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There is an ongoing discussion about which books/novel a fan of "Les Misérables" might also like. Obviously, it all depends on personal taste and aspirations. However, here is a list of some important classics that have been mentioned so far.

War and Peace, Tolstoi

LanceBoyle writes:

Hugo describes Waterloo in such a way as to explain why the French were defeated despite Bonaparte's genius-- whereas Tol'stoi describes Borodino in such a way as show Napoleon was deluded about his genius and even about his own free will. It's a devastating attack on the myth that great men can "make" history.

There's a great deal to be said about the contrasts between War and Peace and Les Miserables, and I'll comment occasionally on them on this blog. I think it's wonderful that you're using DKOS to conduct a running forum examining Les Miserables in detail.

I love Les Miserables, but I also urge everyone to read War and Peace, which I think is the most profound and liberating work of fiction ever written.

Moby Dick, Melville

Foothills of Oblivion writes:

Actually, they [Les Misérables and War and Peace] are part of a trinity, the other of which is Moby-Dick.

Being way too far along to aspire to either greatness or goodness, I won't volunteer a Melville diary, but anyone interested in a side trip to North America might begin it here:
http://www.eclectica.org/v11n1/mackey.html (easy read)
http://www.jstor.org/discover/10.2307/25091870?uid=3739832&uid=2&uid=4&u... (in depth and under-appreciated).

Hugo, Tolstoy and Melville -- seers whose writing gets better as time draws the blinds from their genius.