Favorite Author

[QUENTIN]

Another taste question, who is your number one author of all-time? Shakespeare, Dumas, Milton, King, Grisham, and Chrihton, who can't you put down? It's a close call, but for me Ernest Hemmingway comes out on top as my best. Though I can probably relate to Nick Hornby's stuff more than anyone else's.

What about you all, who is your favorite author?

[notchreturns]

I've always LOVED Stephan King... Pet Semetary, The Shining, Carrie (probably the scariest book I've read).

[asyouwish530]

Terence McKenna

[arto_j]

I don't read as much these days as I use to (though I'd like to), but...Michael Crichton was always my favorite. Orwell a close second, but I've just recently gotten interested in his work.

[James Logan]

There's a lot of authors I love, among which:

Charles Dickens
Arthur Conan-Doyle
Agatha Christie
Alexandre Dumas (Sr.)
Stephen King
Ernest Hemingway
Philip K. Dick
Elmore Leonard
Terry Pratchett

Overall, I'm a pretty big fan of English literature.

[Grebdron]

The one I've read the most would be Stephen King. I also love Robert B. Parker, Elmore Leonard, and David Morrell. But the best novel ever written was To Kill a Mockingbird. I'll read almost anything, except SciFi, Romance and Westerns.

[JCPhoenix]

Grisham rules all the way...his books are addicting...

I also like George Orwell for his two great books - 1984 and Animal Farm.

[SubMethod]

C.S. Lewis. One of the greatest intellectuals of all time. So much insight into life that it blows my mind.

[Moviefan1234]

This is a tough question, but I'd have to go with Michael Crichton.

[MovieMan75]

Terry Goodkind. An AMAZING fantasy author who writes the "Sword of Truth" series.

[Lindsey]

Stephen King

[Romero&Juliet]

Arthur Rimbaud.

[chandler_bing905]

CHUCK PALAHNIUK!!!!

[Gregorious8]

Well lately the author I've been reading the most is Tom Clancy, so I'll go with him.

[RavenBlade]

Edgar Allen Poe, is my absolute favorite author of all time.
Sit me in a room full of his books, and I'll be a happy camper.

Then there are Stephen King,
Charles Dickens,
Clive Barker,
Tim Lahey & Jerry Jenkins.
Ken Kesey
H.P. Lovecraft

Now there are to many books out there that deal with
Psychiatric Hospitals, and Mental Illness's to list.
So those who author them, are my favorites as well.

[areyoubeingserved]

There's some unispired choices here... I hate Stephen King, and Michael Crichton? Is he an author, I thought he was an investor, a producer.

I don't think I've read enough of peoples collections of work to have a favourite author... but Albert Camus, probably.

[aixela]

Agatha Christie
Sir Arthur Conan Doyle
Dean R Koontz
Mary Higgins Clark
Stephen King
Kay Hooper

and so many more...too many to list

[Tingles]

George Orwell (1984, Animal Farm)
Raymond E Feist
Weis and Hickman
CS Lewis
Pratchett

My favourite book has to be 1984...

[meltingman]

I always liked John Steinbeck and also enjoyed other (more classic) writers such as Dickens & Hemmingway.

I admit I have read far too many of Dean Koontz (about 20 or so). His level of difficulty and horror/action mix worked well for my reading abilities. I'll admit that although I like King, I feel I need to work too hard to get through his novels. Right now I am enjoying Jack Ketchums stories and on the lookout for his stuff.

[screamer581]

Herman Hessee and George Orwell for me.

[EBastard]

Bret Easton Ellis.

[Tom Samborski]

Stephen King:)

[Andrew Tom]

Stephen King
Chuck Palahniuk
Neil Gaiman
H.P. Lovecraft
Edgar Allan Poe
Douglas Adams

[docholiday_13]

The two I've read most are Stephen King and Dean Koontz. My other faves are...

Timothy Zahn
George Orwell
Anthony Burgess

[scottish-movie-freak]

Here ae just a selection. Being asked to choose just one is just criminal, insane, ridiculous and...heres my list:

Gene Brewer (K-Pax Trilogy)
Nick Hornby
Brett Easton Ellis
Elizabeth Wurtzel
Guy Burt
Stephen King

[Moviefan1234]

I think James Rollins is an underrated author in my opinion.

