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Author Topic: Memorable Authors  (Read 18278 times)

Wayfaring Stranger

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Memorable Authors
« on: 30 Nov 2007, 13:41 »

I've been thinking some lately about how modern literature will be viewed a long way down the road.  When I consider authors who have retained significant notoriety and relevance over hundreds to even a thousand years and more, it makes me wonder which (if any) current works will win the same sort of longevity.  I know many early-to-mid 20th century authors have already pretty much cemented their places in history for a long time, but I'm talking about books from the '70s onward.  Who do you think will be remembered a hundred years down the road or more?

Will people like Dan Brown and other adventure writers be remembered in the same kind of way Alexandre Dumas or Rafael Sabatini are?  Will modern romance writers gain any sort of status along the lines of Jane Austen? 

Anyway, I'd like to hear your opinions on the subject.

I think some candidates for long-lived success include: Chaim Potok, Haruki Murakami, Myla Goldberg, Richard Russo, J.K. Rowling, Luis Alberto Urrea, Gabriel Garcia Marquez, Stephen King, and maybe some like John Patterson, John Grisham, and even Danielle Steele. 
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Joseph

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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #1 on: 30 Nov 2007, 13:45 »

I'd add to that list John Updike, Don DeLillo, Martin Amis, Ian McEwan, Philip Roth, and I imagine Cormac McCarthy.  I'd like to hope that Carol Shields, Alice Munro, Nicholson Baker, and Colson Whitehead will surive as well.  I'll be trumpeting them, at the very least.

I don't imagine many of the thriller writers will really survive.  Most of their sales tend to come right when the book comes out, and they aren't books that I could see becoming part of any sort of cannon.
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Wayfaring Stranger

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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #2 on: 30 Nov 2007, 13:47 »

All good calls.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #3 on: 30 Nov 2007, 13:58 »

I wouldn't be surprised to see Pynchon and Vonnegut sticking it out in the future. They may have something of a cult following but they are undeniably brilliant authors, often giving insight (albeit sometimes obliquely and sometimes rather satirically) on many cultural spheres. I also think Kundera aught to be on this list. I certainly second Garcia Marquez, McCarthy, DeLillo and several others already mentioned. The only one I have trouble with is Grishman. I find his longevity fairly doubtful.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #4 on: 30 Nov 2007, 14:02 »

I'm gonna agree with you guys on Stephan King and Cormac McCarthy. Most of the others I haven't heard of.

Also; what about Hunter S. Thompson? I'm pretty sure Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas will be used in the far future as an example to warn students against the dangers of excess and to demonstrate how "primitive" we were were back in the 20th century.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #5 on: 30 Nov 2007, 14:27 »

Oh, I forgot: I highly doubt Stephen King will be read a hundred years from now, mainly because he's not very good and also because works in the horror genre rarely have longevity (for a lot of reasons I don't fee like going into).
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #6 on: 30 Nov 2007, 14:34 »

i don't know.
i think people will still be reading The Stand and The Dark Tower series in a hundred years.
and by extension: many of his other books.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #7 on: 30 Nov 2007, 19:40 »

Augusten Borroughs
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #8 on: 30 Nov 2007, 20:48 »

Clive Custler, the greatest action writer. Dirk Pitt is the perfect combination of James Bond and Indiana Jones. Despite being slightly formulaic the plots are always rich, the characters and setting well realised and not mention a lot of fun.

Jasper Fforde will be the Go-Betweens of 1970's literature onwards.
« Last Edit: 30 Nov 2007, 20:52 by n0t_r0bert_b0yle!! »
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Wayfaring Stranger

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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #9 on: 30 Nov 2007, 23:39 »

Oh, I forgot: I highly doubt Stephen King will be read a hundred years from now, mainly because he's not very good and also because works in the horror genre rarely have longevity (for a lot of reasons I don't fee like going into).

I don't think he's very good either, but an awful lot of people disagree with you and me. 

What about Dracula?  Frankenstein?  Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde?  Those have shown some impressive longevity.  I will admit, though, that those books are quite different from modern horror.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #10 on: 30 Nov 2007, 23:53 »

I think it's interesting that Scandanavian War Machine has only heard of the two authors in this thread that I mentioned where I really wouldn't mind at all much if they were forgotten.
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KharBevNor

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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #11 on: 01 Dec 2007, 06:29 »

What about Dracula?  Frankenstein?  Dr. Jekyll & Mr. Hyde?  Those have shown some impressive longevity.  I will admit, though, that those books are quite different from modern horror.

