> Novels TopList - Member Edition

Lets kick start a top novels/book list we believe to be the best in different genre!
As far as possible, give complete names and a short review about the story if you can.

1 post per member, No Spamming in this thread please


Here is mine till now:

Mystery: And then there were none
Classic mystery and by far one of the best from Agatha Christie. The scene and the crime is superb.


Mystery/Thriller: Where Eagle's dare
Classic Maclean. Incomparable in its class and one of the few novels where the movie reproduction was brilliant too. Must read.

Philosophy: The Fountainhead
Ayn Rand's masterpiece. Some of the best quotes i have ever read were in this one and the very last musings chapter from Ayn Rand herself was brilliant.

Adventure: The Alchemist
Maybe not truly an adventure story, its debatable anyway, but its so brilliant a novel that you just have to read it.

Spy/Chase: The Day of the Jackal
Frederick Forsyth's masterpiece novel. The setting is brilliant, the assassin is brilliant and so is the chase to catch him.

Science Fiction: The HitchHiker's Guide to the Galaxy
no comments needed

Comedy: Surely you are joking mr feynmann
One of the best scientists world has seen. And a great read. Mostly we tend to have romantic comedies, i will settle for this one though.

Autobiography: The Greatest: My Own Story
Autobiography of Muhammad Ali.

Travelogue: Around the world in 80 days(BBC adaptation, non fiction)
Michael Palins first and probably the best journey till date. I first saw the series, then hunted the book and found it finally. If you love travel with a good dose of fun and easy writing, this is a must read.

Only one book per category! Not possible

Mystery:

1> The Murder of Roger Ackroyd - Agatha Christie.
We always try so solve all the clues by ourselves while reading a whodunnit. When I came to the end of this book, I was cursing Agatha for being so devilishly clever

2> Sherlock Holmes - Arthur Conan Doyle
Have quite a few favourites in here - silver blaze, empty house, dancing men, three students, copper beeches, proiry school, missing three quarter.....and of course The Hound of Baskerville.

Haven't read much mystery other than holmes and poirot.

Philosophy:

Jonathan Livingston Seagull - Richard Bach
I don't know what he is trying to teach us through this book, but I really like it nonetheless......

Thriller:

1> The Bourne Identity - Robert Ludlum
Please do not even attempt to compare this book to the movie This one is so very good, that sometimes I wonder if it was a fluke None of Ludlum's other books come anywhere close.

Other nominees -

Hunt for Red October - Tom Clancy The cold war was never more spine chilling
Ice Station Zebra - Alistair McLean

Adventure/ Fantasy:

Lord Of the Rings - J.R.R. Tolkien
No to to explain this

Now whether or not potter deserves to be on this list, I can only decide after reading the seventh book.

Science Fiction:

Almost, but not quite, entirely unlike tea.

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy - Douglas Adams.
With a brain the size of a planet, who can beat Marvin?

Humour:

The Inimitable Jeeves - P.G. Wodehouse
amongst other Wodehouse classics

Disclamer - The contents of this list are likely to be changed without prior notice.

Mystery

The Sign of Four, A Study in Scarlet
Classic Sherlock Holmes..


Thriller

Ice Station Zebra
One of the best of Alistair McLean, you will see twists you could never have imagined; not a single dull moment

Icon Frederick Forsyth
Slow build up to a nail biting finish; Forsyth's a master at thrill.

Day of the Jackal
Already said..


Philosophy

Of Human Bondage Somerset Maughm
Indescribable, a study of human emotins brilliantly portrayed. Some say it is maughm's autobiography


Science Fiction

The Foundation Series, Asimov


Romance

Wuthering Heights Emily Bronte
Haunting, unforgettable love story.

Rebecca Taylor Caldwell
A look into a troubled girl's psyche, imprisoned by the possesiveness of her father


And then there are

The Other Side of Midnight Sidney Sheldon

Ben Hur Lew Wallace

The Count of Monte-Christo Alexander Dumas

Works of George Bernard Shaw...Simplicity of English and humour personified

The list can go on...

Mystery: Sherlock holmes' "The McMurdo Gang". All Doyle and christe works are good

Mystery/Thriller: sheldon's "Doomsday conspiracy"

Philosophy: Harry potter's (I learnt a lot from those books), Bhagavath Gita, Thirukkural

Adventure: stevenson's "treasure Island"

Science Fiction: wells' "the invisible man"

Comedy: Asterix's

Autobiography: "My experiments with truth" Mahatma Gandhi