Discovered Authors 2012

[Connavar]

Yeah, that's how I thought of it at first, generally, but I suppose there's something to be said for warning other people off over-hyped new authors, perhaps. But maybe it would be better to stay positive. Anyway - glad to know these are positives. Probably still be awhile before I get to them but I'll get there eventually.

No it wouldnt be better to be just positive. I cant trust your taste, recommendations if i dont know what you find to be weak books. Also this kind of thread tends to get very boring if people only yay i read a great SF author! I read Kafka! Discovered Angela Carter! Discovered Richard Morgan! I always mentioned which new authors i read weak books of. I was clear about Henry James book i read was 2 stars while Proust book i read was excellent 5 stars in 2011 version of this thread.

Why i mentioned Carolyn Keene that i had to read for Children,YA lit class. She is popular mass hack work for kids,teens but i posted just in case someone was wondering and planning to read it.

 

[clovis-man]

Conn, I think you & I are polar opposites sometimes. You are taking your responsibility to warn off potential readers from bad writing very seriously. I, on the other hand, took the thread and its predecessors at face value and just listed a couple of names of readable authors who I have not tried before.

Perhaps I should meet you half-way.

One of the authors I listed is Robert Charles Wilson. Spin was a finely wrought tale of an apocalyptic dilemma faced by Earth and its inhabitants from unknown antagonists/meddlers with equally unknown intent. The characters drove the tale and made it fascinating because you actually care about them. The premise of the story itself is also fascinating and keeps you guessing as to what is really going on. I am in the process of obtaining some additional books by him.

John Scalzi in Old Man's War, explores some interesting territory revolving around the notion of soldiers being recruited from the near geriatric population for interstellar combat, wherein they receive new and improved bodies. The somewhat unique plot premise carried the story along, but didn't inspire me to seek out the sequel. I felt that the story devolved somewhat into just another "G.I. Joe in space" tale. But I am aware that many others don't share my view, so thought the author was worth mentioning.

 

[clovis-man]

Okay. That does it. I'm officially joining Thread Killers Anonymous.

 

[Fried Egg]

I must admit that my approach is to simply list all newly discovered authors, good or bad, and say what I thought.

But each to their own.

 

[Connavar]

Conn, I think you & I are polar opposites sometimes. You are taking your responsibility to warn off potential readers from bad writing very seriously. I, on the other hand, took the thread and its predecessors at face value and just listed a couple of names of readable authors who I have not tried before.

Perhaps I should meet you half-way.

One of the authors I listed is Robert Charles Wilson. Spin was a finely wrought tale of an apocalyptic dilemma faced by Earth and its inhabitants from unknown antagonists/meddlers with equally unknown intent. The characters drove the tale and made it fascinating because you actually care about them. The premise of the story itself is also fascinating and keeps you guessing as to what is really going on. I am in the process of obtaining some additional books by him.

I dont take it very seriously to warn readers off bad writers. But i want to see what you guys that i know and trust liked and didnt like. So i can discover new authors i didnt know about when i need new reads.

With the books i discover i want to be honest like writing bad and good reviews. I dont want just list the ones i liked. I list all discoveries and rate them what i thougth as first books.

As example i have Spin by Wilson but havent dare to try him since i didnt know his reputation and i didnt have time for new discoveries that isnt legendary writers and modern greats. Now i know Clovis-man thinks its a very good book and i have less doubt about that book

 

[Extollager]

I rarely try authors who are new to me. I have a lot on hand to read and reread as it is. I do appreciate seeing comments from discriminating readers, whether favorable or not. One thing I would welcome is comparison with known books. If you add "Should appeal to fans of Walter M. Miller," for example, to a comment on some author, you've piqued my interest the way praise lacking the comparison might not.

That raises the issue of who the authors are who are well known to Chronsfolk. I won't attempt a complete list, but I would imagine that you're helpful if you compare-contrast new (or new to you) authors to the likes of

(SF) Asimov, Dick, Le Guin, van Vogt, E. R. Burroughs, Clarke, Bradbury, Wells, Herbert, etc.

