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Trevanian - Incident at Twenty Mile is the best western I've ever read, hands down.
Persia Wooley's Guinevere trilogy - Child of the Northern, Queen of the Summer Stars, Guinevere, the Legend in Autumn. Carries me away to another place and time. Well told story.
Well, there's always *my* books...but that would be advertising!
In fantasy, I love Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. But you've got to be on your toes because they make a lot of references to famous books/movies/themes while keeping the story and the characters interesting.
In mystery, I'm enthralled with the Peculiar Crimes Unit, a series by Christopher Fowler. Very well written.
Oh, Neil Gaiman...forgot about him. I've liked every book of his I've read...which is only two, but he does have an excellent writing style.
Well, there's always *my* books...but that would be advertising!
In fantasy, I love Neil Gaiman and Terry Pratchett. But you've got to be on your toes because they make a lot of references to famous books/movies/themes while keeping the story and the characters interesting.
In mystery, I'm enthralled with the Peculiar Crimes Unit, a series by Christopher Fowler. Very well written.
Evelyn Waugh..'Brideshead Revisited'...arguably at the top as one of the greatest prose writers in the 20th century...not so fashionable nowadays I think...but he was a smart guy who could write great prose and didn't suffer fools gladly.
. . My all-time favorite book is another historical novel called The Heaven Tree, originally written as a trilogy but now published as one volume. It was written in the 1960s, but takes place in the 12th century. This book contains the best death scene I've ever read.. . .
Thank you for reminding me of this trilogy! It's time to read it again and I've already requested it from my library's online data base.
I'm not sure if you would call him a novelist, but my favorite writer of all time is Mark Twain. He could take a mundane situation and turn it into -at the some time- a pronouncement on the human condition- and a comedy. Who else could get away with this?
This is such a subjective question. It really depends entirely on the reader's taste. There are writers that are heralded as outstanding... and I find them dull. On the other hand, there are "penny dreadful" writers that I find appealing.
Also, it depends on what level you are judging the work. For instance, I found Hunger Games (the first one, I haven't read the others) to be a decent story that held my attention, but the author's usage/language seemed really "clunky" to me at times--sometimes to the point of distracting me from the story.
I tend to read slowly so that I can enjoy the wordplay and structure as much as the story. So... I generally end up reading older literature because the authors of earlier eras tend to craft their language as much as they craft their stories (besides the fact that the language, in general, was much more eloquent back then). I often end up really liking a novel not so much because of the plot or story line (although it certainly matters) but because of the way the language and usage is carried out. For example, Hannah Foster's The Coquette really grabs me because of Foster's language. It's beautiful. And a novel like Donald Barthelme's The Dead Father is completely nonsensical as far as story line and plot, but is a hoot because of the way he messes around with the English language to the point of absurdity. It's hilarious if contorted language strikes your funny bone.
But most modern authors... well, not so much. I do like most of Stephen King's stuff. I wish I could find an author that concentrates on the Victorian era or earlier and really crafts his/her language, along with having an interesting story. Haven't found any that stand out, though.
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It's time to read it again and I've already requested it from my library's online data base.
