The Sword and Laser discussion

This is a hard one, but let's try to list our all-time favorite authors. Here are my five (in no particular order):

Robin Hobb
Tad Williams
George R.R. Martin
Laurie R. King
David Eddings

If we're limiting ourselves to science fiction and fantasy, I'd go with:

Alastair Reynolds
Arthur C. Clarke
J. R. R. Tolkien
Vernor Vinge
Angela Carter

Outside the genre:

James Ellroy
Bret Easton Ellis
Joseph Conrad
James M. Cain
Nick Hornby

In no particular order:

Neal Stephenson
Daniel Suarez
William Gibson
Neil Gaiman

In SF, I would say:

Guy Gavriel Kay
George R.R. Martin
Robin Hobb

In non-SF:

P.G. Wodehouse
Ken Follett
Patrick O'Brian
Ellis Peters

Vance wrote: "In SF, I would say:

Guy Gavriel Kay
GRR Martin
Robin Hobb

Non-SF

PG Wodehouse
Ken Follett
Patrick O'Brian
Ellis Peters

(Don't know how to make them links!)"

Just above the comment box, there's a link that says "add book/author". Just search for the person or title, and it will add it automatically!

Ah, thanks, V. I will go back and edit it.

Ever the toughest question for me!

William Gibson
Neil Gaiman
Christopher Moore
China Mieville
Scott Lynch

I guess that is a start. There are just so many to choose from!

This is tough, as every year I keep discovering new
favorites. But I'm game:

Sci-Fi/Fantasy:

Arthur C. Clarke
Dan Simmons
David Gerrold
Iain M. Banks
George Alec Effinger

Man, I wish David Gerrold would finish the War Against
the Chtorr series. Been, what? Only 17 years I've been waiting?
This is why I'm waiting for GRRM's series to finish before I start into it.


Non-SF/Fantasy:

Stephen King
Khaled Hosseini
Greg Iles
Dennis Lehane
Val McDermid

Tough one! May change when I follow up on some of the authors whose short stories I really liked in the The Best of the Best: 20 Years of the Year's Best Science Fiction anthology, but:

SF/Fantasy:
Gene Wolfe
Neil Gaiman
George R.R. Martin
Ursula K. Le Guin
Frank Herbert

My non-SF/Fantasy favorite author list is in flux - I've found my opinion can be quite different when I've re-read someone who used to be a favorite 'conventional fiction' author. I'm sure that can be true of SF/fantasy as well, but I still seem to like Earthsea wizards and sandworms, for instance. ;)

Rick wrote: "Ever the toughest question for me!

William Gibson
Neil Gaiman
Christopher Moore
China Mieville
Scott Lynch

I ..."

And Douglas Adams, I can't believe I forgot him!

Tom wrote: "In no particular order:

Neal Stephenson
Daniel Suarez
William Gibson
Neil Gaiman"

Hmm. Pretty much ditto.

Thanks, by the way, for recommending Daemon. Fantastic!

George R.R. Martin
Frank Herbert
Arthur C. Clarke

Non-SF and Fantasy

Kurt Vonnegut (best author, any genre)
Stephen King

Dagnabbit, forgot two essentials!

Douglas Adams
Terry Pratchett

Both in the SF genre.

SciFi Only:

Alastair Reynolds
Issac Asimov
Peter Hamilton
Frank Herbert
David Weber

SF
Isaac Asimov
Peter Hamilton
Arthur C Clarke
Douglas Adams

Fantasy
Neil Gaiman
Terry Pratchett
George R R Martin
J.R.R. Tolkien
Robert Rankin

Others
Stephen Fry
Ben Elton

My favorite SF and Fantasy authors in no particular order are:

Tad Williams
Brent Weeks
Jim Butcher
R.A. Salvatore
Terry Brooks

A couple of authors (one who writes as a duo) outside the genre of SF/Fantasy are:
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child
James Rollins

Terry Pratchett
Douglas Adams
Hunter S. Thompson
Grant Naylor
Rob Grant
Doug Naylor

The best god-damned authors ever.