(Fantasy) Le Guin, William Morris, Dunsany, Tolkien, Chesterton, Borges, et al.

Nobody needs to make such references who doesn't want to; but they could be helpful to some of us.

I don't mean that you would say "Jones is as good as Smith" or something like that, by the way. I mean something more like this: If you liked X, you might like Y too. And you could develop that statement or not as you wish. I might have tried Phil Dick sooner if someone had said that Time Out of Joint might appeal to admirers of Chesterton's Man Who Was Thursday. ...Although I suppose PKD is better known here than GKC!

 

[clovis-man]

As example i have Spin by Wilson but havent dare to try him since i didnt know his reputation and i didnt have time for new discoveries that isnt legendary writers and modern greats. Now i know Clovis-man thinks its a very good book and i have less doubt about that book

I read Spin because it was an SF monthly selection on the "Beyond Reality" group in Goodreads.com.
http://www.goodreads.com/topic/show/726479-spin-finished-reading-spoilers
Otherwise I might not have picked it up. Sometimes things work out fortuitously.

On the other hand, I will be reading more Jack Vance because of your many positive comments.

Extollager: Comparisons are not always easy. Who would I compare Wilson to? Nancy Kress? Her ex, Charles Sheffield? I think they're comparable, but there are no household names there. Certainly wouldn't think of van Vogt or Bradbury or Asimov. Maybe C.J. Cherryh, but her voice is at once both unique and quite varied, so I'd be misleading people.

Probably the best thing for me to do would be just describe a little of the writing style and plot lines. You pays you money and takes your choice.

 

[Extollager]

Extollager: Comparisons are not always easy. Who would I compare Wilson to? Nancy Kress? Her ex, Charles Sheffield? I think they're comparable, but there are no household names there. Certainly wouldn't think of van Vogt or Bradbury or Asimov. Maybe C.J. Cherryh, but her voice is at once both unique and quite varied, so I'd be misleading people.

Probably the best thing for me to do would be just describe a little of the writing style and plot lines. You pays you money and takes your choice.

Sure, something like that will be the best approach sometimes. But sometimes comparisons come to mind that help the reader to get an insight into what he or she just read -- and then these can be shared with appropriate others. For example, I recently read Ellison's "Virgil Oddum" story, new to me. It occurred to me it was sort of like Tolkien's "Leaf by Niggle." So I could suggest that people who like the latter could give the Ellison a try, especially if, like me, they have found Ellison's reputation off-putting but are willing to give him a try. All I was saying was that, when you guys are comfortable making statements that compare or contrast authors I don't know to ones I do know, I might be more likely to give the new guys a try. I am not a fast reader, and I read a great deal of material that is neither sf nor fantasy. In any given year I will try only a few new authors. Well-informed reader comments could help me to pick up something I'd otherwise have missed.

 

[dask]

The nice thing about Baird Searles's A READERS GUIDE TO SCIENCE FICTION is that he does the comparison for you, two or three per author. Some make sense, some make you blink. I find myself comparing writers fairly often whether correctly or not.

 

[clovis-man]

The nice thing about Baird Searles's A READERS GUIDE TO SCIENCE FICTION is that he does the comparison for you, two or three per author. Some make sense, some make you blink. I find myself comparing writers fairly often whether correctly or not.

I'm trying to imagine appropriate comparisons for Samuel Delany or Phil Dick.

 

[J-Sun]

I'm trying to imagine appropriate comparisons for Samuel Delany or Phil Dick.

Dick is partly van Vogt and Kafka. Delany is... I dunno. Something mostly bad. Though there are Vance-ian aspects to his better stuff like Nova.

But, while I often drop comparisons, they're probably at least as likely to be misleading as informative and I try to do it only as amplification on top of more specific concrete points. Different authors mean different things to different people at different times (both the authors' and the readers').

