Time was I would read anything in front of me. I didn’t care what. Seems I’ve gotten more picky as an adult, so I don’t know what to do now.
I like certain elements in my books. I want a book to grab me from the get-go. I need at least a touch of humor or a touch of drama (or both). I have an enormously hard time starting new authors.
I love Terry Pratchett, but only his Rincewind series and Guards Guards! I don’t like the witches.
I have read nearly all of David Eddings. I like that style, but I have to say the women in his books are arrogant. I particularly was turned off by Polgara.
I’ve read most of Asimov, about half of Arthur Clarke. I prefer fantasy to sci-fi but I really will read anything as long as it’s got likeable characters! For example, this is what turned me off of Crichton, was that so many of his characters were sons-of-bitches. I have read a lot of sci-fi but most of it’s got horrible boring morals! I just want to be entertained, is that too much to ask?
I’m tried Anderson, he seems silly to me. I love Douglas Adams. Let’s see…I like adventure novels, swashbuckling, knights as long as they’re not stuffy. I’ve worked my way through about half a dozen of the Arthurian novels.
Oh, and I really hate when authors “write” in brogue, or a particular kind of dialect. It’s enough to just say the person spoke in an Irish accent. I hate when they switch from character to character to character without giving background. I don’t think TP does this, or at least he handles it very well.
Well. I hope that there is some hope for me. Anyone? Do I hear crickets?
Touch of humor? Touch of drama? Likeable characters?
Easy…James P. Blaylock.
Other possibilities:
James White’s “Sector General” series (it’s SF with morals, though)
Thorne Smith
Chad Oliver (anthropologists in spaaaaace!)
The “Jorkens” stories by Dunsany
“Tales from the White Hart” by Clarke
The “Compleat Enchanter” stories by de Camp and Pratt
“Tales from Gavagan’s Bar” by de Camp and Pratt
Eric Frank Russell
The “Kai Lung” stories by Ernest Bramah
James H. Schmitz
Elenia, I don’t know how you feel about mystery, but I really love the Amelia Peabody series by Elizabeth Peters. She tends to spoof on writers like H. Rider Haggard, particularly with “The Last Camel Died at Noon.” The books are very funny, but have gotten a bit more dramatic over the series’ span. If you are into archeology, there are some great in-jokes also.
**John Barth. ** *Sotweed Factor *for Colonial America setting, vernacular speech AND writing style, and large chunks of Chaucer-esque humor and Dickensian plotlines–my favorite book ever…apart from anything written by Douglas Adams; and Tidewater Tales for modern New England setting–A very “womany” book, but a good read nonetheless. . Gargantuan books, give 'em about a 75-100 page head start and you’ll be glad you did or else trying to discern my true identity so you can forward me the bill for the cost of the books.
Oh, and you might want to give James Branch Cabell a try, since he’s what Leiber, Vance, and Shea are riffing off of. Start with Jurgen, then go on to Figures of Earth and The Silver Stallion. If you like those, you can do some poking around to figure out which of his other books you want to read next.
Barth is my hero. I think **The Sot-Weed Factor is a prime candidate for the best American novel ever.
Some more great choices:
Jasper fforde. Especially if you love to read. His Thursday Next mysteries are fantasy/mysteries based on the concept of being able to enter a book and interact with it. The Eyre Affair, Lost in a Good Book (the title is literal) and The Well of Lost Plots are hilarious comedy mysteries where any character in literature can show up (I loved the unnamed boy in one scene who kept showing people a picture of a snake*). Fforde also has a keen eye with regard to the conventions of literature.
Christopher Moore. Just plain wild stories. I’ve read Fluke; or Now I Know Why the Winged Whale Sings, Lamb: The Gospel According to Biff, Christ’s Childhood Friend
*If you get that, you’ll absolutely love the book.
I’ll second Christopher Moore. I once described his writing as “the American Douglas Adams” - he’s not quite as oddball as Adams, but definitely fun. In addition to the already-mentioned Lamb and Fluke, Practical Demonkeeping and Bloodsucking Fiends are highly recommended.
