many people disliked it, as it took the fun out of guessing who was the killer. Nevertheless, The Murder of Roger Ackroyd is considered to be one of the greatest mystery novels of all time, and there are very few books that are as well written as this one.
#1
And so we have now come to the Number 1 spot. We have touched upon plays, epics, mysteries, fantasy, and so much more, that you might be surprised by my Number 1 spot, but it will make sense when you read the book. Number 1 is not The Brothers Karamazov, it's not Don Quixote, it's not Les Miserables. No, my pick for the best-written book of all time is none other than Bram Stoker's Dracula. Dracula is one of the greatest horror novels of all time, but the reason it makes the list is not because of the atmosphere of the book. Very few people realize that Dracula is not written like a standard-type book. Rather, Dracula is narrated using diary entries, newspaper clippings, letters, and ship's log entries, by more than one character, in what is called the epistolary format. Because of this, Bram Stoker made the events in Dracula seem a bit more real than like in that of other horror stories, and it's for this reason that Dracula is the best-written book of all time.
So, do you agree with my list? Be sure to give your thoughts below, and tell me what I missed!