Death in Venice. Everything else is too long and involved to start with. If you like Death in Venice, you'll want to read more Mann, and if you think it's boring, there's no way you could get through a few hundred pages of a similar style and density. All Mann's longer works are masterpieces, but take some significant commitment from the reader. Mann has some other short stories, too, but Death in Venice is the best by far.

Actually, a novella called The Black Swan is really good too. But Death in Venice is probably a more typical work.

Switch Bitch, hands down. I have gone through so many copies of that book "lending" it out to friends. It's four semi-linked short stories. If you like macabre humor, this volume will get you hooked on Dahl. Plus, you can probably read it in a day, if not a sitting.

All Fry's novels are great. Making History is the one I recommend most often, as it's funny but also makes a thoughtful point. Or you could start with the first one, The Liar, and read them in order. Revenge/The Stars' Tennis Balls is a deliciously gory retelling of The Count of Monte Cristo; lots of fun.

Paperweight is a collection of short radio and journalism pieces, Moab is my Washpot is autobiography, and The Ode Less Travelled is a guide to writing poetry... so, obviously, if you're looking for fiction, don't read one of those.

I totally agree with decemberthirty. I love A Dead Man in Deptford and Nothing Like the Sun, about Shakespeare's Sonnets. My absolute favorite is Kingdom of the Wicked, about the Roman Empire. Man of Nazareth and Earthly Powers are great as well. I guess Clockwork Orange is the obvious place to start, but it's far from his best work, actually Burgess' own least favorite. At least if you're going to go that route, get an edition with the 21st chapter. Otherwise, I would suggest starting with one of his historical fiction books on a topic you are interested in.

I would say Lolita. I adore Pale Fire, but it was hard for me to start and it's very weird, with a format unlike anything else I'm aware of in literature, so it's an ambitious place to start. Lolita is more accessible, in my opinion. Ada is fabulous as well; very absorbing. I have to say, none of the others stand out that strongly in my memory. I would not recommend starting with the short stories; they're kind of boring.

I think any of the first four books would be a good start; they are all amazing. Survivor got me hooked, and Choke is my favorite. Many readers agree that Haunted is Palahniuk's worst fiction. It's certainly weird, and not in a good way, though it has a few excellent stories. I couldn't make it through Stranger Than Fiction.

I've read most of McEwan's books, everything except On Chesil Beach, The Child in Time, and The Innocent, I think.

My first was Enduring Love, and I think that's a great one to start with. An alternative is The Comfort of Strangers. Atonement is his chef d'oeuvre; more dense than my other two suggestions but more rewarding as well.

McEwan's early works, such as The Cement Garden and First Love, Last Rites, are extremely macabre, grotesque, and unsettling, and not as literary as his more recent offerings -- probably not a good place to start for most, though definitely worth reading if you like that kind of thing.

My least favorites are Saturday and Amsterdam. They just don't have the atmosphere and creepiness of the others.

I started with Asylum, and I think that was perfect. If you prefer the dramatic, romantic, and sad, go with Asylum; The Grotesque is more black humor, but also great. I liked Dr. Haggard's Disease, but agree that Martha Peake was pretty weak compared to his other books. Blood and Water is probably the weakest; I'd only recommend it to hardcore fans. Spider is a great journey into psychosis, though some may find it slow as it takes a while to get to a plot. Port Mungo is another of my favorites, right after Asylum.