1) LoTR by Tolkein
2) Siddhartha by Hesse
3) Mists of Avalon by Bradley
4) Last Light of the Sun by Kay
5) Wraeththu by Constantine
6) Hyperion by Simmons
7) Silmarillion by Tolkein
The Years of Rice and Salt by Robinson *
9) Deadhouse Gates by Ericson
10) The Lions of Al-Rassan by Kay

*I understand why Red Mars go so much love in this thread. It is an amazing book. But the story didn't flow well enough for me to count it in my favorites.

Of course different books got on this list for different reasons. LoTR is like a really good friend that I can always count on, and is the book (series) that I have read more than any other. A couple on this list have actually significantly changed the way I think about things: The Mists of Avalon and Siddhartha. I think I can say that Siddhartha has more meaning crammed into a short story than anything else I've ever read. Skinny Legs and All by Robbins almost made my list for that reason.

Some of these are here just because of the beautiful storytelling. Last Light of the Sun, Lions of Al-Rassan, and Wraeththu would fall into this catagory. I'm most likely in the minority when I say the The Last Light of the Sun is Kay's best work (although I haven't read the Fionvar Tapestry). The bravery and sacrifice themes along with the father/son interractions in this book really appealled to me. And as always, Kay's writing is fantastic.

The rest; well Hyperion had very imaginative concepts and memorable characters. The Silmarilion is awkward to read, but the general theme of a steady decline interrupted by moments of glory, along with fantastic world-building make this a great read. Deadhouse Gates: I was so freaking mad about the end of this book. Two or three days after I finished it I still had a nagging feeling that something was bothering me. Erikson is a bastard, but he must also be a good author to get into my head like that.