The Greatest Fiction Books of All Time

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This list represents a comprehensive and trusted collection of the greatest books. Developed through a specialized algorithm, it brings together 759 'best of' book lists to form a definitive guide to the world's most acclaimed books. For those interested in how these books are chosen, additional details can be found on the rankings page.

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  1. 15801. Fault Lines by James Carroll

    Fault Lines is a book by James Carroll. The title is Fault Lines and the author is listed as Carroll, James. The available description includes only the title and the author's name and does not provide any plot summary, themes, or publication details. No bibliographic elements such as publisher, date, or edition are included.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
  2. 15802. Flowers For The God Of Love by Barbara Cartland

    Margaret has spent her childhood watching her parents' unhappy marriage, which made her a fierce opponent of the traditional, passionless union. Being a woman with a modern mind is difficult in a time when female submission is still considered a virtue. After their father dies in a car accident Margaret and her mother become unexpected allies as they set out to live their lives, while trying to avoid falling in love with men along the way.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
  3. 15803. The Outlaw Of Torn by Edgar Rice Burroughs

    A rollicking medieval adventure that follows a man raised among brigands who rises to become a feared outlaw leader, then becomes entangled in high-stakes political intrigue, shifting loyalties, romance, and revenge as feudal conflicts and struggles for power in 13th-century England threaten to destroy him and those he loves.

    The 16919th Greatest Book of All Time
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  4. 15804. Oikeusjuttu by Franz Kafka

    A respectable bank clerk is arrested one morning without being told the charges and becomes trapped in an opaque, nightmarish legal system where baffling officials, evasive lawyers, and labyrinthine procedures turn his attempts at defense into a humiliating, futile scramble; as he navigates increasingly surreal hearings and encounters, uncertainty and a pervasive sense of guilt engulf him, and the inscrutable machinery of authority grinds toward a final, inevitable sentence.

    The 17113th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  5. 15805. A Man Called Otto by Fredrik Backman

    A curmudgeonly, rule-bound widower plans to end his life until a lively young family moves in next door and slowly draws him back into his community; through reluctant acts of help, stubborn loyalty, and unexpected friendships he reveals a life shaped by deep love and loss. Flashbacks and neighborhood vignettes peel away the gruff exterior to show the tenderness, humor, and sacrifices that drove him into isolation, while present-day connections—particularly with a determined pregnant neighbor—spark small acts of practical heroism and quiet redemption. The story mixes dark humor and poignant grief to celebrate how human connection and everyday kindness can resurrect a life that seemed finished.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  6. 15806. Children Of Eden by Joey Graceffa

    Rowan is a second child in a society where population controls make her illegal and marked for death. Outside Eden, Earth is poisoned and most life is gone, so Aaron Al-Baz created the EcoPanopticon to seize technology and preserve a pocket of humanity until the world heals. Hidden for sixteen years, Rowan escapes for one night, finds a friend, then faces tragedy and becomes a renegade on the run.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  7. 15807. The Boy At The Bottom Of The Fountain by Jay Bell

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
  8. 15808. Gospel Fever by Frank G. Slaughter

    Brother Tim Bishop is a slick businessman-preacher who runs America's most successful evangelical television station. Rival evangelists resort to scandal and blackmail in an attempt to destroy him. The story shows the rivalries and the tactics employed to undermine him. His position at the head of a leading evangelical station makes him a clear target.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
  9. 15809. Christ Is Recrucified by Kazantzakis

    In a remote Greek village preparing to stage a Passion play, the villagers chosen to portray Christ and the apostles begin to live out their parts in earnest, and a humble shepherd who embodies Christ’s compassion turns from conformity to radical charity toward war refugees; his moral awakening and insistence on caring for the outcast pits him against the parish priest, the landowning elders, and communal self-interest, leading to betrayal, violence, and a tragic recrucifixion that exposes hypocrisy, tests faith, and probes the cost of true sacrifice.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
  10. 15810. Fantasticland by Mike Bockoven

    Since the 1970s, FantasticLand has been a Florida theme park where fun is guaranteed. After a hurricane isolates the park, rescuers arrive five weeks later to find a scene of horror and viral photos of heads on spikes and human remains in gift shops. Presented as a fact-finding investigation with first-person interviews, the book reconstructs how mostly college-aged employees who surrendered their devices split into rival tribes that compete for resources, status, and even human flesh.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  11. 15811. Identical by Ellen Hopkins

    Told in spare, lyrical verse, the novel follows identical twin sisters whose shared upbringing in a deeply dysfunctional family and hidden traumas drive them in opposite directions—one striving for control and outward success while the other spirals into risky, self-destructive behavior—until long-buried secrets and betrayals erupt, forcing both to confront questions of identity, blame, and survival.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  12. 15812. The Hard Rain by Dinitia Smith

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
  13. 15813. The Hoyden Bride by Margaret Rau

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
  14. 15814. The Painted Drum by Louise Erdrich

