Please give a writer harder to put down than Dan Brown

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by bertold

Saying such a thing in a thread started, and regularly read, by someone
who likes Dan Brown, is discourteous....

Well, but you have to account, that some may have disagreements with statements such as : "If you are not counting on violence and sex, you will definitely count more on your brain. A great plus for Mr Dan Brown."

Or, with implying, that the disdain some show for Dan Brown, must be because of the apocryphal elements in his stories.

Or, the claim, that Dan Brown provides better thrills, than Umberto Eco (who is left to console himself with the title of "great scholar.")

Plus, even the "Harder To Put Down" part of the title, invites value judgements, including some which may be construed as put-downs....

P.S. Oh, and in fairness to dog poop, I must admit that picking up after my dog does not give me the urge to take a shower, but reading the "great talent" Dan Brown did.

[sprise]

It isn't my particular genre, so I can't speak from experience with these authors, but my father very much enjoyed the works of Ian Fleming, Clive Cussler and John le Carré.

Best of luck in your search for another book you can't put down!
Stephanie

[frui]

Hi, kacir.

I definitely agree that Digital Fortress and Deception Point are the weaker two among the available four, though I can't decide which is weaker, Digital Fortress or Deception Point.

(Spoiler warning) As many have said, Brown's desription of computer cryptography is obviously flawed. I felt the flaw when I was reading it. But even as I was ridiculing his errors, I was still greatly facinated. All the more reason why I should call Brown a great talent. He knows the trick few writers know. The clever interweaving of two plot threads, inside and outside NSA, is admirable, for a first time writer. The meltdown of the mainframe computer is laughable, but I was very tense when it did. Director Strathmore is a character hard to believe, but the ending is still explosive.

There are far greater amount of writers who can write in a very convicing way. You can believe every word they say. But, you just don't have the adrenalin rush.

Originally Posted by kacir

I have read all his works.
And I have criticized his works, especially Digital Fortress in another thread. You can look it up. Very civilized criticism ;-).

[frui]

John le Carré is a great spy thriller writer, my personal favourite. I read many of his fictions.
He has the English flavour. Gentleman like, a pace not in a hurry, but cutting edge at the critical moment.
I much prefer British thrillers to American thrillers. Sorry for the political incorrectness.
Ian Flemming, Frederick Forsyth, Ken Follett, John le Carre, Graham Greene..........yeh the last is a serious one, and John le Carre can be also quite serious at times.
Not to mention Conan Doyle, Agatha Christie, Dickens.......surely Dickens is a thriller writer right? lol
Maybe the only one British writer I don't like is J K Rowling.

For me Dan Brown is the one who single-handedly wins back the face for the American thriller writers in front of their British colleagues.

Originally Posted by sprise

It isn't my particular genre, so I can't speak from experience with these authors, but my father very much enjoyed the works of Ian Fleming, Clive Cussler and John le Carré.

Best of luck in your search for another book you can't put down!
Stephanie

[sprise]

Originally Posted by frui

I much prefer British thrillers to American thrillers. Sorry for the political incorrectness.

I don't consider that politically incorect in the least. I'm American and, as a whole, prefer British authors to their American counterparts. But that's just me ...

Stephanie

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by sprise

... I'm American and, as a whole, prefer British authors to their American counterparts....

As a whole?!

Some may argue, that as a whole, during the last century or so, and particularly its latter half, American writers have produced many definitive works, and perhaps better define those times in the world of literature.

But, of course, I may be speaking out of turn, since this is obviously a discussion focused on the amazing talent of Dan Brown.

[bertold]

Originally Posted by Sonist

P.S. Oh, and in fairness to dog poop, I must admit that picking up after my dog does not give me the urge to take a shower, but reading the "great talent" Dan Brown did.

No it didn't. You're just saying that, because you think it's witty
and clever. I hasten to inform you, that it is neither.

[sprise]

Originally Posted by Sonist

As a whole?!

Some may argue, that as a whole, during the last century or so, and particularly its latter half, American writers have produced many definitive works, and perhaps better define those times in the world of literature.

All I meant by my earlier statement is that in my experience, in the particular genres that I read, the authors/books that I have enjoyed the most have been British. I apologize if I came across as attacking every author in America -- that certainly wasn't my intention. I know this country has some very talented authors who have created some impressive works. I simply have found that I prefer the works of authors from the other side of the Atlantic.

