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best modern fantasy authors

#41 User is offline   polishgenius 

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Posted 16 April 2008 - 10:18 PM

Ammanas;290611 said:

I'm always looking for fresh talent--Who are Ellis and Reynolds?

Ooh, ooh, I know this! I know this!
>_>

Warren Ellis, comic book writer (Tranmetropolitan, Planetary, Stormwatch/Authority, Fell, all made of win) who's just moving into novel writing - Crooked Little Vein, best described as "fucked up comedy detective novel", currently writing some post-apocalyptic novel thing.

Alastair Reynolds, marries space opera and hard sci-fi with a dose of noir thrown in. Best known for his Revelation Space series, starts with the book of the same name. Though Chasm City can be read alone, as, I believe can The Prefect but not read it yet.
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#42 User is offline   Cazriel 

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Posted 01 May 2008 - 11:10 AM

my top five
Erickson
Eddings (old stuff)
Carey
Martin
Bakker

Honorable mention to
Hobb
Abercrombie
Ash


Goodkin might of made it if hed stopped at three books
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#43 User is offline   Morgoth 

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Posted 01 May 2008 - 11:51 AM

polishgenius;290633 said:

Ooh, ooh, I know this! I know this!
>_>

Warren Ellis, comic book writer (Tranmetropolitan, Planetary, Stormwatch/Authority, Fell, all made of win) who's just moving into novel writing - Crooked Little Vein, best described as "fucked up comedy detective novel", currently writing some post-apocalyptic novel thing.

Alastair Reynolds, marries space opera and hard sci-fi with a dose of noir thrown in. Best known for his Revelation Space series, starts with the book of the same name. Though Chasm City can be read alone, as, I believe can The Prefect but not read it yet.


Most of his later books are stand alone. The prefect can easily be skipped without any loss I think, though most of hist other books are great. I very much enjoyed pushing ice, and the newest one -House of suns- for that matter.
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#44 User is offline   stone monkey 

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Posted 01 May 2008 - 03:14 PM

You can read The Prefect as a standalone and I'm sure that's fine, but certain things about it make a lot more sense if you've read the rest of Reynold's Revelation Space sequence. I find his standalones to be far more enjoyable than his series; the new book House oof Suns is excellent - although imo it does share that in tendancy he has to end books in too much of a hurry.

There are people whose work I'll always make an effort to read:
Steven Erikson
Iain Banks
Alastair Reynolds
Richard Morgan
Greg Egan
Ken MacLeod
Dan Simmons
Neal Stephenson

And others that I'm opportunistic about i.e. if it looks to be about something I'm interested in, I'll give it a go:
Chris Moriarty
Vernor Vinge
George RR Martin
Robert Jordan
Neal Asher
David Brin

None of this stops me picking up books on a whim, of course. And there's a vast number of books around that I'd like to read, but haven't got around to yet.
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#45 User is offline   Wordmerchant 

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Posted 30 May 2008 - 02:17 PM

My Must Own list:
Jacqueline Carey - Great "alt history" stuff here.
Sara Douglass - Wayfarer Redemption continually trips up expectations
Erikson - I'm here, aren't I?
Robin Hobb - Assassin Trilogy, Tawny Man were fun reads for me - Solider Son Trilogy is entertaining, with decent characterizations.
George RR Martin - I'm hooked.
Robert Jordan - Love the storyline and world view, think his technical writing skill could be better - been reading this long, I'm in to the end.
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#46 User is offline   SonOfDarkness 

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Posted 12 June 2008 - 10:26 PM

deegee;278093 said:

Okay, from what I have gathered, here follows a list (from reading myself and hearing from others) of the best modern fantasy writers of today...feel free to add, take away, and argue! I haven't read any of the last 4 authors stuff on this list...but have their books on my shelf!

