Favorite author

[fuzzyoctopus]

So we've got "favorite artist" in the music thread, I thought we needed this in the books thread.

I really have to say Stephen King.  I admire a lot of authors their talent and brillant mind, but he has a greater body of work than many of those, and I admire the way he wasn't afraid to make his own meta-world of fantasy, linking his books to one another, and bringing it together in the Dark Tower books.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

hmmm this really forces me to meditate and say favorite author of what?

Im a big Tim Robbins fan, but dont think he'd be it. Joseph Heller is a better choice, and yes he has written more than just Catch 22. (some of it is even good)
And if you want to know why its that the man can turn a phrase.


Yeah Heller with JRR Tolkein in the favorite but doesnt apply by reason of being a fantasy writer.

[Gemm: Rock & Roll Star; Born to Rock]

Mmm, hands down its got to be Neil Gaiman. I loved "American Gods," and then "Neverwhere." I also loved his work on "The Sandman." As well his short stories in "Smoke and Mirrors" is awesome.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

ninja monkeys will kill you for that last bit.

Probably Graham Greene. No one has ever written something I could bring up a significant complaint about except perhaps Cervantes and Shakespeare. But for modern stuff, Greene comes close. Except that End of the Affair book. That one just annoyed me.

[Master Xaio]

You are all blasphemers.

The master himself of course;

J.R.R.Tolkien

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

 

Tolkiens too easy...

Too cliche, at least for me.

Too untrue, at least now.

I really like JRR Tolkein, but love literature of all genres, and that doesn't even touch more scholarly works. I love Douglas Adams too...
But that doesnt make them my favorite authors.
Definately in the top ten, but not favorite

[Master Xaio]

Okies, I spose you got a point.  Doug Adams is cool, R.A.Salvatore's good, and Trudi Caravan isn't bad as well.

[Maxwell]

for comedy i would have to say a tie between douglas adams and terry pratchett
and for sci-fi: AE van Voigt
anything else:james lee burke

[stacer]

No one has ever written something I could bring up a significant complaint about except perhaps Cervantes and Shakespeare. But for modern stuff, Greene comes close. Except that End of the Affair book. That one just annoyed me.

So I'm confused. Are you saying you like Graham Greene, or that he annoys you and you hate him?

As for me, "I could no sooner pick a favorite star in the heavens."

Or, maybe I could. I like Robin McKinley. Garth Nix is at the top of the list, too. Orson Scott Card, but mainly the books at the beginning of series or stand-alone books. As the series go on, the books get more boring (such as Xenocide--ugh, an entire book going on and on about this Brazilian planet). I really like his Enchantment, which is a great modern retelling of Sleeping Beauty.

Then there's Louis Sachar, who wrote Holes, and Cornelia Funke, who wrote The Thief Lord.

I really ought to increase my adult fiction reading. Most of my favorite authors are of children's books. But oh well. I like it.

[Sminja]

Hmmm...Orson Scott Card. His books are very deep in meaning if you keep reading them (and not stop halfway like most people I know do), and get into the depth of the story. Sometimes his work can only be fully appreciated with a couple of read thorughs of the same one of his books. BTW, he wrote Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, just to name a couple.

[stacer]

BTW, he wrote Ender's Game and Speaker for the Dead, just to name a couple.

Yes, I know--which would be the books before Xenocide. I liked Ender, liked Speaker, hated Xenocide.

I liked his Women of the Bible series, and wonder if the third of the series has come out yet (now that I don't live in Utah, his Shadow Mountain books are harder to come by). And then there's Stone Tables, which is a great take on Moses' life, I think. I liked Lost Boys, though it was a bit disturbing. Read Folk of the Fringe years ago and think I need to reread it. I liked the Alvin Maker series, but again, it becomes weaker toward the end of the series. I still haven't read Crystal City because the one before it was so disappointing. And I have yet to read the scifi one based on The Book of Mormon, though I've intended to for years.

[The Holy Saint, Grand High Poobah, Master of Monkeys, Ehlers]

I really like JRR Tolkein, but love literature of all genres, and that doesn't even touch more scholarly works.

I'm assuming you mean "more scholarly in my opinion" becasue his work IS scholarly. It's as literate as anything I read for my CmLit classes. He wrote criticism as well, you know. Go find his essay "On Fairy Stories." it just seems inappropriate to say he's not scholarly. No, TOlkien wasn't perfect, but criticizing him on that point just seems to indicate you missed something.

[Spriggan]

Why Brandon Sanderson and Robison Wells of course!

Places large sums of money into bank account

[Entsuropi]

JRR Tolkien. /me waves flag

Honourary mentions go to EUOL, Robin Hobbs and Terry Prattchet.

[Mad Dr Jeffe]

I'm assuming you mean "more scholarly in my opinion" becasue his work IS scholarly.

I guess you can infer what you want... at the time I was referring mainly to the 4 books Tolkein is known for namely the Hobbit and LOTR. I do have his other stuff (but the posthumous notes for LOTR published by his son shouldnt count as scholorly work as they were never meant to be published) His translation of Gawain and the Green knight is good, and the essays on fairy stories are good too.I guess what I meant by scholorly at the time was non-fiction history. Having said that I dont enjoy his scholarly stuff as much as I enjoy Garrett Mattingly's The Armada, or Stephen Ambrose's Citizen Soliders.