I guess because I prefer slightly less epic fantasy (what's the word for that?), I found Stephen King's "Fairy Tale" to be the best thing I'd read in a long time!
Hmmm. "Less epic fantasy." I'll have to think on that. Maybe "sort of large fantasy"? Ha!!! Anyway, King is unquestionably one of the greatest pure storytellers of all time, IMO. I loved Fairy Tale too. Among horror writers, King reigns supreme.
You should at least give book 1 a try. It's a great learning experience for a writer, actually, because his writing is so sophisticated. His books aren't for everyone, but it's difficult to deny their brilliance.
There is a short list of writers who stand out as pure geniuses. Martin is one of them, IMO. His greatness can be seen in almost every sentence he writes.
A formidable list—even those I haven't enjoyed as much deserve their place among the greats. I suppose my personal favorites are the ones that have most inspired me over the years: J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Stephen R. Lawhead, C.S. Lewis, and Patrick Rothfuss. And a close runner-up for me would be the children's fantasy author Brian Jacques.
I've read all of yours except for Lawhead and Jacques. Of the names you added, Rothfuss is probably my favorite. Jordan had his own greatness. Thanks for responding!
I guess because I prefer slightly less epic fantasy (what's the word for that?), I found Stephen King's "Fairy Tale" to be the best thing I'd read in a long time!
Hmmm. "Less epic fantasy." I'll have to think on that. Maybe "sort of large fantasy"? Ha!!! Anyway, King is unquestionably one of the greatest pure storytellers of all time, IMO. I loved Fairy Tale too. Among horror writers, King reigns supreme.
After reading your post, I'm now gonna go read some Martin...
You should at least give book 1 a try. It's a great learning experience for a writer, actually, because his writing is so sophisticated. His books aren't for everyone, but it's difficult to deny their brilliance.
Love GRRM as top choice and the addition of King. I’d close my eyes and gladly choose from a pile of books from all these guys.
There is a short list of writers who stand out as pure geniuses. Martin is one of them, IMO. His greatness can be seen in almost every sentence he writes.
Fantastic top 5!
Thank you! Oldies but goodies. :)
A formidable list—even those I haven't enjoyed as much deserve their place among the greats. I suppose my personal favorites are the ones that have most inspired me over the years: J.R.R. Tolkien, Robert Jordan, Stephen R. Lawhead, C.S. Lewis, and Patrick Rothfuss. And a close runner-up for me would be the children's fantasy author Brian Jacques.
I've read all of yours except for Lawhead and Jacques. Of the names you added, Rothfuss is probably my favorite. Jordan had his own greatness. Thanks for responding!