10) Michael Crichton 9) Ken Follett 8) Richard Montanari 7) Walter Mosley 6) Robert McCammon 5) Dan Simmons 4) Greg Iles 3) Michael Connelly 2) Dennis Lehane 1) Stephen King HM: Gillian Flynn, Neal Stephenson, Nick Cutter, John Grisham, Don Winslow, George R.R. Martin
Great list! My favorite authors: 1). JRR Tolkien 2) JK Rowling 3). George RR Martin 4). Tad Williams 5). Michael Crichton I anticipate this list will grow in coming years. I need to re-read Stephen King’s early works and then work my way through his more recent books.
Mike, i know your very busy, but i hope you can read this comment and know that your channel, your great commentary, and superb literary taste have helped me tremendously. You have reignited my love for reading and word slingers.
I did my thesis on Robert E Howard i’m glad you mentioned him. Nobody on booktube ever talks about him. He was the pioneer of the sword and sorcery genre ❤
My current top ten - 1 Stephen King, 2 Robert McCammon, 3 Dan Simmons, 4 Terry Pratchett, 5 Ken Follett, 6 Iain Banks, 7 James Herbert, 8 Ian Rankin, 9 Robin Hobb, 10 Clive Barker. As I am now getting into more Fantasy, my favourites will soon be Joe Abercrombie, John Gwynne, Brandon Sanderson, Ryan Cahill to name but a few. I just need to read more of them.
Top 5: King, Crichton, Tolkien, Crouch, and Dostoevsky. Others who could join the top 10 after I read more of their work: GGK, Hobb, Ruocchio, Erikson, and Lehane.
We definitely share our top 2. From there it diverges a fair bit as I’d have (in no special order) Gaiman, Sanderson, Gibson, Grisham, Arturo Perez-Reverte, Herbert, Vonnegut, and Karin Slaughter. But Crichton and King were such events in high school.
I actually just went through and reranked my favorites a couple weeks ago. I scored each of my favorites in 7 different categories: Characters, World Building, Dialog, Plot/Story, Emotions (who made me cry, lol), Prose & Pacing; all these listed in order of importance to me personally; scoring 1 through 5 stars with 5 being great. Here is how that scoring turned out: 10. Stephen R. Donaldson (24 points; highest scores were in Characters, World Building & Plot/Story with a 4 in each) 9. Patrick Rothfuss (24; got a 5 in Prose so he is ahead of Donaldson) 8. Nicolaus Eames (26; got a 4 in every category but World Building and Prose) 7. George R. R. Martin (26; got a 5 in both World Building and Plot/Story so is ahead of Eames) 6. Mark Lawrence (27; got 4's in every category but Emotions) 5. Steven Erikson (27; got 5's in two categories: World Building & Plot/Story so is ahead of Lawrence) 4. David Gemmell (27; got 5's in two categories: Characters & Emotions; I'm more of a character driven reader so that ranks him ahead of Erikson) 3. Brandon Sanderson (27; got 5's in three categories: Characters, World Building & Plot/Story so is ahead of Gemmell) 2. Joe Abercrombie (28; gets 5's in Characters and Dialog) 1. Robert Jordan (29; gets 5's in Characters, World Building & Plot/Story)
I probably don’t have a top 10 but I think Dostoevsky would be at the top of my list. Also love CS Lewis and Tolkien. JK Rowling was a massive part of my childhood that I enjoy passing onto my kids. George Orwell and Ray Bradbury are fantastic as well. Stephen King and Brandon Sanderson are similar for me in the sense that some of their books are among my all-time favorites, but some of their other books I just don’t care for.
My top 10, as of June 2024: 10. James Patterson 9. Lincoln Pierce 8. Roald Dahl 7. Johan Wyss 6. Bryan Jacques 5. Andy Weir 4. John Grisham 3. Jules Verne 2. Isaac Asimov 1. Pierce Brown
No mention of Lois McMaster Bujold? A legit Grandmaster with multiple Hugo and Nebulas? The Vorkosigan saga is top notch Space Opera, and her Penric and Desdemona stories are an excellent and very original Sword and Sorcery series, full of interesting situations and droll wit. If you have not read either of these, I urge you to start, and envy your ability to read them for the first time. I'd put her in over Robert Jordan in a heartbeat. She's a far better writer.
I love that you have both HP and Howard on your list. Absolutely brilliant. Curious have you read Clark Ashton Smith, he was another contemporary of both them. They formed the trinity of weird. CAS wrote some beautiful stories 🤠
My list: #1 Stephen King, #2 J R. R. Tolkien, #3 H. P. Lovecraft (i don’t agree with his racist views, but i love the Cthulhu Mythos), #4 Michael Crichton, #5 Ray Bradbury, #6 Rick Riordan, #7 C. S. Lewis, #8 Frank Herbert (should be higher, but I don’t like the Dune sequels past Children of Dune), # 9 R. L. Stine (Goosebumps is my childhood), #10 Mario Puzo (The Godfather, The Last Don, Omerta, etc.)
Great video and nice list. Mine would include Daniel pinkwater, Tad Williams, Robin Hobb, Raymond Feist, Robert Jordan, Stephen king, Agatha Christie, Michael Connelly and John Scalzi
Stephen King was the first author I read and I will always have soft spot for him. Number two would be Philip K Dick who I think not enough people talk about. 3 would be Richard Stark, I got hooked to his Parker books in high school. 4 is Agatha Christie who wrote nice tight mystery books. I can't really think of any authors pass that I have read enough to make a judgement on them.
Mike I’m not sure if you’ll see this since I’m a bit late to this video but thank you for your suggestions. I’ve been introduced to many new authors this last year since I came across your channel
Crichton and King are my favorites to but i still have a long way to go with many other authors. i just recently bought a copy of lonesome dove so im excited to give that a try
Mike, thanks for sharing this list! I've never read anything by Blake Crouch, but the rest of your list are mostly favorites of mine, as well. Thanks for mentioning Michael Crichton and Ray Bradbury. They both are famous, but they don't seem to resonate with many of today's readers. I started reading Michael Crichton paperbacks when the movie Andromeda Strain came out, and loved most of them. Lately, I've been re-reading Bradbury's early stories about 'Uncle Einar' and his weird family. They are so good! Edit: My current top author list would have to include Neal Asher, Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, Alastair Reynolds, Anthony Trollope, Ian Toll, Steven Erikson, Frank Herbert and Walter Jon Williams. And Rudyard Kipling makes 10!
