Author Topic: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?  (Read 10957 times)

AllWrong

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Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« on: July 03, 2009, 10:39:24 AM »
A little while back, I heard they hired some dude I'd never heard of to write the last WoT book.  My heart sank.  I've seen what happens when others try to finish off (or add to) a series.  Anyone horrified themselves with the Brian Herbert Dune books?  I have *shudder*.  Anyway, I thought "Actually, this guy must be pretty good if they hired him to finish these books.  I mean, choosing a virtually unknown author is a big risk."  So, I went out and bought Mistborn (Mistborn and Elantris were his only 2 published works at the time...then again, I wasn't looking in Young Adult, so I don't know when those were released.)  WOW.  I mean just wow.  He blew me away, I started staking out the bookstore looking for release dates.  He has impressed me so much, he is one of my favorite authors, now.

What I am wondering is this.  Who are your top 5-10 favorite authors?  Here is mine in order.

10. Neil Gaiman (Such a twisted imagination...Neverwhere is like an even more twisted (and modern) Alice in Wonderland)
9. William Gibson (Vin is the fantasy equivalent of Molly  ;D )
8. John Steakley (He'll never get higher, unless he writes more...only 2 books.  Armor is one of the best books I've ever read, though.)
7. Robert Heinlen (Whoever butchered Starship Troopers into that movie should be dragged into the street and shot.)
6. Robert Jordan (Nuff Said)
5. Brandon Sanderson (Yes, he edged out Mr. Jordan for my top 5.)
4. Orson Scott Card (I LITERALLY can't put Ender's Game down.  I read it straight through every time, 8 hours from the time I open the cover, tops.)
3. Melanie Rawn (Now...this woman is bloodthirsty.  She kills off so many characters...sometimes even the ones you love.)
2. Frank Herbert (I must not fear...fear is the mind killer.  Fear is the little death which brings total obliteration...)
1. J.R.R. Tolkien (I've read the Lord of the Rings, the Hobbit, and the Silmarillion 34 times each.  I'm not sure what is more sad, that I've read them 34 times, or that I KNOW I've read them 34 times.)
« Last Edit: July 03, 2009, 10:41:34 AM by AllWrong »

Valkynphyre

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #1 on: July 03, 2009, 01:21:24 PM »
8. Anne Mccaffrey
7. Tom Clancy
6. Ray Bradbury
5. Dan Brown
4. J.R.R. Tolkien
3. Orson Scott Card
2. Robert Jordan
1. Brandon Sanderson


last on my list

#107129848709147091. Stephanie Meyer
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Publius

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #2 on: July 03, 2009, 01:24:54 PM »
Fantasy is my favorite yet least read genre, so I don't have many fantasy authors on my list but here it is:

10)  George R.R. Martin - Fantasy

9)     Tad Williams - Fantasy

8 -    Bernard Cornwell - Historical Fiction

7)     Michael Connelly - Mystery

6)     Nelson Demille - Suspense/Action

5)    Brandon Sanderson - Fantasy

4)    Steven Pressfield - Historical Fiction

3)    Robert Jordan - 1st fantasy author I ever read, so he'll always be tops on my fantasy list.

2)    Vince Flynn - Political Thriller

1)     Mario Puzo  -  The author that got me back into reading will always top these lists for me.

There you go.  My Top Ten list.

« Last Edit: July 03, 2009, 01:27:36 PM by publius75 »
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ErikHolmes

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #3 on: July 03, 2009, 07:17:07 PM »
It's tough to put them in order, but here's what I came up with.

1.  Roger Zelazny: Nothing tops the Chronicles of Amber
2. Brandon Sanderson: Mistborn was very good, I think Way of Kings might even be better.
3. Steven Brust: He might actually rate higher then Brandon, I've reread the Vlad Taltos books many times.
4. E. E. Knight, he's the best author out there that no one seems to know about.
5. David Farland: I'm really enjoying all of the Runelords books
6. Greg Keyes: The Briar King and the rest of the Kingdom of Thorn and Bone series was excellent.
7. Jim Butcher: I just started reading The Dresden Files, but I am really enjoying them too.
8. Fred Saberhagen: I loved the Books of Swords
9. Orson Scott Card: The Ender series was great, I should read more of his stuff.
10. Laurell K. Hamilton! If this chick wrote less about sex and more about her stories, she'd be one of the best out there.

