[Sword_of_Gideon]

Ok, I'm going to show my former liberal colors here for a second in my choices for my favorite (I don't know if I'd go so far as to say best ever written, though)novel(s) of all time. Top 3 in no particular order were all read while in college in the 80's & I still enjoy them (read through all 3 of them again within the last couple of years):

1. Catcher in the Rye - J.D. Salinger
2. On The Road - Jack Kerouac
3. Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson

[PJ-Comix]

Believe it or not, I really enjoyed reading Tolstoy's War And Peace. I started reading it a few years ago with much trepidation because of its great length. However, it turned out to be very easy to read (once you got used to the Russian names) because of the great quality of writing. However, Tolstoy blew it at the end with his dopey theories of history. He actually claimed that the French would have marched to Moscow even if Napoleon had never existed because of some mysterious force of history. Dopey.

[HairOfTheDog]

3. Fear & Loathing in Las Vegas - Hunter S. Thompson

We were about a hundred miles out of Barstow when the last of the ether began to take hold. My attorney was pouring beer on his chest to facilitate the tanning process. Nevermind telling him about the bats, I thought, he'll see them soon enough...

[luvbach1]

Catcher in the Rye a unique book. The "coming of age" niche it holds also sets it apart.