Favourite author(s) and why? - Page 2

SteveEisenberg · 02-23-2012, 10:02 PM

Is there a reason why this web site is so geared to fiction? I can't get good statistics on this, but general consensus seems to be that Nonfiction sells a lot more than fiction. And yet you look at this thread, and, unless I am missing something, it's all fiction.

Not that there's anything terrible about that.

As for favorite authors and why, I like to feel that I am getting in touch with what humanity is really like. And even to sometimes cry about the fate of a character, or of us all.

If I answered the OP question on seven days of the week, I'd give seven different answers, and I feel a little guilty how male this particular list turned out, but here's mine for tonight:

Non-fiction:

Hernando de Soto Polar
Erik Larson
Winston Churchill
and for today's US reality, one hit wonder Bill Bishop

Fiction:

Charlotte Brontë
Richard Russo
Anthony Trollope

Lately I'm reading a lot of Faye Kellerman (on book 5 of her 20 or so title series). I care about her characters much more than the norm for mystery books, and I like that the plots are simple enough for me to follow. But I'm not sure I trust her to be telling the truth about her characters rather than what she thinks will keep me reading.

RainingLemur · 02-23-2012, 10:32 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Pullar

I'll give a second on Dean Koontz, but also James Patterson, as my top two, but manny many others as well. I love the strange twist the Koontz uses in many of his books, and the realism in some of pattersons.

One of my favorite of Koontz's books was Tick Tock. It was just so...out there. I loved every second of that one.

Another author that I admired growing up was R.L. Stine. I probably read every single Goosebumps book he ever wrote, and some of the Ghosts of Fear Street/Fear Street. Granted, the stories aren't anything special anymore (but I still have some of my old favorites that I hope my boys will get into when they get older), I still have to admire the man for writing a bajillion books.

caleb72 · 02-24-2012, 01:19 AM

I have lots of favourites, but if pushed I name China Mieville.

I started with The Scar and was astounded by the wonder of the world he created and the amazing characters he people it with. I then read Perdido Street Station and was further blown away by New Crobuzon and its chaos, politics and heroes. Iron Council acted to solidify my belief that Mieville was a genious but I was wary of the "set everything in the world you created" problem that made me dump Raymond Feist from my TBR list.

But all was well with Un Lun Dun, King Rat and the masterful The City and The City - the last of those leaving me totally gobsmacked.

I have Embassytown and Kraken but haven't got around to reading either of them yet. I'll definitely read at least one of them by the end of this year.

I believe at this stage that I will buy whatever he publishes at whatever price is set as soon as I see it. I can't say that for too many authors.

There are a few that would fit in my favourite list though: Connie Willis, Neal Stephenson and Barbara Vine for example.

G.A.McUrso · 02-24-2012, 01:55 AM

Poul Anderson and James Shmitz because they are entertaining and appeal to my sense of wonder. Robert Heinlein for his ability to raise interesting questions about the future of human society with losing sight of the importance of Honor and duty. Thorne Smith who gave us some of the funniest fantasy humor stories to ever see the light of day. Max Shulman another creator of drop dead funny novels that featured all too human characters dealing with the complexities of modern life. Louis Lamour, Max Brand and J.T. Edson who gave us entertaining stories of an American west that never was but should have been and Robert E. Howard who presented us with a colorful world full of Majestic warriors facing down evils from a time before man ever existed.

fjtorres · 02-24-2012, 07:59 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SteveEisenberg

I can't get good statistics on this, but general consensus seems to be that Nonfiction sells a lot more than fiction[/url]. And yet you look at this thread, and, unless I am missing something, it's all fiction.

1- This site is populated primarily by ebook readers.
2- Non-fiction sales includes cookbooks, reference material, textbooks, travel guides, technical guides, self-help, and other material not generally available in ebook form.
3- This particular thread is about favorite authors; few non-fiction writers ever develop the kind of name recognition/following that accrues to even mid-list genre writers. If you look at the quoted names most are long-time veterans and/or prolific writers who have built strong followings over time.

