Adam Bolander's Blog - Posts Tagged "rothfuss"
My Favorite Authors
Hey-a, it's-a blog time again-a!
Now that I've wowed you with my Mario impersonation (trust me, it's a lot better in person), I'm going to tell you some things about my favorite authors. I gave them a brief mention in my last post, but here I'm going to go into more detail about what they write and why I like them so much.
Ted Dekker: I'll tell you right now, f you don't like Christian fiction, Ted Dekker probably isn't for you. If you're a Christian, or if you're able to look past religious differences, it is my humble opinion that Ted Dekker is the greatest author in that market. He has written numerous series, such as The Circle Trilogy, the Paradise Trilogy, The Lost Books, The Books of Mortals (coauthored with Tosca Lee), and the Martyr's Song trilogy. The amazing thing about him, though, is that several of his series feature a shared world, similar to DC and Marvel comics. Not only that, but the events in one series often has a direct, yet subtle, effect on the other series. For example: what happens in The Circle causes the Paradise trilogy. The Paradise trilogy then goes on to spawn two other books, Skin and House. The Lost books take place in the background of The Circle, and in a way also causes the Paradise trilogy. Usually, these are subtle references that a reader can skim right over without missing any important details, but those who have studied Dekker's writings and know what to look for will recognize the names and events that pop up in certain areas. When you put them all together, this mega-series is known as The Books of History Chronicles. But even if he hadn't pulled off an amazing shared world, his stories would have still been awesome. He is also the author of one of my all time favorite villains: Marsuvees Black. Want to know who he is? You'd better get reading, then!
Brandon Sanderson didn't introduce me to the world of high fantasy, but he DID get me addicted to it. It began when I found out he was offering free downloadable copies of Warbreaker on his website, and I instantly snatched one up for my Kindle. Though I'd tried to read several other high fantasy books before, Warbreaker was the first one I ever finished, and I instantly became a fan of Sanderson. In my opinion (and I can only hope nobody hunts me down after saying this) that Sanderson is even better than JRR Tolkien, the father of modern high fantasy. I can't read The Lord of the Rings, because my spastic little ADHD-riddled brain gets bored with his slow pace and overly descriptive style. Sanderson doesn't have that problem. While he will describe the world, it's always just enough to give you a feel for what the setting is. His stories move at an almost breakneck pace, and his characters are instantly likeable. Currently, my favorite book of his is Mistborn: The Final Empire (which is getting it's own video game soon, so YAAAAY!), but I think The Way of Kings may be good enough to dethrone it. And since I mentioned Dekker's shared world, it's only fair that I give credit to Sanderson for having a shared UNIVERSE. While they don't connect with each other the way Dekker's books do, Sanderson has said that all of his stories take place on different planets in the same universe, which he called the Cosmere. Really, the only way this effects the reader is with one reoccurring character, but it's really fun to go through the books and play "Where's Hoid?".
Patrick Rothfuss is up next, and he's the other author who got me addicted to high fantasy. His in-progress Kingkiller Trilogy is almost nothing like Sanderson's stories. There isn't very much action, no big wars, or plots to assassinate political figures (not in the first book, at least- it's got to be called Kingkiller for a reason!). Mostly, it's about one young man going through his life. He grows up with his parents, lives as an orphan, goes to school, and tries to unravel an ancient mystery. So, why do I like it so much? I can't really say, to be honest. It has something to do with the way his characters think and interact. They're all so alive that they practically jump out of the pages at you. I've never read another book that enthralled me so much with such little things. I have not read the second book yet, but I'm looking forward to the day when I get the chance.
As for R.A. Salvatore, one word: DRIZZT. If that sounds like the sound a drowning wasp makes, then stop reading right now and put that word in the search bar. Then run out and buy the book that pops up. Read it, and then come back here. It's fine, don't worry. I'll wait for you. All right, now that you are properly educated, I'll continue. Drizzt Do'urden is his most famous character by far, and for good reason. In a world where everybody's heroes have to be tough and gritty, Drizzt is refreshing because of his empathy and his love for all living things. Just don't mess with him, because he'll still ram both his shiny metal swords through your eye sockets- he'll probably just apologize a dozen times afterwards. Salvatore has some other books that don't feature Drizzt, but I haven't read any of them. I'd to someday, but for now I'm content with his famous dark elf.
