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Who is your favourite author, and why?

Hannibal, If you liked Wally Lamb, his other book 'She's come undone' is also excellent. The book has a female main character and follows her progress in dealing with an abusive childhood, and the subsequent phsycological problems and self destructive behaviour that stay with her through her life.

As an aside, if he could come up with some less naff titles for his books I think he would have a lot more readers!!!!
 
Meg, have you read Margaret Atwood's latest - Oryx and Crake? If not, I would defiantely recommend it.
 
The choice for my favourite author has to be a toss between Jeffrey Archer and Fredrick Forsythe
Archer because once you start his books you can hardly keep them down.He makes books look divine
Forsythe because he gives you a complete picture of a story as no one else does.A story of his based in Iraq for example gives you all the information that you need about the country.
 
Mile-O, I have a shock for you. I'ld like your advice.
I've never read Barker before but have wanted to wade into him for awhile now. I've spoken with one of the other members that's high on him and his recommendation was to start out with Imajica, which sounded like a good read after a little research. I was wondering what books you would recommend and maybe a short synopsis of them.

Oh, and for the record, my favorites are Edgar Allan Poe and Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.

Thanks!
RaVeN
 
Imajica was my first Barker book and one of his most complex.

As for his works, I'll treat them superficially.

Overview:

The Books of Blood Volumes 1-6 - an excellent starting point; six small books of short stories. Most of them metaphorical and ultimately grim. :)

The Damnation Game - a Faustian novel about a man who sells his soul and hires a bodyguard to save him when the the other half of the contract comes to collect

Cabal - filmed as Nightbreed it involves a man frames for murder who dies and looks for the city of Midian; the city of monsters.

The Hellbound Heart - a wonderful novella which was filmed as Hellraiser which explores Faustian pacts.

Weaveworld - another world, stitched into a carpet, is unravelled across the English city, Liverpool.

The Great & Secret Show - The First Book of the Art, a war across America by the forces of Good and Evil as they seek to control a second world linked to Earth via dreams

Everville - The Second Book of the Art, a continuation on The Great & Secret Show - it's more fun read its predecessor first to get an idea of what this one is about.

Imajica - where Earth is just one broken link between four other worlds and the time for a possible reunification is almost upon us. It has religious tones and memorable characters.

The Thief of Always - childrens' book where a boy visits a summerhouse where the four seasons occur every day.

Sacrament - his most biographical work, I believe, in that it features a homosexual in a coma, dreaming of his childhood, and coming to terms with all the things that have made him who he is. One of my favourites of his works.

Coldheart Canyon A Hollywood ghost story about a famous actor who undergoes plastic surgery to remain young but, after the operation is botched, he retreats from his adoring public only to find the further secrets of Coldheart Canyon, the area his house is in.

Incarnations and Forms of Heaven - Barker was, originally, a playwright and his fiction was something he started doing as an aside. These two books contain six plays between them, covering a wide array of topics, from his early days.

The Abarat - the first book of his childrens' series that Disney spent millions buying off him (he actually sold it before he'd written it by inviting Disney to a warehouse where he showed 400 paintings he'd done and told the story to them by using the art as his narrative). It involves a bored girl skipping school and ending up in the Abarat, a strange world of 25 islands where every island is always one hour of our day. (Yes, my maths is correct ;p )

Galilee - an epic romance between America's famous dynasty (think Kennedy) and a family whose roots and existence is based in myth.

The Essential Clive Barker - If you can find this in a library, take it off the shelf and dip into the small extracts of his works. They'll certainly give a better idea of his ability.

As an aside, Douglas E. Winter wrote his biography, The Dark Fantastic.


My personal preferences are Imajica, Sacrament, and Galilee and I do like to return, every now and again, to The Books of Blood.

The best thing about him is that he has evolved rapidly from The Books of Blood to his latest in that, although his work still contains fantasy elements, he has shed the horror tag completely. Somebody, really, should tell the bookshops though. :(
 
Thank you Mile-O for going above & beyond...
I've had Sacrament on my shelf for a few years and have never even cracked it open. I may have to remedy that soon. Even the children's books sound outstanding.

Thanks again!

RaVeN
 
I second a recommendation for Clive Barker :)

My personal favs by him are The Great and Secret Show and Imajica

Regards
SillyWabbit
 
Varies

My favorite authors vary as to what I want to read when. Right now, they are Jane Austen. Aurthur Hailey, Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, and Louisa May Alcott. This will chande I know it as fact!
 
I tend to prefer modern and contemporary writers. Iain Banks, Will Self, Alan Warner, Sarah Waters, Paul Auster, Peter Ackroyd etc.

I also really like Ian McEwan and Graham Swift.

Oh and I'm new to this site, this is my first posting. Hello AbdoRinbo / Star Blue etc wherever you are.:)
 
My all time favourite (so far) is Philip K. Dick, closely followed by Terry Pratchett.

But Iain (m) Banks his pushing up the list, as is Michael Marshall Smith and Chuck Palahniuk.
 
Originally posted by igkuk7
My all time favourite (so far) is Philip K. Dick, closely followed by Terry Pratchett.

But Iain (m) Banks his pushing up the list, as is Michael Marshall Smith and Chuck Palahniuk.

So... IG, you're into dick?

*looks innocent*
*runs away laughing*

Regards
Sillywabbit
 
Just as someone I know (you'll never guess who) can't resist (with good reason I might add) Phil's ass , I had a feeling that you couldn't resist a .... well....you know....

RaVeN
 
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