    Set around a Native American reservation, the novel interweaves the lives of several characters across generations—artists, storytellers, veterans, and grieving family members—whose fates become linked by a mysterious painted drum that carries memory, grief, and a capacity for both harm and healing; moving between daily reality and mythic impulse, the narrative examines how history, love, violence, and spiritual tradition shape identity and the possibility of redemption.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  15. 15815. Das Lächeln Der Fortuna by Rebecca Gablé

    Ein opulent recherchierter historischer Roman, der im mittelalterlichen England spielt und das Schicksal einzelner Menschen sowie ganzer Familien in Zeiten politischer Umbrüche, Machtkämpfe und persönlicher Verrätereien verfolgt; mit dichten Beschreibungen des Alltags, klar gezeichneten Figuren, Liebes- und Loyalitätskonflikten sowie Intrigen am Hofe verwebt die Geschichte private Schicksale mit großen historischen Ereignissen und thematisiert Ehrgefühl, Aufstiegschancen und die Härte des Lebens im Spätmittelalter.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
  16. 15816. Jesus Tales by Romulus Linney

    This retelling presents the story of Jesus' life in the mode of folktale. Episodes are relocated into varied cultural settings and told as folk narratives in different parts of the world. By moving familiar scenes into diverse local forms, the work explores the life of Jesus through the rhythms and conventions of traditional tale telling across global landscapes.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
  17. 15817. No Stone Unturned by Josephine Lawrence

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
  18. 15818. Limbo by Joel Hammil

    A scientist involves an unwilling participant, a prostitute, in a top secret experiment to unlock her enormously intelligent and creative potential. He observes dramatic changes in her cognitive abilities and behavior as the procedure progresses. The results suggest capabilities and consequences that are both inspiring and frightening. Implications extend beyond the individuals involved to raise questions about the future of the entire human race.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
  19. 15819. My Favorite Thing Is Monsters by Emil Ferris

    Set in 1960s Chicago, this vividly illustrated coming-of-age tale is narrated by a ten-year-old who documents her life in a monster-filled sketchbook as she investigates the suspicious death of an elderly Jewish neighbor, unraveling hidden family histories, neighborhood violence, and questions of identity, grief, and otherness through a mix of childlike noir forensics, graphic imagery, and intimate memoir.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  20. 15820. Palmares by Gayl Jones

    A spare, lyrical novel that reimagines the history and afterlives of a maroon community in colonial Brazil, blending myth, memory, and imagination as its voice excavates the violent, erotic, and resistant legacies of slavery; time collapses into a haunting meditation on desire, language, collective memory, and the precarious cost of freedom.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  21. 15821. Daring And The Duke by Sarah MacLean

    The Bareknuckle Bastards Book III

    Grace Condry has spent a lifetime running from her past. Betrayed as a child by her only love and raised on the streets, she now hides in plain sight as queen of London's darkest corners. Ewan, Duke of Marwick, returns after a decade of searching, determined to win her back and make her his duchess. Grace vows revenge and keeps him close, but their reunion threatens the life she has claimed and the heart she swore he would never steal.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  22. 15822. Peepo! by Janet Ahlberg, Allan Ahlberg

    A rhythmic, gently humorous picture book that follows a baby through a busy day at home, inviting readers to peep through a round hole on each page to discover lively household scenes—parents and grandparents preparing meals, bathing and dressing the baby, playing and answering the door, and other everyday moments—culminating in the child's bedtime; the repetitive refrain and detailed illustrations capture the warmth, small surprises and point-of-view wonder of family life.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
  23. 15823. Journey To The River Sea by Eva Ibbotson

    A plucky orphan raised in an English boarding school is sent to live with distant relatives in Manaus and, on the steamer journey and in the lush Amazon, discovers the extraordinary beauty and danger of the rainforest; she makes warm friendships with locals and fellow travellers, uncovers the selfish schemes of her supposed guardians, and ultimately finds courage, belonging, and a new kind of family far from England.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  24. 15824. A Hand Full Of Stars by Rafik Schami

    A teenager in Damascus wants to be a journalist in a suppressed society. He writes in his diary, describing his daily life and the rhythms of his hometown. The diary entries provide a personal account of everyday routines, small moments, and the limits placed on expression. Set in Damascus, Syria, the narrative shows his aspirations and ordinary experiences within a constraining social environment.

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time
    Purchase from Bookshop.org
  25. 15825. The Magnetist's Fifth Winter by Per Olov Enquist

    The 17174th Greatest Book of All Time

Reading Statistics

Click the button below to see how many of these books you've read!

Download

If you're interested in downloading this list as a CSV file for use in a spreadsheet application, you can easily do so by clicking the button below. Please note that to ensure a manageable file size and faster download, the CSV will include details for only the first 500 books.

Download

To download this list as a CSV file, please log in to your account. Once logged in, you'll be able to download the data for use in spreadsheet applications.

Login to Download