What follows is a list of my favorite authors plus a bonus list of authors I haven’t read yet but have good expectations of.
- Brandon Sanderson – Whatever he writes, I will read.
- Peter V. Brett – I only started reading his work in the last year but I love it. I was angry at him for days The Demon Cycle didn’t end with book three.
- Brent Weeks – I also recent read his stuff. I was also mad at him about Lightbringer. I’ll forget him and Peter Brett once I get my hands on the next books in their series.
- Michael J Sullivan – I’ve only read one book by him but I see a lot of potential. I hope I’m right.
- Terry Brooks – Even though reading The Sword of Shannara was difficult, I enjoyed most of his other books. They are easy reads and fun adventures. Not the deepest things but when you want it light, he’s the one to go to. I’m slightly concerned that the Shannara series on MTV will be whiny and awful but I’ll give it a try.
- David Eddings – I must state clearly that The Elder Gods stuff is NOT included because I hated it so much I only read a couple of the books from that series. However, like Terry Brooks, Eddings three other series are fun, easy reads. The Belgariad, Mallorian, and two Sparhawk trilogies are something that I reread about once a year.
- Maggie Furey – She has two series that I like but my favorite is Aurian. I don’t know what it is about that one but I love it passionately. There are some flaws but I accept them and keep reading.
- Neil Gaiman – enough said
- Mercedes Lackey – Valdemar. I know, some of the books set in that world are awful. Most of them are interesting and fun. There is some overuse of certain tropes but I’m okay with it because she was the first female fantasy author I ever read. The books she co-authored are pretty decent too.
- R.A. Salvatore – Not everyone will agree with me on this one. I almost don’t agree with myself. Most people either love or hate Drizzt. Again, fun, adventury, a mood thing. I haven’t liked any of his newer stuff though.
- Anne McCaffrey – Hello, dragons! I don’t normally want science in my fantasy or vise versa but for her, it’s acceptable.
- Tad Williams – I actually like the Otherworld series. His fantasy was fine.
- Margaret Weis and Tracy Hickman – Dragonlance. I’ll be honest, I don’t know why I like this series so much. I suppose I really like the characters. This is another on my reread semi-often list.
- George R. R. Martin – Love him, hate him
- Robert Jordan – I know The Wheel of Time is six books too long. I know it drags. Book two was so hard to get through. Most of the female character are awful and there are too many people in the damn thing. However the story is so interesting that I read it often. How can you not like Mat?
- Raymond E. Feist – I just like him
- Marion Zimmer Bradley – This was the second female fantasy author I read. I have a soft spot.
- Patrick Rothfuss – I can’t wait to get my hands on book three. Plus he’s just cool.
- J.K. Rowling – What an amazing imagination that woman has.
If you think that list is long, don’t ask me about my favorite songs! Also, there is no particular order to the list.
Bonus list! These next authors are ones that I believe will be good enough to make it to my favorites list. There are many reasons I haven’t read them yet. Some it’s due to time. Some it’s because I decided to wait until ‘book 3’ comes out before getting sucked into their worlds.
- Mark Lawrence – I bought the first book, but then Nanowrimo began. Also, I don’t normally like to read books written in first person so those go on the bottom of the list. I’m pretty excited about this one though.
- Joe Abercrombie – Again, I have book one but nano came up and I just haven’t gotten to it yet. I will soon.
- Daniel Abraham – When I read the description, I knew I would like it. I’ll let you know.
- Kevin Hearne – The Iron Druid Chronicles. I normally don’t read stuff set in modern times but this looks good, even though it’s first person.
- Brian Staveley – It’s on my wishlist
- Anthony Ryan – I don’t own anything by him yet but I will soon. I need to find out when his next book comes out.
You have probably noticed that some of the legends of fantasy writing are not on this list. They are not forgotten and their influence is appreciated.
If you have favorites not on the list, feel free to share them. I’m always looking for new to me stuff to read.