I need a new genre author

[Jon Miller]

His issue is this "has left me with pretty high standards for things like use of language, structure, complexity of themes and characters, etc., and that's where most genre fiction falls down." and I agree that a lot of SF/F fails in this regard. This includes a lot of what you recommend and like in other threads.

For the four authors I have named though, they have all written books with excellent use of language, structure and very complex themes and characters. Actually, in that list, I would rank Gene Wolfe the highest overall with Dan Simmons the lowest (his books other than Hyperion that I have read were far weaker) with regards to those four issues.

I agree that the settings/ideas that Gene Wolfe, Bujold, and Ian Banks (in his sci fi novels) use are very SF/F, that doesn't mean that they have the failings that Rufus is concerned about. I also have strong doubts that you have read everything of Gene Wolfe.

JM
(Please note that probably of the four my biggest recommendation would be Ian Banks mainstream novels as you wouldn't have any SF/F contamination to worry about)
(Obviously I don't think Gene Wolfe gets enough love.)

[Cort Haus]

Terry Pratchett.

He pisses over Gaiman (and they've worked together) and frankly, after Pratchett, no-one else is worth reading. (except Douglas Adams, but he hardly wrote any books)

[SlowwHand]

John Jakes.

[Tuberski]

Joseph Wambaugh for crime stories.

The Choir Boys is a very funny and very sad book. The Glitter Dome is very funny. The New Centurions is tense and a little sad at the end.

That being said they are all based in the early 70's.

Also, try John Boston, author of the best book ever written, "Naked Came the Sasquatch".

http://www.thebostonreport.net/

ACK!

[snoopy369]

His issue is this "has left me with pretty high standards for things like use of language, structure, complexity of themes and characters, etc., and that's where most genre fiction falls down." and I agree that a lot of SF/F fails in this regard. This includes a lot of what you recommend and like in other threads.

For the four authors I have named though, they have all written books with excellent use of language, structure and very complex themes and characters. Actually, in that list, I would rank Gene Wolfe the highest overall with Dan Simmons the lowest (his books other than Hyperion that I have read were far weaker) with regards to those four issues.

I agree that the settings/ideas that Gene Wolfe, Bujold, and Ian Banks (in his sci fi novels) use are very SF/F, that doesn't mean that they have the failings that Rufus is concerned about. I also have strong doubts that you have read everything of Gene Wolfe.

JM
(Please note that probably of the four my biggest recommendation would be Ian Banks mainstream novels as you wouldn't have any SF/F contamination to worry about)
(Obviously I don't think Gene Wolfe gets enough love.)

I've read plenty of Gene Wolfe, though I doubt very many have read everything of his. However, I stand by my statement that neither is a good recommendation for Rufus given his list of other likes. You're recommending your favorite authors, not authors Rufus is particularly likely to read.

[SlowwHand]

What would it hurt for him to expand? So he tries a book and doesn't like it. Big loss. What if he finds that he does?

[Jon Miller]

I've read plenty of Gene Wolfe, though I doubt very many have read everything of his. However, I stand by my statement that neither is a good recommendation for Rufus given his list of other likes. You're recommending your favorite authors, not authors Rufus is particularly likely to read.

Doesn't change the fact that they don't fail based upon his list of what is important.

In fact, I think that Bujold, Banks, and Wolfe are better at all four things than Stephenson and Gibson.

And those aren't my four favorite authors, even I was listing my favorite authors Simmons definitely wouldn't be on my list. I was listing authors I think he would like based on what he said he had enjoyed.

Setting/etc generally matters the most to genre lovers, and as long as he doesn't hate sci-fi setting in general, he would like the ones I listed (I think). Your recommendation to him is based on thinking that he liked a certain sub genre of Sci Fi based on the two he said he liked some of (which are both in the same sub genre of Sci Fi). He isn't a genre lover in general, most of it he doesn't like (as non-genre lovers won't, and shouldn't, because to be frank a lot of it is crap). As such, he may enjoy the better authors in the field, in particular ones who write books whose work shares similarities with 'mainstream' genres.

JM

[Nugog]

I quite enjoyed his most recent book, Anathem.

I really enjoyed this book!

Iain Banks

JM

With Iain Banks - be aware that he writes contemporary fiction under this name and Sci-Fi under Iain M. Banks. The Wasp Factory his debut novel is a good place to start, A Song of Stone is another favorite of mine.

-Jrabbit mentions Orson Scott Card. My wife loves his books - I have had very mixed reactions to them. Give Enders Game a go however. It is IMO his best work. While there were plenty of books that followed on from this, Enders Game is a stand alone novel.

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert A. Heinlein is IMO pretty much a no-brainer even if it is sci-fi.

If you can get hold of it Someone Comes to Town, Someone Leaves Town by Cory Doctorow. It is a great but unusual story.

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Thanks for the thoughtful suggestions, everyone! Lots to look at.

@ -Jrabbit: My thanks to your wife. Len Deighton sounds like a great pick; I love the Michael Caine films of his Harry Palmer novels (well, IPCRESS Files and Funeral in Berlin, anyway; Billion-Dollar Brain is a bit silly), but I've never read him.

@ Sloww: You're dead right, nothing wrong with expanding my horizons...usually. That's what libraries are for. Unfortunately, using the DC library system is inconvenient for me -- there's no branch in my neighborhood, and I don't have a car for schlepping piles of books. But armed with this list, maybe I can spend a productive Saturday morning at my local bookstore.

[Wraith]

Another recommendation here for Terry Pratchett, who is by far the best comic fantasy author I've ever read.

If you want to stick with sci-fi/fantasy stuff, one author I haven't seen mentioned above is George R. R. Martin. His Song of Ice and Fire series is quite good. On the sci-fi side, Vernor Vinge would be worth a look.

But, no need to stick with those genres. From what you've said, other than Pratchett, I'd probably most strongly recommend Patrick O'Brian's Master and Commander series. Lots of nautical jargon, but well worth it.

Wraith
"Lord Vetinari looked attentive, because he'd always found that listening keenly to people tended to put them off."
-- Terry Pratchett ("Jingo")

[Rufus T. Firefly]

Another recommendation here for Terry Pratchett, who is by far the best comic fantasy author I've ever read.

Not sure Pratchett's my thing, though he certainly would have been 15 years ago. Still, if I want to give him a go, where in his enormous bibliography should I start?

[SpencerH]

Anything by Tom Sharpe (Wilt etc) or George MacDonald Fraser (Flashman etc).

[Elok]

I don't read much "serious," but here's another vote against Anne Rice. I couldn't get through Interview with a Vampire.

If you really want to expand your horizons, try some early Tom Clancy (maybe late Tom Clancy too; I've only read up to Clear and Present Danger). It's a fun mental journey into crazy-ass-Republican land, where everyone worth anything is a proud 'murican holding proud cookie-cutter opinions. Plus Cardinal of the Kremlin stars an insane villainous lesbian spy. I'm rereading them now.

[snoopy369]

Not sure Pratchett's my thing, though he certainly would have been 15 years ago. Still, if I want to give him a go, where in his enormous bibliography should I start?

Based on your reading history I'd say Guards, Guards or one of the other Vimes books to start with.

Speaking of Anne Rice, if you do give her a shot, don't bother with Interview. Go straight to The Vampire Lestat which is the same timeline (actually longer) but from Lestat's point of view, who is her main character for the rest of the series, and WAY less whiney.

[Jon Miller]

I definitely wouldn't start with the first two books by Pratchett (in the Diskworld series), and would in general start with the later, based on your history. While Pratchett is great, some of his books are geared towards people who have read a lot of fantasy....

JM