My Top 30 Novels Of All Time (2024)

Now that I feel that I have read enough prose fiction to be able to create this kind of list, I figured it was time. It started as a top ten, then became top twenty, twenty-five, then thirty. It was much harder than I expected, and my top five have been set in stone for years now.

What makes a book good enough to be on this list? Some of these works are culturally significant, some of them important to their genre, and others had such an emotional impact on my that my love for them has never dwindled. Only one book per author was allowed, and some stories that are part of a series I collected as a whole. It's a mish-mash of genres and a completely personal, subjective list. These are not the 'best' novels ever written, but my favourites.

So, without further ado, let's get started.

30 – A Tale of Two Cities (Charles Dickens, 1859)

Picking a Dickens novel was hard. The truth is, there’s only one I have read twice, and its one that I read twice to fully grasp its complex narrative. This historical novel is set in London and Paris around the time of the French Revolution. It is an epic, tragic tale, featuring one of the most famous Great Opening Sentences in all of literature, one of the most potent metaphorical, descriptive passages I’ve ever read, and a beautiful ending speech narrated by Sydney Carton.

29 Starship Troopers (Robert A. Heinlein, 1959)

This classic military science fiction novel is as political as it is forward-thinking, with its portrayal of power armour-wearing soldiers. While it is a mouthpiece for Heinlein's politics, the conviction and total dedication to these ideas add a subliminal, absurdist tone, making the social Darwinist ideas borderline satirical.

Maybe that's a subjective view created by the tone of Verhoeven's adaptation, but what cannot be understated is that this is Heinlein's cleanest, most succinct adult novel, and the science fiction concepts on show are still, to this day, a thrill.

28 The Forever War (Joe Haldeman, 1974)

A reaction to Starship Troopers, Haldeman’s novel is more interested in the psychological effect of (interstellar) war on his human soldiers. Fighting an alien species so far away that time dilation takes place, the world these heroes are fighting for is not the same world they return to when they finish their tours of duty.

It's a potent allegory for Haldeman’s experiences in Vietnam, satirising the futility of war and the reception the US troops received when they returned home.

27 Jude The Obscure (Thomas Hardy, 1885)

Reading pre-twentieth-century fiction can be a challenge due to the evolution of dramatic values. Some could even call Jude the Obscure a ‘period soap opera’ due to the simplicity of the narrative, from the outset at least.

However, readers must consider the cultural context of the time to crack the code of such novels. Jude the Obscure is a complex work, dealing with the typical themes of the era such as class, education, religion, morality and marriage, but in such an intense way that it was considered immoral. It features some of Hardy’s most flawed characters, and for me, the open display of emotion verges on the romantic genre, deeply enthralling me from the very first page.

It is a sad, tragic tale. One that anyone whose lives are governed by artistic and intellectual goals can relate to.

26 Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? (Dick, 1968)

Well known as the source material for Blade Runner, the novel differs in some interesting ways from Ridley Scott’s masterpiece.

The core conflict of the movie, Deckard’s retirement of escaped androids, is a minor thread. Instead, the novel is more concerned with the ironic social status of owning a real-life animal and the concept of the empathy box, a 1960s virtual reality console with which users can connect themselves with the television evangelist martyr, Wilber Mercer.

Dick’s writing is often uneven and chaotic, and with Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep, he achieved his most consistent novel with this noir-inspired dystopia.

25 1984 (George Orwell, 1949)

Orwell’s dystopian cautionary tale has lost none of its literary power today, especially with its focus on surveillance and a repressive, ruling regime.

Alongside Huxley's Brave New World and Zamyatin’s We, 1984 represents some of the dystopian fiction's blueprints and many of its features have become a part of modern language. Today, Winston Smith’s arc is perhaps even more harrowing, especially with the book's commentary on political indoctrination and censorship.

24 Gulliver’s Travels (Jonathan Swift)

This hilarious, brutal satire attacks the travelogue subgenre and the very nature of human hierarchy, language and status. Swift once said that he wrote the novel to ‘vex the world rather than divert it’ and I can imagine that at the time, he succeeded. I cannot look at horses in the same way.

This is a hugely influential satirical fantasy that deals with dystopian as well as utopian ideas. Indeed, it was criticised at the time for its harmful, inappropriate use of misanthropic themes. Such critics were clearly not in on the joke.

23 Hotel World (Ali Smith, 2001)

This is a novel that is to be admired as much as it is adored. It is a tribute to prose fiction and physical media, really zeroing in on what it means to hold an artistic endeavour in your hand and immerse yourself in it.

