favorite science fiction/ffantasy authors - what are yours?

[dumbledore11214]

--- In HPFGU-OTChatter at yahoogroups.com, "susanmcgee48176" <Schlobin at ...> wrote:
>
> Here are mine:
> 
> Tied for first place J.R.R. Tolkien and J.K. Rowling
> 2 - C. S. Lewis
> 3 - Robert Heinlein
> 4 - Marian Zimmer Bradly
> 5 - Mercedes Lacky
> 6 - Robin McKinley
> 7 - Madeleine L'Engle
> 8 - Susan Cooper
> 
> and here are some others in no particular order, Poul Anderson,
> Isaac Asmiov, T.H. White, Sheri Tepper, Octavia Butler, Andre Norton, Charles de Lint, Orson Scott Card, Ursula LeGuin, E.E. Smith,
> Lord Dunsany, 
> 
> Yours?
>


Alla:

Hm, I think the only one I would cross out from your top picks list is Mercedes Lackey or at least limit myself to her earlier books - goodness love Herald Mage trilogy, I vented more than once here as to how much in my opinion her books went down in quality since she started publishing several books a year in great details. Everybody else you listed I love, I mean no wait, I have not read McKinley.

Whom would I put on top? Very tough question, but since the question says your favorites, not the ones I consider most skilled, I would do something like that:

1. Alfred Bester (The demolished man is one of my  favorite books of all time, period)

2. Jim Butcher (Hey you asked for favorites, I am not claiming that his skills are near on the level of Tolkien or Susan Cooper, but I think he writes intelligent books, cool stories and created great characters)

3. J.K. Rowling. (Yes, I do believe that books will stand the test of time).

4. Tolkien (I love the books, but just cannot love the characters on the same level as I love the others, but I certainly give him the first place of the most skilled one, wait no I think Bester is close)

5. OMG I used to love Heinlein when I was younger, have not read anything of his recently.

6. Susan Cooper I love the Dark is rising.

7. There are several russian fantasts I adore, but see no point in listing them, I am not even sure if they are translated.