Great video My favourites: 1 Stephen King 2 J K Rowling 3 James Herbert 4 Charles Dickens 5 Terry Pratchett 6 Alexandre Dumas 7 Ken Follett 8 Lee Child 9 Joe Abercrombie 10 Richard Laymon
Love me some Lovecraft! I got into his works in college and I've been a fan ever since. I understand his verbose writing style is not for everyone but his sheer imagination astounds me, not just the Cthulhu Mythos but the Dreamlands stories as well. The Colour Out of Space is still one of my favorite short stories ever. Just perfect cosmic horror on display there.
My Top 6 list. These are the only authors I've read all their stuff (or close to) and have enjoyed nearly everything I've read. JD Salinger HP Lovecraft JRR Tolkien Clark Ashton Smith Robert E Howard Joe Abercrombie
Love Robert McCammon, but so far only Boy's Life and Swan Song are next level. Love Ray Bradbury, he is a word wizard. I recommend Chad Lutzke as a fresh, phenomenal storyteller. He writes kids and coming of age horror stories so well. Clive Barker is my number two! I still need to read If You Like It Darker!
Agree with everything you said regarding Bradbury. Husband and I lived close to his hometown Waukegan in Illinois for a few years and it was amazing to walk around the city that was the influence for ‘Green Town’. Very akin to the feeling I get any time I’m in Maine (or most of New England for that matter). I think King’s ability to characterize the towns in his stories is a definite hat tip to Bradbury - probably why they will both be all-timers for me. Like you said, something about their writing just feels like coming home.
We have the same top 3. 1. Stephen King - his combination of characterization, ideas, genre range and sheer amount of great books is unmatched. The amount of unique great ideas he has is truly astounding 2. George RR Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire is the best thing I’ve ever read, and there isn’t a close second. He isn’t #1 because he doesn’t have King’s story diversity or volume. 3. Michael Crichton - his books are a joy to read. Nobody does scientific thrillers like him
Hi Mike. Have always read multiple genres and for me James Lee Burke is my all time number 1. 45 books and counting. Picking up his new novel CLETE on Saturday and will probably read it in 1 sitting. His books just go deep into my bones. Best Regards UK Chris
Hmm, good list, here's mine in no particular order. Robert A. Heinlein - nostalgia pick, first Sci Fi author where once I read one of his books, I had to read them all Cormac McCarthy - in my opinion the most important American author of the twenty-first century J. R. R. Tolkien - nostalgia and shear greatness. I have read the Hobbit and LOTR 5 times through Robert McCammon - IMHO, the thinking mans Stephen King Iain M. Banks - Whether his fiction or his sci fi, this Banks is one of the best Dan Simmons - One of the best writers of the last 50 years regardless of genre Neal Stephenson - the king of interesting ideas Alastair Reynolds - he writes 600+ page books you rip through like they're novellas Robin Hobb - Mesmerizing, spellbinding, meaning T. C. Boyle - If you have never read Boyle, you're in for a treat Wallace Stegner - Taught creative writing at Stanford. Students? * Wendell Berry * Sandra Day O’Connor * Edward Abbey * Simin Daneshvar * Andrew Glaze * George V. Higgins * Thomas McGuane * Robert Stone * Ken Kesey * Gordon Lish * Ernest Gaines * Larry McMurtry Honorable Mentions George R. R. Martin Joe Abercrombie Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle C. S. Friedman Stephen R. Donaldson Greg Bear David Weber Larry Correia I have to stop because I could keep listing more and more
#5 - As of last year Robin Hobb has entered my all time. #4 - James Michener is an oldie, won pulitzer prize 1948, but he's my favorite of epic/saga historical fiction. #3 - Robert McCammon- my fandom started with Wolf's Hour and was sealed by Matthew Corbett. Boy's Life and Swan Song were just bonus points #2 - Dan Simmons- After reading Summer of Night, I branched off his horror and tried his other literary works and fell in love with his writing. #1 Stephen King has always been my top fav since the 7th grade.
Nice list. Love Bradbury...Dandelion Wine is one of my all time favorites and if you havent read it you definitely should. No complaints about Martin - he's one of my favorite authors also. Fevre Dream! Happy reading!
I'm glad that Robert McGammon's _Swan Song_ got at least an honorable mention, because that is my favorite story of all time. I can't count how many times I've read that book, and I love it. I have it in paperback, Kindle & Audible, and am waiting on getting a hardcover copy. I've had to replace my paperbacks twice because it went through so much with me. However, Stephen King & Anne Rice are my favorite authors. I've read the _The Stand & The Witching Hour,_ many times too. *Edited:* Just subscribed. 🤣
I'm aiming for this list. :) Years down the line. Lumi Lumi is my love child right now, but it'll expand into.. a lot. Starting off with a web novel. I'm looking to combine both the concept of anime (light novel or OELN) and novels. I've planned Lumi Lumi out for probably 7+ years if not longer, but you can read the fun little 'Goblins and Grandma' prompt writing contest to see what I can make up in a matter of an hour or so. I usually write the chapter same day.
Hey Mike, loved your list 😁 Not sure if I have ten or not, but right now some of my favorite authors are George RR Martin, Susanna Clarke, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Fredrik Backman, Justin Cronin, and James Islington. Of course, that list changes all the time!
Never expected Cormac McCarthy to become my fav author but then I read Blood Meridian and something just clicked. That book was so impactful for me. It was so real and visceral. It was an experience. It's hard to describe because I never felt this way about a book. McCarthy is def not for everyone though.
