Please give a writer harder to put down than Dan Brown

[Eric C]

Ni hao, Frui, and good luck with your hunt for a Dan Brown replacement. With Dan Brown one has to not only willingly suspend disbelief, to use the Coleridge phrase, but willingly suspend interest in characterization and description and historical accuracy and probably more. But there's nothing wrong with that. I've read everything the man has written because I think his strengths--premise, story, suspense, pacing, plot twists--are impressive and damn entertaining. I can and do read Cormac McCarthy and Raymond Chandler and many other elitist-approved authors old and new whenever I'm in a different kind of mood, and it sounds as though that's what you do too. (I have to think the elitists suffer from some kind of deficit not to be able to grasp Brown's incredibly broad appeal.)

I'm having a hard time thinking of a similar author though to replace Brown. The best I can do is Michael Crichton, who wrote pacy, cerebral thrill rides, mostly science thrillers. His early stuff is mostly forgotten but there are some early gems, and Jurassic Park is his best, a classic of its kind. I agree with the verdict here on Folsom's The Day After Tomorrow. A Brown fan would likely enjoy that one. There are a few Koontz novels I think you would enjoy, especially Velocity.

Eric Christopherson
Indie author of "Crack-Up"
Available on Kindle

[AnemicOak]

You might like Barry Eisler's John Rain series or Vince Flynn's Mitch Rapp series.

[montsnmags]

The Loved One was reading a fair bit of Clive Cussler at one stage, until he started to get "Repetitive Plot Syndrome". I get the impression that they're "Mysterious mystery meets muckraking Man's Man meets monstrous megolomaniacs or military monocracies", though I could be wrong. Either way, they seemed to be quite readable (in that The Loved One also enjoyed Dan Brown for the same reason - light, easy, readability).

Cheers,
Marc

[PhishStyx]

I just noticed this thread, but if you like Brown, I think you will almost certainly like Michael Crichton better.

[Verencat]

Originally Posted by ahi

How about Umberto Eco...

Seconded.

I know it probably has been mentioned before, but I barely skimmed the thread so here: Discworld! Ever since I started the series, my nights have gotten considerably shorter!

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Verencat

Seconded.

I know it probably has been mentioned before, but I barely skimmed the thread so here: Discworld! Ever since I started the series, my nights have gotten considerably shorter!

Thirded, but Robert Rankin is a league above Pratchett when it comes to funny. Who can forget Barry the Time Sprout that lives inside Elvis's head, or Hugo Rune, or Pooley & O'Malley (well, who can forget who's read the stories that is).

[frui]

Hi, Eric. Thank you for the response. I think you understand me. You are not against the elitist, but you have great tolerance for Dan Brown, can even appreciate him.
I've read Michael Crichton' Jurassic Park, Timeline, and Prey. They are exciting page turners. I certainly enjoy reading them, but not as much as Dan Brown's. I think they are even more shallow than Dan's works. People are talking about Dan's cardboard characters, but at least he has someone, say Robert Langdon, whose fate we readers do care. Robert Langdon has some wits, some humor, quite a lot knowlege, and a hint of love affair with the heroine. None of such things in Crichton's works. No characters there, no one, nothing, nil. It has only technologies, unfortunately the technologies themselves are a bit dated, compared with the cutting edge things in scifi. There are absolutely no depth in Crichton's works.
Am I a little picky? How can I be picky if I can put up with all the obvious flaws of Dan Brown, and can be easily pleased with his simple plot devices and shallow characters? But I do have less tolerance towards other pop writers. Maybe there is something wrong with me. I just don't know.
I am not psychologically hypnotized by Dan's fame. When I first read Da Vinci Code, it had just come out and had not accumulated the great popularity yet. Still it's love at first sight.

[Verencat]

Originally Posted by Moejoe

Thirded, but Robert Rankin is a league above Pratchett when it comes to funny. Who can forget Barry the Time Sprout that lives inside Elvis's head, or Hugo Rune, or Pooley & O'Malley (well, who can forget who's read the stories that is).

