Who is your favorite FICTION writer?

[HeyManThatsCool]

I love mysteries & suspense and am always looking to finda new author to read.

I'm a fan of; Stephen King, Jonathan Kellerman, Sue Grafton, James Patterson, Dean Koontz, old Mary Higgins Clark....

I am also a fan of romance books- but not as much as suspense.


What about you?

[Mark D]

1. John Ringo.

Hands down, my favorite.

[HeyManThatsCool]

2. What does he write?

& what was the best book so far?

[Mark D]

43. Sci-Fi.

"The Legacy of Aldenata" is his first series. Very good.

His third book in the "There will be dragons" series should be out this month I think. Another excellent series.

Find his work at www.baen.com

[Balbus]

3. Colleen McCullough.

Sorry if I misspelled the name. Especially the Masters of Rome series.

[LiberalEsto]

4. Sharyn McCrumb, Sue Grafton, M.C. Beaton,

Joan Hess, Margaret Maron, Elizabeth Peters/aka Barbara Michaels, Dorothy Sayers, and Charlotte MacLeod, who recently passed away at the age of 82.

All are, or were, mystery writers.

[terrya]

5. Margaret Atwood is my favorite fiction writer.

Gorgeous writing from this fabulous author.

[Worst Username Ever]

6. I like many, but I always come back to old-school Stephen King

Love James Patterson, Dean Koontz is so-so. CHUCK PALUHNIUK (sp) RULES.

[Worst Username Ever]

7. I also like most things by Crichton. No, I have not read State of Fear.

But I probably will. So there.

[jus_the_facts]

8. Stephen King...hands down.......

.....say thankya big big. :D

[Worst Username Ever]

9. Love the books. Hate the made-for-tv-movies.

They always, withough exception, suck. And yes I am including The Stand in there. His big-screen movies are usually wonderful. Stand by me, the Shawshank Redemption, Chilren of the Corn, etc.

[jus_the_facts]

16. I have to disagree about The Stand.....

....I thought it was as close to the book as the time limits could allow....and the actors they chose pulled it off! :hi:

[Worst Username Ever]

20. Key words: as the time limits would allow

Exactly. If they had done this as a big budget motion picture, it could have won awards. But they always end up on TV, and the are never what they should be.

[AlCzervik]

18. the Stand and The Talisman were my favorite King books.

Pet cemetery-book and movie scared the shit out of me.

[Worst Username Ever]

23. Pet Semetary was great. Have you read cujo or the shining?

They both beat the movies. Great reads. I also recommend Salem's Lot, his first big novel. The only one to give me nightmares (although I had the flu at the time, so I was having nightmares anyway).

[AlCzervik]

26. I've read pretty much all of his stuff including

ones i didn't like all that much...ie Dreamcatcher. Salems lot was a great read and so was the shining. I find his earlier stuff to be much more frightning than some of his newer books.

[Worst Username Ever]

31. Post #6

I agree, the old-school stuff is way better. He was also an alchoholic then, so that probably played into it. SOme of his newer stuff is more in fantasy genre, less in horror. I have literally read everthing, even hard to find stuff like "The Cycle of the Werewolf" (actually a lame, illustrated novel).

[AlCzervik]

38. I read Werewolf and the other books he wrote under his pseudonym

I agree with your view on Werewolf. Do you rememebr the name of the short story where the main character took his class hostage? I thought that was a good one.

[Worst Username Ever]

39. I believe that was "Rage." Yes, good story.

[AlCzervik]

40. thats it, thank you, that would have driven me crazy all night.

[Dervill Crow]

49. Dreamcatcher

First Stephen King book I didn't finish. Hated it! Loved everything else of his I've read. I will never forget reading The Shining alone at my mother-in-law's house, trapped on the couch in the family room, scared to get up and close the door because the forest out back was freaking me out. I've re-read the other books, but not that one because it scared me way too badly.

I love Diana Gabaldon and when Anne Rice is good, she's very good. Sue Grafton, James Kellerman, some Nora Roberts and Andrew Greeley.

[redqueen]

33. Same here - love King.

I also love a lot of other authors, but King is far and away my favorite.

[jus_the_facts]

51. same here.....

.....sure hope he doesn't decide to REALLY retire any time soon. :hi:

[Lone_Star_Dem]

47. King is my number one choice in fiction.

I grew up reading his work. I remember I had to sneak reading the stand because my mother thought it was too intense for me. That took me awhile. :eyes:

[jus_the_facts]

54. The Stand is my favorite by King.....

.....I can reread it every couple years and enjoy it time and time again....I've collected all his work in hardback over the last few years and have reread everything again...he draws me in and keeps me interested like no other!! :hi:

[tuvor]

10. I can't stand fiction. About the only exception is

J.D. Salinger.

