Farrell

[Matt H.O.W.L.]

Cash by Johnny Cash.

Technically not a novel, but good stuff nonetheless.

[JimN]

Jim, a friend of mine passed on an extra copy of this that he had to me a few years ago which I've never read.  In fact, the only book of Bishop's I have read is No Enemy But Time - similar vein?

They share an anthropological core but I'd say they're pretty different. Transfigurations is set on an alien world and deals with the study of a group of alien hominids called the Asadi. It's an expanded version of a Hugo and Nebula-nominated novella titled Death and Designation Among the Asadi, which forms the first part of the novel. I don't want to say much about the actual story because the less you know, the better. It's an earlier Bishop book than No Enemy But Time but they reflect similar interests in the part of the author.

I hope that's helpful. I obviously recommend it!

Jim

[BoomerZ]

I hope that's helpful. I obviously recommend it!

Thanks, Jim!

[SDAL]

If you're after a fast-paced shallow action-packed read, I really Liked Ice Station by Matthew Reilly. I wouldn't really recommend too many of his others, but this was a really fun read that I couldn't put down.

[Matt H.O.W.L.]

I fear we've veered from the topic "The BEST Novel You've Read" into general recommendations, which has its very own thread: https://bullpenbulletinspodcast.com/forum/index.php?topic=2781.0 

Don't make me get my Merge Stick out! 

[Dave Faust]

Valis--Philip K. Dick
House of Leaves--Mark Z. Danielewski
Naked Lunch--William S. Burroughs
Crash--J.G.Ballard
Gravity's Rainbow--Thomas Pynchon
The Stand--Stephen King
Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World--Haruki Murakami
The Sound and the Fury--William Faulkner
The Raw Shark Texts--Steven Hall
The Third Policeman--Flann O'Brien

[Jordan]

Battle Royale by Koushun Takami (my friends practically forced me to buy this book against my raging preconceptions - I wasn't ready for it to be as good as it was. I am still waiting for another book to come along and deliver the same experience again)

Karma!

I read this book during the slow parts of a tour through Europe and it completely knocked me on my ass.  I was not prepared for it to be as good as it was. 

[Jeppe]

Gravity's Rainbow--Thomas Pynchon
Hard Boiled Wonderland and the End of the World--Haruki Murakami