I don’t post often, but I have been lurking for a while, and I had an idea for recommending authors. It seems like there are threads popping up all the time for author or book recommendations, and I thought something like the Harry Potter game would be a good way to consolidate it.
I would like to have different categories for authors to make it easier for people to find what they are looking for (i.e. science fiction, fantasy, horror, mystery, general fiction, romance, etc.). Feel free to move an author to a different category or add categories or sub categories if necessary. I think the kids list is too long for this thread, so I am starting another thread just for that, but feel free to add authors that are appropriate for adults as well as kids here.
Each author will start with 15 points and you can vote for them or against them. Here is how, you pick out three authors and either give them a + or – 2 and add or subtract accordingly. The difference is when an author gets down to 0, they don’t die; they can go into negative numbers so people to know what authors to avoid.
A couple more rules make sure that you vote for 3 people only per day and you give them + or – 2. You may add as many authors you want at any time (starting with a 15). Also, you may want to give reasons why you like or dislike an author, and/or a favorite, or least favorite book or series. Here is a starter list: Have fun everyone!
Science fiction
Orson Scott Card 15 Robert Charles Wilson 15 Robert J Sawyer 15 Kay Kenyon 15 Dan Simmon 15 Robert Heinlien 15 George Orwell 15 Ray Bradbury 15 Douglas Adams 15 H. G. Wells 15
Fantasy
J.R.R. Tolkien 15 Robert Jordan 15 David Eddings 15 Mercedes Lackey 15 Terry Pratchett 15 Joan D. Vinge 15 Diana Wynne Jones 15 Charles DeLint 15 George R. R. Martin 15 Gregory Maguire 15 Terry Brooks 15
Horror
Stephen King 15 Dean Koontz 15 Anne Rice 15 H.P. Lovecraft 15 John Saul 15 Bram Stoker 15 Mary Shelley 15 Edgar Allan Poe 15
Mystery
James Patterson 15 Sue Grafton 15 John Grisham 15 Sara Paretsky 15 Agatha Christie 15
That’s enough to get us started, let’s get this list going.
Rhiannon
Posted by tern (Member # 7429) on :
Science fiction
Orson Scott Card 15 Robert Charles Wilson 15 Robert J Sawyer 15 Kay Kenyon 15 Dan Simmon 15 Robert Heinlien 15 George Orwell 17 Ray Bradbury 15 Douglas Adams 15 H. G. Wells 15
Fantasy
J.R.R. Tolkien 17 Robert Jordan 15 David Eddings 15 Mercedes Lackey 13 Terry Pratchett 15 Joan D. Vinge 15 Diana Wynne Jones 15 Charles DeLint 15 George R. R. Martin 15 Gregory Maguire 15 Terry Brooks 15
Horror
Stephen King 15 Dean Koontz 15 Anne Rice 15 H.P. Lovecraft 15 John Saul 15 Bram Stoker 15 Mary Shelley 15 Edgar Allan Poe 15
Mystery
James Patterson 15 Sue Grafton 15 John Grisham 15 Sara Paretsky 15 Agatha Christie 15
Orwell, Tolkien +2 Lackey, -2 If only I could take away more than 2...