Glen Cook
Brandon Sanderson
Steven Erikson
Joe Abercrombie
Greg Keyes
George R.R. Martin
Scott Bakker
Patrick Rothfuss
China Mieville
Scott Lynch
Jacqueline Carey


SE is on top of that pack son!!! :)
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#47 User is offline   Abyss 

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Posted 16 June 2008 - 01:45 PM

Abyss;290472 said:

ALWAYS PRE-ORDERED, HARDBACK, MUST OWN ASAP

Erikson
Martin
Mieville
Butcher (because i need my big Hollywood style urban fantasy actioner fix)

PRE-ORDERED BUT ONLY AT TPB PRICES

Abercrombie
Lynch
Bakker
Esslemont (may move up depending on RotCG)
Ellis
Jordan/Sanderson (if only to finish the WoT)
ADDED: Richard Morgan

MMPB AS AVAILABLE/CONVENIENT BUT INEVITABLY PURCHASED

Kay
Reynolds
Gaiman

MAKES MY EYES BLEED

Goodkind



- Abyss, practical.


...to add R Morgan because the Tak Kovacs books are awesome and BLACK MAN was sheer sf socio-cultural brilliance.

- Abyss, notes the concept of 'virilicide' was just brilliant. And wrong.
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#48 User is offline   telorast 

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Posted 14 July 2008 - 12:54 PM

tim lebbons noreela books are great! very much worth reading...
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#49 User is offline   Use Of Weapons 

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Posted 15 July 2008 - 09:33 AM

My list:

Neal Asher (The Polity rocks)
Iain Banks (Awesome)
SE (Ditto)
C(elia) S. Friedman (Vampires in Spaaaace!)
Peter F Hamilton (Al Capone in Spaaaaaace!)
John Meaney (cerebral)
China Miéville (profilic imagination)
Richard Morgan (Kovacs, need I say more?)
Justina Robson (riffs on consciousness themes)
Charles Stross (singularity seer)
Sheri Tepper (The True Game is my most re-read fantasy ever)
Janny Wurts (Wars of Light and Shadow)
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#50 User is offline   frookenhauer 

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Posted 23 July 2008 - 11:09 PM

Werthead;278469 said:

The Blade Itself is slow. Before They Are Hanged is much better and much cleverer. Last Argument of Kings is spectacular. Frankly, the onus is on Erikson for Toll the Hounds to be as good as Last Argument of Kings, certainly not the other way around.

I would rank the best modern fantasy authors as:

Joe Abercrombie
Daniel Abraham
R. Scott Bakker
Neil Gaiman
Guy Gavriel Kay
George RR Martin
China Mieville
Terry Pratchett
Gene Wolfe

Erikson is borderline. He's very nearly in there, but three weak books on the trot (4-6) are not a good batting average. Reaper's Gale was good though, and if Toll the Hounds is as good or better, I'd put him back on the list. JV Jones and Tad Williams were also both once on there but have been removed after some disappointing releases and lengthy delays on their books.

The best modern SF authors are:

Iain M. Banks
Peter F. Hamilton
Ian McDonald
Alan Moore
Richard Morgan
Christopher Priest
Alastair Reynolds

Rothuss has to prove himself with his second book. His first was great but undermined by subtle flaws. Lynch also nearly made it but his second book had much greater flaws than the first, and the news of delays on the third is not encouraging.


I'm going to take some time out my life to really take this apart, because you're just rubbish, and sanctimonious to boot, and I pretty much disagree with almost everything this post says, but also because I'm a git.

Joe abercrombie: 'the blade itself' was fun. 'Before' they are hanged thought itself very clever and lets hope it is 'the last argument of kings', it fell flat on its face by the end and didn't do the other books any justice. I'm not a huge fan of Toll the Hounds, but its lightyears ahead of the game to anything penned by abercrombie. Its like comparing a bigmac to a medium rare filet mignon, beef may be the main ingredient, but...

Bakker, started reading him, but someones pinched me book, good start though.
Guy gavriel kay, his writing is as fartsy as his name, the stories okay, but very bland.
George R R Martin is a fantastic author, so you're not a total eejit, feast for crows a bit crap.
Terry pratchett, I'm torn between loving the guy and shoving his stupid hat down his throat, but because you like him, i'm going to go with the hat.
I haven't read the others, but since you like them, they have got to be a bit sh1t.

