Top 10 Favourite Authors

[Tubby23]

I love reading books, please tell me more of you are readers. What are your favourite books. Of any genre, of all time.

1. John Grisham - I grew up reading Grisham as my Dad was also a fan. The first book of his that I read was A Time to Kill and as a 13-year old it blew my mind to try and understand the complexities of racial issues in the US but was such a compelling read. Favourite works: A Time to Kill, The Pelican Brief, Sycamore Row, The King of Torts and The Last Juror
2. Stephen King - I came to reading King's work a lot later in life when I got gifted 5-6 of his books at the start of COVID, before that I had never read anything of his but he has quickly become a personal favourite. I haven't read everything he has ever written and will happily take suggestions. Favourite works: 11/22/63, The Green Mile, Kujo, Carrie and The Gunslinger
3. Lee Child - The Jack Reacher books (along with the Jack Ryan books) are in my top 3 for series about the same character. Child is another author who was/is one of my Dad's personal favourites and while they're no writing masterpieces in terms of florally prose etc they're books I love to read. Favourite works: One Shot, Night School, Gone Tomorrow, The Affair and Killing Floor
4. Tom Clancy - Jack Ryan need I say more? John Clark... that enough for you? Favourite works: The Hunt for Red October, Cardinal of the Kremlin, Patriot Games, Rainbow Six and Debt of Honor
5. Ian Fleming - the Bond films are great, but the books are better. Favourite works: On Her Majesty's Secret Service, Goldfinger, Casino Royale, Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, Thunderball and the short stories set Quantam of Solace
6. JK Rowling - I hate everything she has become now but the Harry Potter books remain my favourite series of books ever. It disgusts me that something that was such an important part of my childhood was written by such an awful person. I went from reading them twice yearly to putting my copies of the books and DVDs away in the back of the cupboard, ten years ago this would have been number 1. Favourite Works: Half Blood Prince, Prisoner of Azkaban, Chamber of Secrets, Deathly Hallows and Philospher's Stone
7. Matthew Reilly - I borrowed the first book in the Schofield series from my school library on a whim, I think we had the books purely because he was an Australian author. They'd only been out for 1-2 years. The Shane Schofield series I absolutely devoured and then when he released the Jack West Jr series the same happened. Favourite works: Scarecrow, Ice Station, Seven Ancient Wonders, Area 7 and Hover Car Racer.
8. Robert Ludlum - Bourne, that's it. That's the synopsis. Favourite works: The Bourne Identity, The Bourne Ultimatum, The Bourne Supremacy, The Hades Factor and The Paris Option
9. James Swallow - this guy is really new to the list for me with his Marc Dane series which I have been steadily working my way through and loving this year. Favourite works: Nomad, Ghost, Exile, Rogue and Shadow
10. Eoin Colfer - The Artemis Fowl books were what I was reading when I wasn't reading Harry Potter growing up. Favourite works: The Arctic Incident, Artemis Fowl, The Last Colony, The Opal Deception and The Eternity Code

 

[VashTheStampede]

Ooh, another great list, Tubby!

Lemme get to work on this one...

 

[VashTheStampede]

1. Jim Butcher: The Dresden Files alone would put him near the top of the list (oh shoot I still need to read the 17th book), but the man also wrote the Codex Alera and has a 3rd fantasy universe in the Cinder Spires that I greatly enjoy. Nothing fancy, and he leans on a lot of established tropes, but his books make me happy.


2. Jonathan Hickman: Okay, he writes comics, not novels, but this is my list and I'm a comic guy. Hickman is, IMO, the greatest comic author of all time. East of West and The Manhattan Projects are two masterpieces he wrote outside of the Big Two and cemented him as one of the greats. But his work for Marvel has been absolutely incredible. His runs on Fantastic Four and The Avengers, culminating in Secret Wars, is what pulled me back into mainstream comics after a long absence. His more recent work completely reinventing the X-Men was my favorite era of my favorite comic for my favorite company.

3. Michael Moorcock: This guy is my JRR Tolkien. Creating Elric of Melniboné would be enough for one career, but his entire Eternal Champion mythos is full of bangers and epic heroes. Plus the dude helped write songs for Blue Öyster Cult.

4. Philip K. Dick: The GOAT of science fiction. Has blown my mind more than any creator of fiction ever.

5. Elmore Leonard: The man practically invented "cool". The best writer of dialogue ever, and his works have been adapted into some incredible movies and TV shows.

6. Steven Erikson: Malazan Book of the Fallen is the single greatest work of epic fantasy ever created. The man is an actual anthropologist and it definitely comes through in his intricate world building.

7. Chuck Palahniuk: Banger after banger after banger. And I've never read Fight Club.

8. Matt Zoller Seitz: Another detour from standard novelists, Seitz is a TV/Film critic, and I absolutely love his work. His books about The Sopranos, Mad Men, and Deadwood are all essential companions to the source material.

9. John Grisham: Amazing in his consistency. You always know what you're going to get and he never disappoints.

10. Miles Cameron: The author I discovered most recently on this list, his fantastic Traitor Son Cycle was a random impulse buy that led me down a rabbit hole of a fantasy series that I consumed in record time. Originally conceived as a trilogy, he pushed it to five books to properly tell the story. Wish Rothfuss and Martin would take notes.

 

[Tubby23]

This is why I started this one, I have only heard/read 2 people on your list (Grisham and Hickman), so now I have 8 more authors to try.

 

[Smacktard]

The Gunslinger

Props on this one. Others rate it lower compared to the first four or five books in the series, but it'll always be my favorite. The dreamlike, nebulous quality of the first book really served the atmosphere well, and subsequent books in the series that tried to flesh out the world in more detail removed too much of the mystique while still introducing unexplained elements that were weird just for the sake of being weird.

