In line with the Top 10 meme, I’ve decided to continue. I just have to write share these wonderful authors that I can read time after time, whose sci-fi/fantasy writing I can read again and again. Some of the books they’ve written have been friends since I was a middle-schooler! I pretty much buy their books on sight, if I haven’t already.

1. Stephen King – The Stand is my favorite of his novels, but The Mist, The Long Walk are two of my favorite stories, not to mention Salem’s Lot (how I love vampire stories).
2. Louis L’Amour – all his western novels. I often study his writing before writing a fiction tale.
3. David Eddings with his Belgariad and Mallorean series.
4. Dana Fuller Ross‘ Wagons West series. I literally learned my U.S. History with the entire series; the stories made U.S. History come alive for me.
5. David Gemmell – My favorite fantasy action writer, especially his Drenai series. His is the BEST writing of all the authors I’ve read in this genre.
6. S.M. Stirling – a recent addition to my library, I am hooked on his Dies the Fire series. While I’ve found his other books boring, the stories in this series are just so compelling. I’m hoping he comes out with his next installment soon after The Sunrise Lands.
7. Joel Rosenberg – Whew, I really enjoyed his Guardians of the Flame series (first 5 books only, the rest kind of petered out of spirit…the death of the main protagonist, Karl Cullinane was tough to overcome…like Ross killing off Whip Holt in the Wagons West series). I love his rollicking, hilariously funny The Hour of the Octopus (and follow-up tale, too). One of my long-term goals is to acquire the Guardians collection (I have one book with 3 tales).
8. Robert Ludlum – My first book was The Matarese Circle, followed by The Matlock Papers. The writing is vivid and alive and unforgettable. While the other books were OK (The Bourne Identity, The Parsifal Mosaic, etc), those 2 books have earned a permanent place on my bookshelf.
9. David Fentuch – Although I haven’t read much aside from Midshipman’s Hope and the subsequent stories in that series, his books are ones I keep on my must keep shelf. I didn’t once and the pressure to re-read his books was so great, i had to rush out and buy them. I love the idea of a tortured character cast into a role he doesn’t think he should be in and coming up with unorthodox, yet brilliant, solutions.
10. Donna Gillespie – It is seldom that the author of only ONE book ends up on my shelf in the must-keep stack, but so it is with Gillespie’s The Light Bearer. I keep hoping for a sequel and check periodically…but wait, there is one! Lady of the Light. Now I know what to add to my Xmas shopping list!
    

Wow, this meme is turning out to be tons of fun!

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