[bowieee]

Bukowski

[JCPhoenix]

Originally posted by MovieMan75
Terry Goodkind. An AMAZING fantasy author who writes the "Sword of Truth" series.

Oh yeah...I forgot him lol...great author, i love the sixth book, though i haven't read the seventh...

oh, and i'm reading cold mountain right now (because i'm looking forward to the movie cold mountain a LOTLOTLOT just based on the sheer power of the cast (go to imdb and the cold mountain page and tell me if it ain't a loaded supporting cast as well - despite not being well known, they're all amazing actors) and i still haven't read the book, so i decided to get the book out, and I'm loving it so far...
amazing book (by Charles Frazier)...

[MyClone]

John Steinbeck

HP Lovecraft

[Morgana]

Johann Wolfgang von Goethe is my favorite. I favor literature from the 18-19th century, and no-one (I know of) painted that era more beautifully and poetically like Goethe.

[dragon]

For the time being, I'd say;
Sharon Kay Penman
Margaret George


Of course Poe is always a favorite.

[dh1989]

For the classics......
Charles Dickens(A Christmas Carol, David Copperfield, A Tale Of Two Cities, etc.)
Robert Louis Stevenson

And for modern......
*J.K. Rowling*
Tom Clancy


*()*=My favorite all-time writer.

[spacemonkey]

I really like Robert Heinleins stuff I think his books are amazing. Starship Troopers and Red Planet, good books...

I also like Frank Herbert and his Dune books, the first two anyways..

I loooove anything by Chuck Pahlaniuk, I think he is the new voice of sarcasm, witt and anarchy.

And last but certainly not least Stephen King and his collection of morbid and scary novels...looooved Desperation and The Regulators...

[Gollum]

J.R.R. Tolkien
Chuck Palahniuk
Steven King
J.D. Salinger

[Congerking]

Tolkien (never read the books, but loved the movie, will read books soon)
Rowling (same with Tolkien)
Steven King
Tom Clancy
Michael Crichton

[the night watchman]

Ramsey Campell
Joe R. Lansdale
Dennis Etchison
Stephen King (And yet I still like Camus. Astounded?)
Harlan Ellison
H.P. Lovecraft
H.G. Wells
Charles de Lint
George R. R. Martin
Jonathan Carrol
quickly becoming a big fan of Philip K. Dick
*great science/intellectual writers*
Carl Sagan
Michael Shermer
Massimo Pigliucci

[Jerk Shapiro]

J.R.R Tolkien

Stephen King

Mark Twain

George Orwell

Louis Lowry

Micheal Crichton

[thebloodfeaster]

Originally posted by scottish-movie-freak

Brett Easton Ellis



I think American Psycho is one of the best novels written in the 90s.

[Dr. Lector]

there are many great authors, personal favorite being Goethe, i just love faust but there are many strong contenders such as:
Hermann Hesse
James Joyce
George Orwell
Chuck Palahnuik
Bret Easton Ellis
William Shakespeare
Gustave Flaubert
Homer
Virgil
and lastly
Leo Tolstoy

[Annie Hall]

Dunno if I've been to clear on this as of yet...but the two authors that I believe to be my favorites are:

John Irving...and Neil Simon. Genius. PURE genius.

[bob]

Nobody wrote dialogue like J.D. Salinger.

I mean...

Catcher in the Rye
Franny and Zooey
Raise High the Roof Beam, Carpenters

...are all classics.

[The Young Son]

Raymond E.Feist. All of his books are fucking unreal.

The other i would say would have to be Michael Crichton.

[InfernoRiff]

Stephen King

[Sugar Magnolia]

Douglas Adams. In case you don't know him, he wrote The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy.

[Rated R]

I am a fan of Stephen King, Elmore Leonard and Chuck Palahniuk more than any

[Mad Maggot]

J.D.Salinger - no comments, just perfect

Chuck Palahnuik (though Fight Club is the only thing I've read from him)

Thomas Harris - the one who wrote The Silence Of The Lambs, Red Dragon, Hannibal etc. I think nobody's mentioned him

Vladimir Nabokov - his Lolita is something crazy and great at the same time

[Jason Voorhees]

Stephen King.