Interesting precision!
Then I'll guess I'll need to read those someday - but after Discworld, I just can't stop now.

[Moejoe]

Originally Posted by Verencat

Interesting precision!
Then I'll guess I'll need to read those someday - but after Discworld, I just can't stop now.

You'll love Rankin, some of his books actually leave me gasping for air

[montsnmags]

Originally Posted by frui

...
Am I a little picky? How can I be picky if I can put up with all the obvious flaws of Dan Brown, and can be easily pleased with his simple plot devices and shallow characters? But I do have less tolerance towards other pop writers. Maybe there is something wrong with me. I just don't know.
...

Stop worrying yourself, frui.

I see it like this...

I like to think of myself as someone who can both cook and appreciate good food, put together with high quality ingredients and superb craftsmanship (well, not my own craftsmanship; more at restaurants for that bit ). Saying that, there are some nights when I'd kill everyone within a 5 mile radius for a McDonalds M&M McFlurry.

Is there something wrong with me? I don't know either, but, more to the point, I don't care. I'm not eating the icecream for other people.

Enjoy what you enjoy, and if, from all the suggestions, you find another writer that gives you such pleasure, good for you. Criticism is for guidance, not for prescription. Take what you want and leave the rest where it lies.

...and best of luck with your search.

Cheers,
Marc

[frui]

Talking about Michael Crichton, I just finished reading a similar science thriller, Fragments, by Warren Fahy. I would not recommend this to anyone here. Scientists discovered an island which had been separated from other parts of the earth for millions of years. Evolution of creatures there went in a different road. Sounds like Crichton? More or less. But this writer is quite amateurish. He just can't handle an idea which could really shine at Crichton's hands.
Still I finished it. It's a shame. Sometimes we just can't control ourselves and have to go through something. But that's not the feeling after I finish Dan Brown's works, which give nothing but satisfaction.

[frui]

Yeh montsnmags. I think you have a very good point here. There is nothing wrong with Dan Brown, just as there is nothing wrong with a big Mac.
I feel much better now.

Originally Posted by montsnmags

Stop worrying yourself, frui.

I see it like this...

Cheers,
Marc

[Sonist]

Originally Posted by frui

Should I mention there are very little violence in Dan Brown's fictions. No sex.
If you are not counting on violence and sex, you will definitely count more on your brain. A great plus for Mr Dan Brown.

Man, (or woman....)

You have the hots for Dan Brown. Or you are his mother. Or you are Dan Brown.

Brains are largely detrimental to enjoying Dan Brown's writing, or stories, IMO.

And really, what's wrong with sex...?

[frui]

Nothing is wrong with sex. I like sex. No problem.
But I see a lot writers use sex just as aginomoto to enhance the flavour of a dish, in a artificial way.

Say Ken Follett. He is one of my favourite writer. But there are too much graphic violence and sex in his fictions. The violence and sex are not an organic and integral part of the story. They are there as if the writer wants to stimulate the readers out of their boredom.

The same could also be said of Sidney Sheldon, who is also a favourite of mine.

Am I against sex in a novel? Absolutely not. I remember some wonderful moments in some Chinese Martial Art fictions by Jin Yong and Gu Long when pornographic descriptions are pivotal to the development of the stories. That's sheer enjoyment!

Originally Posted by Sonist

Man, (or woman....)

You have the hots for Dan Brown. Or you are his mother. Or you are Dan Brown.

Brains are largely detrimental to enjoying Dan Brown's writing, or stories, IMO.

And really, what's wrong with sex...?

[BlackVoid]

Try Joe Abercrombie. Best served Cold is a good place to start. Dark fantasy with deep characters, plenty of action, nice plot twists and a good pace.

A bit closer to Dan Brown is Robert Ludlum, his Bourne series is also a page turner.