My list of the top ten writers in the genre of fantasy.
Fantasy is a genre that is loved by so many. But then there are the arguments about who are the best writers. To help this along, I have made a list of my top ten fantasy writers. Please enjoy the fruits of my labor as I put a long time into making this list.
10. Jim Butcher
Someone who writes contemporary fantasy is nothing spectacular, unless that series is the Dresden Files. Butcher's writing is fun and exhilarating and instead of being a formal mystery/fantasy novel, just has fun with what he does. And plus he references the evil overlord list, that gets a big applause from me. But more importantly it is his characterization and humanity he puts into his characters that makes him good. He also makes sure to toy with fantasy archetypes and play with conventions of fantasy, to set a new route for what he does.
9. Terry Goodkind
Mr Goodkind is an inspiration to me: a writer with a learning disability who overcame it and has sold about 20 million copies of his series. And the series itself is an amazing piece of work that I have greatly enjoyed. Goodkind is influenced by the writings of Ayn Rand among others, and it shows in his series "The Sword of Truth" which is
a fine piece of libertarian fantasy. The series is beautifully written with thought out characters, with great philosophical issues being discussed. As well, it is not for kids or fro people who want a break from reality but for those interested in philosophical literature, that is meant to inspire.
8. Jacqueline Carey
There is always the old story in fantasy of the epic quest of the good side against the evil side, but how many of those stories get told from the perspective of the evil side. That is the rough outline of Carey's duology "The Sundering", which asks the question, "If everyone thinks you are evil, does that make you evil". While there are sides which can be seen as good and evil neither side is really like that and in fact the "good guys really are self righteous people who act like they know what is best for everyone and the "dark side" just want to be left alone but are forced to do battle. Furthermore, the "villain" Satoris refuses to kill someone whose survival means his death since that will make him the monster everyone says he is. This shows feeling and depth that is not usually seen in fantasy sue to the dominant view of how it should go. In fact the Christ figure in the story turns out to be the "villain". This is an example of good storytelling and that is why Jacqueline Carey is on this list.
7. Terry Pratchet
Mr Pratchet is a master of the genre in a different way than usual. The discworld series of humorous fantasy is a long running series that is masterfully done through parody and satire. Mr Pratchet shows us ways to look at life that are funny and real. His writing flows like water, forgive the bad cliché but I want to get it through that this writer is simply the best at what he does, and what he does is beautiful. If you have not yet read any of Mr. Pratchet's work, please do so, but start at the beginning or you will be confused as there are over 40 books in the discworld series alone.
6. J.K. Rowling
It would not be a complete list without mentioning her as one of the best fantasy authors ever. You might be wondering why she is not number one, and the reason is simple. She is good, yes, no denying that, but she is not the best. There have been many better before her and many better after. But that said and done she is a wonderful author who has done much to encourage literacy among children. If you have been in a comma since before 1997 and do not know who she is, J.K. Rowling is the author of the bestselling Harry Potter series. She is the first person to become a U.S. dollar billionaire by writing books. But for the reason she is on this list is what I mentioned earlier, and that is she turned a generation of kids onto reading and that is a great accomplishment. J.K. Rowling, I salute you for hat you have done for children. Her story is also an amazing piece of work, and say what you will about it, it is one that children should read.
5. Stephen King
Okay for anyone who says Stephen King is not a great fantasy writer, I say shut the hell up, you dumbass. Stephen king has given us some of the greatest works ever, including Salem's lot, Eyes of the Dragon and the epic Dark Tower series. King is a master of literature who we should be grateful is alive in our time and we can continue to look forward to new books from. His book Pet Semetary had me freaked for days, and other people have been scared to sleep after reading a king novel. King has enough adaptations of his work out to have an entire channel devoted to them. King has not followed the trends for writers, he has set them and more writers than I can possibly name have been influenced by him. He has become a part of worldwide culture, to the point where if people mention horror writers he is one of the first to come to mind. Even after suffering a horrible accident, Mr. King continued to write and had released over 50 books so far with no indication he is at an end.
