George RR Martin* (where the fuck is Dances motherfucker?! If you pull a Jordan I'll shit myself. Fucking wanted this shit 3 years ago.) *only for the Song of Ice and Fire series. So fucking good it transcends the High Fantasy genre and just about shits on everything else out there. The man in a genius. Light on sorcery, (light without heat... Lightbringer?) heavy on fucking crazy storytelling. Robert Jordan Robin Hobb Vonnegut Murakami (creator of Kafka, must have a place on the list) King (only for the Dark Tower series, although they got much weaker when he introduced himself as a pivotal character, ego motherfucker) Stuff like Tolkein if you're counting what was read to me (and what I read later myself in my early teens) when I was a kid. Nostalgia.
There's a lot of great shit out there, there's a bunch of 'em. Too much good stuff to list.
"anyone heard of Game of Thrones TV series based on Martin's A Song of Fire and Ice? "
Just saw this.
Who knows brutha, doubt it will be good. I almost hate to see it because I'm afraid it'll replace the mental images I've created for characters that will still appear in later books (Daenerys, Jon, Arrya/Arry/Cat/, Sansa, Petyr, the main Lannisters especially Tyrion, Theon if he still lives, Stannis if they decide to reference him for whatever reason, etc.) Who knows, they might even briefly show people like Thoros, and that'll fuck with my head. There's so fucking much they can't possibly do well though... the Direwolves (which by their own rights are main characters) right on the top of the list. Just the sheer scope of the entire thing, I don't think that can be recreated on an HBO budget. Also they must have to tweak the whole age thing (Daenerys, Sansa) otherwise it would seem child molestery... but that will fuck with the whole dynamic as well... and I doubt the people that are supposed to be blatantly "ugly" (Arrya... and Brienne if they go beyond the first couple books) will be cast to reflect that.
Martin has also worked as a TV writer though, and I think he's guaranteed contractually to write a few episodes himself, so it might be decent... I just hope it doesn't delay his last two books after Dances. God knows Dance has taken far too long than it should've. It's like the Dark Tower series all over again... I was early, early teens when I started it, mid to late 20's when he finally wrapped that shit up.
2 actual novelists and 2 creators of airport fiction...Interesting (though I admit to liking Tom Clancy books). In terms of your other choices, Fitzgerald is ok, but On the Road by Kerouac is a great fuckin book
Mine have to be
Alexandre Dumas David Gemmell Colleen McCullough Oscar Wilde Terry Pratchett
I'll kick myself later for who I have forgotten, and I'm not even sure Wilde should make the list but oh well.
Max Brooks - Ever since reading both The Zombie Survial Guide and World War Z, I've developed this weird OCD thing there I have to look around every room until I find something suitable for defending myself against the undead.
Stephen King - Most people have said this, for obvious reasons. That guy can sure write a word or two.
Trudi Canavan - Amazing high fantasy writer, her Age of Five trilogy was really mind blowing.
Joe Abercrombie - Such hilarious,flawed and real characters. He's not afraid to just go for the gritty stuff either, he just commits like a mofu.
Oscar Wilde - The Picture of Dorian Gray is such an amazing morality tale and for a book that is 119 years old, it still holds true. It is unfortunate that Hollywood has got it's grimy little hands on it for profit but the book is still has just hard-hitting.
I've got so many new books to read because of this topic ! If someone feels so strongly about a book as to post about it, I'll buy it. We may not have the same taste but I've stumbled upon more then a couple of gems this way.
George Orwell Murray Rothbard Mary Shelley Imannuel Kant JR Tolkien C.S. Lewis Alvin Plantinga Ludwig von Mises Henry Hazlitt Friedrich Hayek Robert Nozick
@BiffMcBlumpkin: If anybody can do it, HBO can. I agree that the required special effects are going to make or break that series. It seems to be a promising cast so far though, particularly with Sean Bean as Ned. I'm looking forward to it.
They have had to change the ages, but they always seemed low-balled in the books anyway imo.
Margaret Atwood - Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake Douglas Coupland - All Families are Psychotic, Microserfs John Irving - Garp, A Prayer for Owen Meaney Robert McCammon - Swan Song, Boy's Life Greg Bear - Blood Music Neal Stephenson - Diamond Age, Baroque Cycle
I am surprised no one has mentioned Dostoevsky, but I do not read enough to know if he truly good by comparison (I should say some translations wildly vary, including a recent one that - The Brother Karamazov - which is even funny). Besides what your favorite author is, can anyone tell me who the most talented author is/should be?
@gingertastic_10: I've tried reading Sir Arthur Conan Doyle but I simply haven't "gotten" his books. Not to bash or anything, but I simply didn't like them
" @Elston: Have you read Nietzche! Ow! Auh! I can barely think about it; he only inspired Hitler.
No, he didn't. Even if he did it doesn't say anything about Nieztsche himself or his writing, just as Wagner's The Ride of the Walkyries didn't worsen after it was made the Nazi theme tune.
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