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The Dark Tower series, by Stephen King. Say what you will about him being a hack, this series is remarkably different from anything he's ever done. It's really more of a fantasy/science fiction/western. It's a series of books and they all rank among my favorites. Start with The Gunslinger and read your way through them. You'll be happy you did.

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I agree. If you read more Stephen King, you'll realize that a lot of stories make a little more sense, several are linked together in specific ways. A great book I just bought and read is Ilium by Dan Simmons. It's a little difficult to get through the first chapters but once you get into it's tough to put down. It not a book about the past....the Greek/Trojan battle is a major part of the book but it's happening again in the future...great read.