Stephanie

[benham]

You have read Dick Francis then? Not too many better rhen him.

[b0ned0me]

Originally Posted by benham

You have read Dick Francis then? Not too many better rhen him.

Originally Posted by mikelvdb

4 Francis Dick Straight

Dick Francis is my favourite potboiler. His modus is pretty much:
Hunt out some moderately obscure occupation
Do a bit of research on it, enough to impress a layman
Sketch out a reasonably complex but believable scenario using the research
Set it somewhere vaguely horsey
Populate scenario with some semi-cardboard characters
Write it up in competent english
Profit

In my opinion, he's a true professional - no literary pretensions, but very good at producing lots of straightforward thrillers. Dan Brown could learn a lot from him.

David Gemmel is his equivalent in the fantasy genre - you know what you're going to get, and you know it won't be earthshakingly original, but it will be put together very well.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by frui

John le Carré is a great spy thriller writer, my personal favourite. I read many of his fictions.
He has the English flavour. Gentleman like, a pace not in a hurry, but cutting edge at the critical moment.
I much prefer British thrillers to American thrillers. Sorry for the political incorrectness.
Ian Flemming, Frederick Forsyth, Ken Follett, John le Carre, Graham Greene..........yeh the last is a serious one, and John le Carre can be also quite serious at times.

For spy books my favorite authors are Len Deighton and Anthony Price. The Anthony Price books a I have read at least three times and are currently on my fourth re-reading of all the books.

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by bertold

No it didn't. You're just saying that, because you think it's witty
and clever. I hasten to inform you, that it is neither.

Ah, but it really did.

Not all of us are as immune to the smell of bad literature, or of authors, who assume that the IQ of the audience is less than their waist-size.

I wonder why you missed my witticism...?

[kacir]

Originally Posted by b0ned0me

Dick Francis is my favourite potboiler. His modus is pretty much:
Hunt out some moderately obscure occupation
Do a bit of research on it, enough to impress a layman

Actually, this part used to be done by his wife. After she died, Mr. Francis said he will not write anymore.

Originally Posted by b0ned0me

Sketch out a reasonably complex but believable scenario using the research
Set it somewhere vaguely horsey
Populate scenario with some semi-cardboard characters
Write it up in competent english
Profit

In my opinion, he's a true professional - no literary pretensions, but very good at producing lots of straightforward thrillers. Dan Brown could learn a lot from him.

I am a bookworm.
Very soon after starting to learn English I got an idea I would start reading in English in order to improve my understanding. So I went to the "foreign branch" of local library here in my town and started checking out "simplified editions", level 1. As my vocabulary and skills increased I was checking out more and more complex levels. I ate my way through entire collection of simplified editions (there were not THAT many) and took home the last and most difficult one - Call of the wild by Jack London. Oh boy! I couldn't understand half of it, even with a dictionary(*) in my hand. So I returned it and started browsing, hopelessly through those few hundred English books our "foreign branch" had available. My eyes fell on a book by Dick Francis and I said to myself: "What the heck! I am going to give it a try". So I took it home ... and ... read it in one sitting! This has literally changed my life! Only much, much later I realized I could not have picked up a better author as my "THE first ever English book to be read *and* enjoyed". After I finished all the English books by Dick Francis, I started checking out other stuff. I was only able to read a small fraction of them initially, and if it was not for Dick Francis and his beautiful straightforward English combined with great suspense writing I would have given up reading English books for quite a few years.
Later on I have read my way through the entire English collection(**) in our English branch and discovered e-books. But that is another story ...

Originally Posted by b0ned0me

David Gemmel is his equivalent in the fantasy genre - you know what you're going to get, and you know it won't be earthshakingly original, but it will be put together very well.

I will definitely have a look at his books.

(*) That was my first and also the last attempt to read a book with a dictionary ;-)

(**) if you leave out classics printed in Soviet Union, romances and books for young boys and girls there were not more than 1000 books there.

[bertold]

Originally Posted by Sonist

I wonder why you missed my witticism...?

I have a habit of missing things that don't exist.

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by bertold

I have a habit of missing things that don't exist.

Who am I, to question the habits of strangers...?

But I am beginning to understand, why you stick with Dan Brown.