My top three: Anne Rice, A. N. Roquelaure, Anne Rampling. If you get it, you get it. XD Seriously, massive shrine to her. She showed me rhe Savage Garden and with now eleven autographed novels with two personal autographs and a personalized photo of her, think i wont leave her worlds any time soon. Oh, FYI: The AMC Series was a wonderful piece of television and a masterclass of adapating (adaption, not translation).
Robert Mccammon is probably my favorite author. I own almost all of his books as the numbered and lettered signed versions. I have hunted down a lot of his 1st editions too. You can't go wrong reading any of his books. Of course his best are swan song and boy's life but try Wolf's hour and the hunter from the woods, Blue world (short stories), they thirst, the border, the listener, all the matthew corbett books (especially Cardinal black or king of shadows where he goes into what events turned the antagonist into the "most evil" it's genius. All of them are good so you don't have to wait for a "good one")
People seriously underrate GRRMs writing just because of the popularity of the show and the fact it's unfinished. Of what he's written he is one of the greatest of all time. The fact Sanderson is even mentioned in the same breath as him at times is crazy!
As a lover of the fantasy, science-fiction, horror, western, and mystery genres, I can confidently confirm the best author of all time is Fyodor Dostoevsky. His psychological/philosophical novels are their own genre, and they scratch a deeper itch than any of the others can. Dune, LOTR, ASOIAF, and Lonesome Dove are all 10/10 masterpieces. Crime and Punishment is an 11/10. It breaks the scale. I thought McMurtry wrote the best characters until I read the GOAT. Roskolnikov, Sonia, and Svidrigailov live rent-free in my head now.
Another book tuber wants, said that she found it way more exciting to discuss Dune and the world of Dune and it was to actually read the books. I admittedly couldn’t agree more.
Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson could have been my favorite authors if they had a good editor. As it stands Stephen King and Robert E Howard are my favorites ❤.
My top authors? Okay. Stephen King, Peter Straub, Joseph Heller, Ken Kesey, Arthur C. Clarke, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Charles Webb, William Wharton. Or how about my top 10, actually 11, favourite books by these authors? 1) _Carrie_ by Stephen King (I'd never read a book like this before that actually shocked me) 2) _The Shining_ by Stephen King (long story, claustrophobic, suspenseful and scary, one of his best) 3) _'Salem's Lot_ by Stephen King (great small town feeling, real people battling an unstoppable evil) 4) _Ghost Story_ by Peter Straub (it literally scared me) 5) _Shadowland_ by Peter Straub (beautifully written, brilliant, suspenseful) 6) _Catch-22_ by Joseph Heller (great characters, black humour, off beat, brilliant and engrossing) 7) _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_ by Ken Kesey (great protagonist, great villain, brilliant writing) 8) _2001: A Space Odyssey_ by Arthur C. Clarke (mind bending, just like the cover says) 9) _Breakfast of Champions_ by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (weird, strange, unusual and I loved it) 10) _The Graduate_ by Charles Webb (brilliant dialogue, how does he do it?) 11) _Birdy_ by William Wharton (stunningly beautiful near the end, the part in italics, beyond brilliant) Honorable mentions: _Different Seasons_ by Stephen King (four novellas, every one brilliant and perfect) _Welcome to the Monkey House_ by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (short story collection, erudite and high brow, not at all like the quirky, alternative stuff he usually writes) _Bambi_ by Felix Salten (read it as a kid, very touching) _Around the World In Eighty Days_ by Jules Verne (fun, adventurous, great story) And as a kid I loved reading Charlie Brown comic strip books, and _Tintin_ by Hergé. And later, as an adult, _Calvin and Hobbes._ I also loved _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ by L. Frank Baum.
TBH watched this to confirm King would be No 1. Like. No surprise, Mike? But knock me down with a feather at Sanderson (finally, perspective) and Jordan (right?). Shocked not to find JK Rowling but not sad. Your list made my day! Thank you so much!!
Stephen King is my favourite author as well. Just very fascinating body of work. Also, in spite of being known as a horror writer, his work can be great comfort food.
Crichton is still my number 1. It makes me so sad that we'll never read another technothriller of his. I feel the same about his new "co-written" books. I tried Dragon Teeth and didn't like it. I plan to try Eruption, but I have extremely low expectations.
Stephen King Karin Slaughter Brandon Sanderson Michael Crichton George Martin Tolkien Makoto yukimura (vinland saga) Dan Brown Agatha Christie R. L. Stine That last one might be a bit of nostalgia, but he is really the first author who got me into horror and lead me to discovering Stephen King
I reallyyyyy need to check out some Crichton, I have read nothing by him yet oops. Amazing list, curious to see if/how it will change over the coming years!
My top 5 Favorite authors Not the best but favorite are: Stephen King Dean Koontz David Eddings Jim Butcher R A Salvatore. I literally have dozens and dozens of books by these authors It's not to say I've read all of them yet but I'm working on it
My favorites, genre notwithstanding, are probably something like: Bret Easton Ellis Don DeLillo David Foster Wallace Ray Bradbury James True (GOOOOD shit) Ernest Hemingway Kurt Vonnegut John Updike Stephen King Cormac McCarthy I'm really not a super well-rounded reader, even with these authors, Though.
Yikes... so many options. Dumas, McCammon, Schwab, Wells, Eisler, Freeman, Weis, Butcher... I feel like the longer the list gets the worse you feel about leaving someone off. Bailing now :D
I would say Rawling, but everything after Harry Potter just hasn't been the same level, so not top 10. Mo Xiang Tong Xue is my favorite now. My favorite book in the world is by her. Many overlap with you. Stephen King, Tolkien. I love James Clavell - top 3. Shakespeare - I've read everything by him. Christopher Moore can always crack me up - so funny. Last is Tao Wong - he write cultivation novels.