For works of horror to have any particular longevity they must either become part of popular culture or have some special philosophical or literary significance. The reason these works have survived is much more to do with Universal Pictures and Hammer Horror than their merit as books, though I enjoy all of them. Far, far, FAR more people can recognise the characters of Count Dracula, Frankenstein's Monster and Jekyll and Hyde, than have actually read any of the works in which they appear. Additionally, each work has particular things about it and sub-texts that make them historically interesting. Dracula is an interesting illumination of Victorian ideas about sex. Frankenstein was written by the daughter of one of the first feminists, whilst she was a teenager married to a famous romantic poet, not to mention being one of the first works of science-fiction, and being far enough ahead of its time to raise issues that are still debated in scientific ethics today. The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde plays on vivid and troubling psychological issues. Even then, these issues pale next to the popular currency given to them by their film (and before that stage) adaptations. There are other works of the period in the same genre with even more interesting concerns that are almost unknown nowadays. For example, Le Fanu's Carmilla, in my opinion, is better written than Dracula, and must be just about the first work in the modern western canon to deal with female homosexuality, yet today it is relatively obscure, living on mainly as the inspiration for the 'lesbian vampires' meme.

Stephen King, on the other hand, writes novels about evil trucks and demonic clowns killing small town Americans. Just about the only reason I can see for his novels being studied in the future is his curious obsession with the magic negro cliche. Just about the only 20th century horror writer I can see being studied seriously for a long time is HP Lovecraft, who seems to pretty much grow more in stature as time passes nowadays. Apart from him, maybe Anne Rice.

Also, remember, popularity doesn't ensure longevity. Imitation, adaptation and influence and a somewhat arbitary canon (mainly decided by the tastes of educators and academics) are I think what secures the legacy of literary works. Grisham, for example, writes very popular books, but they don't have a particularly wide cultural influence, not on the scale of, say,  Ian Fleming. J.K. Rowling, on the other hand, writes books that are not only almost inconcievably popular, but have had a significant cultural impact. She is one of the few modern writers who I think will live on in the popular imagination: I imagine this will actually be quite a small number, though of course many more authors will live on as subjects of academic study. The one really arbitary factor, which we cannot even begin to imagine, is the effect that future critical readings, philosophical trends and cultural shifts will have on the popularity of modern authors. Sometimes even being vastly popular in its day will not save a book. How many of you have read Pamela?
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #12 on: 01 Dec 2007, 09:36 »

Myla Goldberg

I named my cat after her.

Well, I named my cat after the Decemberists song, but the Decemberists song is named after her, so...

If Sue Monk Kidd were to write a few more books that were as good as The Secret Life of Bees and not as shitty as The Mermaid Chair, she would be up in my book. I haven't read any of her memoirs, though.

And Tim O'Brien. The Things They Carried is one of my favorite books, if not my favorite book of all time.
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Wayfaring Stranger

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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #13 on: 01 Dec 2007, 10:50 »

Good points, Khar.  I think though, that Stephen King, maybe unlike a Grisham, has made a pretty big cultural impact.  As per the older horror writers like Stoker and Shelley, no matter how people know about them, their work is still recognized even to the point of being household names.  It seems reasonable that figures such as Carrie and Cujo may be recognized a long time from now.  Good point about Lovecraft.  His recent surge in popularity is pretty interesting.  Cthulhu is popping up everywhere.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #14 on: 01 Dec 2007, 12:11 »

Here's looking at Michael Crichton and Brian Jacques, but I suppose that's more wishful thinking than anything.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #15 on: 01 Dec 2007, 13:11 »

Brian Jacques writes about Furries! Hah, who's gonna remember that!! :-D

[quote author=KharBevNor For example, Le Fanu's Carmilla, in my opinion, is better written than Dracula, and must be just about the first work in the modern western canon to deal with female homosexuality, yet today it is relatively obscure, living on mainly as the inspiration for the 'lesbian vampires' meme.
[/quote]

Where can I obtain a copy of Camilla?
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KharBevNor

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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #16 on: 01 Dec 2007, 14:21 »

Good points, Khar.  I think though, that Stephen King, maybe unlike a Grisham, has made a pretty big cultural impact.  As per the older horror writers like Stoker and Shelley, no matter how people know about them, their work is still recognized even to the point of being household names.  It seems reasonable that figures such as Carrie and Cujo may be recognized a long time from now.  Good point about Lovecraft.  His recent surge in popularity is pretty interesting.  Cthulhu is popping up everywhere.

