# Mario Puzo Novels: The Best? **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [August 2, 2004, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mario-puzo-novels-the-best/257960 "2004-08-02T13:26:26Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 7\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![kwikwitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kwikwitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kwikwitty)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 1:26pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mario-puzo-novels-the-best/257960/1 "2004-08-02T13:26:26Z")
I have recently finished reading Mario Puzo’s ‘The Sicilian’ which I enjoyed very much (even more than the Godfather!) I thought it a great sequel to the Godfather, as it had very little to do with the Corleones, though very much in the same mafia vein. For those dopers that have read a decent sample of Puzo’s novels, which, should I read next/do you consider the best? ---
**Author:** ![xash](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/x/c6cbf5/32.png) [@xash](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/xash)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 5:11pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mario-puzo-novels-the-best/257960/2 "2004-08-02T17:11:17Z")
Hi **kwikwitty** , perhaps Cafe Society would have your answers. I’ll move this to Cafe Society (from IMHO) for you. - **xash** General Questions Moderator ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 6:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mario-puzo-novels-the-best/257960/3 "2004-08-02T18:05:54Z")
The best? _The Fortunate Pilgrim_. After that, _The Sicilian_ and _The Godfather_. The Worst? _The Fourth K_. :rolleyes: ---
**Author:** ![Dr.Rieux](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/aeb1de/32.png) [@Dr.Rieux](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dr.Rieux)\ **Post date:** [August 2, 2004, 6:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mario-puzo-novels-the-best/257960/4 "2004-08-02T18:08:07Z")
And of his other Mafia books, I preferred \*Omerta \*to _The Last Don_. (Gangsters named “Pippi” and "Cross? :rolleyes:) ---
**Author:** ![voguevixen](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/b5ac83/32.png) [@voguevixen](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/voguevixen)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2004, 12:40am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mario-puzo-novels-the-best/257960/5 "2004-08-03T00:40:02Z")
I really liked “Fools Die” which takes place in Las Vegas and is about the gambling industry. I couldn’t really get into “The Sicilian” for some reason, even though I liked “The Godfather.” I agree that “The Fourth K” is sorta “meh.” You can pick it up fairly cheaply though at thrift stores, etc. ---
**Author:** ![HPL](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/h/3da27b/32.png) [@HPL](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/HPL)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2004, 7:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mario-puzo-novels-the-best/257960/6 "2004-08-03T07:43:20Z")
I’ve only read “The Godfather”, “The Sicilian” and “Ometra” The Godfather was good, but the Johnny Fontaine subplot feels like Puzo was trying to pad the novel, because it doesn’t really seem to adf anything to the story. The Sicilian I really liked. Really has very little to do with “The Godfather” other then the bookends with Micheal in Sicily, but still quite interesting. I heard they tried to make a miniseries of it, but it was rather crappy. I started to read “The Last Don” but for some reason couldn’t get into it. I need to try again. “Omerta” was okay, enjoyable enough at the time, but I can’t remember much about it now, other the the fact one of the hitmen went to see Les Miserables and couldn’t grasp why Valjean felt guilty about the possibility of wrong man being punished. It probably says something about the novel I can’t remember the plot, but can remember a dinky little paragraph that has nothing to do with anything. ---
**Author:** ![kwikwitty](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/53a042/32.png) [@kwikwitty](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/kwikwitty)\ **Post date:** [August 3, 2004, 10:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/mario-puzo-novels-the-best/257960/7 "2004-08-03T10:14:02Z")
Thanks for all your input everybody. I think I’ll read the _Fortunate Pilgrim_ next, and then _Omerta_. My GF is reading _Fools Die_ at the moment, and although she’s highly recommending it, I am hesitant to read it due to the absence of the mafia, which I think Puzo has a talent for writing about. I’m also weary of the fact that it may just be an extension of the Johnny Fontaine-style gambling and Hollywood issues in the Godfather. \*Fourth k \* is a no-no. Others have said this, and they were right about brussel sprouts. Thanks guys.