I’m new to Fantasy so no Fantasy/SciFi authors on my list. I’m sure my list will change in the coming years. 3. CJ Box 2. Michael Connelly 1. Stephen King
Ursula K Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Douglas Adams that one time and again, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Samuel R Delaney, a nostalgic shout-out to Brian Jaques and a recency bias shout-out to Vernor Vinge I need to read more Kurt Vonnegut and whoever this Steve King guy is
Upon surveying others favorites maybe I'll add Dan Simmons & Frank Herbert & Iain M Banks & Issac Azimov too but not Gene Wolfe I just can't trust him. Also Nalo Hopkinson and Nnedi Okorafor since you're still reading
I still have faith in George. I think Winds is gonna come out next year and a Dream will be finished eventually. Greatest writer for me simply because since I’ve read it the series nothing has pulled me in as much as it did. Completely immersed.
I have often thought about reading a song of ice and fire but I have already seen the show so I feel like they covered most of it. People say they made changes in the later half from the books but I can't see me reading two or three books covering the same story I saw in the show. Hell I DNF Dune twice because the first half was exact copy of the movie which I seen about three times. The only difference was it was slower moving than the movie.
@@stephennootens916I get that but they’re not as close as what people describe. You’ll definitely get those bigger moments in the first few books from the show but there’s just so much more material than you could ever put in the show. It’s very much well worth the read. The books are so much better so if you like the show you’ll love the books.
@@ptannous27 That interesting. I was under the impression they stuck really close to the books up to a point. I somehow have the first two seating on my shelf so I might give it a shot this summer.
Have you read any Ronald Malfi yet? I am reading my first of his with his new book Small Town Horror. So far I am really enjoying it. He has a band that is pretty good too called Veer. I've been diving into that as well.
Great! I hope you cover the new Michael Crichton & James Patterson "Eruption". I just finished it and enjoyed it. I'm very curious how it hits you. I know you just said "no", but it's worth it.
Still trying to figure out why they thought pairing Patterson with a Crichton outline would work. I could maybe see Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, depending on what the outline is about. But they need to just stop. No way will it feel like Crichton.
I could not make such a list. I have no way to compare Tony Hillerman, Tom Clancy, Robert Heinlein, Drew Hayes, John Julius Norwich, David Weber, Craig Johnson, Jim Butcher, Elizabeth Moon, Nathan Lowell, Roger Zelazny, Byron Farwell, and Lois McMaster Bujold. (For instance.) I love all of them, but that's just a short list off the top of my head. They would all be in a top authors list for me, but even that list is longer than 10. And that's without considering the difference between consistent quality and meteoric brilliance. And what about the books that were amazing when I read them at 15 but that are unreadable today. Doc Smith had a huge influence on me when I was a young reader, but I cannot reread him today. Should he be on the list because of his influence, or far away from it because his writing is only appropriate for a person I no longer am? Oh, and of course I disagree with your list. Because it's not my list. It would be a much better list if it were my list. If I could figure out how to make a list.
![[#2024MAMA] ROSÉ (로제), Bruno Mars - APT. | Mnet 241122 방송](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/dgGqD28J6aQ/mqdefault.jpg)
10) Michael Crichton
9) Ken Follett
8) Richard Montanari
7) Walter Mosley
6) Robert McCammon
5) Dan Simmons
4) Greg Iles
3) Michael Connelly
2) Dennis Lehane
1) Stephen King
HM: Gillian Flynn, Neal Stephenson, Nick Cutter, John Grisham, Don Winslow, George R.R. Martin
Great list!
My favorite authors:
1). JRR Tolkien
2) JK Rowling
3). George RR Martin
4). Tad Williams
5). Michael Crichton
I anticipate this list will grow in coming years. I need to re-read Stephen King’s early works and then work my way through his more recent books.
Mike, i know your very busy, but i hope you can read this comment and know that your channel, your great commentary, and superb literary taste have helped me tremendously. You have reignited my love for reading and word slingers.
Happy to help!
I’m surprised there’s no mention of Joe Abercrombie!!!
Joe is still young and a long way to go.
Just started the blade itself this week!!
Cane here to say that :D really tought he would be at least in the honorable mentions
Forreal!! Have to imagine he slipped through the cracks
@@0Arman0 Oh, man. I wish I could erase my memory and read it all again! Cliché, I know, but it is SO good! Have a great time with it! :)
King is on my top ten. But my list begins with Agatha Christie, Arthur Conan Doyle, and Isaac Asimov. Enjoyed your video. A well thought out list.
That's a yes to Asimov!
@@JordoSez: _Foundation_ ?
This is where I use your video of 'tell people your top 10 favorite writers' to tell you my favorite writer.
Edgar Rice Burroughs
I did my thesis on Robert E Howard i’m glad you mentioned him. Nobody on booktube ever talks about him. He was the pioneer of the sword and sorcery genre ❤
Michael K Vaughan is a great Howard academic and is pretty frequently uploading videos
My current top ten - 1 Stephen King, 2 Robert McCammon, 3 Dan Simmons, 4 Terry Pratchett, 5 Ken Follett, 6 Iain Banks, 7 James Herbert, 8 Ian Rankin, 9 Robin Hobb, 10 Clive Barker. As I am now getting into more Fantasy, my favourites will soon be Joe Abercrombie, John Gwynne, Brandon Sanderson, Ryan Cahill to name but a few. I just need to read more of them.
Dan Simmons and Iain Banks are great picks
1.Brandon Sanderson
2.John Gwynne
3.Joe Abercrombie
4.Robert Jordan
5.George R.R. Martin
6.David Gemmel
7.J.R.R. Tolkien
8.Patrick Rothfuss
9.Fonda Lee (reading jade war atm)
10.Dan Simmons
Janny Wurts, Michael Moorcock, Steven Erikson, John Gwynne, Robin Hobb, Joe Abercrombie, R A Salvatore and Tom Lloyd.
Seconding Janny Wurts. In a sane world, she'd be a household name by now.
Top 5: King, Crichton, Tolkien, Crouch, and Dostoevsky. Others who could join the top 10 after I read more of their work: GGK, Hobb, Ruocchio, Erikson, and Lehane.
We definitely share our top 2. From there it diverges a fair bit as I’d have (in no special order) Gaiman, Sanderson, Gibson, Grisham, Arturo Perez-Reverte, Herbert, Vonnegut, and Karin Slaughter. But Crichton and King were such events in high school.