I would have said:
Steven Erikson
Stephen R Donaldson
George R R Martin

(Please note: there is a space between the authors above and those below for a reason, thankyou.)

Robin Hobb (Please note: This is for assassins apprentice and royal assassin, I hate all her other books)
Joe Abercrombie
And I quite liked Patrick Rothfuss' 1st book
From what I've read of bakker, I'm going to go out on a limb and place him here.

The sci fi list: To be honest I've been too busy with the new fantasy to delve too deeply into Sci-Fi recently

Iain banks might one day live up to the potential of his imagination if someone helped him pull his head out of his own arse. I've read a couple and If someone has any suggestions, i'll give them a go. I just can't understand how someone with such bland stories can garner such a big following. He is definitely not the new asimov.

I like Peter f hamilton, nights dawn was good, but the ending was a bit useless. I liked pandoras star, but again his finish doesn't do him any favours. Its a shame, his stories are interesting, but his characters are a bit flat.

I haven't read the rest, yet, so stay tuned. Oh yeah..You like them so they are a load of cobblers.

My Sci-Fi list would be really short:

Stephen Donaldson, for his awesome Gap series
Peter F Hamilton

Yep, I'm fairly certain that in the last decade or so, most of the best reading material has definitely been In the fantasy genre and we may well be in the Golden age, but wont be sure until a few decades time.

BTW I Still Think You Are Rubbish, But I feel Much Better Now.

Apologies for the reeeeeaaallly long post chaps.
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#51 User is offline   polishgenius 

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Posted 24 July 2008 - 09:20 AM

Oooooooookay then.
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#52 User is offline   Binder of Demons 

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Posted 24 July 2008 - 10:19 AM

@ frookenhauer - Can you keep the personal stuff out of the replies. Fair enough if you disagree with someone's assertions, just make your own point and get on with it.

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#53 User is offline   Raymond Luxury Yacht 

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Posted 24 July 2008 - 06:36 PM

frookenhauer;358009 said:

I'm going to take some time out my life to really take this apart, because you're just rubbish, and sanctimonious to boot, and I pretty much disagree with almost everything this post says, but also because I'm a git.

Joe abercrombie: 'the blade itself' was fun. 'Before' they are hanged thought itself very clever and lets hope it is 'the last argument of kings', it fell flat on its face by the end and didn't do the other books any justice. I'm not a huge fan of Toll the Hounds, but its lightyears ahead of the game to anything penned by abercrombie. Its like comparing a bigmac to a medium rare filet mignon, beef may be the main ingredient, but...

Bakker, started reading him, but someones pinched me book, good start though.
Guy gavriel kay, his writing is as fartsy as his name, the stories okay, but very bland.
George R R Martin is a fantastic author, so you're not a total eejit, feast for crows a bit crap.
Terry pratchett, I'm torn between loving the guy and shoving his stupid hat down his throat, but because you like him, i'm going to go with the hat.
I haven't read the others, but since you like them, they have got to be a bit sh1t.

I would have said:
Steven Erikson
Stephen R Donaldson
George R R Martin

(Please note: there is a space between the authors above and those below for a reason, thankyou.)

Robin Hobb (Please note: This is for assassins apprentice and royal assassin, I hate all her other books)
Joe Abercrombie
And I quite liked Patrick Rothfuss' 1st book
From what I've read of bakker, I'm going to go out on a limb and place him here.

The sci fi list: To be honest I've been too busy with the new fantasy to delve too deeply into Sci-Fi recently

Iain banks might one day live up to the potential of his imagination if someone helped him pull his head out of his own arse. I've read a couple and If someone has any suggestions, i'll give them a go. I just can't understand how someone with such bland stories can garner such a big following. He is definitely not the new asimov.

I like Peter f hamilton, nights dawn was good, but the ending was a bit useless. I liked pandoras star, but again his finish doesn't do him any favours. Its a shame, his stories are interesting, but his characters are a bit flat.

