# Looking for Author/Book recommendations **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [November 29, 2007, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149 "2007-11-29T05:56:47Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 15\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 5:56am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/1 "2007-11-29T05:56:47Z")
Simply put, I need a new author to read. As a lad, I adored Douglas Adams’ work, and more recently I have developed a similar fondness for Terry Pratchett. However, I’ve pretty much exhausted all of their works. I’ve moved onto Neil Gaiman, and very much enjoyed his novels and short stories, but now I’m just about done with those. One day I’m sure I’ll get into his graphic novels, but at this moment they don’t really interest me. I’ve also started on a Wodehouse collection borrowed from a friend, but while I enjoy it I find I need to be in the right mood to enjoy his work and need some things to read for the other times. So, where would be a good place to go from here? ---
**Author:** ![glee](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/b5a626/32.png) [@glee](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/glee)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 6:03am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/2 "2007-11-29T06:03:25Z")
I enjoy Wodehouse, Adams and Pratchett too. 🙂 Here’s a TV series on British politics that was a comedy classic, with the books being a fine read too: [Yes Minister](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Yes-Minister-Jonathan-Lynn/dp/0563206659/ref=pd_bbs_sr_6?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196316021&sr=8-6) There’s a follow-up called [Yes, Prime Minister](http://www.amazon.co.uk/Complete-Yes-Prime-Minister-Hon-James/dp/0563207736/ref=pd_bbs_sr_7?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1196316136&sr=8-7) ---
**Author:** ![Dinsdale](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/97f17d/32.png) [@Dinsdale](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Dinsdale)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:45pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/3 "2007-11-29T14:45:30Z")
A couple of my fave authors who are somewhat prolific: Harry Crews Richard Russo Madison Smartt Bell Jim Harrison ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 2:58pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/4 "2007-11-29T14:58:54Z")
If you like Douglas Adams, you might try **Robert Sheckley** , who was a big influence on him. Unfortunately, he’s dead (relatively recently) and most, if not all, of his stuff is out of print. But you can find him in used bookstores (especially science fiction books), at conventions, and at on-line used bookstores. i also think he’s the most ripped-off writer for movies. The guy doesn’t get the credit he ought to. Read **The Status Civilization** , and then tell me whether the film **Total Recall** didn’t scarf most of its materal from this book (after the first 20 minutes exhausted the nominal Philip K. Dick source). Have you read **Christpher Moore**? His stuff is in print, and he’s alive. I was introduced to his stuff by **the Stupidest Angel** , which had a quotable line every other page (I was quoting them to Pepper Mill), and whose stuff is Prachett whacky. ---
**Author:** ![DeadlyAccurate](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/d/ac91a4/32.png) [@DeadlyAccurate](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/DeadlyAccurate)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 3:08pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/5 "2007-11-29T15:08:44Z")
You might try A. Lee Martinez. He’s fairly new (three books out, at least two more on the way.) Gil’s All Fright Diner In The Company of Ogres A Nameless Witch ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 3:59pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/6 "2007-11-29T15:59:18Z")
I just picked John Twelve Hawks “Traveler” and “The Dark River” and have been loving them. It’s basically a paranoia/sci fi kind of thing set in the present day, pitting the “Brethren” - a group dedicated to controlling the human race via high tech surveillance devices - against the Travelers, a handful of people who can ‘travel’ via astral projection to different realms and their guardians, the Harlequins. There’s some hoo-haw over the author being a paranoid “live off the grid” kind of guy, but I don’t care about that. They’re just fun books. ---
**Author:** ![pinkfreud](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/pinkfreud/32/17603_2.png) [@pinkfreud](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/pinkfreud)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 8:57pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/7 "2007-11-29T20:57:57Z")
Another vote for Robert Sheckley. I suggest starting with [Dimension of Miracles](http://www.amazon.com/Dimension-Miracles-Robert-Sheckley/dp/0575037067), a wild, exciting, hilarious science fiction novel. ---