But there are many others I enjoy, too: Dean Koontz, Tolkien, Lovecraft, Orwell, H.G. Wells, and various others, to name a few.

[Hannibal21]

***William Shakespeare***
Charlotte Bronte
Jane Austen
John Steinbeck
Leo Tolstoy

[bob]

ooh, think you're so edumacated with your shakespeare and tolstoy, eh?:p

[SIREN30]

Victor Hugo

Body of work like none other:

Les Miserables
The Hunchback of Notre Dame

and my favorite

The Man Who Laughs

[Ren Hoek]

My favorite authors are

Mark Twain - He's my favorite author ever! Best book: A Connecticut Yankee at King Arthur's Court

Kurt Vonnegut - Hilarious, intelligent, cynical, "postmodern" novels and essays. This man is a genius! Best book: Slaughterhouse Five

Tom Wolfe - I love his essays. And his first novel, The Bonfire of the Vanities, is one monster of a book

Hermann Hesse - I think I've read Steppenwolf around 20 times... 'nuff said.

H.P. Lovecraft - Read his short story The Outsider for the first time when I was 10. Have read nearly all of his short story collections since

James Joyce - To read Ulysses can be a pain in the ass... but it's worth every minute of your life. A true masterpiece!

[Grim H.]

I really like Edgar Allan Poe.
... as far as contemporaries, my favorite author is Chuck Palahniuk. (Author of Fight Club-later turned into a movie)
If you liked this novel, I would recommend Survivor.

I'm currently reading his latest book, Lullaby.

Also, If anyone likes Edgar Allan Poe, I would suggest his book,
The Comlete Tales and Poems of Edgar Allan Poe :D
It's a good compilation of all his work.

[thedarklamb]

Joyce Carol Oates

She continues to amaze me.

[idealdiscountdude]

John Grisham is without a doubt my favorite author. I love legal thrillers. His best novels are The Testament, The Street Lawyer, A Time To Kill, and The Bretheren.

[Damned Martian]

Noone has mentioned Connie Willis. It must be that noone has read anything by her, because when you read her books, you have to love them!!

[Psychocandy]

Stephen King, James Herbert, Clive Barker, Tad Williams, Irvine Welsh, Iain Banks, Dan Simmons, Dean Koontz, Robert R McCammon, Simon Clark, H P Lovecraft, H G Wells, Tim Willocks, Ursula Le Guin, Peter Straub, Mark Morris, Muriel Gray, Graham Joyce...oh, and a whole bunch more. Couldn't choose between 'em. They keep me sane in an insane world.

[Kaos]

Christopher Pike, and David & Leigh Eddings.

[the night watchman]

Originally posted by Psychocandy
Simon Clark,

I've read one Simon Clark book, "Vampyrrhic," and it was literally one of the worst horror novels I've ever read. I'd like to think that maybe it was just an anomalous POS in an otherwise good canon of work (every author's got 'em) but the dissapointment with that book was so great I haven't been able to go back and read any more of his stuff. I'm part of a horror book club, so I have four of his other novels -- "Darkness Demands," "Blood Crazy," "Nailed by the Heart," and "Darker." Which out of those four do you recommend I should read next?

[Damned Martian]

Originally posted by Psychocandy
Dan Simmons, Robert R McCammon


Nice to see them mentioned. Blue World by McCammon is in my top ten best books I've read.

[the night watchman]

"Blue World" is an excellent collection. My two favorite stories are "Nightcrawlers" and "Night Calls the Green Falcon" -- which would make a great movie ... written and directed by Don Coscarelli maybe?

[MickeyKnox]

Irvine Welsh
Ernest Hemingway
Stephen King
Hubert Selby Jr.
Chuck Palahnuik

[Ripper]

Stephan King
Deab koontz
George RR Martin
Tad Williams

[IFdude]

Stephen King. IMHO the best author ever.

Later,

Kyle

[RogueSpear]

Originally posted by the night watchman
I've read one Simon Clark book, "Vampyrrhic," and it was literally one of the worst horror novels I've ever read. I'd like to think that maybe it was just an anomalous POS in an otherwise good canon of work (every author's got 'em) but the dissapointment with that book was so great I haven't been able to go back and read any more of his stuff. I'm part of a horror book club, so I have four of his other novels -- "Darkness Demands," "Blood Crazy," "Nailed by the Heart," and "Darker." Which out of those four do you recommend I should read next?

