A Quest for The Perfect Book?

Question

Dear Answers users:

I am about to send you on a quest of epic proportions. Indeed, it is an objective quest, and one that I will admit will be never ending. I am talking about The Perfect Book.

Many have theorized that it simply does not exist. I wish to prove these skeptics wrong. Everyone has their "perfect book", yet I need help finding mine. My perfect book has yet to be read by my eyes, so I will give you the guidelines for this quest.

-The Perfect Book is a science-fiction/fantasy book, however, the Perfect Book is not a Star Trek, Star Wars, Starship, Star Quest, Star anything. I am not looking for another geeked out galaxy conquest series.

-The Perfect Book can only be described as a combination Lovecraft, Lawhead, insert tasteful action romance here novel. I ask that the romance not be s**t. I am ALSO not looking for a vampire, "HeMan-took-her-in-his-big-tawny-brawny-... kinda thing. I don't want the Matrix Reloaded. But that's another discussion.

-The Perfect Book is R-rated, for violence, scenes of scary nature, overall complexity, and the OCCASIONAL, well-placed curse word. No sketchy scenes, that would be rated X.

-The Perfect Book is not Tolkien. I want no posts about, "have u redd those books? omg, the love scne with arwn and aragorn is to DIE for!" No. There is no love scene. That's Hollywood in action. Arwen is not a major part of the story line. Another reason the Perfect Book is not Tolkien's: I've read most of them. From the Hobbit to the Silmarillion, read 'em. End of story.

-The Perfect Book indeed has that touch of romance. However, the girl most not be overly powerful UNLESS for some reason she is the key to destroying the world. Which brings me to another point: Unless this is a book from multiple perspectives, I'd appreciate that of a male. Call me sexist, even though I am female, I just like it that way.

-The Perfect Book can be sad. HOWEVER: the love must work out. They either live together, or die together. Even if the whole world is destroyed, there we go. Nothing irks me more than, oh well, it just didn't work.

-The Perfect Book must at least contain some form of demon, daemon, monster, alien, or thing feared by the population. Remember, the Perfect Book is an R-rated fantasy.

-Lastly, the Perfect Book is NOT a comic book, I have thousands of those, a teen genre book, give me more credit than that, albeit some are actually good, those would be PG-13. I like the dark stuff.

Good luck, my fellow internet surfers. I will be checking in on you.

To all sellers:

-If you try to sell me the Perfect Book, I will not buy it from you for two reasons: 1. Why are you selling me the Perfect Book? If you want to get rid of it, it must not be all that good. 2. I want to feel it in my hands. The Perfect Book feels most perfect when it is held.

Thank you, and again, Good luck.

Answer 1

Twilight by Stephenie Meyer is the Perfect Book.

Or the Bible. Either one. And yes, the Bible had some romance in it, but not too much, like you said. :]

Answer 2

I only read the first couple of qualifications to be honest.

From that i would suggest SMeyers The Host. Its classified as adult but i don't think it really is.

I really really liked The Warrior Heir. But i didn't have qualifications.  

Answer 3

This book might not have everything you are looking for, but for some reason I was thinking of it all the time as I read the details of your question and so I will recommend it anyway.  Try The Adventures of Don Quixote.  It is well worth the time, and it will take some time to read.  Follow the adventures of Don Quixote and Sancho Panza, as Quixote searches for Dulcinea.  As an aside, if you can find the musical The Man of La Mancha and also listen to that as part of the reading, so much the better.

Answer 4

When I was in my early 20s, I was in the Doubleday Book Club. I love Sci Fi. I bought a book by Robert Heinlein called "Stranger in a Strange Land". I read it. I read it again a few years later and then gave it to Good Will. Well, I wanted to read it again, so I bought it off Ebay. It is [to me] the perfect Sci Fi novel. Valentine Michael Smith was born on Mars of human explorers, and left there. You have to read this book!!! The blurp reads like this:

  "Not since the publication of Philip Wylie's GENERATION of VIPERS has there been a book quite so deliberately designed to make us uncomfortable about nearly everything we take for granted. In this entertaining and often shocking novel, however, Mr. Heinlein uses fictional characters in fictional situations to attack all explanations of the universes offered on faith, to undermine the idea of sexual relations founded on jealousy, and to annoy the materialists and the politicians.

