# Authors



## Princess Ivy (Aug 23, 2004)

I've just been trolling the Authors boards, but note two glaring ommisions.
Douglas Adams
Piers Anthony.
Are there no other fans of these commic masters out there?


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## Brian G Turner (Aug 23, 2004)

There are quite a few omissions - namely, if a specific author get's a few topics opened on their subject and work, then they have a board opened.

 So feel free to start a couple of topics on either author, and we may see something happen.


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## Princess Ivy (Aug 23, 2004)

Those aren't the only two! 

But I can be very verbose, so prepare to have at it with both barrels!


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## Brian G Turner (Aug 23, 2004)

I'm aboslutely fine with that - I should be finishing a few major deadlines this month - that means in September I should be able to return to sorting out this place - give it a little bit of a tidy and make-over - add new sections. More author discussions to create author boards is always welcome.


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## erickad71 (Aug 23, 2004)

I've read quite a few of Piers Anthony's books. I enjoyed them very much, but I mostly read them when I was a lot younger. I haven't read any lately.


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## Foxbat (Aug 23, 2004)

I read the Tarot Trilogy by Piers Anthony quite a few years ago and found it to be fascinating stuff. 

Douglas Adams is the only person in the world who has managed to write a book that had me laughing out loud


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## Feralia (Aug 23, 2004)

I read the Blue Adept series of Piers Anthony. I just got interested in a new one, called Incarnations of Immortality


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## dwndrgn (Aug 24, 2004)

I enjoy both Douglas Adams and Piers Anthony.  What I like about Douglas Adams is his mix of dejectionist pessimism with lust for all things living...sort of a crazy mix but add in humor and it is the best stuff.  Piers Anthony is straight up popcorn reading as LittleMiss would say.  Enjoyable for it's light and airy but amusing look at how seriously we take our dull, everyday lives.  Another thing I like about Piers Anthony, and I didn't discover this until I visited his webpage, is his complete rejection of criticism, disdain and snobbishness.  His take, people enjoy my books so pbbbbththth to anyone who says it isn't any good.


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## dwndrgn (Aug 24, 2004)

Foxbat said:
			
		

> I read the Tarot Trilogy by Piers Anthony quite a few years ago and found it to be fascinating stuff.
> 
> Douglas Adams is the only person in the world who has managed to write a book that had me laughing out loud


Foxbat, I don't think I know the Tarot trilogy.  I'll have to look it up.  Thanks for mentioning it.  

As far as laughing out loud, there are quite a few authors who can do that for me, but the shortlist definitely includes Adams (and Robinson and Pratchett).


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## littlemissattitude (Aug 24, 2004)

I have also read quite a bit of Piers Anthony's work. The Tarot trilogy; Incarnations of Immortality; the Bio of a Space Tyrant series; some of his short stories; even his autobiography. I think dwndrgn is correct about his inability to take criticism of any kind. Still, I've liked a lot of his work. One thing makes me a bit uncomfortable with some of it though - there are times when his considerable dark side comes out very blatantly. I understand (from reading his autobiography and the author's notes in some of his novels) that he has had some problems with depression, and I can understand where some of that dark stuff comes from. It's just that some of it is very, very dark. For example, in his "Anthonology" collection of short stories, there is a story called "On the Uses of Torture" - very dark, very bleak, and awfully graphic (violence mostly). Oh, it is a very effective story, but it bothered me some, and there isn't much that bothers me in literature.

Edited to add that I almost forgot that Piers Anthony has also written an interesting historical novel, "Tatham Mound", about a Native American from Florida during the time of initial European contact.  It got mixed reviews, but I thought it was a good book.


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## Princess Ivy (Aug 24, 2004)

I was gutted, when I picked up 'The salmon of Doubt' and found it unfinished. I really want to know what happened to Desmond the Rhino! But as a highlight to my week, I found the entire hitchhikers trilogy (yes all five) in a box set, marked down to £2.95! in a bargin bin at my local hardwarestore!

I've not been able to get into the darker Anthony novels, they can be a bit odd, but I love the puns in the Xanth trillogy!

Same reason I love Sabrina (Ivy ducks to avoid large boxes of rotten pastries being hurled at her) the Teenage witch. Puns!

I obviously also love Prattchet, but he has his own forum, so thats OK.


