Who are your favorite authors?

Amber · 10-16-2002, 09:35 PM

I don't think that this topic has been done yet...or at least not for a while.

Name your favorite author(s) and tell us why you enjoy his/her (their) works.

My favorites are C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien (not in any particular order). I enjoy Lewis' books because of their insightfulness into the nature of man. I cannot read anything by him without being forced to really think about it. His works are always great to read and full of truth even if I do not agree with him completely on his theology. Tolkien I enjoy because of his beautiful storytelling style and the way he can describe a scene or situation to great detail without making the passage drudgery. The characters are also wonderful and nearly always force the reader to actually care what happens to them. The subtle weaving of Christianity into the story is also fascinating to me (no, I am definitely not saying that it is allegory).

Nathaniel Hawthorne deserves being mentioned as well. His short stories are captivating and beautifully written, and his masterpiece, The Scarlet Letter, is rich in symbolism and meaning. His eloquent writing style is always a pleasure to read.

SccHarpGirl · 10-16-2002, 09:48 PM

Wow, amber, you have excellent taste

I also like JRR Tolkien, CS Lewis, and also Charles Dickens. Orson Scott Card is also an excellent sci fi writer.

rockin4theking · 10-16-2002, 10:16 PM

I like Lewis and Tolkien too....for most of the same reasons.

I really Tolkien because he wrote like he was writing a history of something real, and made the stories feel like a history rather than a fairy tale. (I like history btw

)

I am also a big fan of Louis L'Amour. (who wrote westerns in case you don't know) I like his writing because it's so real and descriptive of what the country was like; mainly because if he wrote about it, he'd been there or done something similar to what he was writing about. He wasn't a writer who wrote about things he'd never done. He wasn't an eloquent writer by any means, but he had a way with words that just fit with eras he wrote about.

**meatfinger** · 10-16-2002, 11:20 PM

Tolkien obviously, just for writing such fantastic fantasy.

His books just have that "epic" feeling. Great stuff.

Michael Crichton for all the interesting stories that are extremely intellegent. His books don't descend to the reprocessed crap that comes out of most modern authors today. An original guy.

Chuck Pahlianuik (sp?) for Fight Club, the most brilliant novel in the last ten years.

John Steinbeck (see his thread).

There will surely be more later.

Jeremiah · 10-17-2002, 01:42 AM

Michael Chrichton, I love the way he can educate and entertain at the same time.

JRR Tolkien, same reason as Amber.

Patrick F. McManus, this guy is just funny.

That's all I can think of for now...

YamahaFG180 · 10-17-2002, 12:23 PM

One of my favorite authors is William Faulkner. He has such interesting characters, and I like his writing style. As I Lay Dying was such a fascinating book.

Also I'm a big Sherlock Holmes fan. Those stories are best read when it's cold outside and warm inside, and when you have candles burning and coffee brewing, and maybe jazz or some soft music playing. Ahhh.

I think that Ayn Rand may become one of my favorites; I'm reading Atlas Shrugged and it is an incredible book. I recommend it.

I, too, like Pat McManus. He is so funny! I just love reading his stuff. I need to buy some of his books, actually. ...Also, Bill Watterson is brilliant.

SccHarpGirl · 10-17-2002, 03:06 PM

Pat Mcmanus is awesome

OneWithTheMud · 10-17-2002, 04:56 PM

J.R.R. Tolkien
... Lord of The Rings is really cool.

H.G. Wells
... I just like his books.

Bill Myers
... Good books.

Edgar Allan Poe
... Amazing stories.

Jeremiah · 10-17-2002, 05:05 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by SCCHarpGirl
Pat Mcmanus is awesome

I thought I was the only one here that had ever heard of him....

***starburst*** · 10-17-2002, 05:47 PM

cs lewis - he is my all time favourite, he just has a way with presenting abstract and profound ideas in a way like no other. like the screwtape letters, nothing has ever come close to that. creative and literary genius. not to mention a wonderful christian with some great ideas.

chuck palahniuk - yes that's really how you spell it, i learned how to today

louis l'amour - whoo! someone else has heard of him. i'm not a fan of westerns, but his style is awesome.

edgar allen poe - some great stuff. i don't like everything he's done but what i like is awesome, like no other.

george orwell - animal farm. 'nuff said.

rockin4theking · 10-17-2002, 08:49 PM

YAY!! More Patrick McManus fans!! And a Louis L'Amour fan!! The day just keeps getting better and better!!

Laura · 10-17-2002, 08:54 PM

Tolkien, of course - the man was a genius, no doubt.

Victor Hugo - anyone who can write 1400 sensible pages about complex human characteristics is near the top of my list.

Robert Louis Stevenson - I love his writing style; the way he writes with eloquence but yet is not too abstract to lose the reader.

L.M. Montgomery, for no other reason than that she created one of the most lovable, real characters in all of fictional literature.

**meatfinger** · 10-17-2002, 11:47 PM

Quote:

Originally posted by ***starburst***
chuck palahniuk - yes that's really how you spell it, i learned how to today

You've heard of Chuck Palawhatever! *runs around in small circles clapping his hands* I thought I was the only one! You've read Fight Club, right?

Also, I love the Jack Handy quote in your sig, Laura! Excellent choice! I was going to put one up myself.

imclayinaz · 10-18-2002, 01:30 PM

Christian authors:

Henri Nouwen, Philip Yancey, Leonard Sweet, Max Lucado, Brennan Manning, C.S. Lewis

non-Christian authors:

Terry Brooks, Orson Scott Card, Stephen King

Laura · 10-18-2002, 04:39 PM

Quote:

Also, I love the Jack Handy quote in your sig, Laura! Excellent choice! I was going to put one up myself.

Haha...isn't it great?? I love those things!!!