Last but not least is M.I. McAllister. She's an author not many people have heard of, and I hate that- I HAAAAAAAATE THAT. She wrote the Mistmantle Chronicles, which is one of my absolute favorite series ever. If it's weird for a full grown man to like stories about fuzzy little critters having sword fights and whatnot, but... well, whoever told you I'm in any way normal needs to get their head checked. Lots of people will immediately write them off as ripoffs of Brian Jacques' Redwall series, but I disagree. I think McAllister handles her story far better than Jacques did. While I enjoyed Redwall as a kid, I eventually came to realize that just about every single one of them went by the same basic formula: one group heroes takes Martin's sword and leaves the Abbey, and while they're gone he Abbey gets attacked. Mistmantle is a continuous series of only five books, so it never fell into that rut. The characters are all fun, and some are even scary (yes, scary squirrels). McAllister doesn't break up the action with songs and overly elaborate descriptions of every single meal that gets eaten. I know there are a ton of Redwall fans out there even after Mr. Jacques' death, ready to throw me in a pit of vipers just for saying this, but all in all I just think that The Mistmantle Chronicles is the better story, which makes McAllister the last on my list of favorite authors.
And that's my list of favorite authors! These aren't the only authors I enjoy, but they are the most notable. Now it's your turn! Who are your favorite authors, and why do you like them so much? I'm always on the lookout for new books to read, so throw me some good titles! Before I close this post, I should point out that I don't have a schedule for these posts. I'll be updating sporadically whenever I think of something worth writing about. You could get several new posts in a week, or you could go longer than a week without any updates. I'll try to post as often as I can, but you know what they say, "When in Brooklyn, don't drink the water."
*Runs away while you're trying to figure that out*
Adam out!
Now that I've wowed you with my Mario impersonation (trust me, it's a lot better in person), I'm going to tell you some things about my favorite authors. I gave them a brief mention in my last post, but here I'm going to go into more detail about what they write and why I like them so much.
Ted Dekker: I'll tell you right now, f you don't like Christian fiction, Ted Dekker probably isn't for you. If you're a Christian, or if you're able to look past religious differences, it is my humble opinion that Ted Dekker is the greatest author in that market. He has written numerous series, such as The Circle Trilogy, the Paradise Trilogy, The Lost Books, The Books of Mortals (coauthored with Tosca Lee), and the Martyr's Song trilogy. The amazing thing about him, though, is that several of his series feature a shared world, similar to DC and Marvel comics. Not only that, but the events in one series often has a direct, yet subtle, effect on the other series. For example: what happens in The Circle causes the Paradise trilogy. The Paradise trilogy then goes on to spawn two other books, Skin and House. The Lost books take place in the background of The Circle, and in a way also causes the Paradise trilogy. Usually, these are subtle references that a reader can skim right over without missing any important details, but those who have studied Dekker's writings and know what to look for will recognize the names and events that pop up in certain areas. When you put them all together, this mega-series is known as The Books of History Chronicles. But even if he hadn't pulled off an amazing shared world, his stories would have still been awesome. He is also the author of one of my all time favorite villains: Marsuvees Black. Want to know who he is? You'd better get reading, then!