Much as I appreciate the insightful works of Jared Diamond, Desmond Morris, Michio Kaku, Philip Bobbit, or Stauss&Howe, their total collected output doesn't add up to as significant a part of my reading history as Lois McMaster Bujold by herself. I like their works, I'll readily recommend them to anybody interested in their areas of expertise, but their appeal is a lot narrower and specific than a quality fiction writer.

Isaac Asimov once pointed out a very insightful and well-received article he wrote in the 60's about Neutron Stars, explaining the concepts and principles governing them. He also pointed out that Larry Niven went out and wrote a short story (NEUTRON STAR) that covered the same material, won a Hugo Award, and would reach a lot more people and be remembered long after his article was forgotten.

Humans, as a rule, value entertainment over education.

Ekaros · 02-24-2012, 08:09 AM

Pratchett and Harrison, maybe Douglas Adams. I have to widen my base somewhat to give more exact comparison for rest of bigger names...

HomeInMyShoes · 02-24-2012, 08:17 AM

I'll give a nod for James Gleick. I really enjoyed Chaos and The Information has been entertaining so far.

As far as cookbooks go, I like Michael Smith Chef at Home, Moosewoods Cooks at Home and Low-Fat Favourites, and I'm really enjoying Rick Bayless's Everyday Mexican.

Belfaborac · 02-24-2012, 09:55 AM

A small selection:

China Mièville - for the exact same reasons given by caleb72 above. One of today's very best writers and "creators of worlds/societies" as far as I'm concerned.

Alexandre Dumas - for delivering massive amounts of fun, adventure and intrigue in a historical setting I love.

Fyodor Dostoyevsky - for his unparalleled explorations of human psychology, morality, god, free will and more in a stark and oppressive society.

John Julius Norwich - for writing both entertainingly and authoritatively about Byzantine history, which nobody had done before him.

Shelby Foote - for the definitive, exhaustive and extremely readable account of the American Civil War.

Patrick Balfour, 3rd Baron Kinross - for writing entertainingly and authoritatively about the Ottoman Empire and Asia Minor in general.

Stephen Pressfield - for writing imaginative, gripping and likely very accurate re-imaginings of important events in ancient history.

Yapyap · 02-24-2012, 10:50 AM

Alexandre Dumas (and to a lesser extent Jules Verne) - for filling my childhood with endless adventure and awe and sheer fun.

Jane Austen - for making me realise, in my late teens / early twenties, that books that are, essentially, romance, can be a whole lot of fun as well, and for giving me a whole lot of joy in the subtle humour she was so good at.

Derek Landy (and to a lesser extent JK Rowling) - for filling my adulthood with fun and excitement and adventure and awe and sheer fun, and for making me realise that even now, that I'm closer to forty than thirty, I can still find endless amounts of enjoyment in make-believe worlds and flights of fancy.

And a whole long list of other authors, hundreds of them, whose work I've read and enjoyed and delighted in over the years. (And yes, they're all writers of fiction. I've read my share of non-fiction for pleasure, mostly back when I was young and had the energy and desire to read for the sake of learning stuff, unlike now that work leaves my brain too tired for that, but I rarely paid attention to who wrote the history or astronomy books I picked up.)

Pulpmeister · 02-24-2012, 10:52 AM

Boy, a tough one, because my private measure of "favourite" is not just an author whose next book I want to read, but an author whose books I want to read again - and again. And have done. Which means some of my favourite authors are represented by just one book.