Through its ensemble cast, Smith indulges in themes of grief and fate, all entwined with the titular Global Hotel, expertly traversing several literary modes.

For some the effect may feel disjointed, but for me, the patterning is extremely effective. Life, and human beings, are not linear, after all.

22 We Have Always Lived in the Castle (Shirly Jackon 1962)

It was a tough call between this and The Haunting of Hill House. Jackson was a literary horror novelist, her perfect, eloquent prose steeped in atmosphere and tension.

Mary Blackwood is the 18-year-old survivor of a family tragedy. She is ostracized by the local townspeople and lives with her older sister and ailing uncle, doing what she can to survive. This is a shocking story of isolation, class and otherness, singling out the persecution of the unknown, and presenting the ignorant neighbour with a seething darkness.

21 The Big Sleep (Raymond Chandler 1939)

While this classic noir has its origins nest within the pulp genre, its author, Raymond Chandler, was a master of dialect with an incredible turn of phrase. While it's hard not to read without Humphrey Bogart’s drawl in your head, The Big Sleep is rife with atmosphere. It's a plot of double crosses, pornography and extreme masculinity drawn together by Chandler’s wounded, world-weary detective, Phillip Marlow, who oozes wit and guile.

Self-loathing and misery were never so pleasurable to read.

20 - Embassy Town (China Mieville 2011)

It's suitable that many science fiction prose novels centre their themes around language, and Embassy Town is a modern masterpiece. An alien species truly unknowable called the Areikei can only be understood by genetically engineered twins who speak with two minds. Furthermore, they are completely unable to lie or speculate.

When a new Ambassador of only one mind arrives, chaos ensues. Protagonist Avice must find a solution as the Areikei become addicted to a brand new form of speech.

This is a deep, philosophical thought experiment on the nature of language and features a truly original species of alien in a book that must be read to be experienced.

19 – Jane Eyre (Emily Bronte, 1857)

An important watershed in prose fiction, the first to focus on the development of its protagonist through first-person narration, coming to be known as the original Bildungsroman.

Eyre’s journey is riveting as she struggles with the social and moral constructs of her time and the emotional complexities of Edward Rochester, a mysterious, fascinating character serving as love interest and antagonist. He is a complex mystery box that gradually opens page by page throughout the novel, resulting in a shocking, even for the time, twist.

18 - The Once and Future King (T. H. White 1958)

Being the inspiration for Walt Disney's The Sword and the Stone, for some, this novel is the definitive interpretation of the Arthurian legend. The Once and Future King differs from many retellings by presenting Lancelot as a wholly original vision of the classic character.

First released as several shorter novels, together this is an epic retelling of Le Morte d'Arthur that, despite its complex narrative, has a perfect blend of humour and mounting tragedy, making it as thrilling a fantasy book as anything else released in the 20th century.

17 – His Dark Materials Trilogy (Phillip Pullman, 1995)

A truly original fantasy and coming-of-age story following two children, Lyra and Will, as they travel through parallel worlds.

Anti-religion at its core and perhaps a tad heavy-handed with its approach to messaging, what makes the story so compelling is its commentary on human nature and the depth of its characters.

It's moving, heart-breaking, exciting, and features warrior polar bears. I mean, what else do you need?

16 - The Call of the Wild (Jack London 1903)

This novella is an adventure story featuring a dog named Buck. Set during the Klondike Goldrush era, poor Buck is subject to a string of harrowing escapades after being stolen from his home, becoming a more and more primitive creature as the novel progresses.

London's attempts to write from the perspective of an animal are admirable and there are real moments of beauty and wonder to discover.

Animal lovers beware.

15 - The Roadside Picnic (Arkady and Boris Strugatsky 1972)

A stunning metaphor comparing the disruption of a picnic on a patch of grass to an alien landing, both acts leaving their areas changed for good.

Massively influential and prophetic, much of its terminology is used even today when discussing the Chernobyl disaster. Furthermore, the novel also served as inspiration for Andrei Tarkovsky’s motion picture masterpiece, Stalker, and the classic survival horror video game series, also called S.T.A.L.K.E.R.

The Strugatsky brothers were the premier science fiction writers in the Soviet Union of the 20th century, and much of their work is important. However, for me, The Roadside Picnic is their most memorable, harrowing and fascinating work.

14 - The Gap Cycle (Stephen Donaldson 1991)

The original The Gap into Conflict - The Real Story was a one-off experiment in which Donaldson experimented with the narrative tropes of heroes, rescuers and villains in a violent space opera universe.

