Apart for Terry who do you consider the best writers?

[The Mad Collector]

Thanks for the tip Btlfannz! - Pip, I saw the Gormenghast BBC adap when it came out in '99. I like it, but even then I could tell there was more to the books than the show was showing.

Oh the books are miles better than the TV adaptation. They did remarkably well to get into Peake's imagination but the descriptions in the books are fantastic.

 

[nickinwestwales]

The Beeb did a better than usual job on the castingretty much every featured character was exactly as I had imagined them-June Brown did especially well as Nanny Slagg-managing to look 4`6" tall whilst being rather taller.
Warren Mitchell also impressed-although I didnt like the combining of characters there-a blue pencil too far

Peakes Illustrations are the making of the books:- he gives you all of the characters but the environment is left to you to imagine-apart from that wonderful set of covers,which merely hints.........

Havn`t read `Titus` for several years now-due a re-read

ATB

Nick

 

[Penfold]

I also thought the beeb got the casting pretty much spot on and definitely agree with the bit about June Brown. I've seen her in other things besides Eastenders and would say she's a much overlooked quality actress.

 

[archerinwood]

probably Robert Muchamore, who wrote the CHERUB series and Hendersons Boys books. I have recently been slightly disapppointed by the HB series after reading the first I thought the series would be quite good. But in actual fact I found the second book quite slow to read.

 

[snowballs]

Ian. M. Banks , His culture series is amazing, alot a swearing but spot on timing with the swear words.

 

[pip]

Ian. M. Banks , His culture series is amazing, alot a swearing but spot on timing with the swear words.

Actually prefer the stuff under Iain Banks such as the Wasp factory and Song of Stone. Enjoyed one or two of the culture books but haven't been drawn in enough to rush to finish the series. still worth a read though.
Possibly re - reading Walking on Glass as my next book.

 

[snowballs]

I will read them soon, got all his books for my kindle. At the moment I have finally got round to reading DTLangers book that he sent me to read, it is really good and I hope he gets round to writing the last chapters.

 

[pip]

cool. hope it goes well for him
wasp factory is a bit odd but a good read if you start there but up to yourself

 

[author3]

Brian Jacques and C.S.Lewis

 

[meerkat]

Philip Kerr and Charles Dickens

 

[Ogg]

For the richness of his vocabulary and the mind numbing plots therein: Clive Barker

 

[Raz]

Neil Gaiman (comics and books)
Tolkien
Alan Moore (comics esp. Swamp Thing, LoEG, V, Watchmen)
Matt Fraction (comics esp. the Immortal Iron Fist)
Garth Ennis (comics esp. Goddess, The Boys)
Arthur C Clarke (Rondezvous with Rama, 2001)
Asimov (Robot)
Philip K Dick (the Man in the High Castle, Simulacra, Electric Sheep)

 

[Catch-up]

In no particular order

Christopher Moore
Neil Gaiman
Jim Butcher
Charlaine Harris
Jasper Fforde
Simon R. Green
Nelson Demille
Michael Chricton
Randy Wayne White
Elmore Leonard
Carl Hiassen

 

[Garfiun]

I like Terry Pratchett, J.K Rowling, Simon Scarrow and there are probably others and I'll have a look in the morning.

 

[bugrit]

his mastership TP of course and....christopher brookmyer, bill bryson, Ben Elton, stephen king (who can be hit and miss i agree, but i feel his point is the journey, not the admittedly usually woeful endings) i'm terrible for starting books and if they don't grab me right away giving up. i also do loads of non-fiction reading for work, so like unchallenging books to wind down with!

 

[Perestroika]

Jasper Fforde - I got into his stuff shortly after getting into discworld. I love his stuff, though I really wish he'd ditch the thursday next series 2 books ago. I don't know if I could even be bothered reading the rest of the last one. everything else is fine though.


Kurt Vonnigutt Jr
Arthur C. Clark
Douglas Adams
Philip Pullman
Ben Elton
Robert Jordan

 

[turbochicken]

Here's some of the writers who I go back to again and again.
Terry Pratchett (Obviously)
Bernard Cornwell
CJ Sansom
Elmore Leonard
Mo Hayder
Tim Dorsey (Really good series about a loveable homicidal maniac)
Carl Hiaasen
Irvine Welsh (Glue is probably the best Scottish novel ever written IMHO)
John Grisham

 

[Catch-up]

Forgot to add Cecelia Ahern.