 

[clovis-man]

Dick is partly van Vogt and Kafka.

Now there's an intriguing concatenation!!

 

[Connavar]

That raises the issue of who the authors are who are well known to Chronsfolk. I won't attempt a complete list, but I would imagine that you're helpful if you compare-contrast new (or new to you) authors to the likes of

(SF) Asimov, Dick, Le Guin, van Vogt, E. R. Burroughs, Clarke, Bradbury, Wells, Herbert, etc.

(Fantasy) Le Guin, William Morris, Dunsany, Tolkien, Chesterton, Borges, et al.

Nobody needs to make such references who doesn't want to; but they could be helpful to some of us.

Saki witty writing reminded a bit of Chesterton even if Chesterton prose style impressed me more. Father Brown stories i read was very witty. They have that early 1900s british prose that didnt feel dated,too droll.

ERB mastery of planet and sword reminds of Leigh Brackett Stark series but im guessing you have read her classic Sword and planet hero.

Hehe i adore Dick i would need recommended people who seemed like PKD to readers. I read Vonnegut Piano Player novel once and i thought it was even weirder than PKD as SF but i didnt finish that novel. Didnt have time then.

 

[dask]

Francis Hackett, novelist and biographer who also wrote smashing book reviews which I'm reading right now.

 

[dask]

I'm trying to imagine appropriate comparisons for Samuel Delany or Phil Dick.

Sorry I missed this. For Delany, Searles suggests J.G. Ballard, Ian Watson, Joanna Russ, Michael Moorcock's sf, Norman Spinrad, "and, at the risk of alienating the sf community, James Joyce"; for Dick, he suggests only Roger Zelazny.

 

[Mark_Lawrence]

This year I've rediscovered Joseph Conrad (getting much more out of him 25 years on!)

Also David Logan, who wrote half a brilliant book (Half Sick of Shadows) then rather lost the plot. Myke Cole, who wrote the high energy military fantasy romp - Control Point. Michael Logan (Apocalypse Cow - animal zombie comedy) and Courtney Schafer (fantasy with a climbing slant).

 

[elvet]

Since my last post, I've read City of Dreams and Nightmares by Ian Whates. It was entertaing and had a good mystery at it's heart. I'll be looking for more of that series. Branching out into SF from fantasy has introduced me to Peter F. Hamilton. I'm currently reading Pandora's Star and just love it. Lots of characters (so a Dramatis Personae would have been nice) and technological details that are easy to absorb.

 

[elvet]

Hope those are positive discoveries as they're exactly what I have in the TBR from those not-yet-read-in-book-form authors. And I thought I was going to be the last person on earth to read the Scalzi... well, although I may be now that you've beaten me to it.

I'm adding John Scalzi after reading Old Man's War (just finishing book 3). I've bought Agent to the Stars, hopefully I'll enjoy it just as much.

 

[ratsy]

I think this list should be from 2012

David Anthony Durham - The Acaia series is one of my favs already
Mark Lawrence - Who posted only a few above me - "Hey Mark look forward to reading all of your books in the future."
Kristen Britain - Green Riders first 3 books. Not my usual but did enjoy them.

I am sure I tried more new authors but off the top of my head I cannot think of them

 

[Mangara]

New Authors for me this year:

Brandon Sanderson: I read the Mistborn trilogy this spring, it will forever remind me of my wonderful honeymoon as I read a large chunk of it on the cruise ship whilst relaxing by the pool!

Peter F. Hamilton: I picked up Pandora's star a few weeks ago and finished it a couple of days ago. He does a bit deep at times, a bit info heavy, but the story he weaves is fantastic.

James S.A. Corey: I know its a duo, but I read, and thoroughly enjoyed Leviathan Wakes. I need to pick up the next volume!

Jack Campbell: Started the Lost Fleet series in the summer and I love the fast paced action he delivers.