I love Swam Song and also The Wolfs Hour by Robert McCammon
My three favorites
Swan Song
Wolf's Hour
Boys Life
In that order
1. Brandon Sanderson
2. Octavia E Butler
3. Blake Crouch
4. Joe Abercrombie
5. NK Jemison
I actually just went through and reranked my favorites a couple weeks ago. I scored each of my favorites in 7 different categories: Characters, World Building, Dialog, Plot/Story, Emotions (who made me cry, lol), Prose & Pacing; all these listed in order of importance to me personally; scoring 1 through 5 stars with 5 being great. Here is how that scoring turned out:
10. Stephen R. Donaldson (24 points; highest scores were in Characters, World Building & Plot/Story with a 4 in each)
9. Patrick Rothfuss (24; got a 5 in Prose so he is ahead of Donaldson)
8. Nicolaus Eames (26; got a 4 in every category but World Building and Prose)
7. George R. R. Martin (26; got a 5 in both World Building and Plot/Story so is ahead of Eames)
6. Mark Lawrence (27; got 4's in every category but Emotions)
5. Steven Erikson (27; got 5's in two categories: World Building & Plot/Story so is ahead of Lawrence)
4. David Gemmell (27; got 5's in two categories: Characters & Emotions; I'm more of a character driven reader so that ranks him ahead of Erikson)
3. Brandon Sanderson (27; got 5's in three categories: Characters, World Building & Plot/Story so is ahead of Gemmell)
2. Joe Abercrombie (28; gets 5's in Characters and Dialog)
1. Robert Jordan (29; gets 5's in Characters, World Building & Plot/Story)
Mine are Tolkien, Cornwall, Abercrombie, Gwynne, Buehlman & Hobb!!
Everybody needs to discover Buehlman!!!
Good list 😮
I probably don’t have a top 10 but I think Dostoevsky would be at the top of my list. Also love CS Lewis and Tolkien. JK Rowling was a massive part of my childhood that I enjoy passing onto my kids. George Orwell and Ray Bradbury are fantastic as well.
Stephen King and Brandon Sanderson are similar for me in the sense that some of their books are among my all-time favorites, but some of their other books I just don’t care for.
Wait, did I write the original comment? lol! The only thing I differ on is I just couldn't get into Sanderson.
Glad you finally made your list! I was surprised with no Abercrombie! And I need to read some Bradbury - I've only read Fahrenheit 451.
My top 10, as of June 2024:
10. James Patterson
9. Lincoln Pierce
8. Roald Dahl
7. Johan Wyss
6. Bryan Jacques
5. Andy Weir
4. John Grisham
3. Jules Verne
2. Isaac Asimov
1. Pierce Brown
No mention of Lois McMaster Bujold? A legit Grandmaster with multiple Hugo and Nebulas? The Vorkosigan saga is top notch Space Opera, and her Penric and Desdemona stories are an excellent and very original Sword and Sorcery series, full of interesting situations and droll wit. If you have not read either of these, I urge you to start, and envy your ability to read them for the first time.
I'd put her in over Robert Jordan in a heartbeat. She's a far better writer.
Crichton is so great, every book a page turner I couldn't put down.
Never read him. Which one is his best?
What an amazing list of giants! Awesome.
You are definitely back on my algorithm.
Great videos lately
Your excitement alone is infectious and loved watching this !
I love that you have both HP and Howard on your list. Absolutely brilliant. Curious have you read Clark Ashton Smith, he was another contemporary of both them. They formed the trinity of weird. CAS wrote some beautiful stories 🤠
I haven't, but am always looking to read more of what came before.
My list: #1 Stephen King, #2 J R. R. Tolkien, #3 H. P. Lovecraft (i don’t agree with his racist views, but i love the Cthulhu Mythos), #4 Michael Crichton, #5 Ray Bradbury, #6 Rick Riordan, #7 C. S. Lewis, #8 Frank Herbert (should be higher, but I don’t like the Dune sequels past Children of Dune), # 9 R. L. Stine (Goosebumps is my childhood), #10 Mario Puzo (The Godfather, The Last Don, Omerta, etc.)
So many of these were introduced to me through you - so thank you x 10 man!
Great video and nice list. Mine would include Daniel pinkwater, Tad Williams, Robin Hobb, Raymond Feist, Robert Jordan, Stephen king, Agatha Christie, Michael Connelly and John Scalzi
Stephen King was the first author I read and I will always have soft spot for him. Number two would be Philip K Dick who I think not enough people talk about. 3 would be Richard Stark, I got hooked to his Parker books in high school. 4 is Agatha Christie who wrote nice tight mystery books. I can't really think of any authors pass that I have read enough to make a judgement on them.
Mike I’m not sure if you’ll see this since I’m a bit late to this video but thank you for your suggestions. I’ve been introduced to many new authors this last year since I came across your channel
Crichton and King are my favorites to but i still have a long way to go with many other authors. i just recently bought a copy of lonesome dove so im excited to give that a try
my top pics: Joe Abercrombie, Stephen King, Brandon Sanderson, Robert Seethaler, Walter Moers, Goerge Orwell, Agatha Christie
Mike, thanks for sharing this list! I've never read anything by Blake Crouch, but the rest of your list are mostly favorites of mine, as well. Thanks for mentioning Michael Crichton and Ray Bradbury. They both are famous, but they don't seem to resonate with many of today's readers. I started reading Michael Crichton paperbacks when the movie Andromeda Strain came out, and loved most of them. Lately, I've been re-reading Bradbury's early stories about 'Uncle Einar' and his weird family. They are so good! Edit: My current top author list would have to include Neal Asher, Ian Rankin, Michael Connelly, Alastair Reynolds, Anthony Trollope, Ian Toll, Steven Erikson, Frank Herbert and Walter Jon Williams. And Rudyard Kipling makes 10!
