Dhondy Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Christie was magic. I could curl up with practically any novel of her, even the Miss Marple ones, and not put it down until I was through the last page. Other, more contemporary favourites- Alistair Maclean, Desmond Bagley, Arthur Hailey, Frederick Forsyth, Jeffrey Archer, Jack Higgins, and yes, unashamedly, the greatest & most prodigious thriller writer ever- James Hadley Chase. Strangely, all British writers. This is not by design. I didn't know their nationality when I was growing up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorah_pindu Posted June 3, 2007 Author Share Posted June 3, 2007 I guess I mainly read Indian, British, American and Japanese authors :) I tend to go for offbeat stuff, so Chuck Palahniuk, JG Ballard, Ryu Murakami, etc. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhondy Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Read a chap called Cronin when I was growing up. He was a practitioner of the trade I ply now. Magical stuff. But my all time favourite has to be James Herriot, who wrote about his life as a vet in a small village in the Yorkshire moors. All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Creatures Great and Small, Vet in Harness, all classics in earthy, unpretentious and utterly enjoyable writing of his time, read by generations afterwards, without losing even a little of the original charm he imparted to those lovingly crafted pages. I'd recommend Herriot to anybody. He will not let you down. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorah_pindu Posted June 3, 2007 Author Share Posted June 3, 2007 Pity there aint much Indian fantasy/sf. Apart from stuff like Virgin Comics, and a few games developers. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer1 Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 ... and yes, unashamedly, the greatest & most prodigious thriller writer ever- James Hadley Chase. Strangely, all British writers. This is not by design. I didn't know their nationality when I was growing up. James Hadley Chase,DD - cast your mind back over the books you read: 1. the titles were the most original you can imagine 2. he visited the usa on holiday once or twice, and yet wrote dozens of books set in Miami! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhondy Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Very interesting. No wonder he changed his name! But what a resourceful chap! Armed with a dictionary for American slang, he churned out one bestseller after another. I actually thought he was American, until I learnt more. I do not exaggerate- on a scale of 1-10 for unputdownability, he rates 10. Nobody comes close. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorah_pindu Posted June 3, 2007 Author Share Posted June 3, 2007 I think a person can write about a country they have never visited as long as they research it well enough. This guy sounds interesting. Three important books by the three kings of science fiction - 'I, Robot' by Issac Asimov, 'Starship Troopers' by Robert Heinlein and 'Rendezvous with Rama' by Arthur C Clarke. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorah_pindu Posted June 3, 2007 Author Share Posted June 3, 2007 William Gibson's Neuromancer, the book that sparked cyberpunk (along with the older works of Phillip K Dick of Bladerunner fame): Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorah_pindu Posted June 3, 2007 Author Share Posted June 3, 2007 Not many people know it, but India was one of the first countries to write science fiction, specifically Bengali literature. There is a wiki article on it called 'Bangla Science Fiction'. And of course, masters like George Orwell were Anglo-Indian. Here is a list of the most important authors in the history of science fiction literature (including 'soft' sci-fi, but not fantasy): First science fiction author (pre 1900): - Mary Shelley (Frankenstein) The Fahters of Science Fiction (1900s - 1930s): - HG Wells (War of the Worlds) - Jules Verne (Journey to the Centre of the Earth) - Hugo Gernsback (Amazing Stories Magazine) The Golden Age of Science Fiction (1930s - 1950s): - Isaac Asimov (Foundation) - Robert Heinlein (Red Planet) - Arthur C Clarke (2001: A Space Odyssey) Important Authors Since (1950s - 1980s): - Ray Bradbury (Fahrenheit 451) - Frank Herbert (Dune) - JG Ballard (The Drowned World) - Phillip K Dick (Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?) - William Gibson (Neuromancer) - Larry Niven (Ringworld) - Orson Scott Card (Ender's Game) Some Prominent Modern Authors: (1980s - present): - Kim Stanley Robinson (Mars Trilogy) - Alistair Reynolds (Revelation Space) - Richard Morgan (Altered Carbon) Other Authors That Have Influenced Science Fiction: - JRR Tolkein (The Lord of the Rings) - Aldous Huxley (Brave New World) - George Orwell (Ninteen Eighty Four) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
observer1 Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 I do not exaggerate- on a scale of 1-10 for unputdownability, he rates 10. Nobody comes close . Have you read Ed McBain's 87th precinct stuff? Same level of 'unputdownability'. And, recently, Tess Gerritsen - rather crude, but similar in her ability to hold on to the reader. :cake: :cake: :cake: :cake: :cake: :cake: :cake: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhondy Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Haven't, but will do so now. Thanks for the tip-off. Sadly, this holiday is over. Roll on, August. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dhondy Posted June 3, 2007 Share Posted June 3, 2007 Nice touch, the cake. Next stop, 1000. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
beetle Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Read a chap called Cronin when I was growing up. He was a practitioner of the trade I ply now. Magical stuff. But my all time favourite has to be James Herriot, who wrote about his life as a vet in a small village in the Yorkshire moors. All Things Bright and Beautiful, All Creatures Great and Small, Vet in Harness, all classics in earthy, unpretentious and utterly enjoyable writing of his time, read by generations afterwards, without losing even a little of the original charm he imparted to those lovingly crafted pages. I'd recommend Herriot to anybody. He will not let you down. Love his work......i have a few of those ......... But my all time favourite are the works of PG wodehouse... Read 2 recently. 1)Spring Fever 2)Leave it to Psmith .... Never been disappointed ..... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
apocalypse Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 I want to read the autobiography of Sony's owner its titled "Made in Japan" Will get hold of it soon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kumble_rocks Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Very interesting. No wonder he changed his name! But what a resourceful chap! Armed with a dictionary for American slang, he churned out one bestseller after another. I actually thought he was American, until I learnt more. I do not exaggerate- on a scale of 1-10 for unputdownability, he rates 10. Nobody comes close. Last time when I was in India during Dec, I picked up truck load of chase and Perry Mason novels from "Radhi shop" for dirt cheap price. Man they rock !:thumbs_up: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorah_pindu Posted June 4, 2007 Author Share Posted June 4, 2007 I want to read the autobiography of Sony's owner its titled "Made in Japan" Will get hold of it soon Yeh I was thinking of getting that. Latest books I have: Ryu Murakami and Chuck Palahniuk - two great modern authors. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gambit Posted June 4, 2007 Share Posted June 4, 2007 Some good recommendations there gorah! The last book I read was Michael Crichton's "State of Fear". A fiction plot about global warming and it's effects interspersed with some interesting facts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooda Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 David Mitchell The man is a genius. Have still to read his latest Black Swan Green...but Cloud Atlas is excellent, as are his first two. Am currently reading Ian McEwans (another great writer) Saturday. Big fan of horror/fantasy- Stephen King is the man, David Gemmell is a great writer too- have read nearly all of their works Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sooda Posted June 5, 2007 Share Posted June 5, 2007 Mystery novel fans- anyone like P D James or Ian Rankin- very good writers both... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gorah_pindu Posted June 27, 2007 Author Share Posted June 27, 2007 Un-put-down-able. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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