Darren Shan- because his 'Cirque Du Freak' books were what got me started on reading as a kid. I follow him avidly and read everything he puts out, and somehow he manages to churn out about 3 books a year. Busy man! L J Smith- because her books suck me in completely and I never want them to end. I always fall in love with the characters and feel as though I know them in the end. When she killed off a certain character in one of her series I felt like a part of me died.
W. Somerset Maugham ~ fiction. He is by far one of the best writers of that genre I've ever read. His descriptive powers often leave one breathless and desiring more. James Baldwin ~ nonfiction. His detailed application of commas and semi-colons are an art of itself, while the syntax and flow of its polemics are composed eloquently.
I think something that you have to keep in mind about Dick is that he wasn't a brilliant author in spite of drug addiction - he was a brilliant author because of drug addiction. Almost all of his novels were written while he was high on amphetamines.
