The Great Ones

[Ciryaher]

Who is your favorite author in particular genres?

My picks are:

J.R.R. Tolkien - Fantasy
Louis L'Amour - Westerns/Adventure
Issac Asimov - Science Fiction
Tom Clancy - Action/Suspense

Feel free to add categories that have been left out and authors that YOU think are great.

[Talierin]

Umm....

Tolkien-Fantasy. There are others, but of course he's my fave
Asimov-Scifi
Agatha Christie-Mystery
Tennyson-Poetry
Bill Waterson/Calvin and Hobbes-Comics

Don't read westerns or thrillers

[Aerin]

As for the greatest authors, I wouldn't know because I haven't read all the authors listed. I think that J.R.R. Tolkien is the greatest author in his area, but I don't know about the others.

[ReadWryt]

Goodness..that's a tough one.

Of course I have an abiding adoration for all things Tolkien, but Plato's "Republic" is a fantastic read as well. I really like Larry Niven and Jerry Pournelle when they work together, and Thomas Jefferson wrote some amazing works as well. Louis L'Amour's Non-Western works, like "The Beyonding" is wonderfully entertaining...But I would have to say that my all time favorite author would probably be John Steinbeck.

[tookish-girl]

Sci-fi -Douglas Adams, funny but fantastic ideas also (ie. babel fish, pangalactic gargleblasters, staying dead for a year for tax reasons etc.)

Political allegory (wow, popular topic,hmmmm?) -George Orwell

Plays -Oscar Wilde (hilarious with very perseptive views on society then and now ie. "Never make fun of society Algenon, only people who can't get into it do that")

Poems -Keats, especially Ode to a Nightingale

Er can't think of any other topics right now. Witty romantic Satires -Jane Austen?

[Beorn]

Fantasy: Take a good guess...
Bizarre: Geore Orwell
Uhh...I don't remember half the things I've read...hmm...I like'd Steinbeck's Of Mice and Men. When I think of more, I'll add onto this post...

[Kementari]

hmm
The Bronte sisters - drama?
EB White (Charlottes Web) - er kiddy books...

[Ciryaher]

I also like Shakespeare, for playwright (It doesn't get much better than Julius Caesar)

As far as history goes, I tried reading the Annals of Tacitus, but that dude is WAY too boring. Caesar and Christ (forgot the guy who wrote it, but it's in a series) was really interesting.

I've only read one thing by Steinbeck (The Pearl) and it was not so appealing to me.

[Grond]

J. R. R. Tolkien
Charles Dickens
Mark Twain
Tom Clancy
Frank Hebert
Anne McCaffrey
Tom Clancy
Robert Ludlum
Shibumi
Anne Rice
Stephen King
on and on and on

[Lantarion]

Fantasy-- Tolkien [the Lord of the Rings]
Suspense/Thriller-- Remes [Ruttokellot]
Poetry-- Poe, Tolkien [The Raven; Bath Song, Ode to Gandalf, etc.]
Comedy-- Adams [The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy Series]
Plays-- Shakespeare [Hamlet]
War/Action-- Clancy [Rainbow Six]
Comics-- Watterson [Calvin and Hobbes] You just have to love them!

Those are only my favorites, I like many authors.

[Tar-Steve]

Sci-Fi: Frank Herbert

I like Stephen King, Conan-Doyle, Ludlum but I can't take any stance on them because I haven't read enough from their "competition".

[Telchar]

J.R.R Tolkien
Douglas Adams
Frank Hebert
Jostein Gaarder

[Gilraen]

Euclid
Goscinny & Uderzo
TOLKEIN
Isabelle Allende
Vincent Cronin (historian)

but there are so many genres...

[Ciryaher]

Frank Herbert...I read Dune, and then started going through the series, but it go so incredibly boring and repetitive that I just gave up.

Issac Asimov is soooooooo much better than Herbert. I suggest anyone interested read the first two books in the Foundation series: 'Prelude to Foundation' and 'Forward the Foundation.' Plenty of excitement, and lots of emotion (the second book is very sad)

[Wyvern]

Dune is a good series, however Wheel of Time is horrible. I gave up on it on the third book, I mean really they kill the "dark lord" type guy and then "oh, it really isn't the real dark lord". For god sakes, and later in the series the white tower gets copied by a black(dark maybe, I didn't get that far) tower.

Robert Jordan is horrible.
Now Tolkien, he knew what he was doing =)


Wyvern

[YayGollum]

Star Wars - Timothy Zahn
fantasy - J.R.R. Tolkien

[sharkeysmate]

Comedy Fantasy - Terry Pratchett (I presume no one on this thread has heard of him - maybe he's not made it in the US but on this side of the pond he is hugely popular)
Thriller - Thomas Harris
Horror - James Herbert

I am afraid I am a bit of a Philistine when it comes to literature, hence the above list! (Tolkien excepted of course)

[Courtney]

Tolkien - science fiction
Jane Austin- classic author
Ray Bradbury- short stories, and he is one of the only American authors that I can tolerate.