Dickens: Great Expectations. Read it many times.
Terry Pratchett
Dick Francis
Bill Bryson
Agatha Christie
Carl Hiassen
Arthur C Clarke, preferably early ones: Earthlight, Sands of Mars, Childhoods End, City and the Stars etc.
Asimov: fiction and non-fiction
Heinlein, but selectively: Moon is a Harsh Mistress; Green Hills of Earth, a few others
Various early Crime and Detective writers such as John Dickson Carr, Dashiell Hammett, Ray Chandler, Edgar Wallace's better ones, Sherlock of course - the master of the short story.
Arthur W Upfield

A motley crew, really.

Tomorrow the list might be different, but not a lot.

Oh - some schoolday stuff still lingers: Treasure Island, King Solomon's Mines, and like adventure stories.

Pinecone · 02-25-2012, 09:26 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by theducks

My favorite author: Subject to change without notice

I find that the two things that make an author good to me is 1) Great characters and character development and 2) A good story, with twists and turns.

But ones I find myself going back to or anxiously awaiting new titles:

Robert Heinlein
Isaac Asimov
David Drake
Lee Child
W.E.B. Griffin
Clive Cussler
Tom Clancy (except Executive Orders

)
David Baldacci (most)
Jeffrey Deaver
Nelson DeMille
Vince Flynn
Brad Thor
Ken Follett
Dick Francis
Tony Hillerman
James P. Hogan
J. A. Jance
Alistair MacLean
Larry Niven and/or Jerry Pournelle
John Sandford
Jefferson Bass
Stephen Coonts
Richard Herman
Michael Crichton
John D. MacDonald
Donald Hamilton
Martin Caiden

Others that I really enjoy, but not in the top group:

James Rollins
Matthew Reilly
Douglas Preston and/or Lincoln Child
Stuart Woods
Alex Berenson
C.J. Box
Michael Connelly
Ian Douglas
Janet Evanovich
Laura Lippman
Robert Ludlum
Sara Peretsky
Perri O'Shaughnessy
Sue Grafton
Elane Viets
John Grisham
Harry Harrison
Arthur Clarke
Stephen Hunter
Keith Laumer
John R. Maxim
Robin Cook
Dale Brown
Jack DuBrul
Ed MacBain
Brad Meltzer
Kyle Mills
David Morrell
Michael Palmer
James Patterson (Alex Cross and Women's Murder Club)
Tami Hoag (her not quite romance books)
E.E. "Doc" Smith
David Sherman and Daniel Cragg
Martin Cruz Smith
Eric van Lustbader
James White
Stephen White

RDaneel54 · 02-25-2012, 10:58 AM

Some new, some old:

History:

Shelby Foote for making the Civil War interesting.

Winston Churchill for giving a detailed perspective of World War II from the top.

Science Fiction:

New to me:

Connie Willis for taking my breath away.

Nathan Lowell for making me feel at home in a spaceship.

David Weber's Honor Harrington for giving me a series that doesn't get old with characters that grow, change, get hurt, die and love.

Old favorites:

Robert Heinlein for giving me science fiction in the first place.

Isaac Asimov for making robots interesting (note my Avatar).

Mysteries:

Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for the unparalleled world of Sherlock Holmes.

Rex Stout for witty sarcasm in the character of Archie Goodwin.

Anne Perry for Victorian mysteries that paint a detailed world.

Ed McBain for the best in police procedurals.

Westerns:

Louis L'Amour whose works I devoured in one year once I discovered him, then reread and reread because I realized he new the ground and told it well.

