Blasphemy! No one mentioned Tom Clancy yet? This guy knows his stuff. Not only is the Jack Ryan series one of the most famous plot lines in modern writing (Hunt for the Red October, Rainbow Six, Patriot Games, Executive Order, Clear and Present Danger, Sum of All Fears, etc) but his nonfiction books are great as well.

 

 

 

By the way, anyone who likes modern combat or has ever played a Command and Conquer game, needs to read "Red Storm Rising". Yes, that's an arrogant sentence, but it is the quintessential book describing how WWIII would play out if nuclear arms were not used. The battle between Russia, the US, Europe, etc is described in amazing depth with modern day planes/tanks/ships having battles across land air and sea.

 

 

 

The book was written with such accuracy that soon after it was published Tom Clancy was invited to dine with the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs. Pretty amazing really.

I could never get into most of the Tom Clancy books. I did read a series of shorter books that had something to do with a MMORPG type of game, this was a good 6 years ago. Seemed kind of crazy then, but from what I can remember now, it's not all that crazy.

Alexander Dumas(The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers)/Sir Arthur Conan Doyle(Sherlock Holmes)

 

 

 

I doubt I will ever hold another author in higher regard than I do these two.

Alexander Dumas(The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers)/Sir Arthur Conan Doyle(Sherlock Holmes)

 

 

 

I doubt I will ever hold another author in higher regard than I do these two.

 

*nods in agreement*

 

While I was never a fan of mystery novels, I can attest to 'Monte Cristo as a masterpiece of a literary work. If nothing else, it is the best revenge story ever told.

Alexander Dumas(The Count of Monte Cristo and The Three Musketeers)/Sir Arthur Conan Doyle(Sherlock Holmes)

 

 

 

I doubt I will ever hold another author in higher regard than I do these two.

 

I read "a study in scarlet", i think thats where watson meets Sherlock. it was okay, I guess.

I love Noam Chomsky's stuff, but it can be a bit dry at times.

 

 

 

For entertainment's sake I say Tolkein, Daniel Silva, Lee Child... Maybe Dan Brown. In terms of actual writing ability I also enjoy Hemingway, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Philip Pullman, and of course Shakespeare.

My favorite author is either John Grisham or David Baldacci. Both write such excellent thrillers, they're books are engrossing to read.

Blasphemy! No one mentioned Tom Clancy yet? This guy knows his stuff. Not only is the Jack Ryan series one of the most famous plot lines in modern writing (Hunt for the Red October, Rainbow Six, Patriot Games, Executive Order, Clear and Present Danger, Sum of All Fears, etc) but his nonfiction books are great as well.

 

 

 

By the way, anyone who likes modern combat or has ever played a Command and Conquer game, needs to read "Red Storm Rising". Yes, that's an arrogant sentence, but it is the quintessential book describing how WWIII would play out if nuclear arms were not used. The battle between Russia, the US, Europe, etc is described in amazing depth with modern day planes/tanks/ships having battles across land air and sea.

 

 

 

The book was written with such accuracy that soon after it was published Tom Clancy was invited to dine with the Secretary of Defense and the Joint Chiefs. Pretty amazing really.

 

 

 

Beat me to it :P

 

 

 

I've read most, if not all of his stuff. It's hard to say which is my favourite, they're all so gripping, especially those last few hundred pages.

 

 

 

For popular science, i'd say Richard Dawkins and Roger Penrose are two of my favourites. Penrose can be a bit baffling at times but it's worth it for those rare moments where it all clicks and he makes you feel like a genius.

 

 

 

For "children's" fiction I still Philip Pullman is the best out there, his books have a depth that blows Rowling out of the water. I enjoyed Garth Nix's books as well.

 

 

 

I haven't read that many classics yet, but of the ones I have, [bleep]ens appeals to me most. Does Shakespeare count? He's more of a playwright to me. And of course, Tolkien.

Louis Couperus, a Dutch writer from the beginning of the 20th century.

Easily John Grisham. The Summons, The King of Torts, The Rainmaker, and many others are all excellent reads. He mixes his knowledge of law with a bit of thriller to create a very good combination.

Kurt Vonnegut probably.

 

+1 RIP

 

Haruki Murakami is also one of my favorites

Robert Harris and John Grisham is awesome; best crime novels on the planet are by that man :D

In addition to George Orwell, I'd like to mention Christopher Hitchens.

