Favourite Writers.

RomanKnows · 19-08-2015 12:04AM #1

Hopefully this is a slightly different angle on the 'what are you reading' thread.

Are there any authors that really capture your imagination? Where you look forward to read the next thing they put out? Or - considering that most of the great authors have died at this stage, books you look forward to reading from the canon of past writers?

I've had this with the present: Robert Harris and his Cicero Series. Most of us know the ending, but what a fantastic series of historical thrillers he has produced. Hurry up and produce the last one!

The past is Dickens. I was mildly scarred by having to study Hard Times for the LC. Turned me off him for the last 15 years. Downloaded Great Expectations for the Kindle last week though, and I'm loving it. Great plot, story and drama.

Over to you? The authors you want to fire out another book, or the books that have already been written but you cannot wait to read.

NachoBusiness · 19-08-2015 12:05AM

Norman Mailer.

19-08-2015 12:06AM

Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Kurt Vonnegut. Those three would be the big ones.

Pratchett was one of the few "personalities" that I actually shed a tear for when I found out he died. Guy was my childhood and what got me into fantasy as much as I am now.

dark crystal · 19-08-2015 12:11AM

Stephen King for me. I have almost all his books and there are only a few duds amongst them. I think he's one of the best short story writers of all time.

I also love John Steinbeck. He writes so beautifully, even about the most mundane things.

FluffyAngel · 19-08-2015 12:13AM

my favourite writer is the one that writes"thread closed"

the evasion_kid · 19-08-2015 12:18AM

Frank Herbert the author of dune,it takes some imagination to right a book like that,also Stephen King the man has one fcuked up mind.

Noodles81 · 19-08-2015 12:19AM

Bram Stoker- Horror
Oscar Wilde- Horror/ comedy
Tom Holland-Narrative history
David Mitchell- Genre surfing storyteller
Philip Pullman- Children's literature
Isabelle Allende- Narrative family sagas

Mr. Incognito · 19-08-2015 12:24AM

Steinbeck East of Eden is still the best for me.

Hunter S Thompson
David Gemmell

Links234 · 19-08-2015 12:27AM

Deleted User wrote: »

Pratchett was one of the few "personalities" that I actually shed a tear for when I found out he died. Guy was my childhood and what got me into fantasy as much as I am now.

Same, I've got more books by Pratchett than any other author by far, and his death hit me like a ton of bricks.

19-08-2015 12:56AM

"Can tyrants but by tyrants conquered be?"
—George Gordon Lord Byron, of course.
First rockstar of almost-modern poetry.

MilesMorales1 · 19-08-2015 12:57AM

Mark Haddon, Bill Bryson, maybe enid blyton.

Irish_Elect_Eng · 19-08-2015 12:58AM

Links234 wrote: »

Same, I've got more books by Pratchett than any other author by far, and his death hit me like a ton of bricks.

PTerry.

Wacker The Attacker · 19-08-2015 01:18AM

Ann and Barry

foxtrot101 · 19-08-2015 02:12AM

Douglas Adams.

The_Valeyard · 19-08-2015 02:14AM

H.G. Wells

ChunkyLover54 · 19-08-2015 03:10AM

RomanKnows wrote: »

I've had this with the present: Robert Harris and his Cicero Series. Most of us know the ending, but what a fantastic series of historical thrillers he has produced. Hurry up and produce the last one!

Just a few weeks now. I've been waiting six years for him to publish it.

jimboblep · 19-08-2015 03:22AM

Christopher hitchens, just finished The missionary position, love the way he pulls no punches

Hermy · 19-08-2015 08:45AM

Pat McCabe
John Banville
Samuel Beckett
John Updike
Jack Kerouac
Gunter Grasse
Chip Kidd

Conall Cernach · 19-08-2015 09:25AM

Tolkien for me as The Hobbit was the first book I really loved as a child.

Jack Vance is probably one of the most under-rated writers to set pen to paper. Serious fantasy buffs might have heard of him but the general public wouldn't have a clue. He was a true wordsmith.

"The creature displayed the qualities reminiscent of both coelenterate and echinoderm. A terrene nudibranch? A mollusc deprived of its shell? More importantly, was the creature edible?"

“Is this the conduct of a ‘sly and unpredictable villain’?”
“Decidedly so, if the villain, for the purposes of his joke, thinks to simulate the altruist.”
“Then how will you know villain from altruist?”
Cugel shrugged. “It is not an important distinction.”

mattser · 19-08-2015 09:31AM

Delighted to see a few more John Steinbeck followers here. Grapes of Wrath, East of Eden, Of Mice and Men, and so many other masterpieces.