02-23-2012, 10:02 PM	#16
SteveEisenberg Grand Sorcerer Posts: 7,368 Karma: 42994616 Join Date: Jun 2008 Location: near Philadelphia USA Device: Kindle Kids Edition, Fire HD 10 (11th generation)	Is there a reason why this web site is so geared to fiction? I can't get good statistics on this, but general consensus seems to be that Nonfiction sells a lot more than fiction. And yet you look at this thread, and, unless I am missing something, it's all fiction. Not that there's anything terrible about that. As for favorite authors and why, I like to feel that I am getting in touch with what humanity is really like. And even to sometimes cry about the fate of a character, or of us all. If I answered the OP question on seven days of the week, I'd give seven different answers, and I feel a little guilty how male this particular list turned out, but here's mine for tonight: Non-fiction: Hernando de Soto Polar Erik Larson Winston Churchill and for today's US reality, one hit wonder Bill Bishop Fiction: Charlotte Brontë Richard Russo Anthony Trollope Lately I'm reading a lot of Faye Kellerman (on book 5 of her 20 or so title series). I care about her characters much more than the norm for mystery books, and I like that the plots are simple enough for me to follow. But I'm not sure I trust her to be telling the truth about her characters rather than what she thinks will keep me reading. Last edited by SteveEisenberg; 02-23-2012 at 10:22 PM.

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02-24-2012, 01:19 AM	#18
caleb72 Indie Advocate Posts: 2,863 Karma: 18794463 Join Date: Sep 2010 Location: Melbourne, Australia Device: Kindle	I have lots of favourites, but if pushed I name China Mieville. I started with The Scar and was astounded by the wonder of the world he created and the amazing characters he people it with. I then read Perdido Street Station and was further blown away by New Crobuzon and its chaos, politics and heroes. Iron Council acted to solidify my belief that Mieville was a genious but I was wary of the "set everything in the world you created" problem that made me dump Raymond Feist from my TBR list. But all was well with Un Lun Dun, King Rat and the masterful The City and The City - the last of those leaving me totally gobsmacked. I have Embassytown and Kraken but haven't got around to reading either of them yet. I'll definitely read at least one of them by the end of this year. I believe at this stage that I will buy whatever he publishes at whatever price is set as soon as I see it. I can't say that for too many authors. There are a few that would fit in my favourite list though: Connie Willis, Neal Stephenson and Barbara Vine for example.

02-24-2012, 01:55 AM	#19
G.A.McUrso Junior Member Posts: 3 Karma: 10 Join Date: Jan 2012 Device: Ectaco Jetbook Mini	Poul Anderson and James Shmitz because they are entertaining and appeal to my sense of wonder. Robert Heinlein for his ability to raise interesting questions about the future of human society with losing sight of the importance of Honor and duty. Thorne Smith who gave us some of the funniest fantasy humor stories to ever see the light of day. Max Shulman another creator of drop dead funny novels that featured all too human characters dealing with the complexities of modern life. Louis Lamour, Max Brand and J.T. Edson who gave us entertaining stories of an American west that never was but should have been and Robert E. Howard who presented us with a colorful world full of Majestic warriors facing down evils from a time before man ever existed.

02-24-2012, 08:09 AM	#21
Ekaros Illiterate newbie Posts: 661 Karma: 1702090 Join Date: Dec 2011 Location: Finland Device: Sony PRS-T1	Pratchett and Harrison, maybe Douglas Adams. I have to widen my base somewhat to give more exact comparison for rest of bigger names...

02-24-2012, 08:17 AM	#22
HomeInMyShoes Grand Sorcerer Posts: 19,226 Karma: 67780237 Join Date: Jul 2011 Device: none	I'll give a nod for James Gleick. I really enjoyed Chaos and The Information has been entertaining so far. As far as cookbooks go, I like Michael Smith Chef at Home, Moosewoods Cooks at Home and Low-Fat Favourites, and I'm really enjoying Rick Bayless's Everyday Mexican.

02-24-2012, 09:55 AM	#23
Belfaborac Wizard Posts: 1,498 Karma: 5199835 Join Date: May 2010 Location: Norway Device: Sony PRS-505, PRS-950	A small selection: China Mièville - for the exact same reasons given by caleb72 above. One of today's very best writers and "creators of worlds/societies" as far as I'm concerned. Alexandre Dumas - for delivering massive amounts of fun, adventure and intrigue in a historical setting I love. Fyodor Dostoyevsky - for his unparalleled explorations of human psychology, morality, god, free will and more in a stark and oppressive society. John Julius Norwich - for writing both entertainingly and authoritatively about Byzantine history, which nobody had done before him. Shelby Foote - for the definitive, exhaustive and extremely readable account of the American Civil War. Patrick Balfour, 3rd Baron Kinross - for writing entertainingly and authoritatively about the Ottoman Empire and Asia Minor in general. Stephen Pressfield - for writing imaginative, gripping and likely very accurate re-imaginings of important events in ancient history.