 

[NickPretzel]

Favourite Authors/Books

I was looking for a thread like this. Here're some of my favourite authors and books:

• Kurt Vonnegut - I'm surprised he's only cropped up once too:
  ...Kurt Vonnegut...
  just noticed this entry (I searched for "Kurt AND Vonnegut OR Vonnegut") so twice then
  
  ...
  Kurt Vonnigutt Jr...
  a wonderful humanist author. I haven't read all of his books, but most. Favourites include 'Breakfast of Champions' and 'Slaughterhouse 5'.
• Neil Gaiman - I've been told his novels are a bit disappointing, but I thought 'Stardust' was wonderful (good film too) and 'The Sandman' graphic novels are just mind-bowing.
• Diana Wynne Jones - generally considered a children's author, but Neil Gaiman is a fan. Sadly she died recently (in March this year). The Chrestomanci stories are soooooo much better than the Harry Potter books.
• Alan Moore - the best Batman story ever ('The Killing Joke'), 'V for Vendetta' and 'Watchmen' are all dazzling. He's another author where you're guaranteed a great story.
• Neal Stephenson - OK, 'Zodiac' was a little below par, but 'Snow Crash' was awesome (in the true sense, rather than the over-used americanism - no offense) - cyber-punk better than William Gibson - and 'Cryptonomicon' was brilliant too.
• Frank Herbert - to my mind one of the best sci-fi writers ever. 'Dune' was just astounding. Of the sequels I liked 'Heretics of Dune' the best. 'The White Plague' is a gripping pshycho-thriller set in the near present. Full of ideas, no one beats him for variety (try 'The Green Brain', 'The Dosadi Experment' or 'The Eyes of Heisenberg').
• Gore Vidal - 'Creation' is one of the best historical novels I've ever read. Set in 500BC, it tells the life story of an ambassador to the Persian Empire, who travels to Greece, Babylon, India (where he meets the 23rd incarnation of the Buddha and Cathay (ancient China - where he meets Confucius) to mention a few. Then there's 'Kalki', 'Live from Golgotha' and for those of you interested in US history I would also recommend the Narratives of Empire series (Burr, Lincoln, 1876, Empire, Hollywood, Washington DC and The Golden Age).

It looks like they're almost all sci-fi/fantasy. Oh well. I do read other books too, but I guess my favourite authors are all in that genre. Some favourite books include:

• The Phantom Tollbooth - by Norton Juster. Another "children's" book, but obviously written with adults in mind. Some of the best puns outside of TP's. In fact the humour in this book is not dissimilar to the Discworld's. One of my all time favourite books and in my top ten.
• Threat - by Richard Jessup. I read this on holiday in Greece, having bought it from a kiosk in Patras. It was one of the only english books they had, but it turned out to be a fantastic thriller.
• The Difference Engine - by Bruce Sterling and William Gibson. Set in Victorian England with the premise that Charles Babbage's difference engine had been made to work, giving rise to the information revolution happening during the industrial revolution. Sci-fi set in the past!
• Sovereign - by C J Sansom. Another historical novel. Sansom manages to evoke a real 'feel' for the period. I also liked 'Dark Fire', but haven't read 'Dissolution' (which my dad tells me was the best of the first three), 'Revelation' or 'Heartstone' yet.
• Catch 22 - by Joseph Heller. A classic, but don't read 'Something Happened' the most tedious, boring book I've ever read.
• The Stainless Steel Rat - by Harry Harrison. this and its sequels are a whimsical spoof of the 007 school, except it's sci-fi and our hero, Slippery Jim diGriz, is the galaxy's greatest thief.
• Steppenwolf - by Herman Hesse. I read this in the original German. Has an extraordinary, wistful, dream-like quality.
• The Sprawl Trilogy - by William Gibson. Consists of 'Neuromacer', 'Count Zero' and 'Mona Lisa Overdrive'. The birth of cyber-punk. I also recommend his short stories ('Burning Chrome' which includes 'Johnny Mnemonic' made into a film (1995) starring Keanu Reaves) and the Bridge Trilogy, which consists of 'Virtual Light', 'Idoru' and 'All Tomorrow's Parties', the last of which I haven't (yet) read.
• The Wizard of Earthsea - by Ursula K Le Guin. I loved this book, although, ironically, I'm not really a fan of fantasy fiction (the swords and dragons type, though oddly enough, the two exceptions are female writers. I'm not counting TP, of course, though I'd argue that the fantasy element in his books is incidental. Naturally enough, I've read Tolkien, but I find his books a bit ponderous, at least on re-reading them. Of his, I think I preferred 'The Hobbit' in the end. It just had less of the taking-himself-too-seriously about it, at least for me. Now you all hate me . My brother is a huge fan and I've been trying to get him into either TP or 'Dune' for ages).

I guess that's enough for now. I need to get off to work anyway. I'll edit this later as I think of all those authors/books I've forgotten...

 

[Who's Wee Dug]

I'm listening to Snow crash audio book at the mo. long time since I've read my copy, and the only Gibson book I don't have on your list is All Tomorrows Parties.