Best author you ever read?

Amazing. Some people here read some real crap.

a reply to: Restricted

Would your post be included in that "real crap" list? Just wondering.

J.K.Rowling? Dean Koontz?

Please.

David Webber, Hoonor Harrington series and Erik Flynt, Ring of Fire series, Baen books, some on free library..

As of now

This Guy Just saying

Well worth a read

Cody

Ray Bradbury
Isaac Asimov
Robert McCammon---- Swan Song is awesome....a little out dated but worth a read every few years
Stephen King

for the lighter side:

Clive Cussler ----- I have read pretty much every book he has put out.... great novels,,,but bad bad movies LOL

Two authors I've recently stare reading;

Steven Erikson - his characters seem to be more rounded and his storytelling is in more of an adult vein than many others of the same genre.

Jo Nesbo - Crime fiction is something of a new venture for me. There's lots of crap and predictable stereotypes about but the author is easy to read whilst producing believable but complex characters and cracking stories.
Nesbo is definitely a multi-talented individual whose real life itself reads like something out of a novel.

originally posted by: Restricted
Amazing. Some people here read some real crap.

Have you ever even considered the fact that a lot of people read books for purely entertainment value? Not everyone likes to read PHD material on a daily basis.

At the moment (the last few years) my favorite are James Rollins and Steve Berry. Great fantasy and combination of science facts, history, archeology, conspiracy and fantasy.

But if I go back when I was growing up, my favorite authors would be Victor Hugo, Honore de Balzac, Alexander Dumas, Henry Haggard, Charles Dickens etc.

Anne Rice
Isaac Asimov
Tolkien
Bradbury

I read the posts before replying. Many great ones here.

In the Sci Fi genre, I'd add E.E. Doc Smith for the Lensman and Skylark series. I don't recall seeing anyone refer to Heinlein and his works either.

I'd add James Clavell as one of my favorites, as well.

a reply to: Czulkang

Orson Scott Card is indeed in my humble opinion one of the greatest authors, not just sci-fi, but authors of this era. His skill in mixing everday usefull philosphy with great character developments, deep plots and reasonably well used science is beyond outstanding.

I would recommend one to check out the fantays author Joe Abercrombie and his trilogy: First Law. The books rival the Story about ice and fire series.

Best author you ever read?

Fantasy and Science Fiction?

Gene Wolfe

Piers Anthony gets my vote for best author I have ever read.
He is what kept me reading after high school.



Link to his site:

www.hipiers.com...

Iain M. Banks is a great author when it comes to Sci Fi - thought Philip K. Dick, Alfred Bester, David Mitchell, Joe Haldman and Neal Stephenson were very good as well.


*When it comes to other genres then Gabriel Garcia Marquez was also an extremely talented chap!

I did not see the name Sherri S. Tepper listed anywhere, and she is a brilliant writer whose works leave you with more than a few hours of escapism. So be warned - if you read her, you will think about what you read for a while afterwards. She is a master at reading contemporary societal trends and pushing them forward into time and space...with results that cannot help but leave you nodding in agreement, "This really could happen!"

Of particular note isThe Gate to Women's Country, a near-future novel that incorporates the retelling of the fall of Troy with the struggles of the characters in post-nuclear conditions. The novel explores numerous gender issues, while also looking at religious fanaticism, warfare and patriarchal attitudes.

Use caution, however. Ms. Tepper's books are not overly popular, and bookstore staff might not be aware that she has a number of interrelated stories that make references to earlier works. This doesn't make them unreadable, just less rich without the back story.