Great video
My favourites:
1 Stephen King
2 J K Rowling
3 James Herbert
4 Charles Dickens
5 Terry Pratchett
6 Alexandre Dumas
7 Ken Follett
8 Lee Child
9 Joe Abercrombie
10 Richard Laymon
Love me some Lovecraft! I got into his works in college and I've been a fan ever since. I understand his verbose writing style is not for everyone but his sheer imagination astounds me, not just the Cthulhu Mythos but the Dreamlands stories as well. The Colour Out of Space is still one of my favorite short stories ever. Just perfect cosmic horror on display there.
My Top 6 list. These are the only authors I've read all their stuff (or close to) and have enjoyed nearly everything I've read.
JD Salinger
HP Lovecraft
JRR Tolkien
Clark Ashton Smith
Robert E Howard
Joe Abercrombie
Love Robert McCammon, but so far only Boy's Life and Swan Song are next level. Love Ray Bradbury, he is a word wizard. I recommend Chad Lutzke as a fresh, phenomenal storyteller. He writes kids and coming of age horror stories so well. Clive Barker is my number two! I still need to read If You Like It Darker!
I havent committed to liveship traders but i hear it scratches that pirate type book itch
Agree with everything you said regarding Bradbury. Husband and I lived close to his hometown Waukegan in Illinois for a few years and it was amazing to walk around the city that was the influence for ‘Green Town’. Very akin to the feeling I get any time I’m in Maine (or most of New England for that matter). I think King’s ability to characterize the towns in his stories is a definite hat tip to Bradbury - probably why they will both be all-timers for me. Like you said, something about their writing just feels like coming home.
We have the same top 3.
1. Stephen King - his combination of characterization, ideas, genre range and sheer amount of great books is unmatched. The amount of unique great ideas he has is truly astounding
2. George RR Martin - A Song of Ice and Fire is the best thing I’ve ever read, and there isn’t a close second. He isn’t #1 because he doesn’t have King’s story diversity or volume.
3. Michael Crichton - his books are a joy to read. Nobody does scientific thrillers like him
1. Stephen King
2. Robert R McCammon
3. Spider Robinson
4. George R.R. Martin
5. Ray Bradbury
I love many others but these are the top 5
Nice list. My list would include Neal Stevenson and Douglas Adams, tough to narrow to 10.
Shoot I forgot Neal Stevenson on my list, so fun to read
Hi Mike. Have always read multiple genres and for me James Lee Burke is my all time number 1. 45 books and counting. Picking up his new novel CLETE on Saturday and will probably read it in 1 sitting. His books just go deep into my bones. Best Regards UK Chris
Hmm, good list, here's mine in no particular order.
Robert A. Heinlein - nostalgia pick, first Sci Fi author where once I read one of his books, I had to read them all
Cormac McCarthy - in my opinion the most important American author of the twenty-first century
J. R. R. Tolkien - nostalgia and shear greatness. I have read the Hobbit and LOTR 5 times through
Robert McCammon - IMHO, the thinking mans Stephen King
Iain M. Banks - Whether his fiction or his sci fi, this Banks is one of the best
Dan Simmons - One of the best writers of the last 50 years regardless of genre
Neal Stephenson - the king of interesting ideas
Alastair Reynolds - he writes 600+ page books you rip through like they're novellas
Robin Hobb - Mesmerizing, spellbinding, meaning
T. C. Boyle - If you have never read Boyle, you're in for a treat
Wallace Stegner - Taught creative writing at Stanford. Students?
* Wendell Berry
* Sandra Day O’Connor
* Edward Abbey
* Simin Daneshvar
* Andrew Glaze
* George V. Higgins
* Thomas McGuane
* Robert Stone
* Ken Kesey
* Gordon Lish
* Ernest Gaines
* Larry McMurtry
Honorable Mentions
George R. R. Martin
Joe Abercrombie
Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle
C. S. Friedman
Stephen R. Donaldson
Greg Bear
David Weber
Larry Correia
I have to stop because I could keep listing more and more
#5 - As of last year Robin Hobb has entered my all time.
#4 - James Michener is an oldie, won pulitzer prize 1948, but he's my favorite of epic/saga historical fiction.
#3 - Robert McCammon- my fandom started with Wolf's Hour and was sealed by Matthew Corbett. Boy's Life and Swan Song were just bonus points
#2 - Dan Simmons- After reading Summer of Night, I branched off his horror and tried his other literary works and fell in love with his writing.
#1 Stephen King has always been my top fav since the 7th grade.
Simmons is a genius. He might be done, though.
@@LamelKendrick I'm sad to say, I think so too. We've been waiting for his Omega Canyon for almost 9 years.
@@alynam82 his last four books are underrated, not considered commercially successful but stll a cut above most authors out there. so much originality
Nice list. Love Bradbury...Dandelion Wine is one of my all time favorites and if you havent read it you definitely should. No complaints about Martin - he's one of my favorite authors also. Fevre Dream! Happy reading!
Great list Mike! I dunno about anyone else but I love a good top ten list and you always knock them out of the park. Keep up the great work sir!
I'm glad that Robert McGammon's _Swan Song_ got at least an honorable mention, because that is my favorite story of all time. I can't count how many times I've read that book, and I love it. I have it in paperback, Kindle & Audible, and am waiting on getting a hardcover copy. I've had to replace my paperbacks twice because it went through so much with me. However, Stephen King & Anne Rice are my favorite authors. I've read the _The Stand & The Witching Hour,_ many times too.
*Edited:* Just subscribed. 🤣
I'm aiming for this list. :)
Years down the line.
Lumi Lumi is my love child right now, but it'll expand into.. a lot. Starting off with a web novel. I'm looking to combine both the concept of anime (light novel or OELN) and novels. I've planned Lumi Lumi out for probably 7+ years if not longer, but you can read the fun little 'Goblins and Grandma' prompt writing contest to see what I can make up in a matter of an hour or so. I usually write the chapter same day.
Hey Mike, loved your list 😁 Not sure if I have ten or not, but right now some of my favorite authors are George RR Martin, Susanna Clarke, Carlos Ruiz Zafón, Fredrik Backman, Justin Cronin, and James Islington. Of course, that list changes all the time!
