Author Topic: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?  (Read 10940 times)

Patriotic Kaz

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #30 on: July 25, 2009, 04:04:46 AM »
yay some sci fi peeps!!! if you think that cheering goes for people who put down orson scott card and possibly one other it doesn't..you are a card groupie and i hate you all!!! :P though you can redeem yourself by either putting asimov or heinlien on you list
"Words are double edged blades. Only the great and the foolish play with knives." - Kaz the Buddah

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Danath

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #31 on: July 25, 2009, 05:30:42 PM »
In no particular order:

Brandon Sanderson
Stephen Lawhead
JRR Tolkien
Robert Jordan
Bernard Cornwell
Isaac Asimov
Patrick O'Brian
Conn Iggulden
Frank Herbert
David Eddings

Relient A

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #32 on: July 25, 2009, 07:07:14 PM »
These lists are very Brandon-topheavy, but...what else should I expect, in the Brandon Sanderson forum?

It's hard to not like a guy who writes this well, works as hard as he does, AND manages to remain a part of his community of readers while pulling 16 hour workdays trying to meet an insane deadline for WoT.

I'm having an extremely difficult time making a list... My memory is horrible, so I'd have to reread all of these authors again (which I usually do in cycles of two years) to make a definitive one:

1. Brandon Sanderson: I addressed this above. I also have genuinely enjoyed every published book I've read so far to the point of losing sleep just to finish them.
2. Terry Brooks: I think I've seen posts on here bashing his work to a fair extent so I don't think he's much popular here, but he was (besides The Phantom Tollbooth, which I read no less than 30 times in 2nd grade) my introduction to the fantasy realm. Yes, The Sword of Shannara completely ripped off LotR, but the rest of the series is all him. Word/Void also probably is one of my favorite series ever.
3. Orson Scott Card: Speaker For The Dead. I don't think I need to say anything after those 4 words.
4. J.K. Rowling: I know, I know... typical answer, blah blah. But seriously, her writing ability improved immensely with each book released. And I've read the books so many times that I'm doubting I'll ever be emotionally connected to characters like these again.
5. Robert Jordan: He would undoubtedly be higher on the list if my attention span/memory allowed me to enjoy his super long descriptions of how an attractive woman's dress makes her breasts look perfectly round.

EDIT: This is not to say I don't enjoy the books. Note that while he is last on my list, that's only 5 names.
« Last Edit: July 25, 2009, 07:09:20 PM by Relient A »
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Meer

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #33 on: July 29, 2009, 04:44:10 PM »
I am going to limit my list to the fantasy genre, or it will be considerably too long.

10.  Andre Norton - Yes, she wrote fantasy as well as scifi.  One of the first I read and the first I met.
09.  Orson Scott Card - I've only read one fantasy series by him, or he would likely move up.
08.  Ursula LeGuin - She never wrote enough to suit me
07.  Lloyd Alexander - Taran Wanderer is still one of my favorites about growing up
06.  Robert Lynn Asprin - I am saddened that he will never finish Myth Adventures
05.  Roger Zelazny - Creatures of Light and Darkness is my favorite
04.  Raymond Feist - Epic
03.  Fred Saberhagen - Empire of the East and the later Swords books were great
02.  Robert Jordan
01.  Finally read Brandon's books.  He is currently on the top of the list as his are the most recently read. 



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Patriotic Kaz

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #34 on: July 29, 2009, 10:52:25 PM »
What confuses me is the father son relationship of that book...i mean it is seriously wacky
"Words are double edged blades. Only the great and the foolish play with knives." - Kaz the Buddah

"Take off your sandals, for you are posting on holy ground." -  Yahweh Kaz

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AllWrong

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #35 on: July 30, 2009, 12:03:09 PM »
Quote
Does anyone remember at what age and what author that got you interested in the genre?

I'll never forget it.  The Hobbit when I was 6.  Fellowship of the Ring when I was 7, and The Two Towers and The Return of the King when I was 8.  The book that made me realize that REALLY BIG BOOKS were cool was Shogun.  The first book I ever read over 1,000 pages.

Quote
yay some sci fi peeps!!! if you think that cheering goes for people who put down orson scott card and possibly one other it doesn't..you are a card groupie and i hate you all!!!  though you can redeem yourself by either putting asimov or heinlien on you list

You'll note I have Heinlen and Steakley on my list, as well as Card.  I was going to make some remark to banter with you, something like "BLASPHEMY!", but I have to ask, Kaz.  What gives?  What is it about Card that you dislike so much?