For whatever reason, I don't tend to read "authors", but rather books, so my top ten list here would just be a top ten of my favorite books, probably.

 

[Tubby23]

For whatever reason, I don't tend to read "authors", but rather books, so my top ten list here would just be a top ten of my favorite books, probably.

As my favourite internet author I'd still like to see your list haha.

Props on this one. Others rate it lower compared to the first four or five books in the series, but it'll always be my favorite. The dreamlike, nebulous quality of the first book really served the atmosphere well, and subsequent books in the series that tried to flesh out the world in more detail removed too much of the mystique while still introducing unexplained elements that were weird just for the sake of being weird.

Yeah the first book to me having that dreamlike quality you mention just made the mystique more real and subsequently the world felt deeper to me. I actually felt as more detail was provided about the world it felt less rich, which I know is counterintuitive but was definitely something I felt.

 

[Smacktard]

I actually felt as more detail was provided about the world it felt less rich, which I know is counterintuitive but was definitely something I felt.

I'm glad I'm not the only one that felt this way about the book. You put it really well. It's hard to express, but I know exactly what you mean. For me, a lot of the weirdness/unexplained phenomena in the later books (ex: the doors to other worlds in book 2, the guy who could draw things into reality in the final book) made the world seem less strange, and just more unbelievable. Sometimes less is more, and the Dark Tower series is the best example of that philosophy IMO.

As my favourite interest author I'd still like to see your list haha.

Alright, I'll give it a shot. I'll list authors along with the books I've read. Many of these I probably haven't

1. Nabokov - Lolita
This guy is such a enviable bastard with words. I know the subject matter is controversial, but he writes what's quite possibly the best unreliable narrator to have ever been written. It's a rare feat when you have to stop yourself mid-read to remind yourself that you're being manipulated by the narrator.

2. George Orwell - 1984
Classic for a reason. I don't think Orwell was as prescient as some claim -- he simply wrote about the natural conclusion of a totalitarian state, but he wrote it well. So much detail and new ideas brought to life in this world.

3. J. D. Salinger - Catcher in the Rye
I know this book gets a lot of hate, but Salinger really captures the detestable/pitiable young adult man so well. I think Holden gets more hate than he deserves. He has some funny observations sometimes that the people around him won't even humor, and readers dislike him for these characters' indifference? Seems harsh.

4. Tim O'Brien - The Things They Carried
Simply the best book about war I've ever read. It's a collection of short stories which are all connected. What's unique is that it's hard to know which of the stories are true, which are inspired by real events, and which are completely fictional but only serve to communicate a feeling. It's original, it's haunting, it's masterful. If I had to recommend just one book from the list, this would be it.

5. J. K. Rowling - Harry Potter series
A well-crafted and considered universe with an interesting story and development. Some novels lag a bit, some take detours when they ought to have stuck to the main road, but overall the best YA fiction book series I've ever read.

6. Ernest Hemingway - The Sun Also Rises
I can't really articulate what I like about this book, or about Hemingway in general. His plain way of writing stands in stark contrast to Nabokov, but I still enjoy it.

7. John Steinbeck - Grapes of Wrath
A hard sell, considering East of Eden is such a shit book IMO. I love Grapes of Wrath though. The characters are colorful, the story is engaging, and it's beautifully written. Maybe it's just the memories I have of the time and place I read this book that make it stand out so much. Of Mice and Men is great, too.

8. Harlan Ellison - I Have no Mouth and I Must Scream
We're getting into dicey territory here. I've only read one thing by him: this short story. But damn is it a hum-dinger. One of the most visceral and fascinating worlds ever created. The torture described in this book is uniquely sickening, with no dull moments in between.

That's all I have. I can't come up with a 9 and 10. Maybe F Scott Fitzgerald for some of his short stories, but he put out some real stinkers, too. Similar take for James Joyce -- he's a master at his craft, and has some great short stories ripe for analysis, but often his pretentiousness just makes you want to rip your hair out. Harper Lee is good too, but she only wrote, like, one thing, lolz

 

[VashTheStampede]

I Have No Mouth is both one of the best short stories I've ever read and one of the most memorable computer games I've ever played

 

[Smacktard]

I Have No Mouth is both one of the best short stories I've ever read and one of the most memorable computer games I've ever played

Man, I really just did NOT like the game. Some parts were a bit cool/interesting, but overall it was glitchy as shit, has weird "good ending" conditions, and overall I just found the writing weak compared to the short story.

 

[VashTheStampede]

Man, I really just did NOT like the game. Some parts were a bit cool/interesting, but overall it was glitchy as shit, has weird "good ending" conditions, and overall I just found the writing weak compared to the short story.

May have to do with when I played it. It was relatively new, it would have been like the mid to late 90s. Only other point and clicks I had played were some of the Quest for Glory games and maybe a Monkey Island so it was a huge departure for that style for me.

 

[Smacktard]

May have to do with when I played it. It was relatively new, it would have been like the mid to late 90s. Only other point and clicks I had played were some of the Quest for Glory games and maybe a Monkey Island so it was a huge departure for that style for me.

Yeah that makes sense. In the context of the time I'm sure it was groundbreaking.