The thing with Lovecraft was that he was, literally, ahead of his time in some respects (though his attitudes towards women and non-whites weren't). It may seem cliche, but I think that most of us, nowadays, are much more ready to believe a world of lurking, formless, unseen horrors and deranged, vile cultists. Also, I suppose changing religious attitudes might have something to do with it. A lot of his work is actually pretty blasphemous, in a way.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #17 on: 01 Dec 2007, 17:37 »

I personally believe that Lovecraft is the only entertaining misogynist ever.
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KharBevNor

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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #18 on: 01 Dec 2007, 18:35 »

I'm not sure I'd call Lovecraft a misogynist as such. Not by the standards of his day, anyway. Racist, definitely. Even for his time, his obsession with miscagenation, degeneracy and genetic decadence is significant, though he did write at a time when eugenics was a worryingly popular idea. Lovecrafts attitude to women is more conservative and dismissive, I think. I always got the sense that women feature so rarely in his stories because they were at home cooking. When he does give the appearance of misogyny, I think its more his asexuality and hatred of being touched talking than anything else. As far as I'm aware, his closest relationship was with his mother. The only tale of his I can think of that could be considered misogynistic is The Thing on the Doorstep, and I think that's more just straight body horror. Indeed, the only other stories I can think of off the top of my head with female characters are The Dunwich Horror and The Shadow Over Innsmouth, and in both of those negative portrayals of women are more to do with the fact that those women are half-deep ones or inbred cultists who fornicate with Yog-Sothoth. Both those also have, however incidental, positive female characters. The historical society curator in The Shadow Over Innsmouth and Dr. Armitages wife in The Dunwich Horror, for example.     
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #19 on: 01 Dec 2007, 18:44 »

from wikipedia:

Quote
Gender

Women in Lovecraft's fiction are rare, and sympathetic women virtually non-existent; the few leading female characters in his stories — like Asenath Waite (though actually an evil male wizard who has taken over an innocent girl's body) in "The Thing on the Doorstep" and Lavinia Whateley in "The Dunwich Horror" — are invariably servants of sinister forces. Romance is likewise almost absent from his stories; where he touches on love, it is usually a platonic love (e.g. "The Tree"). His characters live in a world where sexuality is negatively connotated — if it is productive at all, it gives birth to less-than-human beings ("The Dunwich Horror"). In this context, it might be helpful to draw attention to the scale of Lovecraft's horror, which has often been described by critics as "cosmic horror." Operating on a grand, cosmic scale as his stories are, they assign humanity a minor, insignificant role. Consequently, it is not female sexuality to which the stories categorically deny a vital and positive role — rather, it is human sexuality in general. Also, Lovecraft states in a private letter (to one of the several female intellectuals he befriended) that discrimination against women is an "oriental" superstition from which "aryans" ought to free themselves: evident racism aside, the letter seems to preclude at least conscious misogyny (as does, indeed, his private life otherwise).

Keeping in mind, the earliest contact Lovecraft had with women, first, was his mentally ill mother, and later on, a life spent living with two elderly aunts. No serious misogynistic elements are evident in his fiction.
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KharBevNor

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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #20 on: 01 Dec 2007, 19:26 »

That's...pretty much exactly what I just said?
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #21 on: 01 Dec 2007, 19:58 »

sorry, i forgot to take it out of context.
from wikipedia:

Quote
Gender

Consequently, it is ... female sexuality to which the stories categorically deny a vital and positive role.... Also, Lovecraft ... in a private letter (to one of the several female intellectuals he befriended) precludes at least conscious misogyny (as does, indeed, his private life otherwise).

there.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #22 on: 02 Dec 2007, 00:03 »

I think the comparison between King and Lovecraft is valid (I actually think King is at his best when aping Lovecraft). Both aren't terribly good writers, but they spin good yarns, so to speak, and they've made engaging mythologies. King will certainly leave a mark on popular fiction, but he ain't Vonnegut or Garcia Marquez. I don't think he has to be, though.
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KharBevNor

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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #23 on: 02 Dec 2007, 08:53 »

Not Robert Boyle, do you know what 'precludes' means?
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #24 on: 02 Dec 2007, 11:44 »

My apologies, I wonder if any current fantasy/sci-fi writers will be remembered in a Tolkienesque manner a hundred years from now?
If so, i reckon it would be Frank Herbert or Robert Jordan.
Herbet, because of how the Dune Mythos is being handled by his descendants
Jordan because The Wheel of Time is unbelievable long and 'epic'.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #25 on: 02 Dec 2007, 13:20 »

I'd say the handling of the Dune universe done by Kevin J. Anderson and Brian Herbert will leave those books less likely to be remembered in the long run, if anything.  They are certainly severely cheapening his magnificent creation.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #26 on: 02 Dec 2007, 14:17 »

Man. If the only books from the last thirty years that anybody reads a hundred years from now are from horror, fantasy or thriller writers, the fury from my rage will awaken my frozen brain from its cryogenically-induced slumber and I will make my robot-slave body start beating the shit out of people reading books from the Wheel Of Time series.