[Bill the Pony]

A.A. Milne & E.H. Shepard
Winnie-the Pooh and The House at Pooh Corner are the best anti-stress books I've come across so far.

[Ciryaher]

Umm....Courtney, Tolkien is a Fantasy/Mythology novelist, not S.F.

[Courtney]

I always thought fantasy was included under science fiction, thank you for clearing this up for me.

[Tuor]

Poetry: tie between Poe and Tolkien

Plays: Shakespeare. I loved Hamlet

Sci-Fi: Frank Herbert, Michael Crichton, or Fred Saberhagen

Fantasy: Tolkien

Historical Fiction, Middle Ages: Louis L'Amour

Western: Louis L'Amour

Thrillers: Stephen King or Frank Peretti

[Tuor]

Mystery: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle

Sci Fi: forgot to mention Heinlein

Ciryahir: the first books in the Foundation Series are "Foundation" and "Foundation and Empire"

[Bryheinnen]

In my personal "holy trinity" of fantasy authors with a Christian leaning is Richard Adams.

If you haven't read his SHARDIK, it is an important read. This is a huge, flawed book, often tedious for long stretches, but like lightning in a fog, flashes with stark scenes of incredible mythic power.

The essence is, like Tolkien (an opinion some others on this board would like to deny) proto-Christian. But unlike LOTR which has, perhaps, more of a "New Testament" tone, SHARDIK is dark and brooding, like many segments of the Old Testament. The scenes at the end of the book, with the death of Shardik the aftermath, were for me at least, unforgettable, as powerful as anything I have ever read.


I also like my Horror---and other than the moderns, there is only reral great IMO, and that is H. P. Lovecraft. Like Tolkien he created a mythos, albeit a dark and disturbing one.

Another book worth reading in the horror genre if you can find it is Robert W. Chamber's Lovecraftian THE KING IN YELLOW.

I like King, and I also love Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy (CRYSTAL CAVE< HOLLOW HILLS< LAST ENCHANTMENT).

[HLGStrider]

I read the Jordan Wheel of Time books too and did find them more than a little confusing (Nearly unsettling). I stopped reading them because the main characters started taking off their clothing far too often which I found ridiculous and silly as well as immoral.
I like Mystery: Conan Doyle
Science Fiction: Jules Verne
Fairy Tales: George MacDonald
Scifi and theology: CS Lewis
Fantasy: Tolkien of course
Juvenile Fiction: Lloyd Alexander (If you haven't read the Pyridia Series you are MISSING OUT!!!!!)
Drama: Nathaniel Hathorne (Onle Read Scarlet letter and his wonder tales or whatever they are called.) I named my Cat after him (Nat)
Just plain Nonsense: Lewis Carrol.
Old Adventure: Walter Scott (I named my other cat Ivanhoe)

Of course, if I can't find what I want to read I just write something. I read my own writing more than other authors, which is probably bad (Never published anything. Really, I'm only mediocre, but I know how to make me happy.)

[SarumansTreason]

Sorry folks, Shakespeares over-rated. I do, however enjoy the works by communist Arthur Miller ( The Crucible).

I also enjoy War and Peace.
Mystery= Gaston Leaurx (Secret of the Yellow Room and The Phantom of the Opera)

Also read Victor Hugo (Les Miserables)

[HLGStrider]

"Sorry folks, Shakespeares over-rated. "????

I mean he's not the "god of plays", but he was a pretty good writer. Some of his stuff is really funny. I like Shakespeare.

[Bryheinnen]

but youy'd be AMAZED at how effective quoting lines from "Romeo and Juliet" was for me with the young ladies when I was in college...

;) :D

[HLGStrider]

Lover boy you....
I studied that play. Romeo was a real flake.
However, he had a knack for the poetic... I must admit. A boy'd get further with me quoting Faramir or even Han Solo... I used to have a real crush on Han Solo... :D Good luck with the girls, Bry.

[Bryheinnen]

Been married longer than I care to remember and had my 57th birthday on Christmas day....

*sigh* *double sigh*

...unless, of course, some pretty young thing on this board wants to come up to my place to see my etchings....

:D

[SarumansTreason]

Maybe if shakespeare could come up with an original idea. I mean, all his plays are basicilly the same thing. I'm not saying he's bad. He's just not as good as everyone says he is. He is long-winded, but so is Tolkien.

[fantasydude]

some of my favorite authors are:
michael moorcock
frank herbert
albert camus
kurt vonnegut
ray bradbury
isaac asimov
carl sagan
george orwell
j g ballard
william gibson
terry brooks
i could go on and on...

[Bryheinnen]

Why then do you bother to read Tolkien with his clearly religious undertone? Doesn't fit...

I LOATH Camus and ALL the existentialists...same with the Absurdists, and reasonably intellegent college sophomore can writer stuff just as good as trash like "The Stranger" or "The Bald Soprano"...

Vonnegut is a overrated jerk and Sagan's bloated reputation as an astronomer far outstripped his actual mediocre abilities...

and, of course, he was your standard Promethean God-hater.

