I have read many great books in my life; but I used to think War and Peace was probably the greatest novel...better than "the Thousand Hour Day", and much better than "Song of Fire and Ice",  or "Lord of the Rings", not to take away from them,  they are great books, but as much as I like them both, they are pale glimmers from a tarnished candlestick next to the supernova of literature that is the great Sienkiewicz Trilogy.  With Fire and Sword is bar none, the best novel I've read yet.