As for point n clicks, King's Quest 5 thru 7 were great -- even in spite of potential softlocks

 

[Foxy]

1. C.S. Lewis, Chronicles of Narnia, The Screwtape Letters, Space Trilogy, and other non fiction books.

2. J.R.R. Tolkien, The Hobbit, Lord of the Rings

3. Nelle Harper Lee, To Kill A Mockingbird

4. Charlaine Harris Schulz, author of The Southern Vampire Mysteries a/k/a the Sookie Stackhouse Series: Dead Until Dark, Living Dead in Dallas, Club Dead, Dead to the World, Dead As A Doornail, Definitely Dead, All Together Dead, From Dead to Worse, Dead and Gone, A Touch of Dead, Dead in the Family

5. Stephen King/Richard Bachman, too many books to list but some that kept me up all night reading were: The Shining, The Stand, Needful Things, Christine, Salem's Lot, Pet Sematary, Cujo

 

[Quagmire]

Robin Hobb - Realm of the Elderlings, no set of characters have felt so real. Never have I emoted so much over any works of fiction. They are bittersweet with a emphasis on the bitter

GRRM - A Song of Ice and Fire is what got me into reading, some amazing characters, even though he'll never finish, it has been important in my reading journey with some great characters.

Terry Pratchett - His humor is top notch, but so is his social commentary. His Characters Death, and Tiffany Aching are among the best I've come across

Neil Gaiman - Very dream like in his writing, modern day fairy tales. Makes me feel like Im in a different world.

Kurt Vonnegut - Similar to Pratchett in his humor and social critiques, bit more cynical though.

Issac Asimov - Wonderful Scifi that is big on the ideas and doesnt get bogged down in details. Characters may not be his strongest suit, but there were a few in the Robot novels I came to love and adore.

Lois McMaster Bujold - Curse of Chalion is one of the finest fantasy novels I've read, her Penric novellas are some of the coziest I've read and her Vorkosigan books are supposed to be great Sci fi I need to pick up

Jone Le Carre - Love his spy novels, they're not easy to read, they are dense, but I love them

Others that may get there with reading more of their work
Tad Williams, Agatha Christie and Martha Wells

 

[VashTheStampede]

Ever since watching that recent adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy I've been meaning to start reading Le Carre.

 

[Tubby23]

I do love GRRM's books but I'm so annoyed that they won't be finished that I can't include him as a favourite haha

 

[Crazy Jamie]

In no order, because I'm writing them as they come to mind.

JK Rowling - Obviously has to be in here. I've read the Harry Potter books again with my daughter now, and she is now rereading them and I'm dipping in to read them again with her. You can absolutely pick holes in Harry Potter. The actual writing isn't great at all at times. The plot very much ran out of steam towards the end. And yet the world she has created, and a lot of the characters, are just absolutely fantastic. These books were an important part of my reading journey, along with my wife, her sister, now my daughter, and millions of others both already and to come. She has to be on this list.

Brandon Sanderson - I'm not sure how a fantasy fan could write this list and not include him. John Grisham was described as someone who just doesn't write bad novels, and that's Sanderson, but in fantasy. Every book is an 8/10, with the odd book and series that go higher. He also writes at a frankly insane pace, which makes his consistency all the more impressive.

John Grisham - I read a lot of his books once upon a time. Very rarely nowadays, though I do now and again. I read the Pelican Brief last year because I never had, and whilst some of the references and descriptions are dated, it was still remarkably gripping considering it's 30 years old. Can only ever remember not enjoying one, which is a more than acceptable hit rate.

Derek Landy - Time for someone no one else will know of. He writes a series called Skulduggery Pleasant. It's technically YA, though like most YA ongoing series, certainly has its adult moments in later books. There are currently 15 of them, with 12 belonging to the main story arcs. Call it a guilty pleasure, but these books are just like sweets to me. I love the humour. I love the action. I love the world and the plot. He can't not be on this list.

Mark Lawrence - Probably the most varied author in terms of his style. He writes pretty gory, heavy fantasy. He writes lighter fantasy. He writes very light sci-fi. And I've enjoyed everything he's written, at least that I've read so far.

Neil Gaiman - Someone else who can't not be on this list. His combination of imagination and writing style is pretty much unmatched.

Trudi Canavan - I didn't like her most recent series, but I read the Black Magician trilogy and then Age of Five while I was waiting for the last Harry Potter book to come out, and as much as Harry Potter gave me a strong base interest in reading, it was Trudi Canavan who really broadened my horizons and made me realise how much quality there was out there. She writes very character focused fantasy.

Joe Abercrombie - As more traditional fantasy writers go, I think Joe Abercrombie might actually be the best writer. If commercial success was based on actual ability to write and not the many other factors that go into it, Joe Abercrombie's books would have become what Game of Thrones is now, because George RR Martin can't hold any sort of candle to Joe Abercrombie when it comes to the quality of his books.

Sergei Lukyanenko - Tricky one because these books are translated, but I was completely sucked into the Night Watch series. I read the first trilogy, and then over the following years three more books came out in the same world, with decent gaps in between. Read them all, and can remember just being transported back into the world.

Adrian Tchaikovsky - A more recent addition, but I've sort of sleepwalked into reading quite a few of his books recently, and he seems to me to be the sci fi Brandon Sanderson in that he produces books at a serious clip, but the average quality is great. I'm not really a sci fi person and sci fi needs to be reasonably light or accessible for me to enjoy it, but his sci fi works for me.

Having now written out the top 10 there are other names coming to mind, but mostly it's from a single trilogy or a handful of books, and I feel like there needs to be more than that. So Brent Weeks, Stephen King, Hugh Howey, Stieg Larsson, Andy Weir and Malorie Blackman all come to mind off the top of my head, but I haven't read enough from them for me to put them on the list (obviously in Larsson's case that's pretty tricky now). I think Pierce Brown will be on here when I've read the second Red Rising trilogy, but for now he isn't.