**Author:** ![CalMeacham](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/calmeacham/32/35_2.png) [@CalMeacham](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/CalMeacham)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 9:20pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/8 "2007-11-29T21:20:26Z")
> [@](#): > > Another vote for Robert Sheckley. I suggest starting with Dimension of Miracles, a wild, exciting, hilarious science fiction novel. When I first read **The Hitchiker’s Guide** my immediate thought was “This is just Dimension of Miracles rewritten!” Apparently a lot of other people had the same thought. It’s not literally true, but there are an awful lot of similarities. ---
**Author:** ![Ghanima](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/9e8a1a/32.png) [@Ghanima](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Ghanima)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 10:41pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/9 "2007-11-29T22:41:29Z")
My fave authors are Iain Banks and Tim Powers - just about anything by them will be great. I have also been reading James Blaylock lately and really enjoying his stuff, it’s sort of Tim Powers lite. ---
**Author:** ![Der\_Trihs](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/der_trihs/32/233_2.png) [@Der\_Trihs](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Der_Trihs)\ **Post date:** [November 29, 2007, 11:12pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/10 "2007-11-29T23:12:35Z")
[Tom Holt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Holt) has a similar feel to Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett I find. ---
**Author:** ![Thudlow\_Boink](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/thudlow_boink/32/320_2.png) [@Thudlow\_Boink](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Thudlow_Boink)\ **Post date:** [November 30, 2007, 1:43am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/11 "2007-11-30T01:43:04Z")
[QUOTE=Der Trihs] [Tom Holt](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tom_Holt) has a similar feel to Douglas Adams and Terry Pratchett I find. [/QUOTE] I agree, based on the one book of his that I’ve read so far. ---
**Author:** ![Lust4Life](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/ecc23a/32.png) [@Lust4Life](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Lust4Life)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 8:15pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/12 "2007-12-01T20:15:48Z")
[QUOTE=Garula] Simply put, I need a new author to read. As a lad, I adored Douglas Adams’ work, and more recently I have developed a similar fondness for Terry Pratchett. However, I’ve pretty much exhausted all of their works. I’ve moved onto Neil Gaiman, and very much enjoyed his novels and short stories, but now I’m just about done with those. One day I’m sure I’ll get into his graphic novels, but at this moment they don’t really interest me. I’ve also started on a Wodehouse collection borrowed from a friend, but while I enjoy it I find I need to be in the right mood to enjoy his work and need some things to read for the other times. So, where would be a good place to go from here? [/QUOTE] I tried many times to read Patrick O’Brien,he writes sea stories of the Nelsonic age,couldn’t get into his stuff but one day it just clicked and after that I was hooked. I seriously ask you to have a crack at O.B. ---
**Author:** ![Garula](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/ea666f/32.png) [@Garula](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Garula)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 9:47pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/13 "2007-12-01T21:47:46Z")
Thanks for the recommendations, everyone! I think I’m going to start with Sheckley and then try moving on to some of the others. Hopefully it will be at least a few months before I need more suggestions (I’m a bit of a slow reader). ---
**Author:** ![Larry\_Borgia](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/larry_borgia/32/156_2.png) [@Larry\_Borgia](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Larry_Borgia)\ **Post date:** [December 1, 2007, 11:36pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/14 "2007-12-01T23:36:58Z")
Try China Mieville. He’s a bit darker than the authors mentioned, but a very rich imagination. Also try Mervyn Peake and M. John Harrison, the authors Mieville cribbed his style from. On another note, you might like _Lucky Jim_ by Kingsley Amis, a very funny–though kind of sexist–British academic novel. I’ll also vote for Tim Powers. ---
**Author:** ![Sage\_Rat](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/sage_rat/32/399_2.png) [@Sage\_Rat](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Sage_Rat)\ **Post date:** [December 2, 2007, 1:08am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/looking-for-author-book-recommendations/428149/15 "2007-12-02T01:08:45Z")
**Robert Asprin** ’s MYTH series is good as is Phool’s (up to when Asprin got writers’ block.)