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## dwndrgn (Aug 24, 2004)

Princess Ivy said:
			
		

> But as a highlight to my week, I found the entire hitchhikers trilogy (yes all five) in a box set, marked down to £2.95! in a bargin bin at my local hardwarestore!


I'm soooo jealous!  I've been looking for affordable copies forever.  Sigh.


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## Princess Ivy (Aug 24, 2004)

Me Too! The shop had no idea what they had, I felt almost guilty taking it. 
But not that guilty.
I'm parcelling them out, chapter by chapter at bedtimes...


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## kyektulu (Aug 2, 2005)

Im a fan of piers anthony!
Went through a stage of reading all his books a few years ago now u mention it they deserve another read! 

xxxkyexxx


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## Winters_Sorrow (Aug 2, 2005)

A little read novel, but one of my favourite 'old' novels (I hesitate to use that term, but they're old to me, ok?  ) is "Sos the Rope" by Piers Anthony - a definate departure from his Xanth series - much more straight-laced, I'm afraid Princess


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## Jaxom_Ruatha (Aug 3, 2005)

I've read basically all of the Xanth novels and also have the collection of Douglas Adams Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy, unfortunately I never managed to finish it.


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## Rosemary (Aug 3, 2005)

I too went through a stage of reading as many of Piers Anthony's books as I could find.  A few were quite good, others were for me, weird!!

Not the type of books I would re again.


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## lazygun (Aug 3, 2005)

Highly recommend DA's "Last chance to see..." .

A thoughful and funny account of his travels around the world in search of it's most rare and endangered species.


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## Princess Ivy (Aug 5, 2005)

will keep a look out for it. thanks for the ref, thought i'd all the da's 

Lets also add Red Dwarf to the mix of comedy series (ok, not books but still funny) needing their own threads. 

and see brian, i've kept my promise, lots of threads... some even about red dwarf, daa and pa


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## chrispenycate (Aug 10, 2005)

I hope (seeing that these two authors fall into the "A"s) that this seeking deserving but unrepresented artists won't continue through the rest of the alphabet.
My problem with Piers Anthony Jacob (of whom I have read the majority of his œuvre) is his tendency to peach- not that a story should not have a moral message but that it should be inherent, not force fed into the reader with a stirrup pump. Even Xanth, which started as pleasant lightweight froth, clogged up on message after the proposed trilogy expanded towards 1001 nights. And not knowing when to stop- the first split infinity trilogy is *so* much better than the "let's use up the reseach I did for the first book" second trilogy (not that he's alone in this failing. Has anyone else read *all* the dune books? or tried to follow the"Wheel of time"series?
Oh, sorry-I was only meaning to test if I could post on this site, not push my opinions onto you.  (and I couldn't)


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## Stalker (Aug 10, 2005)

Far from two!
It, of course, the British forum but *Stanislaw Lem* is an international phenomenon in SF literature.
So what about him?


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## finvarre (Aug 10, 2005)

Hello, chrispenycate! Nice to meet you& a heartfelt welcome to the forum from one who is here only three days longer than yourself, but this is a fantastic place I tell you!

As for what you wrote, I do agree, I couldn't stomach any more of Xanth after having read 3 volumes in a row and I had enjoyed the first book, The Spell for Cameleon. I also haven't finished the entire Dune series, though one day I want to, but I've certainly given up on Jordan already, so point taken here. IMO, there's really no worse thing that spoiling a good series just because the author doesn't know how to end it or - more charactestically - doesn't want to end it. I liked the WoT, the world and the protagonists, but now in the latter volumes there's very little left of that and I doubt it I'm ever going to reread the series.
  But as for people not caring about this series anymore - you should read one of the threads on Jordan's forum and see for yourself - they're more devoted readers than myself and bravos for their loyalty!


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## finvarre (Aug 10, 2005)

Thank you Stalker I'll 2nd your proposal for rather obvious reasons

And I guess I could mention the obvious omission of CJ Cherryh here... I'm working on it


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## cyborg_cinema (Aug 10, 2005)

Princess Ivy said:
			
		

> ...I can be very verbose...


An exhaustive list would be great.


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## Princess Ivy (Aug 10, 2005)

i am exhausted, so look around the forum, i'm not backward about comming forwards with my opinions


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## cyborg_cinema (Aug 10, 2005)

that is truly a good thing


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