Your favourite fantasy author?

[Mr Cairo]

I read the Belgarid years ago , It's good stuff.

The Sequel series suffered from being more of the same but the characters were so well written I enjoyed it anyway.

Seeing people go for 3 authours I would have to add Pratchett (obviously) and Neil Gainman.

 

[KiraAnn]

My preferences lean to Robert E Howard and Fritz Leiber.

 

[Randy M.]

Don't know that I have one favorite. My fantasy reading tends toward Fritz Leiber, Ray Bradbury, Ursula K. Le Guin, and Caitlin R. Kiernan. A few years ago Jonathan Carroll would have been front and center on that list, but I've gotten away from him. And I suspect John Crowley and Elizabeth Hand could end up being names I trot out once I dig into their work more.

 

[vanye]

Katharine Kerr. For the Deverry books. Her SF is great stuff, too.

 

[Mr Cairo]

Terry Pratchett, hands down.
Not quite fair to the others as Tetty has so much depth beyond just fantasy.

edit: I should give credit to the artist, Jeff Sorley. He posted it on Facebook - and said it was okay to share.

As poignant as that is I think its better with zero dialogue ......




Still hurts

 

[BAYLOR]

As poignant as that is I think its better with zero dialogue ......




Still hurts

He should have been granted and long healthy life . He had so many more more stories to write.

 

[BAYLOR]

The Sequel series suffered from being more of the same but the characters were so well written I enjoyed it anyway.

Seeing people go for 3 authours I would have to add Pratchett (obviously) and Neil Gainman.

The problem with Mallorean is is didn't have a good Villian and he didn't seem to know where to go with the story .

 

[Pyan]

If he had chosen to write horror, he would been great at it.

If he'd chosen to write anything, he'd have been good at it...

 

[Mr Cairo]

The problem with Mallorean is is didn't have a good Villian and he didn't seem to know where to go with the story .

Lack of a central villain certianly slowed it and personally I missed a few of the Charatcers from the first series that kind of got sidelined for newer characters in the second however this has encouraged me to give it a reread as soon as I finish Neverwhere and its mini sequel.

 

[JimC]

Poul Anderson
L Sprague DeCamp

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I don't really think of myself as having favorite authors, though I do have favorite books, and there are several authors who have each written several books that fall into this category. The reason why I don't consider the writers themselves to be my favorites is that many of them don't stick with a particular formula—which is a good thing, creatively speaking, and I admire them for it, but it does mean that often they write things that just fall flat as far as I am concerned. Meanwhile, other writers, whose books never scale the same heights as far as I am concerned, do more consistently turn out books that I read and enjoy and even admire. So who is my favorite: the one who wrote one story that I have absolutely adored over the course of many decades and many rereadings, or the one whose books I like slightly less well, but who nevertheless has provided me with reading pleasure over many years and many books? I don't feel the need to make that judgement.

But also, being someone who rereads a lot of books and who often finds that there is something new to love with each rereading, even the list of favorite books tends to reorder itself depending on what I have read most recently.

 

[SilentRoamer]

@Teresa Edgerton Thats a really great point and part of the reason I was struggling to pick a "favourite"

I really thought about this and so my answer is twofold:

David Gemmell has rarely disappointed me, he is the reason I started reading as an "adult" and the reason I have such a love for the Fantasy genre.

Robert Jordan wrote my favourite series and for that he is also on top of my list.

 

[paeng]

The mighty Dante!

 

[Extollager]

The mighty Dante!

Ah, good -- it seems you catch me and probably others assuming that the original question is silently restricted to modern fantasy written originally in English.

I'd start "modern fantasy" with Coleridge (Christabel, Kubla Khan, Rime of the Ancient Mariner). Some here wouldn't go back even that far.

 

[pogopossum]

Not quite fair, because I have already stated my favourite, hands down.
But I would like to mention Poul Anderson among classic authors, and my overall favourite author, Roger Zelazny.
Among authors who are a little more current, I would mention Raymond Feist.
Even though I do not claim to be very well read, there are at least a half dozen authors currently writing who are pushing the envelope.

 

[paeng]

Ah, good -- it seems you catch me and probably others assuming that the original question is silently restricted to modern fantasy written originally in English.

I'd start "modern fantasy" with Coleridge (Christabel, Kubla Khan, Rime of the Ancient Mariner). Some here wouldn't go back even that far.

Actually, Dante's my favorite.

 

[Yozh]

Ursula K. LeGuin, Earthsea and especially her short stories.

 

[Harpo]

Dr Seuss.

 

[The Big Peat]

The Sequel series suffered from being more of the same but the characters were so well written I enjoyed it anyway.

Seeing people go for 3 authours I would have to add Pratchett (obviously) and Neil Gainman.

The problem with Mallorean is is didn't have a good Villian and he didn't seem to know where to go with the story .

I think Eddings knew exactly where he wanted to go with the Malloreon - he wanted to correct the flaws he saw in the Belgariad, play with the repetitiveness of the quest structure, and talk about providence and agency. I think the point about it not having a good villain is correct... but then the Belgariad kills off its only good one after two books. Tbh, I think I see them as very similar - I can see how someone would see them as more of the same, because they are, but it works for me.

I do think the Elenium is the best thing they did though.

 

[JimC]

CL Moore
Poul Anderson
Sprague DeCamp
Fritz Leiber