I will also say that in terms of sheer quality, there are some authors of classic books that I think were genuinely revolutionary and ahead of their time. I read 1984 and Homage to Catalonia recently, and you know an author is good when they wrote a book 50 years ago and you can read it and enjoy it with virtually no allowance given for its age. So George Orwell would be on a list of best authors for me. Arthur C Clarke would be as well after I read Childhood's End, which honestly would be great if it was released now, so the fact that it was released seventy years ago is even more extraordinary. There are other authors that would fall into this category as well, like Kurt Vonnegut or Philip K Dick, but they just don't make my personal favourite list. Orwell might when I've read more of his books though.

 

[Tubby23]

In no order, because I'm writing them as they come to mind.

JK Rowling - Obviously has to be in here. I've read the Harry Potter books again with my daughter now, and she is now rereading them and I'm dipping in to read them again with her. You can absolutely pick holes in Harry Potter. The actual writing isn't great at all at times. The plot very much ran out of steam towards the end. And yet the world she has created, and a lot of the characters, are just absolutely fantastic. These books were an important part of my reading journey, along with my wife, her sister, now my daughter, and millions of others both already and to come. She has to be on this list.

Brandon Sanderson - I'm not sure how a fantasy fan could write this list and not include him. John Grisham was described as someone who just doesn't write bad novels, and that's Sanderson, but in fantasy. Every book is an 8/10, with the odd book and series that go higher. He also writes at a frankly insane pace, which makes his consistency all the more impressive.

John Grisham - I read a lot of his books once upon a time. Very rarely nowadays, though I do now and again. I read the Pelican Brief last year because I never had, and whilst some of the references and descriptions are dated, it was still remarkably gripping considering it's 30 years old. Can only ever remember not enjoying one, which is a more than acceptable hit rate.

Derek Landy - Time for someone no one else will know of. He writes a series called Skulduggery Pleasant. It's technically YA, though like most YA ongoing series, certainly has its adult moments in later books. There are currently 15 of them, with 12 belonging to the main story arcs. Call it a guilty pleasure, but these books are just like sweets to me. I love the humour. I love the action. I love the world and the plot. He can't not be on this list.

Mark Lawrence - Probably the most varied author in terms of his style. He writes pretty gory, heavy fantasy. He writes lighter fantasy. He writes very light sci-fi. And I've enjoyed everything he's written, at least that I've read so far.

Neil Gaiman - Someone else who can't not be on this list. His combination of imagination and writing style is pretty much unmatched.

Trudi Canavan - I didn't like her most recent series, but I read the Black Magician trilogy and then Age of Five while I was waiting for the last Harry Potter book to come out, and as much as Harry Potter gave me a strong base interest in reading, it was Trudi Canavan who really broadened my horizons and made me realise how much quality there was out there. She writes very character focused fantasy.

Joe Abercrombie - As more traditional fantasy writers go, I think Joe Abercrombie might actually be the best writer. If commercial success was based on actual ability to write and not the many other factors that go into it, Joe Abercrombie's books would have become what Game of Thrones is now, because George RR Martin can't hold any sort of candle to Joe Abercrombie when it comes to the quality of his books.

Sergei Lukyanenko - Tricky one because these books are translated, but I was completely sucked into the Night Watch series. I read the first trilogy, and then over the following years three more books came out in the same world, with decent gaps in between. Read them all, and can remember just being transported back into the world.

Adrian Tchaikovsky - A more recent addition, but I've sort of sleepwalked into reading quite a few of his books recently, and he seems to me to be the sci fi Brandon Sanderson in that he produces books at a serious clip, but the average quality is great. I'm not really a sci fi person and sci fi needs to be reasonably light or accessible for me to enjoy it, but his sci fi works for me.

Having now written out the top 10 there are other names coming to mind, but mostly it's from a single trilogy or a handful of books, and I feel like there needs to be more than that. So Brent Weeks, Stephen King, Hugh Howey, Stieg Larsson, Andy Weir and Malorie Blackman all come to mind off the top of my head, but I haven't read enough from them for me to put them on the list (obviously in Larsson's case that's pretty tricky now). I think Pierce Brown will be on here when I've read the second Red Rising trilogy, but for now he isn't.

I will also say that in terms of sheer quality, there are some authors of classic books that I think were genuinely revolutionary and ahead of their time. I read 1984 and Homage to Catalonia recently, and you know an author is good when they wrote a book 50 years ago and you can read it and enjoy it with virtually no allowance given for its age. So George Orwell would be on a list of best authors for me. Arthur C Clarke would be as well after I read Childhood's End, which honestly would be great if it was released now, so the fact that it was released seventy years ago is even more extraordinary. There are other authors that would fall into this category as well, like Kurt Vonnegut or Philip K Dick, but they just don't make my personal favourite list. Orwell might when I've read more of his books though.

I know Derek Landy, I personally haven't read his books but my fiancé has them all. Worth me reading?

 

[Crazy Jamie]

I know Derek Landy, I personally haven't read his books but my fiancé has them all. Worth me reading?

If she already has them, then it's absolutely worth a shot. He's not like anything else on your list (arguably could be something you moved on to when you were younger after Artemis Fowl), but even if he was you'll either like them or you won't. My wife never got into them because the humour doesn't really suit her. But if you get into them, there's a lot there to enjoy. Some books are always going to be better than others in such a long series, but for me the quality is consistently high, and the endings of the two main story arcs (after books 9 and 15) were really good. And unlike something like Wheel of Time, even the longer books are pretty quick to read because the writing is necessarily accessible due to the intended audience. So it's not as if you'd be starting something that will take years to finish either. Give them a go.