Brandon Sanderson didn't introduce me to the world of high fantasy, but he DID get me addicted to it. It began when I found out he was offering free downloadable copies of Warbreaker on his website, and I instantly snatched one up for my Kindle. Though I'd tried to read several other high fantasy books before, Warbreaker was the first one I ever finished, and I instantly became a fan of Sanderson. In my opinion (and I can only hope nobody hunts me down after saying this) that Sanderson is even better than JRR Tolkien, the father of modern high fantasy. I can't read The Lord of the Rings, because my spastic little ADHD-riddled brain gets bored with his slow pace and overly descriptive style. Sanderson doesn't have that problem. While he will describe the world, it's always just enough to give you a feel for what the setting is. His stories move at an almost breakneck pace, and his characters are instantly likeable. Currently, my favorite book of his is Mistborn: The Final Empire (which is getting it's own video game soon, so YAAAAY!), but I think The Way of Kings may be good enough to dethrone it. And since I mentioned Dekker's shared world, it's only fair that I give credit to Sanderson for having a shared UNIVERSE. While they don't connect with each other the way Dekker's books do, Sanderson has said that all of his stories take place on different planets in the same universe, which he called the Cosmere. Really, the only way this effects the reader is with one reoccurring character, but it's really fun to go through the books and play "Where's Hoid?".
Patrick Rothfuss is up next, and he's the other author who got me addicted to high fantasy. His in-progress Kingkiller Trilogy is almost nothing like Sanderson's stories. There isn't very much action, no big wars, or plots to assassinate political figures (not in the first book, at least- it's got to be called Kingkiller for a reason!). Mostly, it's about one young man going through his life. He grows up with his parents, lives as an orphan, goes to school, and tries to unravel an ancient mystery. So, why do I like it so much? I can't really say, to be honest. It has something to do with the way his characters think and interact. They're all so alive that they practically jump out of the pages at you. I've never read another book that enthralled me so much with such little things. I have not read the second book yet, but I'm looking forward to the day when I get the chance.
As for R.A. Salvatore, one word: DRIZZT. If that sounds like the sound a drowning wasp makes, then stop reading right now and put that word in the search bar. Then run out and buy the book that pops up. Read it, and then come back here. It's fine, don't worry. I'll wait for you. All right, now that you are properly educated, I'll continue. Drizzt Do'urden is his most famous character by far, and for good reason. In a world where everybody's heroes have to be tough and gritty, Drizzt is refreshing because of his empathy and his love for all living things. Just don't mess with him, because he'll still ram both his shiny metal swords through your eye sockets- he'll probably just apologize a dozen times afterwards. Salvatore has some other books that don't feature Drizzt, but I haven't read any of them. I'd to someday, but for now I'm content with his famous dark elf.
Last but not least is M.I. McAllister. She's an author not many people have heard of, and I hate that- I HAAAAAAAATE THAT. She wrote the Mistmantle Chronicles, which is one of my absolute favorite series ever. If it's weird for a full grown man to like stories about fuzzy little critters having sword fights and whatnot, but... well, whoever told you I'm in any way normal needs to get their head checked. Lots of people will immediately write them off as ripoffs of Brian Jacques' Redwall series, but I disagree. I think McAllister handles her story far better than Jacques did. While I enjoyed Redwall as a kid, I eventually came to realize that just about every single one of them went by the same basic formula: one group heroes takes Martin's sword and leaves the Abbey, and while they're gone he Abbey gets attacked. Mistmantle is a continuous series of only five books, so it never fell into that rut. The characters are all fun, and some are even scary (yes, scary squirrels). McAllister doesn't break up the action with songs and overly elaborate descriptions of every single meal that gets eaten. I know there are a ton of Redwall fans out there even after Mr. Jacques' death, ready to throw me in a pit of vipers just for saying this, but all in all I just think that The Mistmantle Chronicles is the better story, which makes McAllister the last on my list of favorite authors.
And that's my list of favorite authors! These aren't the only authors I enjoy, but they are the most notable. Now it's your turn! Who are your favorite authors, and why do you like them so much? I'm always on the lookout for new books to read, so throw me some good titles! Before I close this post, I should point out that I don't have a schedule for these posts. I'll be updating sporadically whenever I think of something worth writing about. You could get several new posts in a week, or you could go longer than a week without any updates. I'll try to post as often as I can, but you know what they say, "When in Brooklyn, don't drink the water."
*Runs away while you're trying to figure that out*
Adam out!