Posted by Alchemist449 (Member # 8808) on :
Science Fiction OSC 17 Robert Charles Wilson 15 Robert J Sawyer 15 Kay Kenyon 15 Dan Simmon 15 Robert Heinlen 15 George Orwell 17 Ray Bradbury 15 Douglass Adams 17 H.G. Wells 15
Fantasy JRR Tolkien 15 Robert Jordan 15 David Eddings 15 Mercedes Lackey 13 Terry Pratchet 15 Joan D. Vinge 15 Diana Wynne Jones 15 Charles DeLint 15 George R. R. Martin 15 Gregory Maguire 15 Terry Brooks 15
Horror Stephen King 15 Dean Koontz 17 Anne Rice 15 H.P. Lovecraft 15 John Saul 15 Bram Stoker 15 Mary Shelley 15 Edgar Allan Poe 15
Mystery James Patterson 15 Sue Grafton 15 John Grisham 15 Sara Paretsky 15 Agatha Christie 15
+2 for Koontz, OSC, and Douglas Adams
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
Science Fiction OSC 17 Robert Charles Wilson 15 Robert J Sawyer 15 Kay Kenyon 15 Dan Simmon 13 Robert Heinlen 15 George Orwell 17 Ray Bradbury 15 Douglass Adams 17 H.G. Wells 15
Fantasy JRR Tolkien 15 Robert Jordan 15 David Eddings 15 Mercedes Lackey 13 Terry Pratchet 15 Joan D. Vinge 15 Diana Wynne Jones 15 Charles DeLint 15 George R. R. Martin 17 Gregory Maguire 15 Terry Brooks 13
Horror Stephen King 15 Dean Koontz 17 Anne Rice 15 H.P. Lovecraft 15 John Saul 15 Bram Stoker 15 Mary Shelley 15 Edgar Allan Poe 15
Mystery James Patterson 15 Sue Grafton 15 John Grisham 15 Sara Paretsky 15 Agatha Christie 15
George R.R. Martin +2 Dan Simmons, Terry Brooks -2
Posted by Alchemist449 (Member # 8808) on :
Science Fiction OSC 17 George Orwell 17 Douglass Adams 17 Robert Charles Wilson 15 Robert J Sawyer 15 Kay Kenyon 15 Robert Heinlen 15 Ray Bradbury 15 H.G. Wells 15 Dan Simmon 13
Fantasy George R. R. Martin 17 JRR Tolkien 17 Robert Jordan 15 David Eddings 15 Terry Pratchet 15 Joan D. Vinge 15 Diana Wynne Jones 15 Charles DeLint 15 Gregory Maguire 15 Terry Brooks 13 Mercedes Lackey 13
Horror Dean Koontz 17 Stephen King 15 Anne Rice 15 H.P. Lovecraft 15 John Saul 15 Bram Stoker 15 Mary Shelley 15 Edgar Allan Poe 15
Mystery James Patterson 15 Sue Grafton 15 John Grisham 15 Sara Paretsky 15 Agatha Christie 15
Fixed the list so that the authors in each category are now ordered from highest score to lowest. Also, fixed Tolkien because I forgot to carry over his score from tern's chart.
Posted by xtownaga (Member # 7187) on :
Science Fiction OSC 19 George Orwell 17 Douglass Adams 17 Robert Charles Wilson 15 Robert J Sawyer 15 Kay Kenyon 15 Robert Heinlen 15 Ray Bradbury 15 H.G. Wells 15 Isaac Asimov 15 Dan Simmon 13
Fantasy George R. R. Martin 17 JRR Tolkien 17 Robert Jordan 15 David Eddings 15 Terry Pratchet 15 Joan D. Vinge 15 Diana Wynne Jones 15 Charles DeLint 15 Gregory Maguire 15 Terry Brooks 13 Mercedes Lackey 13
Horror Dean Koontz 17 Stephen King 15 Anne Rice 15 H.P. Lovecraft 15 John Saul 15 Bram Stoker 15 Mary Shelley 15 Edgar Allan Poe 15
Mystery James Patterson 15 Sue Grafton 15 John Grisham 15 Sara Paretsky 15 Agatha Christie 15
+2 to OSC, added Asimov
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
+2: OSC, Dan Simmons, G.R.R. Martin Added: Frank Herbert (!!!), Ph. K. Dick (!!), Arthur C. Clarke (ok, I'm bored of exclamation signs...), A. E. van Vogt, Joe Haldeman, Norman Spinrad for SF; Roger Zelazny for Fantasy
Science Fiction
OSC 21 Dan Simmons 15 Frank Herbert 15 Ph. K. Dick 15 Arthur C. Clarke 15 A. E. van Vogt 15 Joe Haldeman 15 Norman Spinrad 15
Fantasy
George R. R. Martin 19 Roger Zelazny 15
Edit: Keepin' it short.