Patser · 19-08-2015 09:40AM

I've a love of historical fiction, especially ones that base on real people and events, but make them more human

Iggulden - Genghis Kahn (Conqueror series), Caeser (Emperor series)
Scarrow - Napoleon and Wellington (generals series)
Gemmell - Troy series

But my favourite of all is Clavell, his 6 books on Asia are brilliant, especially the characters he brings to life. Tai Pan is one of the best books ever, Shogun and Noble House brilliant as well

Dave_The_Sheep · 19-08-2015 09:45AM

Iain Banks.
Terry Pratchett.

I was going to say they're the only two I actively keep abreast of new books from, but sadly this is no longer the case, given they've both died in the last two years. They were sad days, Pratchett in particular.

Dan Abnett is up there as is James Clavell.

Rubberlegs · 19-08-2015 11:09AM

I've been reading Stephen King since I was given a copy of Misery for Christmas when I was 14. I have almost all of his books, and there is only one I couldn't get into.
Clive Barker is excellent too,Weaveworld is one of my all time favourite books.
I enjoy Dean Koontz and James Herbert too.
I'm just getting into John Grisham and Terry Pratchett now, I can't believe I only picked up books of theirs within the last year.
For easy reads I have always enjoyed Maeve Binchy, Anita Shreve, and Marian Keyes always makes me laugh.

ancapailldorcha · 19-08-2015 11:16AM

George Orwell, Christopher Hitchens and Steven Erikson spring to mind. All 3 have incredible grasps on the English language and possess unique and remarkable articulation when it comes to expressing themselves.

crockholm · 19-08-2015 11:17AM

Bill Bryson and P.J. O'Rourke- essential holiday reading.Haven't read a book in quite some time however,for shame.

mud · 19-08-2015 11:22AM

Deleted User wrote: »

Terry Pratchett, Neil Gaiman, Kurt Vonnegut. Those three would be the big ones.

I agree. Thankfully Neil Gaiman shows no sign of slowing down.

As mentioned above, I'd add Philip Pullman and Douglas Adams to my list.

Also, a special mention for Robin Hobb. I always look forward to her publication date.

On The Q.T · 19-08-2015 11:24AM

Albert Camus or Fyodor Dostoyevsky

19-08-2015 12:34PM

mud wrote: »

I agree. Thankfully Neil Gaiman shows no sign of slowing down.

As mentioned above, I'd add Philip Pullman and Douglas Adams to my list.

Also, a special mention for Robin Hobb. I always look forward to her publication date.

Has Pullman written anything of note outside of the His Dark Materials trilogy? I tried reading his next book after that finished and didn't think it was that great.

Gaiman is incredible. He has this knack for writing children's stories that are closer to the original Grimm's Fairy Tales than anything else - Coraline, Stardust, The Graveyard Book, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane are on par with being as dark and messed up as his more adult orientated books like Neverwhere and American Gods.

dark crystal · 19-08-2015 12:35PM

73Cat wrote: »

I've been reading Stephen King since I was given a copy of Misery for Christmas when I was 14. I have almost all of his books, and there is only one I couldn't get into.

Which one? For me, it was Lisey's Story. Couldn't get into that one at all.

mud · 19-08-2015 12:39PM

Deleted User wrote: »

Has Pullman written anything of note outside of the His Dark Materials trilogy? I tried reading his next book after that finished and didn't think it was that great.

Gaiman is incredible. He has this knack for writing children's stories that are closer to the original Grimm's Fairy Tales than anything else - Coraline, Stardust, The Graveyard Book, and The Ocean at the End of the Lane are on par with being as dark and messed up as his more adult orientated books like Neverwhere and American Gods.

I liked the Sally Lockhart books and his books for younger readers like I Was a Rat.

He released a version of Grimm's Fairy Tales in a lovely hardback there a couple of years ago. Very nice book.

19-08-2015 12:45PM

mud wrote: »

I liked the Sally Lockhart books and his books for younger readers like I Was a Rat.

He released a version of Grimm's Fairy Tales in a lovely hardback there a couple of years ago. Very nice book.

Sally Lockhart! That was the series. I'll see if I can track it down on Audible and see if I can get into it then. I remember reading it when it was released and thinking it wasn't great - just didn't reach the heights that I thought HDM reached previously.

Favourite Writers.

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