AllWrong

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #36 on: July 30, 2009, 12:05:47 PM »
Oh yeah, and I'm really glad I first posted this topic.  I've found quite a few authors, thanks to you guys.  Another thing that's helped is that I got a Sony Reader, and looking for books on it has opened me to quite a few new ones, as well.

WriterDan

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #37 on: July 30, 2009, 06:30:08 PM »
2. Terry Brooks: I think I've seen posts on here bashing his work to a fair extent so I don't think he's much popular here

There hasn't been a whole lot of Terry Brooks bashing going on that I know of.

However--

ahem

--there has been a fair bit of Terry Goodkind bashing.  And as far as those bits are concerned, I can say that I've been a proud contributor.  :D
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Patriotic Kaz

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #38 on: July 31, 2009, 04:50:52 AM »
What gives is,and i do believe my opinion in sci-fi and fantasy is valid as it is all i read that isn't a text book, while he is a fair author he has been blown to such huge proportions, that i am of the belief of, he doesn't live up to. Not to mention the fact that Ender's Shadow is much better written than Ender's Game and yet the award winning one is the latter. To sum it all up i believe he is of the same stock as JK Rowling (though i prefer her...and after my re-read she has grown on me enough that i will rank her as an A- in the genre instead of a B)
"Words are double edged blades. Only the great and the foolish play with knives." - Kaz the Buddah

"Take off your sandals, for you are posting on holy ground." -  Yahweh Kaz

"Chaos, go to your room!" - Momma Kaz

AllWrong

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #39 on: July 31, 2009, 08:09:20 AM »
A fair point that Ender's Shadow was better written.

However, I've said this before and others on these boards have agreed...Warbreaker is better written than the Mistborn Trilogy, but I LIKE the Mistborn Trilogy better.  That has alot to do with it.  (Though in the case of Card, if you want to discuss best written and most likeable book in the Ender and Bean series, I'd have to say (for me at least) the award for both goes to Speaker for the Dead.)

Anyway, thanks for the answer.  We can now return to our banter.

"You don't like Card??? BLASPHEMY!"

Geomantrix

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #40 on: August 04, 2009, 06:45:00 AM »
I'm not a very big reader, and very much less of a fantasy reader, but here goes:

1.  Orson Scott Card
2.  Laura Ingalls Wilder
3.  Fyodor Dostoevsky
4.  Jane Austen
5.  Leo Tolstoy
6.  Brandon Sanderson
7.  J.K. Rowling
8.  Frank Herbert

Actually, this is probably the list of authors who've ever induced me to read more than one of their books.  The upside of being so picky is I've honestly never read any Stephanie Meyers.

AllWrong

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #41 on: August 06, 2009, 07:57:01 AM »
I read the entire Twilight series.  My brother and sister-in-law don't read, so I promised them I would read anything my neice or nephew wanted to read to vet it before allowing them to.  This, unfortunately, lead to me needing to read the entire series...wow, just...WOW.

I think Stephen King said it best, "Both Rowling and Meyer, they’re speaking directly to young people. ... The real difference is that Jo Rowling is a terrific writer and Stephenie Meyer can’t write worth a darn. She’s not very good."

Batchman

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #42 on: August 06, 2009, 07:45:14 PM »
Brandon doesn't make my list yet, because I am too new to him. I have read two books, and through bits and pieces am tremendously interested in three more (plus WOT, of course) but I have only been reading him for a couple of weeks. Give it a few months to sink in, and we'll see where things stand.

I can't put my lists in direct order at this point, so I will mention #1 authors in certain areas.

Children's Humor: Gordon Korman
Non-Children's Humor: P.G. Wodehouse
Science Fiction: Isaac Asimov
Children's Fantasy: JK Rowling
Non-Children's Fantasy: Ray Feist (with honorable mentions to Janny Wurts, David Eddings, Orson Scott Card, Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, Terry Pratchett, and many others ... I read more fantasy than anything else.)
Mystery: Dick Francis
Animal Stories: Colonel S.P. Meek
Classics: Dickens? Avoided him due to school, when possible, but recently read David Copperfield and found it a very enjoyable story.

Peter Ahlstrom

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #43 on: August 06, 2009, 10:41:24 PM »
Hooray for Gordon Korman! His books brought me and my wife together.
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Batchman

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Re: Favorite Authors...Where does Brandon Rate?
« Reply #44 on: August 07, 2009, 02:59:05 AM »
Check out his web site some time (if you haven't already) ... http://www.gordonkorman.com.

He's still writing up a storm, though it is all adventure rather than humor, now.

I started Warbreaker (is that the right name) online last night, and had a hard time stopping.

I am almost certain Brandon is going to be in my top ten list in the near future!