[ November 20, 2005, 05:33 PM: Message edited by: Corwin ]
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
++ Edgar Allen Poe ++ Frank Herbert -- Dan Simmons
Science Fiction
OSC 21 George Orwell 17 Douglass Adams 17 Frank Herbert 17 Robert Charles Wilson 15 Robert J Sawyer 15 Kay Kenyon 15 Robert Heinlen 15 Ray Bradbury 15 H.G. Wells 15 Isaac Asimov 15 Ph. K. Dick 15 Arthur C. Clarke 15 A. E. van Vogt 15 Joe Haldeman 15 Norman Spinrad 15 Dan Simmons 13
Fantasy
George R. R. Martin 19 JRR Tolkien 17 Robert Jordan 15 David Eddings 15 Terry Pratchet 15 Joan D. Vinge 15 Diana Wynne Jones 15 Charles DeLint 15 Gregory Maguire 15 Roger Zelazny 15 Terry Brooks 13 Mercedes Lackey 13
Horror
Dean Koontz 17 Edgar Allan Poe 17 Stephen King 15 Anne Rice 15 H.P. Lovecraft 15 John Saul 15 Bram Stoker 15 Mary Shelley 15
Mystery
James Patterson 15 Sue Grafton 15 John Grisham 15 Sara Paretsky 15 Agatha Christie 15
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Hmm, I'm wondering, are we allowed to vote more than one time for/against the same author? Seems a little bit strange because the +2/-2 limit doesn't mean much after that...
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Another thing: I'm not sure these long lists are really useful. A simpler way would be to post only your points and make a new list every 10-15 posts. It's just hard to see who voted what. And why, assuming that someone will actually post reasons. I intend to do that next time I post, and I'll try to give reasons for my first set of votes too.
Posted by Alcon (Member # 6645) on :
Your missing some really good authors...
Sci-Fi: David Brin Ben Bova Kim Stanley Robinson
Fantasy: David Gemmel
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
quote:Originally posted by Alcon: You're missing some really good authors...
Boy, does she indeed! I could have listed some others, but I'll reserve that for my next post, I wanted to give people a shot at some of my favorite authors first. And she *did* say "That’s enough to get us started" so now it's up to us to fill the gaps.
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
Science Fiction
OSC 21 George Orwell 17 Douglass Adams 17 Frank Herbert 17 Robert Charles Wilson 15 Robert J Sawyer 15 Kay Kenyon 15 Robert Heinlen 15 Ray Bradbury 15 H.G. Wells 15 Isaac Asimov 17 Ph. K. Dick 17 Arthur C. Clarke 15 A. E. van Vogt 15 Joe Haldeman 15 Norman Spinrad 15 Dan Simmons 13
Fantasy
George R. R. Martin 19 JRR Tolkien 17 Robert Jordan 13 David Eddings 15 Terry Pratchet 15 Joan D. Vinge 15 Diana Wynne Jones 15 Charles DeLint 15 Gregory Maguire 15 Roger Zelazny 15 Terry Brooks 13 Mercedes Lackey 13
Horror
Dean Koontz 17 Edgar Allan Poe 17 Stephen King 15 Anne Rice 15 H.P. Lovecraft 15 John Saul 15 Bram Stoker 15 Mary Shelley 15
Mystery
James Patterson 15 Sue Grafton 15 John Grisham 15 Sara Paretsky 15 Agatha Christie 15
+ Asimov + Philip K Dick - Robert Jordan
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Ahhhh, it's the bigbadlist! :dies: (actually, it's the bigbad good list; Asimov & K. Dick! yey! )
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
"Hmm, I'm wondering, are we allowed to vote more than one time for/against the same author? Seems a little bit strange because the +2/-2 limit doesn't mean much after that..."
I agree with this. Then if there's one author that only one person on this board likes, but that person votes for them every single day, that author will get high points even though only one person likes him.
Maybe a better way to do this would be to just list all of the authors and then everyone posts a list of authors they recommend from the list and a list of authors they think people should avoid and everyone just makes one post with all of their recommendations. And then after alot of posts you could have one list that says how many times each author was recommended and how many times each author was given a negative vote.
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
Didn't mean to kill you, Corwin. My bad. (by the way, I started reading PKD not too long ago because I read a post that I think was from you that recommended him. If it was you who made that post, thanks!)
