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[quatroking]

I like Paul van Loon, becouse he write many good Horror-tales.

[TheVoid]

Great thread troop18546!

But that's a very hard question to answer...

1) I can't find a very best one....but everyone of my favourites is outstanding in some way:
-John R.R. Tolkien for the fantastic universe he was able to create, collecting from various legends and ancient myths...not to mention for his awesome writing skills k:
-Terry Brooks for being the best fantasy writer post Tolkien
-Astrid Lindgren/Rohal Dahl are the best writers for children
-Charles Dickens, the greatest English novelist
-George Orwell, most foreseeing writer (the creator of Big Brother): Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four are two of the books you have to read in your life.
-Dante Alighieri, the greatest poet for work-length and contents

I may have forgotten some, but I prefer to stop, otherwise I'd go too much off topic (THE favourite writer)

2) I started writing a parody of The Sword of Shannara by Terry Brooks, but got tired of it after Chapter 2 and decided to make it more personal and less related to the book itself.

[Havell]

Originally posted by TheVoid@Feb 20 2005, 04:53 PM
-George Orwell, most foreseeing writer (the creator of Big Brother): Animal Farm and Nineteen Eighty-Four are two of the books you have to read in your life.

I cannot agree more, most politicians should read Nineteen Eighty-Four especially.

[troop18546]

Thanks Void. k: I see you all have great interest in the world of books. Keep it up and maybe you'll strike gold, and there will be a thousand bucks in the next book you read!

[Stroggy]

Originally posted by TheVoid@Feb 20 2005, 04:53 PM

-John R.R. Tolkien for the fantastic universe he was able to create, collecting from various legends and ancient myths...not to mention for his awesome writing skills k:

I never much cared for Tolkien, his use of sensitivism is nice but ultimately makes the world dry and boring.

[TheVoid]

Originally posted by Stroggy+Feb 20 2005, 06:17 PM--></div><table border='0' align='center' width='95%' cellpadding='3' cellspacing='1'><tr><td>QUOTE (Stroggy @ Feb 20 2005, 06:17 PM)</td></tr><tr><td id='QUOTE'> <!--QuoteBegin-TheVoid@Feb 20 2005, 04:53 PM

-John R.R. Tolkien for the fantastic universe he was able to create, collecting from various legends and ancient myths...not to mention for his awesome writing skills* k:

I never much cared for Tolkien, his use of sensitivism is nice but ultimately makes the world dry and boring. [/b][/quote]
I wouldn't call dry and boring a book who was able to give origin to so many and so different interpretations of it. I'd call it lively, maybe a bit "formal" in the rappresentation of feelings, but this is due to the larger-than-life effect Tolkien wanted to give to his story.

[xcom freak]

Koushun Takami

the guy that wrote Battle royal : perfect mix of violence sex and controversy

[Lizard]

Originally posted by xcom freak@Feb 20 2005, 05:55 PM
Koushun Takami

the guy that wrote Battle royal : perfect mix of violence sex and controversy

Unfortunetly I never heard of him :blink:

[Stroggy]

Originally posted by TheVoid@Feb 20 2005, 05:51 PM

I wouldn't call dry and boring a book who was able to give origin to so many and so different interpretations of it.

The effects of the book don't automatically make it a good book.
Tolkien is a sensitivist, and sensitivism by nature is meant to be dry.
It is the literary version of pointillism. Millions of little details building up the story. I felt his descriptions of the locations was keeping back the story, and while his descriptions of emotions was very lengthy most characters' feelings towards one another came across as bland.
And then there is the poetry, now many literary experets agree on this: his poems are weak. Many fans blame Tolkien his dryness on the time it was written in, now I have come to the conclusion that Tolkien's style resembles much more that of the writers of the early 19th century than those of the 20th century. I'd say many times his books are too l'art pour l'art.

Now I admit to not being a big fantasy-fan, but then again a friend of mine who IS a hard core fantasy fan stopped reading the Lord of the Rings series at book 1 while I managed to reach the second half of the third book.

This was just my humble opinion on Tolkien, its also one of the very few things I agree on with my Obese Dutch teacher

[gildedgirth]

Yeah cool thread. I hope people post good suggestions as I'm an avid book reader myself.

But yeah where to start. Some of my favorites by lesser known authors...

Altered Carbon by Richard K. Morgan - If you like cyperpunk like Bladerunner, read this book. His writing is so vivid you feel like you're watching a big budget movie but with a complex sci-fi noir plot. Wonderful new UK writer.

David Gemmell - His fantasy books, especially the ones featuring Druss, took me by surprise and while its standard blood & guts fantasy with standard writing skills, he has a knack for telling a good stories with lots of action.

The Black Company by Glen Cook - One of my favorite, gritty Fantasy novelist ever. Written from the point of view of grunt & soldier in a big chaotic war. If you took the fantasy out, it would almost feel like a World War II /Vietnam book. Highly recommended.

Ribofunk by Paul Di Filippo - another cyberpunk author with very inventive and unusual stories. His writing style is very surreal at times but makes you chuckle too.

Diamond Age by Neal Stephenson - Ok he's well known, and for a reason. Superb writing and after William Gibson, this guy is the torch bearer for smart cyberpunk. Be sure to check out his landmark book, "Snowcrash" as well.

Joe R. Landsale - pulpy, trashy, sometimes violent, sometimes funny, this under-appreciated author manages to mix horror, Texas backdrops, mystery and a little martial arts into compelling stories. Wrote the screenplay for Bubba Ho-tep. Check out "Two Bear Mambo" or any of the Happ & Leonard mystery books. For short stories (not for the feint of heart) , "High Cotton".

Tim Powers - another genre mixing author, this UK writer who has a cult following for his witty writing style, often mixes different time periods into his books into unconventional settings. Check out "Anubis Gates" or the "The Drawing of Three".

Books that you'd probably ignore but wish you hadn't.

Lonesome Dove by Larry McMurtry - Yeah, western's aren't popular and I didn't think I'd like it despite this being an award winning book by by a famous author, but man, if you are a book lover at all, read this. I'm putthing this here because most people don't read westerns, but this man's writing is just too good too ignore. Funny, moving an epic story, I guarantee you'll remember this book long afterward.

Norwegian Wood by Haruki Murakami - Japanese author who translates very well in English and other languages. Postmodern, hip, surreal, this writer is like no other. A wonderful mix of the banal of daily life, with the fantastical. only he can make a simple date with a women laced with quirckiness and suspense. A definite must if you want your are curious at all what contemporary Japanese writing is like.

The Wooden Sea by Jonathon Carroll - First few pages had me addicted with the decidedly funny and odd tale about a man whose small town goes whacky weird. While this author sometimes writes horror and more serious dramatic novels, this story is a good introduction to the man's fabulous writing style and humor.

And last but not least...

Lois McMaster Bujold - read anything by her. Being a big sci-fi fan I ignored her for many years since her book covers seemed to evoke "romance sci-fi" but her books are far from it. Imagine if James Bond was from the future, was short but had the wit and intelligence of a genius and you'd get a sense of the crazy and inventive plots in her stories. She has a big internet following and once I read a few books, I then devoured her entire series of books featuring Miles Vorkosigian. What surprised me the most, like with Gardner Dozois novels (and Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game), McMaster has a good sense of tactics & strategy that was unexpected, but gives her books, filled with action and really funny stories, a wonderful blend. Ignore the sometimes cheesy book covers, read this if you'd like a fun book to read.