And yet, there was more to this world, and through a further four novels, Donaldson completed this epic space opera heavily inspired by Wagner's Ring cycle.

Donaldson, more famous for his Thomas Covenant series, creates a cast of characters all as complex and unlikeable as each other. I prefer an anti-hero to a white knight and some of the alien species here are horrifying.

It's a testament to Donaldson's plotting that he manages to get you to cheer for someone as despicable as Angus Thermopyle. And then there is Nick Succorso, what a complete bastard!

13 – The Lord of The Rings Trilogy (J. R. R. Tolkien 1954)

Whatever has been argued over its allegory, Tolkien’s enduring fantasy world is just too important not only to the fantasy genre but to my teenage years, to not include it in this list.

Recommended to me by my father after watching me play The Legend of Zelda: Ocarina of Time, I’ll always remember reading it under candlelight at 15, following Sam and Frodo’s journey to Mordor. Later, in my early twenties, I reread it after watching the films.

It's probably time to read it again.

12 – To Kill a Mockingbird (Harper Lee 1960)

Many, many years later, Harper Lee’s masterpiece has lost none of its political power, its message as relevant and potent today as it was then.

However, what should be celebrated, is how she captures the innocence of youth in a fabled period of the past, a time of simplicity and timelessness. Atticus Finch, also, is a wonderful tentpole for the morally just hero.

11 – The Exorcist (William Peter Blatty, 1971)

The greatest horror movie and the greatest horror novel. Incredible characterisation, personal conflict and theme, so resonant and powerful it transcends its genre.

Blatty notably half-arsed the novel when he sold the film rights, but returned years later and redrafted it into its current form.

Regardless of Regan, Father Merryn, or Pazuzu, it will also be the arc of Father Karas that is the most chilling and inspiring of all. A man of little worth at the start of the novel achieves incredible greatness with a shocking, quick decision.

10 – Flowers for Algernon (Daniel Keyes 1966)

Earlier, I discussed how Jane Eyre was so important to the first-person narration mode. Here, with Flowers for Algernon, Daniel Keyes perfects it.

This is a story that can only be told through prose fiction. It utilises its medium and takes the unreliable narrator technique to its maximum potential.

This is a story told from the perspective of a man with a learning disability who goes on to gain extreme intelligence. Keyes is a genius at work here, an utterly heart-wrenching masterpiece of the medium.

9 – The Hyperion Cantos Cycle (Dan Simmons 1989)

While firmly situated within the space opera genre, what elevates the Hyperion Cantos is its commentary on human suffering, presented through the format of Chaucer’s The Canterbury Tales. Its scope is grand and complex, yet the characters are always relatable.

Featuring a plethora of science fiction concepts, its greatest is that of the Shrike, the time-shifting monstrosity. Possibly the greatest image in all of science fiction.

8 – Watership Down (Richard Adams 1972)

Maybe I am biased because of my love for the animated movie but also, like with The Call of the Wild, I am partial to stories about sad animals. I cannot escape the emotional grip that this book has had on me since the day I read it.

Essentially a Romance (in the classical sense), Adams improvised the story in car journeys with his young daughters. Lovable heroes, despicable villains, Bigwig, General Wort, and Fiver, all such iconic characters now, take part in a beautiful, heartfelt adventure story and Adam’s prose, while lyrical, is never wordy.

7 – The Left Hand of Darkness (Ursula K. Le Guin 1969)

Years later, she may have critiqued it for its lack of depth, but every writer is his or her own biggest critic. Le Guin was far too modest to accept the genuine level of genius that she presented with this incredible thought experiment and original feminist science fiction novel.

An exploration of sex, gender and cultural relations between two races, its ideas are still brilliant and relevant. The world of Gethen and its culture and religion are so interesting and well fleshed out, and its characters, their issues, and motives are so relatable, that I would wager this narrative to be years ahead of its time.

6 – Speaker For the Dead (Orson Scott Card 1986)

I’m aware of the irony of placing this book above The Left Hand of Darkness. Separating art from the artist must be done to fully appreciate this novel, I assure you, and its content, when contrasted with its author, is indeed a wild juxtaposition that boggles the mind even now.

Regardless, while this is the sequel to Card’s classic Ender’s Game, it also deconstructs its plot and many of its themes. It asks us to think deeply about the actions of others, about our interpretation and understanding of the actions of others.

