6 best alternatives to The ONE Thing as of 2018 - Slant

Dune

Top Pro

Complex and unique ecology

Dune is one of the first sci-fi books to have as detailed fictional ecology that plays a big part in the overall story. See More

Top Con

Later books weren't finished by the original author

The original author, Frank Herbert, died after finishing the first few books. His son Brian Herbert and co author Kevin J. Anderson have since finished the series based on his scribblings, notes, and voice memos. A gargantuan task. The result can be a bit "weird" at times, but they have done an amazing job finishing the books. See More

Top Pro

Huge scope

The book covers topics such as ecology, politics, religion, humanism and war and touches on subjects like artificial intelligence, gender dynamics, nuclear weapons, architecture, engineering, heroism and many many more. All of these aspects are intertwined and executed on a grand scale. See More

Top Pro

Cult book

This is an old series, several video games have been inspired by this book. Dune, Dune 2, dune 2000 and more. See More

Top Pro

Omits some common genre staples to create a unique world

It's one of the very rare science fiction books (especially ones set in a far away future) that doesn't include robots or computers. See More

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The Lord of the Rings

Top Pro

Some of the most memorable characters in literature

The Lord of the Rings is home to a great many memorable characters, but the names of Gandalf, Frodo, Legolas, and Aragorn are known far and above the rest. See More

Top Con

It may be too slow for a casual reader

The Lord of the Rings has a very slow narrative pace to begin with, and all the incredibly detailed descriptions of the environment don't help with that very much. See More

Top Pro

It's got an incredibly deep, detailed backstory

Lord of the Rings boasts one of the most detailed backstories of any series in the world. Supplementary books have been released that detail thousands of years of stories that all lead up to the events of The Lord of the Rings series. See More

Top Pro

The books are filled with songs and poems

Tolkien was a great writer, and that wasn't limited to books. His works are filled with a host of wonderful songs, poems, and riddles for you to enjoy. See More

Top Pro

Incredible storytelling

Tolkien is one of the all-time masters of story telling, and Lord of the Rings is his masterpiece. You enter the realm of Middle Earth, where men are joined by elves, dwarves, orcs, and other fantastic creatures, in a battle for the fate of the very world. See More

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Getting Things Done: The Art of Stress-free Productivity

Top Pro

Holistic concept from capturing to doing stuff

Top Con

Does not consider technology

Getting Things Done, including the most recent update (2015), includes very little about incorporating technology into the process (such as tracking apps) that could speed up the process. See More

Top Pro

Teaches to mage focus rather than time

Top Con

Repetitive, infomercial-like writing style

A large majority of the book is filler writing, repeating the few initial lessons in various different wordings. See More

Top Pro

Breaks everything down into steps

A lot of different techniques are introduced (such as a filing system and planner) which can be overwhelming. The author breaks everything down into smaller steps that can be completed immediately. See More

Top Pro

Teaches you to avoid wasting time on figuring out what to do next

A fair bit of time gets spent either switching between tasks, or figuring out what to work on. Getting Things Done teaches you the importance of narrowing your focus and having a plan of where to spend your time. See More

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Zen To Done

Top Pro

Suggests that not all changes be made at once

Where many productivity books encourage you to start everything at once, Zen To Done takes a different approach. Realizing that making a large number of changes at once can be discouraging, it suggests that you take your time implementing the changes (recommending a year to do so). See More

Top Con

Plenty of typos

Though the occasional typo tends to make it through to publication, this book has more than it's fair share. The number of typos and other errors (such as incorrectly numbered lists) can get distracting and cause some confusion. See More

Top Pro

Adaptation of "Getting Things Done"

The author of Zen To Done realizes the potential in the book "Getting Things Done", but acknowledges the ways in which it can be discouraging for some people, and a hard lifestyle change to maintain. Zen To Done applies those same concepts presented in "Getting Things Done", but with a much slower approach. See More

Top Con

Ideas are rehashed throughout the book

The author takes his initial suggestions and repeats them frequently throughout the book, which feels like an attempt to fill pages. It makes for a somewhat dull read. See More

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Eat That Frog!: 21 Great Ways to Stop Procrastinating and Get More Done in Less Time

Top Pro

Offers exercises that can be started immediately

The author has provided exercises at the end of each of the 21 rules to help you quickly put into practice what you've learned. See More

Top Con

Relies on self-discipline

This book teaches various ways for organizing tasks and encouraging you to tackle them, however it relies on you having the self-discipline to get started. Of course, it's not something that can simply be learned. However, discussion on the psychology behind motivation and self-discipline would have been beneficial for the target audience. See More

Top Pro

Fast read

This book was written to be a quick and easy read, at only 128 pages. However, that doesn't result in a lack of helpful information. The author has a very clear and concise writing style. See More

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The Wheel of Time

Top Pro

A diverse cast of main and side characters bring the world to life

Starting with the main character, Rand, and his two friends, Matt and Perrin, the cast of this series continues to grow throughout the books as the events of the story have far-reaching effects. All of these characters are written very well, with deep personalities and realistic flaws, and feel like real people. See More

Top Con

Wheel of Time is a very long series

With 14 books, many long in their own right, this is a very long series and the middle books in the series can get a bit dry as the politics of this world take a front seat in the build up to the finale. See More

Top Pro

Incredibly detailed world building

Across 14 books author Robert Jordon builds an amazing world full of interesting places, people, and events. See More

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