Don't know why. :shrug:

[Allenberg]

14. Another Salinger fan here.

I find that most people who like Salinger, like Hermann Hesse.

[Richard Steele]

11. Wow, broad question, too many to mention....

But I have a favorite in SHORT fiction:

Italo Calvino

He's like Hemingway on CRACK, With a cable-modem into his dreams circa 1970!

As far as non-pretentious stuff: Terry Pratchett ROCKS!

[terrya]

12. Gore Vidal loves Italo Calvino....

I've been meaning to read Calvino...but never have. But your recommendation cinched it. I'll have to go to the library to see what's available. :-)

T

[YellowRubberDuckie]

13. I love Patricia Cornwell, screwed up politics aside.

The Kay Scarpetta series keeps me rivetted.
Duckie

[Flammable Materials]

15. Douglas Coupland. Chuck Bukowski. n/t

[Spacemom]

17. Robert A. Heinlein

I picked up "Friday" as a teenager and I was hooked. :)

[trof]

19. Elmore Leonard

Can't wait for his next.

[Spider Jerusalem]

21. Thomas Pynchon.

Followed by William S Burroughs. And yes, I know I'm weird.

Edit: Oh, and Neal Stephenson.

[Aristus]

22. Whoever writes B*sh's speeches. Man! He's from another planet!

But seriously, Harlan Ellison. Hands down best writer out there.

[Arkana]

24. Christopher Moore is my new favorite

It used to be Brian Jacques.

[A-Schwarzenegger]

25. Flannery O'Connor

[Blue-Jay]

27. Michael Ondaatje, Dan Simmons,Twain, Cordwainer Smith,

and about a million others.

[Padraig18]

28. James Michener

Quasi-fiction.

:)

[Jersey Devil]

29. Great writer, even with 200 pages of geography in every book

LOL, read Hawaii and you learn the history of the islands from the time of the big bang.

[Padraig18]

30. LOL!

I tell everybody, if you can just slog through the first 50-100 pages, you'll LOVE the book!

:D

[jus_the_facts]

35. Michener's Cenntennial.....

...the book AND the mini-series were quite awesome! :hi:

[CO Liberal]

32. Well, Ann Coulter Writes Fiction.....

...but she's not my favorite.

[donheld]

45. She writes very bad fiction

it turns your stomach real fast. She's taken horror to a whole new level.

[fishnfla]

34. Bush's speechwriter eom

[tigereye]

36. John Updike - despite being annoyingly cynical

is a great writer.

Alice Walker
Henry James


For the op - here are some great mystery names: Ian Pears, Reginald Hill and Martha Grimes for both regular and mysteries. For starters.

[dog_lovin_dem]

37. My list matches yours,

with the addition of John Saul. Of course, Stephen King is the king!

[graywarrior]

41. Stephen King. Plus, he's an awesome guy.

[leftofthedial]

42. Tony Hillerman

great mystery writer

[Elidor]

44. Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Hunter Thompson

I don't care much for potboilers and other examples of bestseller-itis.

[RetroLounge]

46. Joe Coomer

http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=books&field-author=Joe%20Coomer/104-8482866-8147961

The Loop was great. So was Apologizing to Dogs.

He has great characters...

RL

[doc03]

48. James Patterson, Dean koontz, Tony hillerman, John Sanford

[Hans Delbrook]

50. Tie between Jane Austen and Hunter S. Thompson.

I'm not kidding - they both have a magic way w/ the English language. I can read their books over and over.

[BigMcLargehuge]

52. Jeffrey R. DeRego

[NewJeffCT]

53. Currently, it is George R.R. Martin

Now, if he can just finish "A Feast for Crows"!!!!

As an added bonus, Martin is a big Democrat.

[harlinchi]

55. John Steinbeck, Gore Vidal, Michener, King, Koontz, Conan Doyle, and

Christie all appear on my list among many others, some of whom were mentioned here.

[BikeWriter]

56. Uh, me!

[jus_the_facts]

57. BTW...Dean Koontz has written under 10 different pen names....

...over the years....they are as follows...

Brian Coffey

Deanne Dwyer

K.R. Dwyer

Leigh Nichols

Anthony North

Richard Paige

Owen West

David Axton

John Hill

Arron Wolfe

....just read that in the Sci-Fi Encyclopedia the other day and tripped on it!! My favorite of all his work is 'TWILIGHT EYES'...s'hard for me to see prominent repukes as anything BUT the *goblins* ever since!!! :scared:

[ghostsofgiants]

58. Chuck Palahniuk and Mark Z. Danielewski are both great.

[WateryHands]

59. Robert B. Parker and Ed McBain

[kittycat1164]

60. Lawrence Sanders

I love his McNally series.

[yellowdogintexas]

61. George R R Martin, james Patterson, James Clavell,

Brian Lumley, Patricia Cornwell, Carol Nelson Douglas, Jeffrey Deaver