 

[Quagmire]

Brandon Sanderson - I'm not sure how a fantasy fan could write this list and not include him. John Grisham was described as someone who just doesn't write bad novels, and that's Sanderson, but in fantasy. Every book is an 8/10, with the odd book and series that go higher. He also writes at a frankly insane pace, which makes his consistency all the more impressive.


Joe Abercrombie - As more traditional fantasy writers go, I think Joe Abercrombie might actually be the best writer. If commercial success was based on actual ability to write and not the many other factors that go into it, Joe Abercrombie's books would have become what Game of Thrones is now, because George RR Martin can't hold any sort of candle to Joe Abercrombie when it comes to the quality of his books.


Adrian Tchaikovsky - A more recent addition, but I've sort of sleepwalked into reading quite a few of his books recently, and he seems to me to be the sci fi Brandon Sanderson in that he produces books at a serious clip, but the average quality is great. I'm not really a sci fi person and sci fi needs to be reasonably light or accessible for me to enjoy it, but his sci fi works for me.

I think Pierce Brown will be on here when I've read the second Red Rising trilogy, but for now he isn't.

Arthur C Clarke would be as well after I read Childhood's End,

Im a huge Fantasy fan and I've soured on Sanderson, I really didnt like his last two big cosmere novels and have started to put me off a tad. They were his first two with a new editor and I think it shows.

I almost mentioned Abercrombie, he is great

I need to check Tchaikosvky, heard so many great things

I was very underwhelmed by Red Rising

I loved Childhood's end, I need to check out more of his stuff

 

[Crazy Jamie]

Im a huge Fantasy fan and I've soured on Sanderson, I really didnt like his last two big cosmere novels and have started to put me off a tad. They were his first two with a new editor and I think it shows.

I almost mentioned Abercrombie, he is great

I need to check Tchaikosvky, heard so many great things

I was very underwhelmed by Red Rising

I loved Childhood's end, I need to check out more of his stuff

Which Sanderson books do you mean? Stormlight or something else? I’ve not read Stormlight yet. I read Tress of the Emerald Sea (which I think is Cosmere, so may be what you’re referring to) and really enjoyed it. It actually read more to me like a Neil Gaiman book, which isn’t a bad thing.

Tchaikovsky is best known for Children of Time, but I haven’t read that series yet. It was Dogs of War (which has a sequel, but I just read the first one, which can be read standalone) and then the Final Architecture series that got me interested in him.

 

[Quagmire]

Which Sanderson books do you mean? Stormlight or something else? I’ve not read Stormlight yet. I read Tress of the Emerald Sea (which I think is Cosmere, so may be what you’re referring to) and really enjoyed it. It actually read more to me like a Neil Gaiman book, which isn’t a bad thing.

Tchaikovsky is best known for Children of Time, but I haven’t read that series yet. It was Dogs of War (which has a sequel, but I just read the first one, which can be read standalone) and then the Final Architecture series that got me interested in him.

Rhythm of War, and Lost Metal. They werent bad, but just felt off, well and RoW was kind of bad in that 400 or so pages could have easily been cut

I've heard good things about Tress, even from those who arent huge Sanderson fans and that it feels very different than his normal books

 

[Crazy Jamie]

Rhythm of War, and Lost Metal. They werent bad, but just felt off, well and RoW was kind of bad in that 400 or so pages could have easily been cut

I've heard good things about Tress, even from those who arent huge Sanderson fans and that it feels very different than his normal books

Yeah not read either of them yet. Lost Metal should be on the list because I’ve read (and enjoyed) the others in that series. Tress is very different, but I had a great time with it. Just thought it was a real joy to read.

 

[Rachel]

Wow, I read through this thread and am totally fascinated that nobody seemed to really say nonfiction authors. I wonder why that is.

This is very hard but I would like to attempt this. I first have to think about child Rachel and adult Rachel. I actually see no reason not to think ALL the way back. This is in no order:

1. Agatha Christie - love her ability to think of lots of mysteries and have me guess each time. I genuinely don't know how people actually write mystery/murder novels? I think it's the hardest genre! You have to have a genuine, guessable solution IMO. But it can't be too obvious. No idea how you sense if something is too obvious or not.

2. Roald Dahl - No way I can have the list without him on it. I think I loved pretty much every book he wrote, even if as adult Rachel I can see now some of his passages were a product of his time.

3. Elie Wiesel, Anne Frank, Art Spiegelman - I don't want to separate them because the list will be too long, but they are in an important category for obvious reasons. Their works have stuck with me since high school.

4. Bill Watterson - He was a huge part of my formative years. Decades later my son is obsessed with C&H.

5. Charles Dickens - Just absolutely amazing, not like I can say something here that hasn't been said by others smarter than me. By far my favorite is A Christmas Carol...such an important lesson...among others I also read A Tale of Two Cities and that left an impression.

6. J. K. Rowling - Yeah she took a turn somewhere but she did have amazing writing and got me hooked as a girl, like many millions.

7. C. S. Lewis - Again another author in my formative years, his way with imagery, description...it's like he transported me to Narnia.

8. Joan Didion - Kind of a left field pick but if you ever need help navigating mourning, she could be of interest

9. Christopher Paul Curtis - my intro to the civil rights movement, I need to give a nod to him (if I can fit Nelle Harper Lee in this same line then I will, not sure what happened with her and her last novel...have not looked into that at all. Hell I am also going to squeeze Alice Walker and Langston Hughes in here)

Spoiler

I'm not saying my tenth pick because it's a romance author lmao

If I could have runner ups it would be Wilson Rawls, RL Stine, Dr. Seuss, Katherine Applegate, Frank Herbert, Isaac Asimov (his nonfiction), J. R. R. Tolkien, Hergé/Georges Prosper Remi, Shakespeare, Shel Silverstein, and Don Norman. Edit: Jesus I forgot Jane Austen

 

[VashTheStampede]

Wow, I read through this thread and am totally fascinated that nobody seemed to really say nonfiction authors. I wonder why that is.