[Branwen]

J.R.R.Tolkien
K.Vonegut
S.Rushdie
E.MGudmunsson
H.Hesse

[Ciryaher]

Tuor: Please make your knowledge of Asimov more up to date! The last two books that he wrote were Prelude to Foundation and Forward the Foundation which are both about the life of Hari Seldon and also include *muffles his mouth*

I find them to be my favorite works by Asimov and they are very exciting and emotional (the end of Forward is so sad...)

I suggest those two books to anyone who is a fan of good literature (not just S.F. fans, either)

[syongstar]

I also love Lucy Maud Montgomery and Robert Heinlein

[annatar]

J.R.R. TOLKIEN
H.P. Lovecraft
Theodore Sturgeon
Carl Sagan
Jostein Gaarder
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Verne
Cervantes
Arthur C Clark


Lately Dean R. Koontz & Katherine Neville

[TheJospeh]

Fantasy: Tolkien, everything else in the whole genre is just an imitation--often a poor one-of "the Lord of the Rings". The only people I know of who have made any digression is the wonderful Ursula LeGuinn (Fantasy as a vehicle for Eastern thought. Now that is really turning something on it shead), David Eddings (Heavily influenced by Tolkien but he uses sex quite a bit. He wasn't the first to do it but if you read his forward to the "Riven Codex" you will see that he is the proudest of having done it. What a delusional hack, even if he can write.), and Michael Mor****, I guess. However, whatever implications he had made in his first novel passed me by...too young I guess.

Science Fiction: Heinlein for "Stranger In A Strange Land". Frank Herbert for "Dune". Only the first book.

Classics: Every classic novel is, of course, good but if I had to choose a favourite author it would be F. Scott Fitzgerald. "The Great Gatsby" is the greatest romance of all time, in my humble and disputable opinion. As an add on, I wasn't aware college students could cut so accurately to the nature of existence. However, apparently they can if they can out-write Sartre and Camus. Sartre was a genius and it is a true testament to the time that within his lifespan the superior genius of Camus could come and refine his work.

Philosophical: Hermann Hesse, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Plato is cool but a tad too fascist for me ;).

Sincerely,
The Joseph

[daisy]

Joe,
I can't believe you let Bryheinnen off so easily after hre/she ripped your beloved existentialists to shreds - I coudn't be more proud of the little Joe.:)

I knew there are a pacifist in there.

Science-Fiction/fantasy - Anne McAfferey and her butt-kicking dragons and Menoly ( sorry about spelling)
Diana Gabaldon
Richard Grant

Mystery - Agatha Christie

Fiction, non-genre - Wally Lamb, Abby Frucht, Alice Munro, Catherine Young, Paul Auster.

And Shakespeare rocks - I see various themes that are similar - comedy of errors and such - but I dare anyone to not feel chills up and down their spine when watching a performance of King Lear, when Lear screams, Howl Howl Howl!!!" Yiiikkkeess!

daisy

[Grond]

It is indeed ironic that TheJoseph and I are so attuned in our love of authors. I am a fan of every single author he made reference to and have a few others to add. I agree with Daisy as I am an Anne McCaffrey freak and love the entire Dragonriders of Pern series. (My wife is reading them all as I post). I also love Mario Puzo of "The Godfather", "Fools Die" and "The Sicillian". James Clavell with "Shogun", "Tai-Pan" and "Noble House" to name a few. Most of James Michener's works (although they can get repetitive). I guess I grew up on Moor****'s the Swords series. Lastly, I really enjoyed Tom Clancy's "Hunt for Red October", "Red Storm Rising" and "Rainbow 6". Oops, almost forgot. Marion Zimmer Bradley (fantasy from a woman's perspective) and Jean Auel "Clan of the Cave Bear" series. Also Mary Stewart and her Arthurian novels "The Crystal Cave", "The Hollow Hills" and "The Last Enchantment". Gosh, I seem to like a lot of female authors. :confused:

I am very impressed with the author's you cited Joe. There is hope for you yet. :)

[HLGStrider]

Funny, I have never been fond of female authors... with a few exceptions, such as Baroness Ocrzy and Gail Carson Levine...

[Eriol]

It is amazing what browsing on old threads can unveil...

Here are my own fav authors/books, a lot of them will be probably unknown to many here:

Fantasy: Tolkien (duh)
Sci-fi: Arthur Clarke, Isaac Asimov
Mystery: Rex Stout
Classics: Dostoevsky, Tolstoy, Swift
Theology: St. Thomas Aquinas, C.S. Lewis, St. Augustine
Philosophy: Socrates (what glimpses we get from Plato's books), Aristotle, Kierkegaard, and Constantin Noica (here the first unknown);
Poetry: Fernando Pessoa, Vinicius de Moraes (more unknowns?)
Short essays: Nelson Rodrigues, Paulo Mendes Campos (still more...)
Juvenile: Monteiro Lobato
History: Thucydides' History of the Peloponesian War is the most gripping history book I have ever read :D