Dean Lombardo
Look, I've read a lot of different kinds of books, including classic and contemporary literature, so don't give me any crap about being parochial in my tastes. What's important for you to know is that of the novels I have liked, no matter what the genre, I can always answer "yes" to all of the following questions:
- Does the story move quickly?
- Is the story suspenseful?
- Are the protagonists likeable or, at least, tolerable? (I'll give you an example from both a novel and film where they weren't: Langdon and Sophie in the extremely popular novel The DaVinci Code; I didn't like them and couldn't relate. In the movie The English Patient, the Ralph Fiennes and Kristen Scott Thomas characters--No and No! Despicable people; unsympathetic characters!)
- Is the plot convincing, and is its conclusion satisfying? (Again, I'll pick on The DaVinci Code: Main character Langdon finds out that his long-time best friend and mentor is the person responsible for the diabolical plot to bury the truth and a lot of good people along the way. A red herring and an extremely contrived one.)
- Is the story unique in some way?
I'm not a stickler for rich characters. Instead, I'd rather see the story move to the tune of a dozen different ticking bombs so the suspense builds and builds. I also want it to be interesting so that it teaches me something new and different; therefore, I don't want to hear a great deal about someone's inner laments or what they wrote in their lame diary, or the all-too-common sappy family dinner conversation.
There are always exceptions, though. A serial killer's diary might be interesting; I betcha FBI profilers would love a peek at one of those ... and so would most of us. And regarding a family dinner conversation, check out the movie Home for the Holidays with Holly Hunter and Robert Downey Jr. Bravo for an example of how such a scene can be done nicely with a little bit of a twist on the ordinary.
Anyway, back to the list. Here are my 10 favorite novels of all-time:
The Girl Next Door, Jack Ketchum: I dare you to read this one! The narrative took me back to that time in my life when things were new and fresh: the warm sensation I got the first time I held a girl's hand, our date at the carnival. And then just as I'm feeling young again, Ketchum sends in the villain, an entirely believable modern-day monster, and together author and antagonist rip out my heart and fuck my mind!
Jurassic Park, Michael Crichton: More complex and cosmopolitan than the movie, Jurassic Park the novel provided enough interesting and thrilling material to also form the basis for the third film in the series, Jurassic Park III.
Riptide, Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child: The great yarn-spinning duo delivers a deliciously subtle morality tale. Arrggh ... there's a treasure map and the spoils go to thee man who best buries his greed. Without all the red herrings of the DaVinci Code, Riptide stirs up a storm of surprises as one of the seeming antagonists turns out to be sympathetic and supportive, while the others do what they do best: deceive, maim, kill.
And Then There Were None, Agatha Christie: Often imitated, never duplicated. A madman invites 10 people from 10 very different walks of life to an isolated island, and then murders them one by one ... until there are none.
Pet Sematary, Stephen King: A flabby writer sometimes, King scores big in this tale of a doctor and his young family who move to Maine and discover an ancient evil that leads to tragic death and the terrors lurking beyond death. Way to expand on the short story The Monkey's Paw, Steve-o!
The Poet, Michael Connelly: Weighing in at over 500 pages, this page-turner will make you want more once you're finished. And you can get it. I did. When I finished The Poet, I was so anxious to find out what happened next, I pushed aside several other novels in my queue and went out and bought The Poet's sequel, titled The Narrows.
Intensity, Dean Koontz: It's pretty intense, and features a tenacious, selfless heroine who you just can't help liking.
Bright Orange for the Shroud, John D. MacDonald: Travis McGee, vigilante and salvager of lost souls, is the star of 20 or more MacDonald novels. In this one, McGee helps a thoroughly beaten friend recover the money that a cunning and sadistic man has stolen. But our hero must be "badder" than the bad guy just to survive.
Jaws, Peter Benchley: While the movie that followed was far superior, I still think this is an excellent novel. Jaws grips you from page one and doesn't let go.
The Puppet Masters, Robert Heinlein: Extraterrestrial parasites land in Iowa and take control of the townspeople, mind and body, until a special government division of bad-asses rolls in to save the day. Great fun! Also, check out the faithful movie adaptation starring Donald Sutherland.