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
But then it would be a very short game! ....yeah, I'm hard to please.
Edit:
quote:Didn't mean to kill you, Corwin. My bad.
I'm sure you say that to ALL your victims! :pouts: And don't worry, it was only a shadow of mine.
As for Ph. K. Dick, I might be guilty as charged. Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
Science Fiction
OSC 21 George Orwell 17 Douglass Adams 17 Frank Herbert 17 Robert Charles Wilson 15 Robert J Sawyer 15 Kay Kenyon 15 Robert Heinlen 15 Ray Bradbury 15 H.G. Wells 15 Isaac Asimov 19 Ph. K. Dick 17 Arthur C. Clarke 15 A. E. van Vogt 15 Joe Haldeman 15 Norman Spinrad 15 Dan Simmons 13 David Brin 17 Ben Bova 15 Kim Stanley Robinson 15 Lois McMaster Bujold 17
Fantasy
George R. R. Martin 19 JRR Tolkien 17 Robert Jordan 13 David Eddings 15 Terry Pratchet 15 Joan D. Vinge 15 Diana Wynne Jones 15 Charles DeLint 15 Gregory Maguire 15 Roger Zelazny 15 Terry Brooks 13 Mercedes Lackey 13 David Gemmel 15
Horror
Dean Koontz 17 Edgar Allan Poe 17 Stephen King 15 Anne Rice 15 H.P. Lovecraft 15 John Saul 15 Bram Stoker 15 Mary Shelley 15
Mystery
James Patterson 15 Sue Grafton 15 John Grisham 15 Sara Paretsky 15 Agatha Christie 15
Added David Brin, Ben Bova, Kim Stanley Robinson, David Gemmel, Lois McMaster Bujold
+David Brin +Lois McMaster Bujold +Issac Asimov
I prefer the long list format. That way you can tally the points as you go, and you can always see how a person changed it by looking at the bottom of their post where they list what they did. I think compiling it every 15 posts would be a lot of work for no good reason.
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
I've never read David Brin. Any reccomendations of good books to start with from him?
Posted by Will B (Member # 7931) on :
Yes: Startide Rising is his best, IMHO.
------------
Science Fiction
OSC 21 George Orwell 17 Douglass Adams 17 Frank Herbert 17 Robert Charles Wilson 15 Robert J Sawyer 15 Kay Kenyon 15 Robert Heinlen 15 Ray Bradbury 15 H.G. Wells 15 Isaac Asimov 19 Ph. K. Dick 17 Arthur C. Clarke 15 A. E. van Vogt 15 Joe Haldeman 15 Norman Spinrad 15 Dan Simmons 13 David Brin 17 Ben Bova 15 Kim Stanley Robinson 15 Lois McMaster Bujold 17 Jack Vance 17 Connie Willis 17
Fantasy
George R. R. Martin 19 JRR Tolkien 17 Robert Jordan 13 David Eddings 15 Terry Pratchet 15 Joan D. Vinge 15 Diana Wynne Jones 15 Charles DeLint 15 Gregory Maguire 15 Roger Zelazny 15 Terry Brooks 13 Mercedes Lackey 13 David Gemmel 15 C. S. Lewis 17
Horror
Dean Koontz 17 Edgar Allan Poe 17 Stephen King 15 Anne Rice 15 H.P. Lovecraft 15 John Saul 15 Bram Stoker 15 Mary Shelley 15
Mystery
James Patterson 15 Sue Grafton 15 John Grisham 15 Sara Paretsky 15 Agatha Christie 15
Added: Jack Vance (I put him in SF; he got Hugo & Nebula for The Dragonmasters, and The Last Castle, and deserved an award for his fantasy Lyonesse);
Connie Willis (mostly for her Hugo-Nebula Winner To Say Nothing of the Dog)
C. S. Lewis (for Narnia, and the 3 Perelandra books)
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
I think the Brin's best book so far has been [i]Kiln People.[/url]. Fantastic book.
So how was it that the list composer decided to put George R. R. Martin in Fantasy, rather than either Science Fiction or Horror?
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
He's mostly known for his Fantasy series, isn't he?