Definitely a tough one but the first five that come to mind are:

Neil Gaiman
Jacqueline Carey
John Scalzi
Patrick Rothfuss
William Gibson

In no particular order, just as I think of them:

James Rollins
Douglas Preston & Lincoln Child
Isaac Asimov
Ben Bova
F. Paul Wilson
E. E. Knight
Derek Gilbert
Sharon Gilbert
Jack McDevitt

Sci-Fi/Fantasy
J.R.R. Tolkien
Neil Gaiman
Iain M. Banks
Dan Simmons
stephenson, neal

Non Sci-Fi
Stephen Jay Gould
Bertrand Russell
Richard Dawkins
Julio Cortazar
Jorge Luis Borges

In no particular order

Feist Raymond E
Pratchett/Terry
Terry Brooks
George R. R. Martin
Tad Williams
Robert Jordan
Stephen King

I could happily pick up any book written by any of them and start reading it right now. Even if it's in the middle of the series It's all very fantasy-heavy.

i'm sorry, i really tried to get my list down to 5 but the best i can do is 7.

David Eddings
He opened the door to fantasy books for me.
The Belgariad and The Malloreon has been lying on the floor next to my bed for ages. when ever i don't have anything to read, Eddings comes to the rescue.

Terry Pratchett
Can't live with out his books.
Every night when i go to bed i put on a Pratchett audiobook. been doing that for a few years now, strange but true.

Robert Jordan
i think i've read WOT 7-8 times.
and I'm shamed to say i still haven't picked up the last book yet.

Stephen R. Donaldson
The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant the Unbeliever is one hell of a series, Mordant's Need isn't to shabby either.

Margaret Weis/Tracy Hickman
Dragonlance, The Death Gate Cycle, love em.

Douglas Adams
No words necessary. Well maybe, Don't panic :-)

Katharine Kerr
Her Deverry series is right up my alley.

Here are my top 5 in Sci-Fi/Fantasy and Fiction in no particular order. I know most of my Sci-Fi writers are typically known as "Star Wars" writers but I would suggest reading anything by them. And in my opinion Max Brooks is THE premier Zombie writer (with J.L. Bourne slowly catching him).

Sci-Fi/Fantasy:
Aaron Allston
George R.R. Martin
Timothy Zahn
Karen Traviss
Orson Scott Card

"General" Fiction:
Max Brooks
Dan Brown
Stephanie Meyer
Daniel Suarez
Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child

Wow, this is tough;

stephenson, neal
Phillip K Dick
Ayn Rand
Arthur C. Clarke
Issac Asimov
Frank Herbert

As far as I can go, before it starts to blur. I really base my selections whether I would read their books multiple times, not just a second time.

I'd have to say my favorite are:

Robert J. Sawyer
Dan Simmons
Larry Niven
Peter F. Hamilton
Greg Bear

I really think Robert J. Sawyer is underexposed to alot of Sf fans. Check him out!

In no particular order:

JK Rowling
Tolkien, J.R.R.
Butcher/Jim
Douglas Adams
Frank Herbert

OK here goes nothing. This is hard!

Philip K. Dick
Douglas Adams
Stanislaw Lem
Frank Herbert
Gene Wolfe

J.D. Salinger
Neal Stephenson
Hermann Hesse
Michael Chabon
Dave Eggers

I'd have to go with:

J.R.R. Tolkien
Norton Juster
C.S. Lewis
and probably,
Jules Verne

For the sake of simplicity I'll keep this to contemporary authors:

SciFi/Fantasy
Harlan Ellison
Neil Gaiman
George R.R. Martin (although this latest book is awful)
Tad Williams

Other
Michael Chabon (Just the best)
Simon Schama (Best general history author)
Peter Hessler (Best observer of life in China)
Rick Atkinson (Best writer of military history)
David Sedaris (Funniest man alive)

SciFi/Fantasy
Ray Bradbury
Douglas Adams
Terry Pratchett
John Wyndham
(+ a couple whose books I enjoy)
Mary Gentle
Martin Scott (AKA Martin Millar)

Others.
Jane Austen
George MacDonald Fraser
Patrick O'Brian

Also in no particular order

Kylie Chan
Raymond E. Feist
Jennifer Fallon
Sara Douglass
Tracy Hickman/Margaret Weis

I will add Weis and Hickman in together as I think it brings out their best work

My top five at the moment, subject to change without notice


Robert Jordan/Brandon Sanderson
Patricia Briggs
Raymond E. Feist
Jim Butcher
Charlaine Harris

Tom wrote: "OK here goes nothing. This is hard!