Damn, Robin Hobb, Karen Moning, Kate Elliot, Elizabeth Haydon, Holly Black, should probably be up there too!
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Raphael

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #4 on: July 03, 2009, 10:01:53 PM »
1. Robert  Jordan
2. Brandon Sanderson
3. Frank Herbert
4. J.R.R. Tolkien
5. Terry Brooks

AGrey

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #5 on: July 04, 2009, 01:01:01 AM »
In the top 3 with Stephen King and Robert Jordan.

which ne takes top slot depends on my mood at the time
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necronos

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #6 on: July 04, 2009, 01:09:17 AM »
My list:

5)David Gemmell (He really cemented me into reading fantasy)
4)Robert Jordan (I'm so invested in his work at this stage, he can't not appear on the list)
3)Brandon Sanderson (I've only read two books of his at the moment, he might move up more after I read Mistborn)
2)Dan Abnett (I loved his stuff in the comic 2000AD, then I discovered his 40k stuff)
1)Terry Pratchett (one word - Discworld)
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Ari54

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #7 on: July 04, 2009, 04:56:08 AM »
While I don't think I'm likely to ever list my favourite authors in order as it seems a little arbitrary, I can certainly say that Brandon is currently my favourite living author.

I don't know if anyone's likely to replace my special affection for Frank Herbert as the first long-form Scifi/Fantasy author whose work I read. I guess that makes him my absolute favourite for now.

little wilson

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #8 on: July 04, 2009, 09:42:22 PM »
My list:

10. Gail Carson Levine - children's lit
9. Terry Pratchett - fantasy/humor
8. David Eddings - epic fantasy
7. Meg Cabot - teen fiction/humor/mystery
6. Cassandra Clare - teen fiction/urban fantasy
5. JRR Tolkien
4. Orson Scott Card - science fiction
3. Scott Westerfeld - science fiction/dystopia
2. Libba Bray - teen fiction/fantasy
1. Brandon Sanderson

Note that this isn't quite the precise order, but it's close. And there are a lot of other authors who I love who should probably be on this list too....Like Piers Anthony, Susan Cooper, TA Barron, Robert Jordan (haven't finished the whole series, which is why he isn't on there right now...), Maureen Johnson, John Grisham, Shannon Hale, etc.
« Last Edit: July 04, 2009, 09:50:58 PM by little wilson »
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Patriotic Kaz

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #9 on: July 05, 2009, 05:22:43 AM »
Card groupies i hate you all....

1. Robert Heinlein
1. Roger Zelazny
3. Brandon Sanderson
3. Issac Asimov
5. Robert Jordan
6. Stephen Erickson
7. Frank Herbert
8. Larry Niven
9. J.R.R. Tolkien
10. Harlan Ellison
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Plasman

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #10 on: July 06, 2009, 12:36:29 AM »
Wow. sounds like i have some reading to do...

9. Scott Lynch (The Lies of Locke Lamora was just awesome. I highly Recommend it, though the sequel wasn't nearly as good)
8. David Farland
7. John Scalzi (so far all of his books have been very entertaining)
6. JK Rowling
5. CS Lewis
4. RA Salvatore (If for nothing other than his fight scenes)
3. Tolkien
2. Orson Scott Card (sorry Kaz. even his short stories leave me in awe)
1. Brandon Sanderson (never has an author intrigued me more. I've spent many, many nights I should have spent sleeping speculating on the worlds Brandon has created)
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Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #11 on: July 06, 2009, 04:01:14 AM »
These lists are very Brandon-topheavy, but...what else should I expect, in the Brandon Sanderson forum?
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necronos

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #12 on: July 06, 2009, 06:16:25 AM »
Ookla, you should see the 'Favorite Authors Assistant' lists... it is very you heavy  ;D
jeremy208: #FakeKings Wow, the world's first fantasy novel written in 3-D!. The words literally jump off the page. The fight scenes gave me bruises. Ow!

AllWrong

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #13 on: July 06, 2009, 10:34:02 AM »
Quote
Card groupies i hate you all....

**GASP**

There's someone out there that actually DOESN'T like Card?  The man is a literary genius in my opinion.

Anyway, with everything I read from or about Brandon my opinion of him rises.  If he keeps going the way he's been, I foresee him taking Tolkien's place in another 5-10 years.  Coming from me, that is very high praise, indeed.

EDIT:
Wow, you know this list has the side-effect of reminding me of alot of authors to go back and re-read.  Thanks, guys!
« Last Edit: July 06, 2009, 02:45:45 PM by AllWrong »

Rrikor

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #14 on: July 06, 2009, 03:37:54 PM »
Well I am going to say that Robert Jordan is my favorite other then that in no particular order. Mainly because the order changes with my reading habit at the time.

Brandon Sanderson
Anne Mccaffery
Rick Cook (If you are a computer geek this is an interesting fantasy series)
Mercedes lackey
Robin Hobb
David Farland
L. E. Modesett Jr
R.A. Salvatore

I also read read alot of dragonlance books but the authors change alot in those. 
I am sure I am missing some but I own alot of books.