YET THIS IS THE EXACT DIRECTION THIS THREAD SEEMS TO BE GOING
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #27 on: 02 Dec 2007, 17:36 »

Most of the things I've read lately that I can see being canonized are mostly short stories and none of those are fantasy/horror/thriller, such as Ira Sher's The Man in the Well. There is good fiction out there that isn't a part of any of those genres and if that's all the past century is remembered for, I'll be quite sad. I can't add too much on actual books, though, because I've been mostly reading things that are already classics.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #28 on: 02 Dec 2007, 18:48 »

Man. If the only books from the last thirty years that anybody reads a hundred years from now are from horror, fantasy or thriller writers, the fury from my rage will awaken my frozen brain from its cryogenically-induced slumber and I will make my robot-slave body start beating the shit out of people reading books from the Wheel Of Time series.

YET THIS IS THE EXACT DIRECTION THIS THREAD SEEMS TO BE GOING

Sorry if I really only like Sci-Fi, Fantasy, or Satire that happens to be lumped into those categories (which Vonnegut falls into to an extent).  If I didn't find real-life boring, I'd probably read more plain old fiction.  I read a sizeable amount of older things which are probably deemed as classical literature.  And I guess O'Reilly could count as a memorable author.  But the point is, there's not a lot of good books left that don't fall into those categories  (and I'm assuming we're talking books written in the last century or so).

And for the record I didn't like Dune or The Wheel of Time.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #29 on: 02 Dec 2007, 21:28 »

there's not a lot of good books left that don't fall into those categories  (and I'm assuming we're talking books written in the last century or so).

You are wrong.  Seriously.

Here are books you need to read.  Promptly.

Nicholson Baker - The Fermata
Martin Amis - Money
Don DeLillo - White Noise
Colson Whitehead - The Intuistionist (I guess this could be sort of maybe argued as a science-fiction-ish thing though)
David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas (Parts of it are definitely science-fiction, so it would make a good stepping stone, maybe)

All of those should be books which you can get in to, since they have decent fantastical moments, and don't come across as narratives of everyday life at all.

After that, or before that, or whenever, read The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields.  If you have learned to appreciate things which are worth reading, you will love this.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #30 on: 02 Dec 2007, 21:52 »

Man. If the only books from the last thirty years that anybody reads a hundred years from now are from horror, fantasy or thriller writers, the fury from my rage will awaken my frozen brain from its cryogenically-induced slumber and I will make my robot-slave body start beating the shit out of people reading books from the Wheel Of Time series.

YET THIS IS THE EXACT DIRECTION THIS THREAD SEEMS TO BE GOING

Don't worry, no one has a) enough time to read all 13/14 b) a long enough attention span or c) society will be so mentaly devestated by TV that they will be too mindless to be able to read anymore.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #31 on: 03 Dec 2007, 07:22 »


You are wrong.  Seriously.

Here are books you need to read.  Promptly.

Nicholson Baker - The Fermata
Martin Amis - Money
Don DeLillo - White Noise
Colson Whitehead - The Intuistionist (I guess this could be sort of maybe argued as a science-fiction-ish thing though)
David Mitchell - Cloud Atlas (Parts of it are definitely science-fiction, so it would make a good stepping stone, maybe)

All of those should be books which you can get in to, since they have decent fantastical moments, and don't come across as narratives of everyday life at all.

After that, or before that, or whenever, read The Stone Diaries by Carol Shields.  If you have learned to appreciate things which are worth reading, you will love this.

The key words in my statement were A LOT.  Not trying to be a bastard, but you've listed 5 and a 6th.  That's not a lot.  But I will look for them at the library when I get a chance.  As it is right now, I don't have a lot of time to read because I've been doing a lot of school/work/homework which will probably continue on until summer.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #32 on: 03 Dec 2007, 07:27 »

I listed books that I felt might be accessible to you based on what you described your likes as being.  I did so in a rather restrained fashion, with hope that the list wouldn't seem overwhelming and you might go pick up one or two, and have your viewpoint changed sufficiently to delve deeper into general fiction and modern literature.  If I wanted to list a lot of books, I could likely do so, and I'm sure there are many people on this forum who could list more.

