[Essentials] Authors

[Ferrariman]

Orson Scott Card

 

[Edgedancer]

Negatives are necessary for this thread to work out. It gives a field for people who don't like (and have read) stuff from those authors to say "No", it also removes the insane curve "Essential" eventually has. Without negatives it takes only 20 votes. With negatives it could take 50, meaning that there's also people who think it's bad (apparently 30). Putting negatives next to the total as a second number would be a decent way for you to keep track, and for it to be a fair basis. For example I can say that Stephanie Meyer is absolute shit, her books are terrible, she shouldn't be writing. And I'm sure there are others that feel the same, but all it takes is 20 zombies who enjoy crappy books because they don't read real books to come and say it's good for it to be essential, despite the 30~50 possible people who think it's crap, giving the book false fame.


I've yet to see you give a real reason for 'no negatives' it's a terrible idea.

As for Books/Series. It's true that should be what exists, not an Authors list, although some Authors can be put that way, for example Stephen King's books are for the most part similar, so they could just be listed as "Stephen King Titles".

You have valid points and yes, I can see how they have a place but I am going off every other essentials thread on the site. Look, at the DS essentials thread. No negatives. That said, I will increase the actual requirements for each category.

 

[KingdomBlade]

Stephanie Meyer is absolute shit, her books are terrible, she shouldn't be writing.

Read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Host_(novel)

Got way too little publicity and hype. Amazing book. Have you read this yet? Me no think so.

I do think that there are some authors with good books and bad books. Look at Steph. People whine about Twilight when they haven't even read The Host. (one of her amazing books)

QUOTE(Edgedancer @ Nov 27 2009, 10:38 AM) J.K. Rowling (5)
Dan Brown (4)
Eion Colfer (3)
Stephen King (3)
Dan Brown (3)

Also, I noticed there are two Dan Browns.

 

[agony]

Stephanie Meyer is absolute shit, her books are terrible, she shouldn't be writing.

Read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Host_(novel)

Got way too little publicity and hype. Amazing book. Have you read this yet? Me no think so.

I do think that there are some authors with good books and bad books. Look at Steph. People whine about Twilight when they haven't even read The Host.

The woman is exceedingly popular for her crap books. Which is why.

Ehhh, I only have 2 favourite authors, Murakami and Butcher, the rest are pretty good too though.

+1 Garth Nix
+1 George R. R. Martin
+1 Haruki Murakami
+1 Garth Nix
+1 Clive baker
+1 Robin McKinley
+1 Jim Butcher

 

[dinofan01]

George Orwell +1

J.R.R. Tolkein +1

 

[Pyrofyr]

Stephanie Meyer is absolute shit, her books are terrible, she shouldn't be writing.

Read: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Host_(novel)

Got way too little publicity and hype. Amazing book. Have you read this yet? Me no think so.

I do think that there are some authors with good books and bad books. Look at Steph. People whine about Twilight when they haven't even read The Host. (one of her amazing books)

QUOTE(Edgedancer @ Nov 27 2009, 10:38 AM) J.K. Rowling (5)
Dan Brown (4)
Eion Colfer (3)
Stephen King (3)
Dan Brown (3)

Also, I noticed there are two Dan Browns.

I'm going to be frank with you, The Host doesn't look like a book I'd read.

The woman seems obsessed with ruining established norms in fantasy creatures. I will read The Host based on your recommendation, and I'll be back when I'm done.

Either way, how many people who vote for her do you think would have even read The Host?

 

[swimmeringer]

I hate Stephen King. So boring!

As for my essential, it's Douglas Adams all the way.

 

[KingdomBlade]

Very very few. The people who will vote are Twilight fangirls who haven't even heard of the book. Maybe except me. It is kinda creepy though, good thing.
You should pirate it first in case it's not your type.

 

[Hatsu]

+1 J.K Rowling

 

[iffy525]

Seriously? No Kurt Vonnegut?

+1 Kurt Vonnegut

 

[pichon64]

+1 Charles Bukowski
+1 Father Luke
+1 Jenifer Wills
+1 Edward Estlin Cummings
+1 John Ashbery
+1 Roque Dalton

 

[Ferrariman]

Chiming in on the Meyer disscussion

Twilight is shit. It will always be shit.

The Host was a pretty good book, not perfect or a classic, but still pretty good.

 

[Blue Zoidberg]

+1
Kurt Vonnegut
Douglas Adams
Philip K. Dick
George Orwell
H.G. Wells
Agatha Christie
Jack Kerouac
Ronald Dahl
Terry Pratchett
Issac Asimov
Noam Chomsky

-1
J.K. Rowling
Stephanie Meyer
(Getting children to read fluff for the sake of getting them to read is stupid. Find children's stories with substance and weight; their teachers and future employers will thank you)

 

[Vidikron]

-1
J.K. Rowling
Stephanie Meyer
(Getting children to read fluff for the sake of getting them to read is stupid. Find children's stories with substance and weight; their teachers and future employers will thank you)

That's BS IMO. I hated reading when I was very young because I didn't like the "classics" being shoved down my throat in school. It wasn't until I discovered a book I enjoyed via a friend that I discovered my love of reading. So I'm of the opinion that just about anything that can get someone reading is a good thing no matter what some other person thinks about the book.

 

[Blue Zoidberg]

They don't have to be classics, just quality children's books.
Dahl, Carle, Geisel (Seuss), &c come to mind.

 

[DeMoN]

+1 Dan Brown
+1 J.K. Rowling
+1 Anthony Horowitz

 

[geminisama]

+ 1:
David Wong
Richard A. Knaak
Margaret Weiss
Tracy Hickman
R.A. Salvatore
Theodore Judson
H.P. Lovecraft
George Orwell
Aldous Huxley
Steven King
J.K. Rowling
Max Brooks
Steven Colbert
Lois Lowry
Richard Matheson

-1:
Stephanie Meyer

 

[Lubbo]

Matthew Reilly
Robert Muchamore
Charlie Higson


btw you have Dan Brown in the list twice

 

[BionicC]

In no particular order:

Alasdair Gray (Lanark is one of my favourite books EVER)
Iain Banks (never read any of his sci-fi books but I LOVE his "regular" stuff, even if some of it -- eg. The Bridge -- ain't exactly "normal")
Terry Pratchett (a tad inconsistent but even his worst books are better than many authors' best)
Stephen Fry (the man annoys me a lot these days but his books are well worth reading)
Tom Clancy (shamefully, I have something of a soft spot for his particular brand of trashy military porn)

 

[Deleted_171835]

+1 Eion Colfer
+1 Douglas Adams
-1 JK Rowling