    Although certain of the techniques of science fiction are used, STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND might be classed as philosophical fantasy, or as an entertainment, or, perhaps as Cabellesque satire. A completely freewheeling look at contemporary culture from the nonhuman viewpoint of someone from another culture, it is unlike anything that has ever been done before. It is deliberately annoying, and often very funny. It runs down the sacred cows and slaughters them hilariously.

   Here is an incredible story with enough excitement and action for five novels, but it is not for people who are easily shocked. Although he knew it was an impossible objective, Mr. Heinlein's purpose in writing this novel was to examine every major axiom of Western culture, to question each axiom, throw doubt on it-and, if possible-to make the antithesis of each axiom appear a possible and perhaps desirable thing - rather than unthinkable."

And THAT was just the blurp!!!!  

Answer 5

Well as I was reading this I was thinking Oryx and Crak by Margaret Atwood but that is more literature than science fiction/fantasy though the world does end, the narrator and main character is a guy and there is romance and some really strange pig like animals with a demonic sense of wanting to eat people.  But not really what you were looking for.  Then I thought of Faith Hunter's Bloodring (Thorn St. Croix, Series) but while it definitely has demons, romance and some really cool gory fight scenes it is told from the main characters point of view and she's a she so that's out.  Then came Lilith Saintcrow's Dante Valentine series with all the demons and even the devil but again female point of view.  It is about that time I ran out of ideas.  The upside is I didn't once mention, Tolkien, Twilight, or Harry potter for that matter.  Good luck in your search.  And I loved your question...brilliant.

Answer 6

You could try reading the Golden Compass trilogy.The last book in the series has romance,and all three books are sort of scary,but not terrifying.It's a really good series though.The author is Philip Pullman.

Answer 7

China Mieville's 'Perdido Street Station' fits most of your criteria.

The only thing on your list that isn't in it is romance--there's a pair of interspecies lovers who have a long-standing, mature relationship, and their love for each other drives part of the plot, but it's not a typically "romantic" relationship.

A lot of readers find it hard going, especially at first, because Mieville's writing style is dense and ornate. But the worldbuilding is amazing and as the plot unfolds the characters end up in pursuit of one of the most dreadful monsters I've ever encountered in a novel.  

Answer 8

You know? I'm writing such a book ;)

I have the same taste as you it seems (in books that is Lol)

Good luck finding your perfect book though, but if you ever want some insight into my book i'll gladly share. :P

I have also searched for such a book, never found one. But since i'm a fantasy writer i will write such a book Lol.

Anyways Good Luck!

- TcoWhite

Answer 9

i think you should try THE HOST by stephenie meyer its considered scifi and it has aliens but it happens on earth and there is romance that works out in the end

Answer 10

The Gift by Alison Croggon.

Told 3rd person but focusing on a girl, Maerad.

A strange touch of romance with a man Cadvan who rescues her, age wouldn't matter in there relationship though since they all live for hundreds of years. They are bards - people with power and aim to "save the world" type thing. Its a book with an alternate world. Kinda medieval like most fantasy/ magical books.

There is a big evil to overcome yet many others that arent good or evil.

No extremely scary moments though.

Its not a comic book - its got 496 pages.

The fourth book comes out in december so we are yet to know whether it all works out.

Moments in the book are sad - e.g. finding out about their past etc

The 3rd book in the series is from the point of a boy - if you don't like the girl.

Lastly, the books are just fantastic.

Here's the review for the 1st book - the second is my fave.

Maerad is a slave in a desperate and unforgiving settlement, taken there as a child when her family is destroyed in war. She is unaware that she possesses a powerful gift, a gift that marks her as a member of the School of Pellinor. It is only when she is discovered by Cadvan, one of the great Bards of Lirigon, that her true heritage and extraordinary destiny unfolds. Now she and her teacher, Cadvan, must survive a punishing and uncertain journey through a time and place where the dark forces they battle with stem from the deepest recesses of other-worldly terror.