Easily John Grisham. The Summons, The King of Torts, The Rainmaker, and many others are all excellent reads. He mixes his knowledge of law with a bit of thriller to create a very good combination.

 

 

 

Gotta agree with this one, truely love Grisham's works.

Bill Bryson :o

J.K. Rowling and Clive Barker...

 

best authors evah

J.K. Rowling and Clive Barker...

 

best authors evah

 

 

 

Uuuh.. J.K Rowling, she did Harry Potter (which is ftl)

J.R.R. Tolkien. Call me a fanboy if you want, but I've got the LOTR series, the Hobbit, pretty much all of the "Lost tales" books, The Silmarillion, and especially the newer book that his son assembled from his writings "The Children of Hurin." I finished reading "The Children of Hurin" about three days ago, and it's an awesome book for those that like Tolkien.

Robert Jordan. He creates a rich world with many, many rich characters and manages to maintain multiple plotlines, managing both to advance them, intertwine them, and not lose sight of the main plot. I can't wait for him to finish the last book in the series, but man, am I going to hate reading the final chapter...

 

 

 

 

 

(And how's JK Rowling only writing Harry Potter not a feather in her hat? A fair of the other authors mentioned trudged along making novels that gained fairly little recognition until they got the big break. Surely managing to get the big break on your first novel means you're good)

Robert Jordan. He creates a rich world with many, many rich characters and manages to maintain multiple plotlines, managing both to advance them, intertwine them, and not lose sight of the main plot. I can't wait for him to finish the last book in the series, but man, am I going to hate reading the final chapter...

 

 

 

 

 

(And how's JK Rowling only writing Harry Potter not a feather in her hat? A fair of the other authors mentioned trudged along making novels that gained fairly little recognition until they got the big break. Surely managing to get the big break on your first novel means you're good)

 

 

 

:shame:

 

 

 

 

 

Go back and read "The Philosophers Stone", as a stand alone book. It's not that good. The series is amazing and you can see how Rowling improved as an author. I'm not aware of many authors who's later work doesn't surpass there debut novels. Rowling was quite lucky to get her break, a lot of publishers turned her down before she got it. Also, undeniably, part of getting "breaks" is luck. Although talent is of course also required.

 

 

 

Rowling is a good childrens author, at the moment, I see no evidence that makes me think you could compare her to adult novelists such as Stephen King, Tolkien or any others.

 

 

 

Back on topic. I have too many. James Clavells author of "Shogun" which is just an amazing book. Stephen King is great. I suppose Clavells though as Shogun is my favourite book.

Mark Twain and Dr. Seuss. "I do not like green eggs and ham, Tom Sawyer!" :XD:

Go back and read "The Philosophers Stone", as a stand alone book. It's not that good.

Yet it is one of the top selling works of fiction, ever. Define "not that good" in a way that doesn't involve any phrase meaning the likes of "It's not that good in my opinion", and start building a case from there. 'cause the fact is, using actual sales and recognition as a basis for counting score, Rowling is way up there above more than a fair few of the "classic authors".

Rowling is a good childrens author, at the moment, I see no evidence that makes me think you could compare her to adult novelists such as Stephen King, Tolkien or any others.

Why not? While her target audience is clearly adolescent, she has managed to write books that has been read and liked by a lot of people of all ages.

Nabokov, Orwell, Doyle, Wilde.

Yet it is one of the top selling works of fiction, ever. Define "not that good" in a way that doesn't involve any phrase meaning the likes of "It's not that good in my opinion", and start building a case from there. 'cause the fact is, using actual sales and recognition as a basis for counting score, Rowling is way up there above more than a fair few of the "classic authors".

 

Sure, nobody doubts that she's well surpassed Shakespeare, Marquez, Hemingway etc. in terms of popularity and riches, but when it comes to writing ability she's considered by critics to be far worse. Her writing often lacks important literary devices such as foreshadowing, dramatic irony, paradox, etc. Artistically, it's a mess. Economically, it's a thing of beauty.

 

 

 

She writes for entertainment reasons rather than artistic reasons. Entertainment sells, although it doesn't make you a better writer because of it. :)

My second favorite author is Eoin Colfer. I'm surprised noone has mentioned him yet.