Never expected Cormac McCarthy to become my fav author but then I read Blood Meridian and something just clicked. That book was so impactful for me. It was so real and visceral. It was an experience. It's hard to describe because I never felt this way about a book. McCarthy is def not for everyone though.
My top three: Anne Rice, A. N. Roquelaure, Anne Rampling.
If you get it, you get it. XD Seriously, massive shrine to her. She showed me rhe Savage Garden and with now eleven autographed novels with two personal autographs and a personalized photo of her, think i wont leave her worlds any time soon.
Oh, FYI: The AMC Series was a wonderful piece of television and a masterclass of adapating (adaption, not translation).
Robert Mccammon is probably my favorite author. I own almost all of his books as the numbered and lettered signed versions. I have hunted down a lot of his 1st editions too. You can't go wrong reading any of his books. Of course his best are swan song and boy's life but try Wolf's hour and the hunter from the woods, Blue world (short stories), they thirst, the border, the listener, all the matthew corbett books (especially Cardinal black or king of shadows where he goes into what events turned the antagonist into the "most evil" it's genius. All of them are good so you don't have to wait for a "good one")
People seriously underrate GRRMs writing just because of the popularity of the show and the fact it's unfinished. Of what he's written he is one of the greatest of all time. The fact Sanderson is even mentioned in the same breath as him at times is crazy!
Definitely agree with Crichton! I've read nearly all of his. Grisham was another that I dove into but not so much with his more recent stuff.
Couldn’t agree more. King is America’s greatest living author.
The MIB reference in the intro is the funniest thing I’ve heard all day. Thanks Mike.
I aim to please
As a lover of the fantasy, science-fiction, horror, western, and mystery genres, I can confidently confirm the best author of all time is Fyodor Dostoevsky. His psychological/philosophical novels are their own genre, and they scratch a deeper itch than any of the others can.
Dune, LOTR, ASOIAF, and Lonesome Dove are all 10/10 masterpieces.
Crime and Punishment is an 11/10. It breaks the scale. I thought McMurtry wrote the best characters until I read the GOAT. Roskolnikov, Sonia, and Svidrigailov live rent-free in my head now.
Another book tuber wants, said that she found it way more exciting to discuss Dune and the world of Dune and it was to actually read the books. I admittedly couldn’t agree more.
The first volume of the elric saga arrived about a week ago. I'm reading it and I'm absolutely loving it, it's my first ever novel.
And the second volume stormbringer arrived today
Robert Jordan and Brandon Sanderson could have been my favorite authors if they had a good editor. As it stands Stephen King and Robert E Howard are my favorites ❤.
Great picks!
My top authors? Okay. Stephen King, Peter Straub, Joseph Heller, Ken Kesey, Arthur C. Clarke, Kurt Vonnegut, Jr., Charles Webb, William Wharton. Or how about my top 10, actually 11, favourite books by these authors?
1) _Carrie_ by Stephen King (I'd never read a book like this before that actually shocked me)
2) _The Shining_ by Stephen King (long story, claustrophobic, suspenseful and scary, one of his best)
3) _'Salem's Lot_ by Stephen King (great small town feeling, real people battling an unstoppable evil)
4) _Ghost Story_ by Peter Straub (it literally scared me)
5) _Shadowland_ by Peter Straub (beautifully written, brilliant, suspenseful)
6) _Catch-22_ by Joseph Heller (great characters, black humour, off beat, brilliant and engrossing)
7) _One Flew Over the Cuckoo's Nest_ by Ken Kesey (great protagonist, great villain, brilliant writing)
8) _2001: A Space Odyssey_ by Arthur C. Clarke (mind bending, just like the cover says)
9) _Breakfast of Champions_ by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (weird, strange, unusual and I loved it)
10) _The Graduate_ by Charles Webb (brilliant dialogue, how does he do it?)
11) _Birdy_ by William Wharton (stunningly beautiful near the end, the part in italics, beyond brilliant)
Honorable mentions:
_Different Seasons_ by Stephen King (four novellas, every one brilliant and perfect)
_Welcome to the Monkey House_ by Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. (short story collection, erudite and high brow, not at all like the quirky, alternative stuff he usually writes)
_Bambi_ by Felix Salten (read it as a kid, very touching)
_Around the World In Eighty Days_ by Jules Verne (fun, adventurous, great story)
And as a kid I loved reading Charlie Brown comic strip books, and _Tintin_ by Hergé. And later, as an adult, _Calvin and Hobbes._ I also loved _The Wonderful Wizard of Oz_ by L. Frank Baum.
Agree on your number one, my fave of all time, best character writer imo. Good list!
I enjoyed Fahrenheit 451 and The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury. And I’m just starting the final book in The Dark Tower!
Michael Crichton and Stephen King are my 2 favorites. I guess that's why I love your channel
TBH watched this to confirm King would be No 1. Like. No surprise, Mike? But knock me down with a feather at Sanderson (finally, perspective) and Jordan (right?). Shocked not to find JK Rowling but not sad. Your list made my day! Thank you so much!!
Great video, Mike. Some of these were pretty surprising to me. I have very similar feelings about Sanderson
I'm at a toss up between Robert Jordan and Robert McCammon. Swan Song being my all time favorite book and The Wheel Of Time being my favorite series.
It's always a good day when Mike posts a Top 10 list
Check out Robert McCammon's The Five. About a touring rock band. Maybe his best novel.
Stephen King is my favourite author as well. Just very fascinating body of work. Also, in spite of being known as a horror writer, his work can be great comfort food.
Crichton is still my number 1. It makes me so sad that we'll never read another technothriller of his.
I feel the same about his new "co-written" books. I tried Dragon Teeth and didn't like it. I plan to try Eruption, but I have extremely low expectations.
