Book with the largest following?

[paul_of_arrakis]

To mark my return to the forum, I'd like to pose an interesting question:

Other than religious texts, which published work of fiction has the greatest following, readership, fanbase etc.  Harry Potter has more recently, along with the LOTR.  But again, there are a huge number of dedicated readers of other books such as Dune (yay!), Narnia etc etc.

What are peoples thoughts?

[Dunenewt]

Why do you always capitalise your thread titles?

Anyway, in answer to your question, LOTR and Harry Potter are probably two of the biggest, but there's also the Terry Pratchett books, they seem quite popular.

[Dante]

"Other than religious texts, which published work of fiction..."

Niiiiice. ;D

Greatest in purely numerical terms? Probably that bespectacled Potter bumpkin. Still, there's an awful lot out there. Agatha Christie, Philip K. Dick, H.P. Lovecraft... To name but a small selection.

[Dunenewt]

I doubt he intentionally did that, he's never been the quickest.  With Potter, there are plenty of people that read the books, but would they describe themselves as fans, or followers? 

[paul_of_arrakis]

it was not my intention to start a religious debate!

by "fiction" I mean books telling a story, ie NOT the Guiness Book of Records.

It may be necessary to change the focus, to more about which books have had the largest following as they were published, and why?  Also, why have some books had "revivals" and new readerships?

[Dunenewt]

I guess you could also question whether quantity or quality is better.  Sure Harry Potter might have lots of fans, but are they as knowledgeable about the books as we are about the Dune books?

[Andrew]

Shakespeare?

[chatfsh]

Perhaps you should add, who has the most fanatical following (fans who attend conventions, dress up in costume, get into fists fights if author or works insulted, know every last mind-numbing detail about the works, own the book

[D2k Sardaukar]

"Hansel and Gretel"? :D

Is from 1812.

[Dunenewt]

Where did you get Hansel and Gretel from??  No-one's mentioned them yet.

[D2k Sardaukar]

Oh, I thought you had to mention a book with lots of followers/believers, so I mentioned it.  :-[

[Dunenewt]

Yeah, you do, but the way you wrote it I thought you were trying to quote someone else.  The Grimm brothers did write some popular books, although I wouldn't say there are lots of followers like there are with something like Dune or LOTR.

[gunner154]

I'm pretty sure anything from the Black Library doesn't count at all.

[Dunenewt]

Sorry to bump an old thread, but has anyone noticed how many Twilight fans there are these days?  Everyone in Germany seems to have read at least the first book.  Not my cup of tea really, but it seems to have quite a following over here.

[MrFlibble]

Ah, that story about the vampire guy written by a housewife? I remember reading an article in Focus about it some time ago, and recently the movie was aired on TV, but I couldn't force myself to watch it (apart from a trailer). If that vampire guy is so awesome and powerful (in the trailer, he stopped a speeding car with his bare hands to save his fiancee), then why the heck did he waste his time dating an inferior human girl in the first place?

For a good vampire-human love story, Vampire Hunter D: Bloodlust is definitely a good watch :)

[SandChigger]

(Actually, I believe it was the actor's body odor that stopped that car ... and also possibly one of the reasons Berg was considering him for a role in Dune?)

[Dante]

Twilight is hilarious, for all the wrong reasons.

It's a great shame that it should have become so embedded in popular culture, since I can think of five better vampire stories without reaching for my bookshelf. Dracula comes first of course; he wasn't the original but he easily remains the most badass. Hellsing is also cool, meaning the manga. Then there's Anne Rice's lot, though everything after Queen of the Damned was a bit pants. Salem's Lot, one of the few vampire stories that followed Dracula's line and went with subtlty over fisticuffs. 30 Days of Night, a superior graphic novel sadly cropped into a below-average movie.

I can think of more, but that'll do for now. I haven't seen them, but I admit that I will probably borrow the movies on dvd at some point just to see... what all the fuss is about. *cough*

[Dunenewt]

...and to see whether Robert Pattinson would have made a good Paul Atreides, as I believe that's what Peter Berg was hoping for.

[SandChigger]

He was over this way recently for the opening of the second(?) movie. I don't know if they caught him for the short interview I saw while he was still jet-lagged or what, but he sounded altogether rather dim to me.

Caught the last 40 minutes or so of the first movie on one of my satellite channels a few nights later. He broods well, I suppose, but I guess you have to be a teen girl to understand what all the fuss is about?

[Dunenewt]

Personally, I don't think he would have made a good Paul, but I base that on his looks and age.  I have no intention of going to see that movie now he's definitely not going to be in the new Dune movie.

[SandChigger]

(I personally am both shocked and appalled by the things I find myself watching when avoiding doing something more productive. I therefore can make no such declaration.)

[Dunenewt]

I've watched both Mumma Mia and High School Musical 3, I have no moral high ground here.

[Edric O]

...and the Onion wastes no time to mock adult fans of Twilight:

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/adults_go_wild_over_latest_in

[D2k Sardaukar]

...and the Onion wastes no time to mock adult fans of Twilight:

http://www.theonion.com/content/video/adults_go_wild_over_latest_in

haha, wtf.