4. Neil Gaiman
Neil is simply one of, if not the best modern fantasy writer that there is, these days. His work in comics, namely the sandman brought attention to comics as literature and is one of the best series out there. Get the graphic novels if you have not read the series, as it is amazing. Hiss novels such as "American Gods" and "Anansi Boys" are simply must reads. "American Gods" combines mythology with Americana and the immigrant idea of the American dream for a truly epic journey. A horror author, although people may not be aware that his work is considered horror, Neil explores dark aspects of humanity in his work as well as examining family through his characters The Endless and Shadow of the Sandman and American Gods" respectively. Neil has won the Nebula award, Hugo award, and Bram Stoker award all for "American Gods" which is not a common feat and shows his greatness as a writer. Neil also writes films and co-wrote the recent film "Beowulf" and has made forays into children's literature, including his upcoming book, "The Graveyard Book" about a boy raised by inhabitants of a graveyard.
3. H.P. Lovecraft
Lovecraft was an American pulp fiction writer in the 1920's and 1930's who wrote horror and dark fantasy. He is best known for his Cthulhu Mythos about alien entities such as Cthulhu and Yog-Sothoth. Lovecraft birthed many new ideas in his time, including having perhaps the first zombie story where a zombie bites someone. His existential stories about the utter pointlessness of struggling to survive and darkness are to say the least disturbing. Not to me however, I find it exhilarating except for the extreme racism in it. Due to the time he lived in and considering his upbringing as proud Anglo-American who felt extreme discomfort among people he felt to be "others" Lovecraft included a lot of racism in his stories, particularly against black people. That is not to say that the stories cannot still be read and enjoyed, we simply have to be aware of what we are reading and Lovecraft should still be noted for his contribution to literature. As well he was generous with his work and often encouraged others to borrow his ideas in order to create a sharing among writers. He would also take on many writers like Robert Bloch, who went on to write "Psycho", under his wing and would teach them what he knew.
2. J.R.R. Tolkien
This was a must for this list, the guy who wrote the Lord of the rings deserves a high spot. Tolkien popularized the high fantasy genre and made fantasy popular to no end. He made the use of elves and dwarves common in fantasy and made it available for many to read. Unlike Lovecraft, Tolkien was very much anti-racism and was against apartheid in South Africa speaking out against it numerous times. I am mentioning this because Tolkien was accused of racism for having only white and seemingly European based-characters in his stories. This was not the case, as Tolkien was in fact trying to make a mythology especially for England as they did not have one of their own. The Matter of Britain, better known as the Arthurian myths were British yes, but form Wales. Tolkien also wrote against fascism as can be seen in his characters of Morgoth and Sauron and was very much for freedom as the story of LOTR can be seen as an allegory for World War 2 and the fight against fascism. He also brought many mythologies to light in his work and wrote essays and analyses on subjects like Beowulf as well as reinventing myth and old culture into things people would find interesting and learn about. But good as he was, there was one more writer who was the absolute best in my opinion and he was…
1. Robert E. Howard.
Robert Ervin Howard was a legendary pulp writer who wrote 300 stories and 700 poems in 12 years before ending his life. He created numerous characters including the gunslinger El Borak, the Puritan Adventurer Solomon Kane, the Last king of the picts Bran Mak Morn, and the exile of Atlantis who rules Valusia but will never be of Valusia, King Kull. But the character he is best known for is the adventurer from Cimmeria named Conan. Conan, who has been the focus of novels, comic books, movies with Arnold Schwarzenegger and many other things. Howards work had lived on for decades and created the modern version of the genre of sword and sorcery fantasy, which in turn caused the creation of heroic fantasy. Howard was a member of Lovecraft's inner circle of close friends and would often correspond with him through letters. Howard redefined fantasy as it was up until that point taking myth, horror, fantasy as it was, and history and blended them all together. Howard was a different person than many readers were used to and would get praise for many stories and confused readers on other stories. Howard was in many ways the first nerd growing up and would keep to his own set of friends who would discuss things that would interest them while others viewed them as weird. Howard was not a weak little man as he built himself up and would often get into bar brawls for fun and would win most of the time. He had a pessimistic view of the world because of how his mother contracted an illness from the people she was working to help. This caused him to view life as unfair and cruel and influenced much of his writing. Despite his views however, he was a writer who had no equal and still had none to this day. Robert Ervin Howard This List is dedicated to you.
So to all, this list is my top ten writers of fantasy. If you do not like it, that's fine but it is a list I made based on my views and is not meant to be me saying "this is the definitive list on who the greatest fantasy writers are, now read and obey" it's meant to be fun and to be enjoyed so enjoy.
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