Hey I named one! Sure he writes about works of fiction but it's non-fiction!

 

[Crazy Jamie]

Wow, I read through this thread and am totally fascinated that nobody seemed to really say nonfiction authors. I wonder why that is.

Good question. I read quite a lot of non fiction but didn't even consider putting a non fiction writer on my list. I think there's a few reasons for that. First, with non fiction I'll often be drawn to individual topics or subject matter rather than the author, so just because I've enjoyed a book by one author it doesn't mean I'll be attracted to another book they've read, whereas I'll read a Neil Gaiman, Brandon Sanderson, John Grisham, Mark Lawrence etc book because it's written by that author. Second, there are fewer prolific non fiction writers, a lot of non fiction writers only write one or two books (e.g. autobiographies) and many don't write books for a living like fiction writers (e.g. many are journalists). So it can be more difficult for them to get into your head as a favourite author. Third, non fiction books are usually standalone by their nature, so you don't get the sprawling trilogies and longer series that keep people hooked on a particular author.

None of that means non fiction writers can't be people's favourite writers. But to my mind it perhaps explains why fiction writers are overwhelmingly more likely to be on a list like this.

 

[Quagmire]

Good question. I read quite a lot of non fiction but didn't even consider putting a non fiction writer on my list. I think there's a few reasons for that. First, with non fiction I'll often be drawn to individual topics or subject matter rather than the author, so just because I've enjoyed a book by one author it doesn't mean I'll be attracted to another book they've read, whereas I'll read a Neil Gaiman, Brandon Sanderson, John Grisham, Mark Lawrence etc book because it's written by that author. Second, there are fewer prolific non fiction writers, a lot of non fiction writers only write one or two books (e.g. autobiographies) and many don't write books for a living like fiction writers (e.g. many are journalists). So it can be more difficult for them to get into your head as a favourite author. Third, non fiction books are usually standalone by their nature, so you don't get the sprawling trilogies and longer series that keep people hooked on a particular author.

None of that means non fiction writers can't be people's favourite writers. But to my mind it perhaps explains why fiction writers are overwhelmingly more likely to be on a list like this.

Im same as you Jamie on this. I love history and read some books on math, and a few auto biographies. A couple authors I really like for history, but like you pointed out, Im not going to always enjoy their topics.

I've read a few comedians books too that always give me a laugh, but I havent read any of those in a long time. Maybe I need to return to some of Carlin's or Lewis Blacks books.

 

[Smacktard]

If we're counting nonfiction authors (for some reason it did not occur to me that they were in the running, shame on me), I'd put Robert Greene and David Sedaris on my list.

 

[Webster]

I've got a few favorites...

--Robert Heinlein: One of THE all-time greats in literature, regardless of genre. Favorites of mine here are - Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, Glory Road, Farnham's Freehold, Friday and All You Zombies.
--Michael Crichton: One of three doctors on this list (the others being Robin Cook and the late Alan Nourse) and another legendary writer. The man tackled just about anything - medicine, politics, sexual harassment (pre-#MeToo), environmentalism, science - and his works showed it. Favorites include The Andromeda Strain, Sphere, Congo, Rising Sun, the Jurassic Park series, Disclosure, Timeline, Airframe, Binary, Westworld, Eaters of the Dead and Prey.
-Michael Connelly: Once a crime reporter for the L.A. Times, Connelly's Hieronymus "Harry" Bosch and Mickey Haller novels practically give the reader a cultural trip through both Los Angeles c. early 1990s to today and the modern criminal legal systems.
-Robin Cook: The second doctor on this list, his works were mostly medical-focused and include Coma, Outbreak, Vital Signs, Terminal and Invasion.
-C.S. Lewis** & J.R.R. Tolkien: Both writers of expansive fantasy and great intellectuals in their own right, Their obvious works here include the Narnia series for Lewis and both the Hobbit and Lord of the Rings series for Tolkien, They were also members of a literary group in the early/mid 20th century known as the Inklings.
-Alan Nourse: The third and final doctor on this list, he's here because of one specific work - Intern, written under the pseudonym Doctor X (in writing Intern, doctor-patient issues required Nourse to effectively write it as a work of fiction) that is about his intern year at Seattle's Virginia Mason Hospital (ironically, VMH is the outside setting for ABC's Grey's Anatomy.
-Matthew Reilly: @Tubby23 spoke of his earlier and I happen to like most of his works as well; my one beef with Reilly is his penchant for stretching a reader's willing suspension of disbelief from the usual acceptable breaks with reality into near shatterings of WSodD. Outside of that, his works definitely put him on this list.
-Armistead Maupin: As an openly gay man (came out in 1993, for the record), I immediately fell in love with Maupin's Tales of the City series and the books provide a cultural view of San Francisco and the people within as Connelly's Bosch series does for Los Angeles. I also like the fact that, like myself in regards to politics, Maupin was formerly a conservative (ironically, Maupin won a conservative award back in the early 70's and was given the award by a then-first term N.C, senator named Jesse Helms).
-Dean Koontz: A very prolific writer of horror/sci-fi/fantasy works, some of his works that I like include Demon Seed, Shattered, Invasion, Whispers, Phantoms, Watchers and Lightning,

 

[VashTheStampede]

Oh god how could I forget Crichton?

He was the gateway drug into "grown up books" for me as a kid. Sphere, The Andromeda Strain, and The Terminal Man were huge for me in middle school.