Stanislaw Lem"

You and your Lem! I don't get it!

Veronica wrote: "Tom wrote: "OK here goes nothing. This is hard!

Stanislaw Lem"

You and your Lem! I don't get it!"

What's not to like about Lem? It's hit and miss, but those that hit tend to make me think.

I agree in how difficult this is with everyone

Robert Jordan
Cormac Mcarthy only read "the road" but it was amazing
Brandon Sanderson
Micheal Moorcock
Tad Williams
Kevin J Anderson

Harlan Ellison
Neal Stephenson
Charles Stross
Dan Simmons
Patrick O'Brian

Orson Scott Card is my all time faavorite auther but as for the others... there's too meny choises!!!

This was tough, and undoubtedly I'm missing some, but I think my list would go with:
Raymond Feist
Neal Stephenson (though I hated Anathem)
George R.R. Martin
Madeleine L'Engle (A Wrinkle in Time is one of the first fantasy books I read)
Orson Scott Card (actually I've only ever read Ender's Game and Ender's Shadow but they're some of the best sci-fi I've ever read)

Also, I haven't read too many books by Neil Gaiman, but what I've read, I really liked.

This is tricky. I read so many.

Clarke Arthur C
Asimov Isaac
Feist Raymond E
Orson Scott Card
William Gibson

I look at the list of names in the comments other people have done, and I find myself wondering why there are so few women writers listed.

So for those, I'm adding some favorites of that gender.

Lois McMaster Bujold
Anne McCaffrey
Elizabeth Moon
Margaret Weis

I have such a hard time picking favorites.

I know for sure Carol Berg is pretty much at the top at the moment.

Some others include:
Neil Gaiman
Terry Pratchett
Douglas Adams
David Eddings
Mercedes Lackey

And I'm sure I'm forgetting some.

Probably Peter F. Hamilton. Read all the stuff in print, and waiting for the next one, Evolutionary Void in the fall, 3rd part of the Void trilogy, which is a sequel to Pandora's Star/Judas Unchained.

John Scalzi, although I've only finished Old Man's War

Joe Hill, so far.

A lot of sff seems like work to read to me, lacking emotion. (Hamilton is work though; I guess I get enough out of it.)

David Eddings
J. R. R. Tolkien
Margaret Weiss
R. A. Salvatore
George R. R. Martin

Call me old school if you will:


Arthur C. Clarke
Isaac Asimov
Robert A. Heinlein
Frank Herbert

followed by a younger one:
Peter F. Hamilton

Not that original, but I could spend many years on a desert island with books from these guys.


Tolkien J. R. R.
C.S. Lewis
Frank Herbert
Arthur C. Clarke
Isaac Asimov
George R.R. Martin
Philip K. Dick
Douglas Adams
Jules Verne
Daniel Suarez

Stephen King
Neil Gaiman
H.P. Lovecraft
J.K. Rowling
Max Brooks

With science fiction:

Alastair Reynolds
Douglas Adams
Neal Stephenson

With fantasy:

George R R Martin
Patrick Rothfuss
Raymond E Feist

In general:

Chuck Palahniuk
Stephen King
Richard Dawkins

I'm hopeful that I'll become fans of these authors (once I read their books):

Steven Erikson
Peter F. Hamilton

(in no particular order)
Montaigne
Augustine of Hippo
Jean Jacques Rousseau
Voltaire
Nabokov Vladimir.

Now, don't throw me out of this fine group! You asked for 'all time' favorite authors.

Somebody (not me because I am lazy), should do a tally and see which authors have the most mentions! :0)

Gene Wolfe
Theodore Sturgeon
Neal Stephenson
Roger Zelazny
Chelsea Quinn Yarbro