Killer Thrillers, a vote

heyjude · Jul 16, 2010

http://www.npr.org/templates/story/story.php?storyId=128518102

NPR wants you to chose your personal Top Ten Thrillers Ever. Based on those choices, they'll announce the Top 100 Ever.

In the end, you'll decide what makes the top 100. Everyone gets 10 votes. Feel free to lobby for your favorites in the comments area. We'll announce the winners on August 2.

If you vote, come back and let us know. Anything that should have been there that wasn't?

Stanmiller · Jul 16, 2010

No Len Deighton spy stories. IPCRESS FILE and FUNERAL IN BERLIN are equal to anything LeCarre' wrote except SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD.

Eddyz Aquila · Jul 16, 2010

Voted. Some of them did not quite deserve their place over there... Stieg Larsson comes to mind. Granted, his novels sold a lot of copies but you can't compare him to John Le Carre and Ian Fleming.

In my opinion.

gothicangel · Jul 16, 2010

Is Steig Larsson a thriller writer?

I read GWTDT and as far as I could see, it was a mystery [in the old English style] through and through.

heyjude · Jul 16, 2010

Eddyz Aquila said:
Voted. Some of them did not quite deserve their place over there... Stieg Larsson comes to mind. Granted, his novels sold a lot of copies but you can't compare him to John Le Carre and Ian Fleming.

In my opinion.

Yeah, there were some surprises for me. Larsson was, frankly, a shocker. My opinion, too, of course. But there were some left out that I think are leagues better.

Gothic, here's how they're defining thriller:

For the purposes of this contest, we'll stick with the answer James Patterson once gave, which is that thrillers are defined by the "intensity of emotions they create ... of apprehension and exhilaration, of excitement and breathlessness. ... By definition, if a thriller doesn't thrill, it's not doing its job." If the closely related mystery genre is about discovery, then thrillers are more oriented towards action and suspense. The villain may be known from the start; the fun comes from finding out how the hero will foil whatever evil plans are afoot.

Which actually makes some of these even more of a head-scratcher for me. Ah well. I voted for my 10 favorite on the list.

gothicangel · Jul 16, 2010

I could only find three I would vote for!

39 Steps, definitely the best.

SJ Gordon · Jul 16, 2010

I was pleased to see Helen MacInnes on the list, though The Salzburg Connection isn't her very best, imho.

Interesting list, though. Can't wait to see the results.

Jake Barnes · Jul 18, 2010

Stanmiller said:
No Len Deighton spy stories. IPCRESS FILE and FUNERAL IN BERLIN are equal to anything LeCarre' wrote except SPY WHO CAME IN FROM THE COLD.

Berlin Game is on there, but no Alister MacLean. With The Guns of Navarone, Where Eagles Dare, and Ice Station Zebra, you'd think he'd have at least one on the list.

ToddWBush · Jul 18, 2010

My votes were all classics that defined the genre:

Casino Royale
The Count of Monte Cristo
The Day of the Jackal
The Hunt for Red October
Jurassic Park
The Last of the Mohicans
The Maltese Falcon
The Ministry of Fear
The Silence of the Lambs
The Spy Who Came in from the Cold

But the poll is a joke if you ask me. Barry Eisler is listed at least three times? Lee Child, John Grisham, James Rollins and Matthew Reilly are even on the same list as people like Le Carre, Fleming, Ludlum, Forsyth and the masters? Give me a flipping break. I seriously reject this list in total because it puts books that literally just came out a few months ago in contention to be the best thrillers ever.

Barry freaking Eisler... I will now go light myself on fire.

HistorySleuth · Jul 24, 2010

This poll looked familiar. So I looked. There is a book out on the subject with most of the same books as choices on the list -- must have seen a blub on it which made me remember. Is this promo for the book?

heyjude · Jul 25, 2010

Interesting, History. I didn't see anything about it on the site, but maybe it'll pop up later?

Jamesaritchie · Jul 25, 2010

I voted. Ten was easy, but I could have voted for twice that number. And some of my favorites weren't even on the list.

gp101 · Jul 26, 2010

Well I'm ashamed to say not only haven't I read the majority of the titles, I haven't even heard of quite a few of them. Nice list to add to my to-do list, however. I voted for six: Jaws, Silence of the Lambs, The Stand, Jurassic Park, DVC, and Hunt for Red October. Several others were favorites of mine in mystery, such as Maltese Falcon, but I didn't find them to be thrillers so I left them off.

RJK · Jul 26, 2010

I too, could have voted for more than 10. One of my favorites, Clancy's The Sum of All Fears wasn't on the list either.

heyjude · Aug 4, 2010

The list is out. None of my picks made it to the top 10, but they're all in the top 100.

How did you do?

Jamesaritchie · Aug 4, 2010

I got six out of the top ten, and ten out of the top thirty.

ToddWBush · Aug 4, 2010

I got a couple.

Killer Thrillers, a vote

heyjude

Making my own sunshine

Stanmiller

Eddyz Aquila

Noob Writers United

gothicangel

Toughen up.

heyjude

Making my own sunshine

gothicangel

Toughen up.

SJ Gordon

Jake Barnes

ToddWBush

HistorySleuth

Researching History's Mysteries

heyjude

Making my own sunshine

Jamesaritchie

gp101

RJK

Sheriff Bullwinkle the Poet says:

heyjude

Making my own sunshine

Jamesaritchie

ToddWBush