Guest Author: Eric Swett

My top ten favorite books of all time (Not in any particular order):

Catch 22 by Joseph Heller

The book is brilliant. The impossibility of events, the absurdity of war and incredible writing combined into one book makes this one of my all-time favorites. The main character, Yossarian, is one of my favorite literary characters as well.

Her Majesty’s Wizard by Christopher Stasheff

This book is a fun read and a book that touched me deeply as a teenager. There is a certain sense of nobility and faith in this book that makes my heart beat a little more strongly.

I, Robot by Isaac Asimov

This is classic science fiction at its best. I have not written a lot of science fiction, but I read plenty of it and it does affect the way I think and write. Aasimov’s tales of robots slipping past the constraints placed upon them by their creators have always interested me.

Lucifer’s Hammer by Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle

This was the first real post-apocalypse book I had ever read. I was very interested in the devastation caused by a comet’s impact on the world, but the story of life after the impact was what interested me most. Hollywood loves to show the disaster, but rarely takes the time to explore the world afterwards.

Dragons of Winter Night by Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman

The first six Dragonlance books are some of the best fantasy literature out there, but this particular book is my favorite. The exploration of honor and sacrifice in its pages are some of the best written.

Conan the Magnificent by Robert Jordan

This is the first Conan the Barbarian book I can remember reading. Every few years I buy a new copy and read it again. Why do I have to buy a new copy? Because, I tend to give my copies to friends. I like to share the barbarian goodness.

The Eye of the World by Robert Jordan

The first time I read this book, it took me a long time to get through it, but the second time I devoured it. Robert Jordan set up his massive Wheel of Time series with this book and it is an incredible example of character development and introduction.

Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard

This book is massive and daunting in its scope. The constant success and setbacks that befall the hero of this book makes for an incredible read that leaves me emotionally exhausted by the end of it. PLEASE do not bypass this book just because the movie was so horrible.

Voyagers by Ben Bova

Ben Bova brings a real sense of possible science to his writing and this first book in a series is incredible. The emphasis is more on the real world science and the characters than it is with any hard science fiction. This book taught me that science fiction did not have to be all about laser pistols and alien monsters. Good science fiction should be about the people first, and everything else second.

The Call of Cthulhu by H. P. Lovecraft

Technically speaking, this is not a book. It is a short story, but man what a short story it is. This is a centerpiece work of fiction by my favorite author and part of why I wanted to start writing in the first place. The narrative is terrific with the sense of terror highlighted by the characters’ reactions as much as by the imagery itself.

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