Desert island book...

[HappyHippo]

(I looked, and didn't think this has been asked, sorry if it has)

Imagine you are marooned on a desert island (although, as this is scifi/fantasy, let's call it an asteroid or an unassailable tower in a castle). You are allowed either:

ONE BOOK (for the decisive and/or disciplined among us)
or
One SERIES (for the indecisive and/or greedy).

What would you choose, and why? It doesn't even have to be scifi/fantasy...


I think mine would be The Golden Key by Rawn, Roberson and Elliott. I'm currently re-reading it, and even though this is the third time, I can still really get lost in the book. I love most of the characters, the sweep of history in it, the flower language, the justice... it's just engrossing, realistic, entertaining, romantic, fantastical and thoroughly enjoyable.

sorry to rant!

 

[HoopyFrood]

I'm going to be greedy and say the Discworld Series...there's loads of them and Terry Pratchett is still writing them, so I'll never run out of books! (yes, I'd get the new ones delivered to me by...Shark Mail, or something.)

All right, if I had to be serious, I'd probably say The Hitchiker's Trilogy in five parts.

I really don't think I could choose just one book! Or at least give me more time to think...

 

[Allegra]

May be I'd choose a telephone directory just to speed up the bored-to-death process?

 

[elvet]

I'd have to go with The Silmarillion for a single book. Everytime I read it, I find something new.
As for a series, I'll cheat and say The Middle Earth series (Silmarillion, Hobbit, LotR) and stretching the boundary further, the ancilliary books (History of Middle Earth, Unfinished Tales, Children of Hurin).

 

[Saolta Oiche]

David Gemmell's Drenai series I think, have to be greedy I am afraid. There are plenty of em and they are all great.

Plus when you read through them all by the time you got to the last you could read the first again and will have forgot most of the details!

Haha.

 

[sanityassassin]

I'd agree with the ones above either the Discworld series or the Drenai some of these books I've read 5 or more times each and still enjoy them but if it came down to just one book only I think it would be Lord of the Rings(I've lost count the amount of times I've read that)

 

[The Ace]

David Eddings 'Garion,' books, squeezed into a single volume, they'd also make an excellent liferaft .

 

[Rane Longfox]

I may suprise people by not choosing the Malazan series here, but I'd probably go for Tad William's "Otherland" series. Simply due to size, and the fact that I've never got around to finishing it, and I'd have to start from the beginning again anyway

 

[DeepThought]

Hard to decide which one, but I'd probably go with King's Dark Tower series since I've yet to read the last two volumes and the fourth book (Wizard and Glass) is one of my favourite novels of all time.

 

[Talysia]

Tough choice. I'd have to say Neil Gaiman/Yoshitaka Amano's The Dream Hunters. The artwork is beautiful, the story is beautiful, and I never get tired of it. Failing that the Wheel of Time series. As has already been said for another series, by binding them together they'd probably make a good raft...

 

[Saolta Oiche]

Hmm well if we are also pondering over a single book then the most logical one for me would me The Gormenghast Trilogy, I still have not finished reading it and I have had the book for ages, so by the time I finish it on this island I shaould be resuced.

Hopefully the sunburn would not be too bad by then.

 

[littlemissattitude]

You must be joking. I can't take only one book when I'm going somewhere for just a weekend. It just is. Not. Possible.

 

[Blue Tyson]

If I had to choose one book, I'd take Dune.

If I had to take one series, then the longest I can think of. The Shadow might be good, at over 300.

 

[Allegra]

Okay seconed thought, may be telephone directory is not a very optimistc choice. Seriously, for a single book, I'd take One Hundred Years of Solitude; for a series, has to be discworld.

 

[Nikitta]

I'm practical and boring: I always think that if I could bring one book to a desert island, I'd pick one about how to make a functioning and solid boat without modern tools, so I could get off the island. There's no way I'm staying if I can only bring one book, or one series of books.

 

[Locksmith]

I was thinking along similar lines: "101 recipes for coconut" or some such.

If A Song of Ice and Fire were complete, I'd take that with me, although Discworld is also an excellent call. Maybe I'll take that as my one audio book.

 

[Nesacat]

All of H P Lovecraft's works and that would include fiction and non-fiction.

 

[j d worthington]

All of H P Lovecraft's works and that would include fiction and non-fiction.

Ummm, Nesa... including the letters? Sure the island won't sink?

Actually, if it could be done, that'd be my choice, as well....

 

[Nesacat]

If it's the island I have in mind it won't sink; and even if it does ... it'll be alright.

 

[Saolta Oiche]

I'm practical and boring: I always think that if I could bring one book to a desert island, I'd pick one about how to make a functioning and solid boat without modern tools, so I could get off the island. There's no way I'm staying if I can only bring one book, or one series of books.

lol, yep practical to the end. What would it be? A boat made of strung together coconuts and with palm leaves as a sail? lol

I think I'd advise you to watch Castaway before you leave for the island, get some tips from Wilson.



H.P Lovecraft? Cool but wouldn't you freak out when night comes on the island and there are strange noises in the shadows? The Crawling Chaos perhaps, or some stranded inhabitant of Dagon?

Deserted? Maybe not so......