 

[Crazy Jamie]

I didn't actually read any Crichton until I was older, despite Jurassic Park probably being one of my top 3 films of all time. I really like that book, and feel that the changes they made to it for the film worked for the film whilst keeping the book as good as it was. I need to read more of him to be honest.

I've got a few favorites...

--Robert Heinlein: One of THE all-time greats in literature, regardless of genre. Favorites of mine here are - Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, Glory Road, Farnham's Freehold, Friday and All You Zombies.

This one is interesting, and I feel like it could be a thread all of its own. I didn't get on with Starship Troopers at all. Genuinely think it's a bad book for a whole host of reasons. But I can't deny that there are a lot of Heinlein fans out there who really like that and other books that he's written. What is it that appeals to you about it?

 

[Bandicoot]

Sergei Lukyanenko - Tricky one because these books are translated, but I was completely sucked into the Night Watch series. I read the first trilogy, and then over the following years three more books came out in the same world, with decent gaps in between. Read them all, and can remember just being transported back into the world.

I cannot. I’ve read all six Nightwatch books and I’m glad I did, but even if his other books were localised, even if he did a Nightwatch 7, this man will never see another penny of my money. He is MASSIVELY anti-Ukrainian and a leading signatory of a group of Russian authors who wrote a letter of support for Putin’s war. I came short of dumping his books, but they did get moved to storage.

 

[Webster]

I didn't actually read any Crichton until I was older, despite Jurassic Park probably being one of my top 3 films of all time. I really like that book, and feel that the changes they made to it for the film worked for the film whilst keeping the book as good as it was. I need to read more of him to be honest.

Jurassic Park - and @Crystal and I have talked about this over at Off-Topix - is what gave Crichton protection from editors (the same as w/J.K. Rowling) in that, if Jurassic Park had bombed as a novel, Crichton very likely doesn't get to write either Rising Sun (an anti-Japanese economic.trade screed) and Disclosure (which railed agst. the rise of sexual harassment claims in the workplace pre #MeToo)...

This one is interesting, and I feel like it could be a thread all of its own. I didn't get on with Starship Troopers at all. Genuinely think it's a bad book for a whole host of reasons. But I can't deny that there are a lot of Heinlein fans out there who really like that and other books that he's written. What is it that appeals to you about it?

At its' heart Starship Troopers examines the relationships btwn society, government and those tasked to defend society from outside threats. RAH was a product of both World War 2 (he served as an officer in the Navy) and the early years of the Cold War (when anti-communist rhetoric was at its zenith, more so than during Reagan's presidency) and you can see in Troopers. For instance, his description of the Arachnids (a/k/a the Bugs) could almost be a near-perfect description of Chinese society in their almost hive-mindedness towards humans.

He also deconstructs the modern (by today's eyes) view that humans are special and effectively says Hobbes was right (I disagree w.RAH on this but principally because I think most people do try and strive for better, both individually and across society). In addition, Heinlein points out that the age-old balance btwn privilege and responsibility ("with great privilege comes great responsibilty") is just as true today as in the past (if you're going to entrust people w/the privileges of society - rights, freedoms, the franchise, etc) then you must also inculcate them with the responsibilities that come with said privileges (ex. "You have the right to speak your mind but not the right to escape the consequences of said speech") or else your society will gradually fall apart via corruption, moral decay, violence, etc.,..

and I feel like it could be a thread all of its own.

 

[Webster]

He is MASSIVELY anti-Ukrainian and a leading signatory of a group of Russian authors who wrote a letter of support for Putin’s war.

I had to wash my hands after reading about his views....

Sergei Lukyanenko - Wikipedia

en.wikipedia.org

 

[Bandicoot]

Let’s see. The first few are easy. The back half… the order is a little fluid

Terry Pratchett
Brandon Sanderson
Robert Jordan
Robin Hobb
Lee Child
Trudi Canavan
Stuart Turton
Jeff Lindsay
James S. A. Corey
Tom Clancy

Honourable Mention: Clive Barker, Douglas Adams, Patrick Rothfuss

Pratchett and Sanderson are my go to top two. In that order. I’ve been reading Pratchett for more than 20 years. I find Discworld infinitely rereadable and I’m pretty sure even now there’s at least one each year on my read pile. Might do Hogfather next month.
Sanderson’s Cosmere done well in capturing my imagination as a concept early, and I’ve invested some money in his special editions. Super prolific, his fifth book of 2023 comes out this week. Met him in London.

Jordan, Hobb, and Canavan are some of the main fantasy authors I got in to “back in the day”. I’ve read Jordan’s Wheel of time at least twice in its entirety and earlier books only get more reads. I’m rereading with the series, so 2/3 we’re on this years read, and I’ll do 4 before series 3.
Hobb is fantastic. I can remember my first time reading fools fate, it’s a 900-or-so page book and there was a point at which I couldn’t put it down. Finished it, with the last nearly-500 pages being one jaw dropped session. Also went to a thing in London she co-did with GRRM. Was pretty cool.
Canavan. Not quite the same tier as the other fantasy authors here, but I’ve read most of her books and I met her in my home town.

Child. 25 books and Jack Reacher is still entertaining. A little formulaic recently, but the torch is being passed to his brother, and Andrew hasn’t quite mastered the character yet.

Turton. A modern murder mystery writer, his third is due next year and sounds full on crazy. His second was a reasonable spooky tale on a boat. His debut, though. Quantum Leap meets Groundhog Day by way of a Christie-esque Manor House.

Lindsay. Author of the Dexter Morgan books. Still hoping for the day he writes a ninth book.

Corey. The Expanse was a good show and I had to check the books out. It was so worth it. The best arc of the series never made it into the show but if you were a fan, you should check out the books for the Laconia story, and the actual proper ending (instead of the free navy, which I found to be the weakest arc).