And how posting a reply might it so that you were born of parents out of wedlock is beyond me.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #33 on: 03 Dec 2007, 08:38 »

Dude read Not Wanted on the Voyage by Timothy Findley.

In fact, all of you read it. The literature that survives is what we make survive.
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Wayfaring Stranger

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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #34 on: 03 Dec 2007, 14:32 »

Dark Flame, Martin Amis is a great call.  The work I've read by him seems really timeless and brilliant. 
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #35 on: 03 Dec 2007, 15:22 »

I actually haven't read much Amis at all, but I've loved what I have.  I'm reading Time's Arrow, among other things, at the moment.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #36 on: 04 Dec 2007, 01:48 »

guys guys guys

we all know that the Da Vinci Code is the most important book of our generation, and will be the only contemporary novel worth reading 100 years from now.

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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #37 on: 04 Dec 2007, 11:01 »

You win. 
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #38 on: 04 Dec 2007, 12:17 »

Do people ever read it now?  To me it feels like it stopped having any sort of popular hold pretty soon after the huge phenomenon.  I kind of hope his next book crashes, truth be told.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #39 on: 04 Dec 2007, 14:29 »

No, I don't think people are still reading it, really. I think the only reason so many people read it was because of the hype. I read it because of the hype, but honestly, the writing is pretty much crap.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #40 on: 04 Dec 2007, 15:29 »

Isaac Asimov and Douglas Adams will probably be the icons for sci-fi and British humor in a couple decades.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #41 on: 04 Dec 2007, 17:20 »

I pride myself on the fact that I have never so much as touched a copy of "The Da Vinci Code."
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #42 on: 04 Dec 2007, 18:08 »

It was seriously over-hyped.  Fun for what it was worth, but that was only about an afternoon's worth of time.  Incredibly predictable.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #43 on: 04 Dec 2007, 18:19 »

It was seriously over-hyped.  Fun for what it was worth, but that was only about an afternoon's worth of time.  Incredibly predictable.

agreed. very poorly written, the story itself was fun, but kinda mindless and predictable. Angels and Demons was slightly better IMO, but still rather forgettable. And his earlier shit is godawful. I read Deception point and Digital Fortress one summer when I was incredibly bored at work and read my coworker's copies. They're seriously horrible. The main thing that pisses me off about Dan Brown's stuff isn't that he's a horrible writer, but that he presents a lot of complete bullshit as fact. I know he's got the disclaimer at the front of the books, but 90% of people reading it still spout his artistic license bullshit as the gospel truth.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #44 on: 04 Dec 2007, 18:30 »

gospel truth... heh....
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #45 on: 04 Dec 2007, 22:02 »

In fact, Dan Brown has never actually written a book worth the time taken to read it. Anyone read Digital Fortress? Jesus Christ. Alongside Clive Cussler, Dan Brown is one of the authors I would love to see retire.
Dan Brown will never be able to write as well as Cussler, ever.

Cussler is the better writer hands down, from Valhalla Rising:
Quote
They moved through the morning mist like ghosts, silent and eerie in phantom ships. Tall, serpentine proes arched gracefully on bow and stern, crowned with intricately carved dragons, teeth bared menacingly in a growl as if their eyes were piercing the vapor in search of victims. Meant to incite fear into the crew's enemies, the dragons were also believed to be protection against the evil spirits that lived at sea.

Brown, from the Da Vinci Code:
Quote
Renowned curator, Jaques Sauniere staggered through the vaulted archway of the museum's Grand Gallery. He lunged for the nearest painting he could see, a Caravaggio. Grabbing the gilded frame, the seventy-six-year-old man heaved the masterpiece towards himself until it tore away from the wall and Sauniere collapsed backward in a heap beneath the canvas.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #46 on: 04 Dec 2007, 22:17 »

Quote from: Russell Beland
The little boat gently drifted across the pond exactly the way a bowling ball wouldn't.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #47 on: 04 Dec 2007, 22:26 »

Win!!
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #48 on: 04 Dec 2007, 22:32 »

haha, I gotta agree. the only Clive Cussler book I've read was absolutely ridiculous, well-written or no. Also, the movie Sahara sucked.
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Re: Memorable Authors
« Reply #49 on: 04 Dec 2007, 22:53 »

I would also like to point out that in that book Dirk Pitt saves a plane full of handicapped children from crashing into skyscrapers.

I don't care how eloquent his sentence structure is, this shit has been done before, and it has been done much, much better.

Did Robert Langdon do it? No he didn't. I'm not saying that Cussler is a great writer but that he is a better one than Brown.
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