Read Blood Crazy as soon as you possibly can. It's one of my favorite books. I loved everything about it. Hopefully you will as well.

As for my favorite authors:
Stephen King
Robert R. McCammon
Simon Clark
Dean Koontz - not so much now as I used to
Clive Cussler
Richard Laymon

[the night watchman]

Cool. Thanks. I hope I like it too; I'm kinda stuck in the 80s, so I'm always on the lookout for new (good) horror authors.

[EoghainFOKeeffe]

Originally posted by the night watchman
I'm part of a horror book club, so I have four of his other novels -- "Darkness Demands," "Blood Crazy," "Nailed by the Heart," and "Darker." Which out of those four do you recommend I should read next?

Read DARKNESS DEMANDS and BLOOD CRAZY. Those were two of the best horror books I ever read. I wouldn't recommend NAILED BY THE HEART - it's ok but not very exciting. It was also Clark's first book.

I read DARKNESS DEMANDS in two days last Christmas and I kept putting the book down to say 'Oh God! Wow!' That's how good it is! And it's got an ending that you have to read to believe. Hands down it's the best ending of the year.

[the night watchman]

Cool, I'll put them on my night stand.

Originally posted by EoghainFOKeeffe
And it's got an ending that you have to read to believe. Hands down it's the best ending of the year.

As far as great horror novels with great endings go, read "The 37th Mandala" by Marc Laidlaw. I think it's out of print, but you can probably still find a used copy at Amazon or Alibris.com for a reasonable price. Highly recommended.

[m147]

1.Stephen King (he's one of the greatest writers of all times and cute too...)
2.Patricia Cornwell
3.Edgar Allan Poe (without him many great writers would never have appeared)
4.G.Orwell (a prophet in "1984")
5.Agatha Cristy (no comments)

and many others...

[jenna25]

Clive Barker
Edgar Allan Poe
Joyce Carol Oates
Stephen King
Robert Bloch
John Steinbeck

Just to name a few.....:D

[chinton]

Im gald Stephen king is getting his props. Ive been rereading his books and his writing is amazing. Really pick up It and The Stand sometime. There are so many passages in there that are amazing.


Especially read the first paragraph of It where it describes Derry as a haunted city. This is the first chapter not the 80 page introduction

[DaMovieMan]

William Shakespeare
Franz Kafka
Fyodor Dostoyevski
Graham Greene
William Faulkner
Leo Tolstoy
Jean-Paul Sartre
Margaret Atwood
and so many many more

of course
Adolf Hitler for his amazing contribution and genius in Mein Kampf (My Struggle). A true gem. . . . . . . . :D

DMM

[kidkre0le]

James Patterson

[screamer581]

Originally posted by RenHoek



Hermann Hesse - I think I've read Steppenwolf around 20 times... 'nuff said.






Finally another Hesse fan! (it doesn't surprise me it's Ren either...great minds think a like mind you) You have read Demain right Ren?

[Ren Hoek]

Originally posted by screamer581
Finally another Hesse fan! (it doesn't surprise me it's Ren either...great minds think a like mind you) You have read Demain right Ren?
Yeah, I have read Demian and like it almost as much as Steppenwolf. Siddharta is another favourite of mine. Have you read it?
I can't believe that so many critics bash Hesse's books as a kind of "anti-establishment literature" that is impossible to like when you're older than 30. Seriously, I once read a review of Steppenwolf in which the critic said that he used to love Hesse's work when he was younger but that he had now "outgrown this misty-eyed, juvenile nonsense". :rolleyes:

[DevilMonkey]

Currently J.K. Rowling

[screamer581]

Originally posted by RenHoek
Yeah, I have read Demian and like it almost as much as Steppenwolf. Siddharta is another favourite of mine. Have you read it?
I can't believe that so many critics bash Hesse's books as a kind of "anti-establishment literature" that is impossible to like when you're older than 30. Seriously, I once read a review of Steppenwolf in which the critic said that he used to love Hesse's work when he was younger but that he had now "outgrown this misty-eyed, juvenile nonsense". :rolleyes:


I have not read Siddharta, but I plan on that being one of my next reads. I have heard it is excellent.