On a more serious note, I would suggest Robert J. Sawyer, particularly since you seem to be intrigued by Crichton’s writing but dislike his characters (I find Sawyer’s characters believable and sympathetic). The Neanderthal Parallax (Hominids, Humans, Hybrids) is a good start; Factoring Humanity and Falshforward are also very good.
I’d say that Jasper Fforde is to classic literature as Myers Myers’s Silverlock is to old golden age science fiction, though Silverlock does depart somewhat from that to skew other genres as well. Fforde’s books are highly referential to classic English lit, but they also often cross into Bridget Jones-like Brit-flavored self-parody. Since you love Adams and seem well-read, you’ll almost definitely love Fforde.
I third RealityChuck’s recommendation of Christopher Moore, one of my favorite contemporary authors – his books just make me laugh, and they’re very easy to read. The Lust Lizard of Melancholy Cove is my favorite of his, perhaps because I love the idea of taking an entire town off their antidepressants for the Yuletime holidays.
For classic fantasy, I strongly recommend Melanie Rawn’s Dragon Prince / Dragon Star trilogies, which have beautifully constructed and very believable cultures and diverse, interesting characters. I also recommend Julian May’s series that goes from The Many-Colored Land to Magnificat, though it’s a loooong series and requires patience in certain parts.
For more modern fantasy, albeit with a juvenile tilt, Pullman’s His Dark Materials trilogy (starting with The Golden Compass) can’t be beat – world-hopping with a knife that cuts spacetime, noble intelligent armored bears, gypsy witches, and animal daemons as physical manifestatiosn of people’s souls… Great reading, and a great lead character on the edge of adolescence.
I suggest Harry Turtledove. I don’t like his fantasy (or anyone else’s, really) but his alt-history is fascinating and engrossing if a bit repetitive at times. When you write a ten book series, that’s bound to happen though.
Guns of the South, How Few Remain, The Great War, American Empire, Return Engagement, Household Gods, Between the Rivers, et al are all great books (or series).
No problem. Thought I’d throw it out there. I’m not generally big on the fanstasy or SF genres. Someone started me on Robert Jordan years ago and I managed to get through Book 5 but I just couldn’t finish 6. Wish I had some recommendations for you, but have fun reading the other stuff!
Maybe Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorkosigan books? (Great characters, drama, humor…) A bit problematic, though, since they really are best read in order, but the later ones are so much better than the first couple.
My fiancée, who loves many of the authors you name, and has some of the same pecadilloes regarding writing style, enjoys Neal Stephenson a great deal. I preferred his more modern works – most of all Cryptonomicon – for their realism and frequent nods to characters who act with amazing volumes of common sense. She enjoyed Quicksilver but has not read its sequels yet, because I’m reading them now. Things you will like about his writing:
Strong but human female characters
An excellent sense of tongue-in-cheek exaggeration
No pesky moral message in most cases
Vivid portrayal and appreciation of the absurd
Tricky and otherwise “cool” predicaments for his characters
A few examples of (5):
a crew of sailors discover that their cargo, since it is comprised of liquids, has been placed in vessels whose resonant frequency equals that of the waves at the mouth of their harbor; if they leave the harbor their ship will be torn asunder by the cargo’s harmonic oscillation. They must “de-tune” their cargo without letting the seller know that they know that there’s a trap.
by sinking a German convoy, the Allies inadvertently enable the Germans to figure out that the Enigma code has been broken. They must convince the Germans that there was another way they knew about the convoy – without the Germans suspecting that they’re being fed a story.
Not all of his stories are nautical (but many deal with ocean travel). I recommend picking up Snow Crash and reading the first chapter; if his writing style appeals to you, grab Cryptonomicon and trust me that you’ll like it.
. Gargantuan books, give 'em about a 75-100 page head start and you’ll be glad you did or else trying to discern my true identity so you can forward me the bill for the cost of the books.
I think **The Sot-Weed Factor is a prime candidate for the best American novel ever.