Posted by Alcon (Member # 6645) on :
The whole uplift series by Brin is very good.
Posted by theCrowsWife (Member # 8302) on :
Except for The Sundiver (the first book). It was really bad, and you can safely skip it because all the important stuff is recapped in the later books. Startide Rising and The Uplift War were both enjoyable reads.
--Mel
Posted by Will B (Member # 7931) on :
Science Fiction
OSC 21 George Orwell 17 Douglass Adams 17 Frank Herbert 17 Robert Charles Wilson 15 Robert J Sawyer 15 Kay Kenyon 15 Robert Heinlen 15 Ray Bradbury 15 H.G. Wells 15 Isaac Asimov 19 Ph. K. Dick 17 Arthur C. Clarke 15 A. E. van Vogt 15 Joe Haldeman 15 Norman Spinrad 15 Dan Simmons 13 David Brin 17 Ben Bova 15 Kim Stanley Robinson 15 Lois McMaster Bujold 17 Jack Vance 17 Connie Willis 17
Fantasy
George R. R. Martin 19 JRR Tolkien 19 Robert Jordan 13 David Eddings 15 Terry Pratchet 15 Joan D. Vinge 15 Diana Wynne Jones 15 Charles DeLint 15 Gregory Maguire 15 Roger Zelazny 15 Terry Brooks 13 Mercedes Lackey 13 David Gemmel 15 C. S. Lewis 17 Patricia McKillip 17
Horror
Dean Koontz 17 Edgar Allan Poe 17 Stephen King 15 Anne Rice 15 H.P. Lovecraft 15 John Saul 15 Bram Stoker 15 Mary Shelley 15
Mystery
James Patterson 15 Sue Grafton 15 John Grisham 15 Sara Paretsky 15 Agatha Christie 17
Christie +2 Tolkien +2 Patricia McKillip added, +2 (A Riddle-Master of Hed was her greatest)
Posted by Sean (Member # 689) on :
This always bothers me. What's the point of giving 15 points if all the votes are +/- 2? It'd make way more sense if the votes were +1 or -2. Plus the game would actually end.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
The point isn't for the game to end.
Posted by hugh57 (Member # 5527) on :
Science Fiction
OSC 21 George Orwell 17 Douglas Adams 17 Frank Herbert 17 Robert Charles Wilson 17 Robert J Sawyer 17 Kay Kenyon 15 Robert Heinlen 15 Ray Bradbury 15 H.G. Wells 15 Isaac Asimov 19 Ph. K. Dick 17 Arthur C. Clarke 15 A. E. van Vogt 15 Joe Haldeman 15 Norman Spinrad 15 Dan Simmons 13 David Brin 17 Ben Bova 15 Kim Stanley Robinson 13 Lois McMaster Bujold 17 Jack Vance 17 Connie Willis 17
Fantasy
George R. R. Martin 19 JRR Tolkien 19 Robert Jordan 13 David Eddings 15 Terry Pratchet 15 Joan D. Vinge 15 Diana Wynne Jones 15 Charles DeLint 15 Gregory Maguire 15 Roger Zelazny 15 Terry Brooks 13 Mercedes Lackey 13 David Gemmel 15 C. S. Lewis 17 Patricia McKillip 17
Horror
Dean Koontz 17 Edgar Allan Poe 17 Stephen King 15 Anne Rice 15 H.P. Lovecraft 15 John Saul 15 Bram Stoker 15 Mary Shelley 15
Mystery
James Patterson 15 Sue Grafton 15 John Grisham 15 Sara Paretsky 15 Agatha Christie 17
+2 Robert Charles Wilson (esp. Blind Lake ) +2 Robert J Sawyer (esp. Calculating God ) (I really like Canadian SF)
-2 Kim Stanley Robinson (40 Signs of Rain was BORING)
![[Razz]](tongue.gif)
I intend to do that next time I post, and I'll try to give reasons for my first set of votes too.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
I could have listed some others, but I'll reserve that for my next post, I wanted to give people a shot at some of my favorite authors first. ![[Wink]](wink.gif)
And she *did* say "That’s enough to get us started" so now it's up to us to fill the gaps.
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
)