Great list. I’m literally reading Sphere right now :)
Stephen King
Karin Slaughter
Brandon Sanderson
Michael Crichton
George Martin
Tolkien
Makoto yukimura (vinland saga)
Dan Brown
Agatha Christie
R. L. Stine
That last one might be a bit of nostalgia, but he is really the first author who got me into horror and lead me to discovering Stephen King
My current top 10:
Tolkien
Erickson
Butcher (Jim)
Crichton
Glen Cook
Agatha Christie
Robert Crais
Elizabeth Peters
Louis L'Amour
Dick Francis
Brandon Sanderson, Joe Abercrombie, John Gwynne and Tad Williams right now.
I reallyyyyy need to check out some Crichton, I have read nothing by him yet oops. Amazing list, curious to see if/how it will change over the coming years!
Great list 👌 👍
I also love reading Stephen King , Anne Rice, and A. Huxley.. Id recommend V.E Schwab.
Gene Wolfe, Steven Erikson, Pierce brown, Brandon Sanderson. Just started reading more Stephen King books, currently finishing up Salems Lot.
Although, lonesome dove is one of my favorite books of all time. I
I love that I'm not the only one who uses the line from men in black still 😂❤
My top 5 Favorite authors Not the best but favorite are:
Stephen King
Dean Koontz
David Eddings
Jim Butcher
R A Salvatore. I literally have dozens and dozens of books by these authors It's not to say I've read all of them yet but I'm working on it
Jeez, nice new title card. I don't know if this is the first showing, but MAN. Good stuff.
My favorites, genre notwithstanding, are probably something like:
Bret Easton Ellis
Don DeLillo
David Foster Wallace
Ray Bradbury
James True (GOOOOD shit)
Ernest Hemingway
Kurt Vonnegut
John Updike
Stephen King
Cormac McCarthy
I'm really not a super well-rounded reader, even with these authors, Though.
Hi Mike. Love your channel. I've never read any Lovecraft, where should I start?
Yikes... so many options. Dumas, McCammon, Schwab, Wells, Eisler, Freeman, Weis, Butcher... I feel like the longer the list gets the worse you feel about leaving someone off. Bailing now :D
I would say Rawling, but everything after Harry Potter just hasn't been the same level, so not top 10. Mo Xiang Tong Xue is my favorite now. My favorite book in the world is by her. Many overlap with you. Stephen King, Tolkien. I love James Clavell - top 3. Shakespeare - I've read everything by him. Christopher Moore can always crack me up - so funny. Last is Tao Wong - he write cultivation novels.
1. Stephen King 2. Michael Crichton 3. JRR Tolkien this is my top three authors list .
I’m new to Fantasy so no Fantasy/SciFi authors on my list. I’m sure my list will change in the coming years. 3. CJ Box 2. Michael Connelly 1. Stephen King
George R.R. Martin also wrote my all-time favorite werewolf story, “The Skin Trade.”
Ursula K Le Guin, Octavia Butler, Douglas Adams that one time and again, Adrian Tchaikovsky, Samuel R Delaney, a nostalgic shout-out to Brian Jaques and a recency bias shout-out to Vernor Vinge
I need to read more Kurt Vonnegut and whoever this Steve King guy is
Upon surveying others favorites maybe I'll add Dan Simmons & Frank Herbert & Iain M Banks & Issac Azimov too but not Gene Wolfe I just can't trust him. Also Nalo Hopkinson and Nnedi Okorafor since you're still reading
aaaaand I just bought another shirt, thanks Mike!
My list is vast. Stephen King is my top favorite author. Brian Lumley is great also.
This is wild… I was literally just looking for your top ten authors ever a couple days ago 😂
I still have faith in George. I think Winds is gonna come out next year and a Dream will be finished eventually. Greatest writer for me simply because since I’ve read it the series nothing has pulled me in as much as it did. Completely immersed.
I have often thought about reading a song of ice and fire but I have already seen the show so I feel like they covered most of it. People say they made changes in the later half from the books but I can't see me reading two or three books covering the same story I saw in the show. Hell I DNF Dune twice because the first half was exact copy of the movie which I seen about three times. The only difference was it was slower moving than the movie.
@@stephennootens916I get that but they’re not as close as what people describe. You’ll definitely get those bigger moments in the first few books from the show but there’s just so much more material than you could ever put in the show. It’s very much well worth the read. The books are so much better so if you like the show you’ll love the books.
@@ptannous27 That interesting. I was under the impression they stuck really close to the books up to a point.
I somehow have the first two seating on my shelf so I might give it a shot this summer.
I'd watch a 30 minute video about Stephen King.
Then this is the channel for you lol
You’re never gonna believe this…
Have you read any Ronald Malfi yet? I am reading my first of his with his new book Small Town Horror. So far I am really enjoying it. He has a band that is pretty good too called Veer. I've been diving into that as well.
Reading "Come With Me" next week, actually.
Bernard Cornwell
JK Rowling
Conn Iggulden
Joe Abercrombie
George RR Martin
As a personal top 5.
Great! I hope you cover the new Michael Crichton & James Patterson "Eruption". I just finished it and enjoyed it. I'm very curious how it hits you. I know you just said "no", but it's worth it.
The moment you said ‘Steven’ I held my breath. Will it be Erikson or King??
Still trying to figure out why they thought pairing Patterson with a Crichton outline would work. I could maybe see Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child, depending on what the outline is about. But they need to just stop. No way will it feel like Crichton.
I could not make such a list. I have no way to compare Tony Hillerman, Tom Clancy, Robert Heinlein, Drew Hayes, John Julius Norwich, David Weber, Craig Johnson, Jim Butcher, Elizabeth Moon, Nathan Lowell, Roger Zelazny, Byron Farwell, and Lois McMaster Bujold. (For instance.) I love all of them, but that's just a short list off the top of my head. They would all be in a top authors list for me, but even that list is longer than 10.
And that's without considering the difference between consistent quality and meteoric brilliance.
And what about the books that were amazing when I read them at 15 but that are unreadable today. Doc Smith had a huge influence on me when I was a young reader, but I cannot reread him today. Should he be on the list because of his influence, or far away from it because his writing is only appropriate for a person I no longer am?
Oh, and of course I disagree with your list. Because it's not my list. It would be a much better list if it were my list. If I could figure out how to make a list.