Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish. This feature was created because they are particularly fond of lists at The Broke and the Bookish. They’d love to share their lists with other bookish folks and would LOVE to see your top ten lists!

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This weeks Top Ten topic is …

Top Ten Five Most Intimidating Books

Well this should be an interesting topic…

A Game of Thrones (A Song of Fire and Ice #1) by George R. R. Martin

A NEW ORIGINAL SERIES, NOW ON HBO.

Here is the first volume in George R. R. Martin’s magnificent cycle of novels that includes A Clash of Kings and A Storm of Swords. As a whole, this series comprises a genuine masterpiece of modern fantasy, bringing together the best the genre has to offer. Magic, mystery, intrigue, romance, and adventure fill these pages and transport us to a world unlike any we have ever experienced. Already hailed as a classic, George R. R. Martin’s stunning series is destined to stand as one of the great achievements of imaginative fiction.

A GAME OF THRONES

Long ago, in a time forgotten, a preternatural event threw the seasons out of balance. In a land where summers can last decades and winters a lifetime, trouble is brewing. The cold is returning, and in the frozen wastes to the north of Winterfell, sinister and supernatural forces are massing beyond the kingdom’s protective Wall. At the center of the conflict lie the Starks of Winterfell, a family as harsh and unyielding as the land they were born to. Sweeping from a land of brutal cold to a distant summertime kingdom of epicurean plenty, here is a tale of lords and ladies, soldiers and sorcerers, assassins and bastards, who come together in a time of grim omens.

Here an enigmatic band of warriors bear swords of no human metal; a tribe of fierce wildlings carry men off into madness; a cruel young dragon prince barters his sister to win back his throne; and a determined woman undertakes the most treacherous of journeys. Amid plots and counterplots, tragedy and betrayal, victory and terror, the fate of the Starks, their allies, and their enemies hangs perilously in the balance, as each endeavors to win that deadliest of conflicts: the game of thrones.

I am in turns desperate to read this series and terrified by it. I have heard great things about this series, but I have also been told it is insanely complicated. The first book alone is 800+ pages, and whilst this isn’t necessarily a bad thing it is ever so slightly intimidating – where would I find the time? And, what if I didn’t like it?

Throne of Jade (Temeraire #2) by Naomi Novik

When Britain intercepted a French ship and its precious cargo–an unhatched dragon’s egg–Capt. Will Laurence of HMS Reliant unexpectedly became master and commander of the noble dragon he named Temeraire. As new recruits in Britain’s Aerial Corps, man and dragon soon proved their mettle in daring combat against Bonaparte’s invading forces.

Now China has discovered that its rare gift, intended for Napoleon, has fallen into British hands–and an angry Chinese delegation vows to reclaim the remarkable beast. But Laurence refuses to cooperate. Facing the gallows for his defiance, Laurence has no choice but to accompany Temeraire back to the Far East–a long voyage fraught with peril, intrigue, and the untold terrors of the deep. Yet once the pair reaches the court of the Chinese emperor, even more shocking discoveries and darker dangers await.

I really loved reading the first book in this series Temeraire/His Majesty’s Dragon. It was both what I was expecting and something completely different. To be honest, I’m a bit scared that reading the second book in this series could mean that I fall out of love with it.

The 5th Wave (The Fifth Wave #1) by Rick Yancey

The Passage meets Ender’s Game in an epic new series from award-winning author Rick Yancey.

After the 1st wave, only darkness remains. After the 2nd, only the lucky escape. And after the 3rd, only the unlucky survive. After the 4th wave, only one rule applies: trust no one.

Now, it’s the dawn of the 5th wave, and on a lonely stretch of highway, Cassie runs from Them. The beings who only look human, who roam the countryside killing anyone they see. Who have scattered Earth’s last survivors. To stay alone is to stay alive, Cassie believes, until she meets Evan Walker. Beguiling and mysterious, Evan Walker may be Cassie’s only hope for rescuing her brother—or even saving herself. But Cassie must choose: between trust and despair, between defiance and surrender, between life and death. To give up or to get up.

I have only heard good things about this series, but I don’t always get on well with Sci-Fi. It doesn’t always click for me, especially when it borders with Sci-Fan which is generally when it leaves me cold. The 5th Wave sounds really interesting but…

The Hobbit by J. R. R. Tolkien

Smaug certainly looked fast asleep, when Bilbo peeped once more from the entrance. He was just about to step out on to the floor when he caught a sudden thin ray of red from under the drooping lid of Smaug’s left eye. He was only pretending to be asleep! He was watching the tunnel entrance…

Whisked away from his comfortable, unambitious life in his hobbit-hole in Bag End by Gandalf the wizard and a company of dwarves, Bilbo Baggins finds himself caught up in a plot to raid the treasure hoard of Smaug the Magnificent, a large and very dangerous dragon…

I have to admit that I have watched the first film and enjoyed it, but I am a little nervous about trying this book. The Lord of the Rings is one of my favourite books, and I think Tolkien creates a really interesting world but for some reason I’m not totally sure that this book is for me. I’m also a bit worried that now I’ve seen the film first it will mean terrible things for my feelings about the book.

Harry Potter by J. K. Rowling

Harry Potter thinks he is an ordinary boy – until he is rescued by an owl, taken to Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, learns to play Quidditch and does battle in a deadly duel. The Reason: HARRY POTTER IS A WIZARD!

Having now drawn blood from a stone, I will be up front and say I hated this topic. Honestly, I don’t find any books intimidating (or if I do I forget about them quickly) so this topic was a real struggle! Even picking just five was an effort, although I am interested to see what you guys/gals think of as “intimidating books”.

(blurb from Harry Potter and the Philosopher’s Stone)

This is a bit different from the previous four books as I have actually read the complete Harry Potter series.

The reason I have included this series in this list is because I loved this series so much; I grew up with it. Thinking about re-reading it terrifies me. I don’t want to lose the magic that I associate with the series, and I think if I re-read the books I would. I know I’m probably being stupid, but I just don’t want to risk it.

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I really struggled writing this list as to be honest books don’t tend to intimidate me – or, at least I don’t remember them if they do. So I’m curious to see what other people have picked as “intimidating” books. What are your top ten most intimidating books? Let me know in the comments below, or link back to your Top Ten post so I can see what makes your list.