Like The Left Hand of Darkness, it is concerned with a stranger in an alien culture, and the aptly dubbed ‘Pequeninos’ are indeed so alien, that their very way of life is viewed as a threat to humanity.

Shocking, transformative, and utterly brilliant.

5 – Gormenghast Series (Mervyn Peake 1956)

Peake’s gothic series is a masterwork of literature. It cannot be understated how much of an achievement in 20th-century prose fiction this work truly is. The style, the readability, the atmosphere, the characters, the imagery, this is, for my money, the best-written work of the last century.

Peake illustrated publications of Alice in Wonderland, The Rime of the Ancient Mariner, and The Strange Case of Dr Jekyll and Mr. Hyde. He was an artist and a poet and he applied these talents to his prose composition in Gormenghast. To call a novel a painting of words may be trite, but it is apt.

If there was ever a work that should not be rushed, scanned, that should be savoured, this is it. The atmosphere, sense of place, is expertly crafted. The characters, Dickensian in their nature, are vivid, compelling and eternally memorable.

4 – Neuromancer (William Gibson 1984)

The second greatest opening sentence in prose fiction, Neuromancer is an exercise in originality. While it may be steeped in classic Chandlersque pulp noir and heist narrative tropes, Gibson predicted the internet and coined so many phrases that would become a part of the lexicon of today and solidified the amoebic elements that would become known as the cyberpunk genre.

Case is an antihero forced to work for the mob. Together with street samurai Molly Millions, their journey takes them through a variety of streets, cultures, unsavoury thugs, gangsters and AI.

While not a life-changing literary story, Neuromancer oozes style and confidence and portrays a world that at the time was completely original with a tight, angsty turn of phrase. The cyberpunk palette is one that I have loved since I first saw Bladerunner and Akira, and here, in its earliest form, it’s just as fascinating and compelling as the many films and books that have been influenced by it.

3 – Blood Meridan (Cormac McCarthy 1985)

Until he died in 2023 McCarthy was the closest in literature to a genuine American modernist in the vein of the classic authors of the early 20th century. His style sits between Hemingway's method and Faulkner's complex yet readable prose.

Blood Meridian is an anti-western out to deconstruct the myth of the Wild West. It could be mistaken for a series of violent, misogynistic escapades and, on the surface at least, you’d be right.

It’s not for the faint of heart. There are no heroes, and its primary villain, Judge Holden, is a heinous, devilish creation that never ceases to shock. In fact, he might be the greatest villain in all of literature.

This is a meta-textual work and should be read as such. Nothing that happens in this bloodied vision of the West is accidental. The greatest works are communications between author and reader, and here, McCarthy asks a lot. With work, the rewards are not necessarily your usual kind of satisfying, but shockingly unforgettable.

2 – East of Eden (John Steinbeck 1952)

Easily his most ambitious novel, John Steinbeck channelled everything he had learned from years at the craft into this, his magnum opus.

Steinbeck was something of an American Charles Dickens, less interested in Faulkner’s complexity or Hemingway's reduction in search of truth. Instead, he wrote for the people and wanted his stories to be as accessible as possible, to everyone.

East of Eden is a saga of two families and their interwoven histories. It deals with fate, the struggle for acceptance, depravity and guilt, and the inevitable destiny of children considering their parents. It's epic in scope, biblical, funny, sad, and relatable. A perfect novel, expertly constructed with a fascinating villain that shocked critics at the time of its release.

1 – For Whom the Bell Tolls (Ernest Hemmingway 1940)

Often criticised (depending on the decade) for his masculinity, with For Whom the Bell Tolls, Hemingway writes the most beautiful, romantic prose I have read, introducing popular phrases into the cultural subconscious.

Initially recommended for the Pulitzer in 1941, the book was snubbed due to some finding it offensive, and thus no book was given the award that year.

It is a novel about many things, common ideas such as life, death, and responsibility, but more importantly, it is about purpose in life and purpose in death and what it means to find a purpose when you think that you have never had one.

I cannot explain how much this book affected me. It may not be the perfection of Hemingway’s iceberg style like The Old Man and the Sea was. It even has its odd quirks with language that may not sit well with some, but its message is just so powerful, and the narrative tools that Hemingway uses to present this message are at their most effective.

Much of the dialogue is translated from Spanish back into English, giving it a sense of otherness. For some, this has been a negative; however, for me, with its lofty themes, the technique gives the book a beauty that elevates it above historical or military fiction, setting it up as a kind of modern fable. Also, while he censored his profanity to get the novel through publishers, it allows the reader to insert their own language for fun. My favourite obscenity book of all time.