It's number 3 on my list, behind IT and 11/22/63. I was actually a bit apprehensive about reading this, I remember thinking "how much can you like a 'good vs evil showdown' story? But when I was in one of my Wasteland/Wizard & Glass "lows" I read the intro - the soldier fleeing frantically with his family, and thought "hang on a minute, that's a frenzied start to such a big book, maybe I am ready to read this after all". When I did read it, I was awe struck at the depth of the characters and the different situations they were all in. I loved reading about all of the characters (except 'The Kid', I found him and his bits too ridiculous), I even enjoyed reading about Frannie, although her character was whiney and annoying.