02-24-2012, 10:50 AM	#24
Yapyap Guru Posts: 861 Karma: 3543721 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Estonia Device: Kindle Paperwhite, iPad 3, Samsung Galaxy S7 Edge	Alexandre Dumas (and to a lesser extent Jules Verne) - for filling my childhood with endless adventure and awe and sheer fun. Jane Austen - for making me realise, in my late teens / early twenties, that books that are, essentially, romance, can be a whole lot of fun as well, and for giving me a whole lot of joy in the subtle humour she was so good at. Derek Landy (and to a lesser extent JK Rowling) - for filling my adulthood with fun and excitement and adventure and awe and sheer fun, and for making me realise that even now, that I'm closer to forty than thirty, I can still find endless amounts of enjoyment in make-believe worlds and flights of fancy. And a whole long list of other authors, hundreds of them, whose work I've read and enjoyed and delighted in over the years. (And yes, they're all writers of fiction. I've read my share of non-fiction for pleasure, mostly back when I was young and had the energy and desire to read for the sake of learning stuff, unlike now that work leaves my brain too tired for that, but I rarely paid attention to who wrote the history or astronomy books I picked up.)

02-24-2012, 10:52 AM	#25
Pulpmeister Wizard Posts: 2,791 Karma: 29144810 Join Date: Nov 2011 Location: Perth Western Australia Device: kindle	Boy, a tough one, because my private measure of "favourite" is not just an author whose next book I want to read, but an author whose books I want to read again - and again. And have done. Which means some of my favourite authors are represented by just one book. Dickens: Great Expectations. Read it many times. Terry Pratchett Dick Francis Bill Bryson Agatha Christie Carl Hiassen Arthur C Clarke, preferably early ones: Earthlight, Sands of Mars, Childhoods End, City and the Stars etc. Asimov: fiction and non-fiction Heinlein, but selectively: Moon is a Harsh Mistress; Green Hills of Earth, a few others Various early Crime and Detective writers such as John Dickson Carr, Dashiell Hammett, Ray Chandler, Edgar Wallace's better ones, Sherlock of course - the master of the short story. Arthur W Upfield A motley crew, really. Tomorrow the list might be different, but not a lot. Oh - some schoolday stuff still lingers: Treasure Island, King Solomon's Mines, and like adventure stories.

02-25-2012, 10:58 AM	#27
RDaneel54 Aging Positronic Brain Posts: 633 Karma: 2155452 Join Date: Jul 2008 Location: Aurora (when off-Earth) Device: Amazon Oasis; iPhone, iPad Mini	Some new, some old: History: Shelby Foote for making the Civil War interesting. Winston Churchill for giving a detailed perspective of World War II from the top. Science Fiction: New to me: Connie Willis for taking my breath away. Nathan Lowell for making me feel at home in a spaceship. David Weber's Honor Harrington for giving me a series that doesn't get old with characters that grow, change, get hurt, die and love. Old favorites: Robert Heinlein for giving me science fiction in the first place. Isaac Asimov for making robots interesting (note my Avatar). Mysteries: Sir Arthur Conan Doyle for the unparalleled world of Sherlock Holmes. Rex Stout for witty sarcasm in the character of Archie Goodwin. Anne Perry for Victorian mysteries that paint a detailed world. Ed McBain for the best in police procedurals. Westerns: Louis L'Amour whose works I devoured in one year once I discovered him, then reread and reread because I realized he new the ground and told it well.