Who is your favorite author?

[megoapesnut]

Without question or hesitation - Dean Koontz. I am an avid reader. As soon as I finish a book, I start another. I have read my favorites many times. About 20 years ago, a co-worker handed me Koontz's latest release at the time - Midnight, thinking I might like it. I started reading it during break (I was working second shift at the time) and ended up staying up till 5AM and finishing the book, it was that good. He is sort of like Stephen King, but without the slow parts. Koontz's books most of the time move along at a very rapid pace. Several books take place in a single 24 hour period and many others are just a few days in length. I soon read all of his previous work and haven't missed an novel release date since. He is a very captivating author, it is hard to put his books down because you want to know what's going to happen. He has several standouts gems among his works - Midnight, Lighting, Watchers to name a few. My favorite by far is one of his least known works - Twilight Eyes.

Anyone else a Dean Koontz fan?

[knight errant00]

As an English major, I know I should say someone like Faulkner or Pynchon, and as an SF reader, Bradbury or Asimov or Harlan Ellison. But looking at my bookshelf, and thinking over the books I'v read and re-read over the years, I have to say it's Edgar Rice Burroughs. I always enjoy his stories, and appreciate the arcane and corny elements.

Other authors that jump to mind (and from the shel in shear volume) include Raymond Chandler, Leigh Brackett, and Lester Dent (aka Kenneth Robeson).

[Donkey Hoatie]

I've read a couple Dean Koontz books. He's pretty decent.

I read a lot, and tend to gravitate towards more literary tastes, but these are my five favorite authors.

1. Raymond Carver. Brilliant American short story writer and poet.
2. Stephen King. Yup, I know, he's pop-lit for sure. But, he's also an incredibly underrated writer from a literary standpoint. I've been saying it for years, but in a couple decades universities are going to include critical studies of his work as part of their course loads. A lot of snobs dismiss him as "too popular" for literary critique, but hey, you know who else was thought of that way during his time? Dickens. Actually, I think Dickens is very comparable to King in terms of creating memorable characters and villains. Also, if you have any desire at all to become a better writer, you need to pick up King's Book, On Writing. Best book about writing I've read outside of Strunk and White's Elements of Style.
3. Tim O'Brien. If you only read one thing he's written, read his short story, The Things They Carried. Brilliant.
4. Kurt Vonnegut. He's really much more enjoyable to read when you're young and idealistic, but there is a very timeless quality to the themes in his novels, Slaughterhouse Five and Cat's Cradle, just to name two.
5. James Joyce. If you want a challenge, try to read Ulysses. If you want to drive yourself mad, try reading Finnegan's Wake. If you want a good collection of short stories, you can't go wrong with Dubliners.

[Shanester]

William S. Burroughs & Chuck Palahniuk. Great authors of different generations, but both use macabre in chilling fashion. I am also a huge Homer fan. The Iliad is my all time favorite read.

[Cmonster]

Cormac McCarthy

SC

[wilbs518]

Kurt Vonnegut

[boss]

John Irving

[huedell]

Roald Dahl... possibly C.S. Lewis, but only for the "Narnia" books.
L. Frank Baum and Salinger are up there too.

[4NDR01D]

Kurt vonnegt
John Steinbeck
Michael Connelly

[Donkey Hoatie]

William S. Burroughs & Chuck Palahniuk. Great authors of different generations, but both use macabre in chilling fashion.

I like Palahniuk quite a bit. If you ever get a chance to hear him do a live reading, do it! He's a great entertainer, plus the audience will be the widest variety of folks you've ever seen in one place. His work appeals to so many young, socially marginalized people that weirdness abounds at every corner of the crowd.

Cormac McCarthy

SC

McCarthy's got a great sense of how his characters should sound. A really, really authentic voice. No Country for Old Men is one of my favorite books and movies. I liked Blood Meridian quite a bit as well as Child of God and Outer Dark, but I think I might have been one of the few folks who didn't care so much for The Road. I also tried to get the Suttree, but I haven't been able to find the energy to tackle it yet. I've started All the Pretty Horses a couple of times, but it just hasn't engaged me as much as some of his other works. Some day, though.

[kingdom warrior]

I don't have one favorite here are my top ten
1. William Shakespeare
2. Edgar Allan Poe
3. Homer
4. Ernest Hemingway
5. Oscar Wilde
6. Arthur Conan Doyle
7. Ian Fleming
8. Kobo Abe
9. Harlan Ellison
10. Bram Stoker

[Gorn Captain]

Dean Koontz.
He writes exciting stories, fast-paced, great sense of humor without overdoing it. You'll love the lead characters from page one. He writes terrific parts for dogs, without the "Lassie come home" feeling. I never miss a Koontz novel, and he's written over 40 now.
His last books were a little "off" I felt, as if his passion was a bit "lost", but I recently read "A big little life", about his dog Trixie, who died in 2007, exactly the moment when I felt his writing was "different". Any dog lover should read this book, it's a wonderful tale of friendship. But he's back up to speed with Breathless, so good things to come.

I stopped reading King, because his books have been extremely depressing these last ten years. I love a good horror story, but when the plot is "life sucks, we should all die miserably", I tune to a different channel. I tend to aim for "hope" these days, and Dean Koontz always delivers, though he nevers pulls his punches....

[Gorn Captain]

He has several standouts gems among his works - Midnight, Lighting, Watchers to name a few. My favorite by far is one of his least known works - Twilight Eyes.

You've just named my favourites. Twilight Eyes was my first one, with the Carnival, right? That is why that one stuck with me, also.

[timb]

CS Lewis for sure.

[vintage spideyfan]

1. Dr. Hunter S. Thompson
2. Steinbeck
3. Twain
4. F. Scott Fitzgerald