[jackson13]

Tim Dorsey
Chuck Palahniuk
Eric Garcia

[chilli pepper]

chuck palahniuk,thomas harris and david benioff (even though hes only wrote one booK)

[Ghostface 2000]

Stephen King and J.K Rowling

[scottish-movie-freak]

Originally posted by Mad Maggot
[b]

Vladimir Nabokov - his Lolita is something crazy and great at the same time

Oh, I did like Lolita. Perverted (;)) but a fantastic read.

[sfsurfgirl]

How do you chose a favourite author?

man, difficult choices, ok here goes

Terry Pratchett
Douglas Adams
David Gemmel
Jane Austen
Robert Louis Stevenson
H G Wells
Anne McCaffrey
J R R Tolkien
Bram Stoker
Shakespeare
Wilkie Collins
Gene Brewer
Philip K Dick
Robert heinlein

Ok gone a bit overboard here, but there are so many you love, its criminal to chose just one, i cant even chose a fave film for heavens sake! I will say that i return to Pratchett again and again, he makes me laugh and i love his observations on life, hes so accurate it hurts.

[blankpage]

J.D. Salinger
William Shakespear
Maeve Binchy

[bob]

My extended list:

J.D. Salinger
Graham Greene
Woody Allen
Jack Kerouac

[one_crow_sorrow]

Bret Easton Ellis

[Inglorious]

My favorite author is very much so, Bret Easton Ellis.

From Less Than Zero all the way to Glamaorama (which I have not finished yet). I love them all, he is skillful and his way with words amazing. To talk about the clothing to show how important they are at this/that time, yet how realistically unimportant clothing (fashion/style anyway) really are... GENIOUS!

Now all of his undertones go so far... even though Less Than Zero is the book I least understand in terms of phrasing.
But I love this one...

"Disappear Here..."

[p1phillips]

Richard Laymon
Jonathan Kellerman
Harlan Coben
Michael Connelly

I'll always have a spot on my bookshelf for a Richard Laymon book, although I don't really read horror fiction anymore. Coben writes perhaps the most well-crafted books ever, and Kellerman is a close second. Connelly is consistently good, although sometimes he pulls cheap tricks (scooby-doo style surprise endings etc).

[drdash]

my favorite right now is probably bentley little. i have read all of his novels and he has failed to disappoint me yet.

ciao
drdash

[KcMsterpce]

Orson Scott Card

[Sigur509]

Nick Hornby(I can relate to his books)
Chuck Palahniuk

[Brando @$$ Fat]

EDIT: old post...have to go back and think this one through.

[Dead Zed]

Stephen Donaldson, no question about it!(Don't believe me??? Read the First Chronicles of Thomas Covenant and repent,sinner! :p)

[mindkiss69]

John Steinbeck, hands down.

[martyds761]

Wow... I have so many author's I like. Not sure I can choose just one. So, here are a few.

David Morrell
Laurell K. Hamilton
Jim Butcher
Max Allen Collins
Jeffery Deaver
Kim Harrison
Charlaine Harris

[chinton]

I ahve tried to read Littles book but after reading a couple of them I find them really repetitve and formuliac. They all seem to follow the same plotline and set-up with an average family man being terriozed by evil _______ and then destroying it. To me all the characters never make a really strong impression. oh w ell thats just me. Myabe Im reading the wrong books by him. Ive read The Store, The Association and The Policy

[Nachokoolaid]

Neil Gaiman is tops. I'm continually impressed and entertained by him.

[Natty]

J.K. Rowling's Potter books are great but my favourite is probably Shakespeare, who is argueably the best.

Stephen King also knows how to tell a story, he's 2nd.

[QUENTIN]

6 years later and my favorite author by far is Kurt Vonnegut Jr. Not only is he my favorite, but of my top ten books of all-time, five are his including the top two. Like Dylan to music or Scorsese to film, no one comes close in literature. It just doesn't get better than The Sirens of Titan or Breakfast of Champions and his short story work and essays are stellar too.

[the saw is family]

charles bukowski
hemingway
chekhov

[Miss Butterfly]

Jane Austen, Charlotte Bronte and Shakespeare