I haven't read the rest, yet, so stay tuned. Oh yeah..You like them so they are a load of cobblers.

My Sci-Fi list would be really short:

Stephen Donaldson, for his awesome Gap series
Peter F Hamilton

Yep, I'm fairly certain that in the last decade or so, most of the best reading material has definitely been In the fantasy genre and we may well be in the Golden age, but wont be sure until a few decades time.

BTW I Still Think You Are Rubbish, But I feel Much Better Now.

Apologies for the reeeeeaaallly long post chaps.


Yeah, calm it down with the shit talking.
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#54 User is offline   frookenhauer 

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Posted 24 July 2008 - 10:50 PM

And I thought I'd toned it right down to the bare minimum...Apologies if i offended any sensibilities. Truth

friends again? :o
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#55 User is online   Werthead 

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Posted 25 July 2008 - 12:39 AM

Quote

BTW I Still Think You Are Rubbish, But I feel Much Better Now.


That's a shame because I find your insights deep and profound, and your approach to grammar and radical random capitalisation techniques are exceptionally cutting-edge. I wait your next pronouncement with bated breath.
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#56 User is offline   Aptorian 

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Posted 25 July 2008 - 12:43 AM

This is getting interesting *readies popcorn*
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#57 User is offline   caladanbrood 

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Posted 25 July 2008 - 12:46 AM

Hahah, what a tit :o


Frookywooky worships at the alter of Erikson/Donaldson/Martin Wert, I wouldn't worry too much :p




If you've only read Banks and Hamilton, how are you in anyway qualified to comment on a list of sci-fi authors, frooky?
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#58 User is offline   RodeoRanch 

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Posted 25 July 2008 - 03:26 AM

I'm not going to edit his post but know that frookenhauer has been warned against further such behaviour.


And fuck Firefox spelling-bot. I'll spell behaviour with a "u" if I want to.
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#59 User is offline   Raymond Luxury Yacht 

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Posted 25 July 2008 - 07:44 AM

RodeoRanch;358959 said:

And fuck Firefox spelling-boot. I'll spell behaviour with a "u" if I want to.


Fixed for Canadian accent.
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#60 User is offline   frookenhauer 

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Posted 25 July 2008 - 01:26 PM

Werthead;358919 said:

That's a shame because I find your insights deep and profound, and your approach to grammar and radical random capitalisation techniques are exceptionally cutting-edge. I wait your next pronouncement with bated breath.


Its funny, I was trying to keep the insults to the absolute minimum and still got canned. Mind you, who am I to judge anybody. I formally apologize to you: "Sorry!" And hope that you find it in your heart to forgive me for the crime of being a fanboy. :p (Radical Random Capitalisation Techniques...*snigger*)

caladanbrood;358925 said:

Hahah, what a tit :D

Straight back at you big guy! :p

caladanbrood;358925 said:

Frookywooky worships at the alter of Erikson/Donaldson/Martin Wert, I wouldn't worry too much :o

Its actually altar, but you are right, I am a fanboy, so sue me. Fookywooky, ah..you're so cute!

caladanbrood;358925 said:

If you've only read Banks and Hamilton, how are you in anyway qualified to comment on a list of sci-fi authors, frooky?

Interesting you should say this, because Sci-Fi is where it all began for me as a kid. Douglas Hill, All the old Doctor Who books, John Wyndham and Harry Harrison. Later on it was Bova, Niven and Pournelle, Arthur C Clarke, Orson Scott Card, Frank Herbert, Asimov, Dan Simmons, Phillip K Dick, Pier Anthony, Heinlein...And the list goes on. Maybe it makes me qualified, maybe not. If you had bothered to read the post you might have noticed that I haven't been too impressed with Sci-Fi offerings in the last decade or so.

Aptorian;358922 said:

This is getting interesting *readies popcorn*

Sorry to disappoint. I have been de-fanged. I am now only able to conduct adult conversations with severe restrictions placed on any form of insulting behaviour.
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