Top 10 Books, Authors and Films by Abel Gallardo

10. Killing Mr. Griffin by Lois Duncan: I first read this book when I was in 4th grade. I couldn’t put it down. Once I finished it, I felt like I had graduated to a whole new level of mystery book. This book was beautifully written and has great depth to all of its characters.

9. R. L. Stine (Author): I started writing my first short stories because of the Goosebumps author. I learned to love reading because of his works and it’s cool to see my oldest child loving these books as well. 

8. Jurassic Park (Film): I loved the King Kong films, more on those later, but Jurassic Park still is mind boggling when it comes to amazing cinema. I still think it’s one of the most beautifully crafted special effects films I’ve ever seen. It also helped that I was/am a big fan of dinosaurs.

7. Jurassic Park (Book): I didn’t read the book until many years after the movie had come out but once I did, the essence of the book reinvigorated my awe in the movie. It’s rare in my world to love both the book and the film. Of course, the book will always be better but the movie was never second rate.

6. DragonHeart (Film): It should be no secret that I’m a big fan of Dragons and while there are many films out there with dragons that I truly enjoy this one in particular really took my love for dragons to another level. Maybe now the special effects might not be so great but when I first saw it I was blown away. This one will always have a special place in my heart.

5. H.G. Wells: What an iconic novelist. I’ll have to admit that I saw most of the movies before going back to read his works but Mr. Wells was such a visionary and his classics are timeless. I feel blessed to have read The Time Machine, The War of the Worlds, and The Island of Doctor Moreau.

4. J.R.R. Tolkien: Mr. Tolkien would have to make it on any fantasy adventure novelists top anything list. His creativity and ability to engage readers in all of his classics have truly transcended time. Peter Jackson didn’t make Tolkien’s epic fantasies relevant again…Tolkien made Peter Jackson relevant. That’s just my humble opinion.

3. King Kong: I loved all adaptations of this creature. Kong was the first creature that captivated me and really let my imagination soar. All the movie adaptations really helped set the tone for the adventurous spirit in my writing. 

2. The Matrix: This was absolutely my favorite film of all time. It had action, an awesome plot, romance, and it was thought provoking. I had never seen anything quite like the Matrix and while the special effects in films keeps getting better the films themselves are steadily becoming less unique. 

1. Frankenstein by Mary Shelley: AKA the Modern Prometheus, this book really grabbed me and filled me with awe. What a superior piece of writing that Mary Shelley crafted. I felt more intelligent as I read the book and her writing must have completely shocked the people in her era. There’s nothing like going back to the source of a story and uncovering all the details for yourself. Does anyone else get tired of hearing people referring to the monster as Frankenstein?