The similarities do strike me from time to time. Edgar Allan Poe is also an inspiration of mine. I've always loved how he could convey mood and aura so well through his stories, actually make you shiver or feel scared for the character(s).
I can quote at least 2-3 stanzas of The Raven. I read it as one of my forensics pieces in 8th grade. Never get tired of it.
I'm currently mapping out a novel that has both human and animal characters. My literary hero right now would have to be Sara Gruen. I've just finished Water For Elephants and loved it. I cared so much for that elephant I was in tears! And yet she gives her very little actual page space. The subtlety and skill of her writing just blew me away. Also loved Ape House. Regular Heroes:- George Orwell - it wasn't always great, but man, when it was great it was AMAZING! Robert E. Howard - just for his unique voice. I never get tired of reading his Conan stories and they still grip me the way they did on first reading. Ian McEwan - I just devour every novel he puts out! Brett Easton Ellis - Patrick Bateman is still the most terrifying character I've ever encountered in a book. Joe Simpson - you get to climb mountains without having to do all that pesky climbing. Niall Williams - I wouldn't even attempt to write as beautifully as Mr.Williams does. Jack London - Love him as much now as I did when I was a kid. Nicholas Evans - bliss in a book. C.S.Lewis - my first love! The writer who got me addicted to reading. I remember it so vividly - I was 10 years of age, lying in my bed, sobbing my eyes out because Aslan was dead. Kenneth Brower, Alexandra Morton, John Ford - marine biologists who feed my orca obsession. ......this could go on and on and on......
Good old George, his work is fantastic. 1984 is and always will be one of my favorite books. I assumed you have read 1984- have you read Brave New World for comparison? It's also hauntingly accurate. I'm reading American Psycho right now; I can't put it down, the character is so engrossing and menacing. Do you like Chuck Palahniuk too?
Yeah I think 1984 has to be Mr.Orwell's best. Glad you're enjoying American Psycho, he's not everyone's cup of tea. I'm not a Chuck fan, I've read three or four of his but never really got the buzz, just found them boring. Maybe I'm too girly!
Joseph Conrad - His themes about mankind's darker nature that I try to replicate. His antagonists cast shadows of darkness so deep that his protaganists are forever tainted after the encounter. That kind of writing is beautiful in its gritty realism. John Connolly - Again a dark writer that uses amazing prose and metaphors to cast his characters as people you can sympathize with. The reader yearns for the protaganists success and feels like they've joined their struggle(s). Also his antagonists again become very dark, almost sub-human in their actions. George RR Martin - Amazing POV writing. He also puts you in the shoes of every character and forces the reader to forget the classic "good guys versus the bad guys" approach to story telling. His recognition of everyone is the protaganist in their own storyline is an invaluable lesson (in real life as well as writing) and it makes you see from the other side of the coin, giving a much deeper story. His cliff hangers at the end of every chapter also seems ot magically force you to turn the pages until minutes have become hours. Although I enjoy reading other authors these three are the most influential in my own writing. I hope to share some on the boards soon.
Margaret Atwood's writing style just draws me in. It's exactly how I love to write and wish to write more like.
David Gemmel David Eddings Terry Pratchett Douglas Adams Colin Thiele Stephen King Jim Butcher CS Lewis Tolkein These are my favorite authors, and they have all influenced me in some way.
The Bronte sisters -- Charlotte and Emily -- have a beautiful and simple way of writing that I've always loved.
Trudi Canavan - Fantastic world builder, she's made me think about aspects of my fantasy worlds I would have never previously given and second thought. Peter V. Brett - Another great world builder, but what I admire him for is his ability to create beautiful descriptions of the cultural differences in his books. Glenda Larke - Her plots amaze me even weeks after reading one of her books, it effects my real life even though she writes fantasy. Kristin Cashore - The ideas she has in her books are unique and the relationships between her characters - inspiring. Douglas Adams - Don't think I need to say anything for this one :]
So many people are reading 1984 that they really should be reading V for Vendetta alongside it. One of my students found it on his own mostly because I had a writing assignment based on a quote from it--something about how rulers should be frightened of their people, not the other way around. It was while we were reading the chapter on the Proles revolting in 1984 that we discussed the quote. It was also good for some interesting political conversations as we added Julius Caesar to the mix. We discussed Utilitarianism, Anarchy, Socialism both "democratic" and "totalitarian," dictatorships, "benevolent" dictatorships, and the role of protest. Since Egypt was going through their protests, etc. over there, it was really an ideal environment for discussion!
Right now I'm reading a lot of Terry Pratchett and Neil Gaiman, both of whom I desperately love. In fact, one of my characters in my current project is based on Neil Gaiman, who has such a wonderful online presence, and whose voice is so clear in his writing, that I felt comfortable creating someone like him. Not that the character will be anything like him, I'm sure, but he's who I picture when I'm writing. I of course love the old classics, like Edgar Rice Burroughs, Tolkien, and Lewis. And I am also greatly inspired by the Victorian/Regency era women authors, like Jane Austen, the Bronte Sisters, and George Elliot. I honestly think I copy their style, in some ways. I love the delicacy and primness of the era, and the way they deal with characters. I most recently read Wuthering Heights, which can blow you away with the way she treats characters. So much depth and emotion, with just a hint of crazy. Right now I'm slowly working my way through War and Peace, by Leo Tolstoy, and I love his voice. Of course, it's hard to get through such a huge book, both in length and scale, but it is just so beautifully written. It's inspiring, really, especially when you think about how he wrote it all without so much as a typewriter. I mean, whoa. Even JK Rowling had a typewriter.
Cormac McCarthy lately. I've read five or six of his books and I love him and hate him. There has never been a more poetic and naturally talented writer in the last few decades. He writes for the sake of writing and his command of his prose is intense. Read a few chapters. You will see a hundred words you don't know, and that'll scare you because you feel like you know writing pretty good.
To be honest I find that at the end of the day J.K Rowling's writing inspires me a lot, even though she doesn't exactly write poetry. She's a wonderful story-teller and is fantastic when it comes to describing and creating. A perfect fantasy-writer in other words. However I have to say that the best writers, if you ask me, usually are the ones posting on forums and fanfiction sites. I shake my head in awe when I read some very talented person's work online sometimes...
For me it was: Charles Dickens Edgar Allen Poe Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens) J. K. Rowling Stephenie Myer James Patterson Sherrilyn Kenyon and so many more. If I had to chose one I would have to say Stephenie Myer. She tells such fun tails. I just wish she did more stuff besides Vampire Books. I love J. K. Rowling but Harry Potter is a little juvenile so I can not wait for her new mystery novels she is working on.
Jacqueline Carey, George RR Martin, Kelley Armstrong, Kim Harrison, Janet Evanovich, Laurel K Hamilton (earlier stuff, not her cleverly disguised pornography that somehow has managed to be called fiction)
Stephen King is my alltime Fav. I have read them all over and over. His characters are so real to me and his stories are amazing. For me, Its all about the story. I also love Orwell, Rand, and Bradbury. Jodi Picoult has been getting a few rereads lately, as well as Gregory Maguire (Wicked ect). I have been slowly reading Anna Karinina between books. I intend to reread The Life of Pi again soon.
Orwell's a great author, one of my favorites. And some of King's books really send shivers down my spine. I don't like all his books, but the ones I do, I like a lot.