Clancy. Read his books as a kid (teens). Would probably appreciate them much more nowadays but I’m more into fantasy now. But he was probably my top author in those days.

Honourable mentions:
Barker. I’ve only read three books by him. Weaveworld was a hoot, but Imajica captivated me and is a top 10 or top 5 book for me.
Rothfuss. Could legitimately be a top ten author if he ever started writing again (a qualification, not a dig. He’ll do him, and that’s okay).
Adams. 42.

 

[Webster]

Clancy. Read his books as a kid (teens). Would probably appreciate them much more nowadays but I’m more into fantasy now. But he was probably my top author in those days.

His first couple of books - The Hunt for Red October, Patriot Games, Red Storm Rising and The Cardinal of the Kremlin - were top-dollar books but his most of his remaining works (outside of the non-fiction stuff he also wrote) had too much of a Gary Sue process to them where the good guys get thrown everything and yet they come out smelling like roses at the peak of harvesting...yeah, no, Mr. Clancy, the world doesn't quite work that way. Sometimes, the villain wins.

 

[Crazy Jamie]

I cannot. I’ve read all six Nightwatch books and I’m glad I did, but even if his other books were localised, even if he did a Nightwatch 7, this man will never see another penny of my money. He is MASSIVELY anti-Ukrainian and a leading signatory of a group of Russian authors who wrote a letter of support for Putin’s war. I came short of dumping his books, but they did get moved to storage.

Oh, damn. I am both glad I know this now and wish I didn't.

Canavan. Not quite the same tier as the other fantasy authors here, but I’ve read most of her books and I met her in my home town.

Strong list. Robin Hobb is on my list of shame of authors that I've never read and clearly should. Like Raymond Feist.

I think this is a good summary of Canavan. She's a 'back in the day' author for me too, and I agree that she's not quite in the tier of some others. I met her as well, at the launch of the Rogue, and she signed a couple of copies of those for me and my wife, as well as a book each from our hardback versions of the Black Magician and Age of Five trilogies. Both of those trilogies have a pretty special place in my reading journey, so to get them signed was great.

 

[Andy]

Ever since watching that recent adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy I've been meaning to start reading Le Carre.

There’s a lot of not much going on. I know people who think they’re slow but the conversations are great and by all accounts he gives a pretty accurate representation of being a spy compared to James Bond, etc

 

[Andy]

Just used this as inspiration. No longer need DVDs or games really because of subscription services so asked for a set of Neil Gaiman books for Christmas.

 

[Quagmire]

Ever since watching that recent adaptation of Tinker Tailor Soldier Spy I've been meaning to start reading Le Carre.

He's great, that movie is a big reason I started reading him.

I didn't actually read any Crichton until I was older, despite Jurassic Park probably being one of my top 3 films of all time. I really like that book, and feel that the changes they made to it for the film worked for the film whilst keeping the book as good as it was. I need to read more of him to be honest.


This one is interesting, and I feel like it could be a thread all of its own. I didn't get on with Starship Troopers at all. Genuinely think it's a bad book for a whole host of reasons. But I can't deny that there are a lot of Heinlein fans out there who really like that and other books that he's written. What is it that appeals to you about it?

I finally read Jurassic Park last year and loved it. I understand all the changes. I am also not a fan of remakes of good movies, but I would love to see a more true to the book remake and lean into the more darker and almost horror like parts

Strong list. Robin Hobb is on my list of shame of authors that I've never read and clearly should. Like Raymond Feist.

Hobb is amazing, my favorite. No one has written characters like her for me, I have felt so many feelings reading the Realm of the Elderlings. Its not for everyone, it is very bittersweet, but every victory is earned.

Feist is solid, much more classical. I like the Magician Duology, I read the next one and tried the one after but they were too classic fantasy. But then the series he did with Janny Wurts, Empire Trilogy is fantastic. Great politics and downright fantastic.

There’s a lot of not much going on. I know people who think they’re slow but the conversations are great and by all accounts he gives a pretty accurate representation of being a spy compared to James Bond, etc

He does and it makes since as he used to work in intelligence. They arent slow, but they are dense and I have to be fully in my mind

 

[Webster]

C.S. Lewis**

Here's an interesting documentary on C.S. Lewis, who was one of the great philosopher-writers of the 20th century and produced works such as the Chronicles of Narnia saga, Mere Christianity and the Screwtape Letters.

Before he turned ten, his mother died of cancer. So a young C. S. Lewis turned his back on God and became a militant atheist. Even being almost killed in the trenches of the Somme in 1918 didn't change his mind. Yet from that angry and confused young man, Lewis went on to become someone who stood up and brought hope to his nation in the darkest hours in World War II. What made C. S. Lewis change his mind and go on to become one of the twentieth century's strongest advocates for Christianity? Now you can find out the true story of C. S. Lewis.

=== CHAPTERS ===
00:00 Intro - World war 1
02:50 C.S. Lewis' Early life
04:20 Tragedies on Lewis' life
04:59 Lewis' teenage life and Atheism
06:02 Lewis in the world war 2
08:02 Lewis discharged from the war and went back to Oxford
09:16 J.R.R. Tolkien helped C.S. Lewis to become a Christian
10:18 C.S. Lewis' Christian journey
14:00 C.S. Lewis' books
18:32 Lewis' married life
19:03 C.S. Lewis' legacy
22:25 Bible encouragements in relation to hope and joy in life
24:18 Closing prayer
25:07 There is hope amidst the pain and suffering in life
26:02 Free Booklet "Finding Strength in the Midst of Pain"
27:20 Outro
28:00 Credits