Oh, hey, look, Andrea Höst has a guest post over at The Book Smugglers
Yes, this post will be long.”
Yeah, I bet. That would be a long, long list for me. Yet, oddly, I am missing quite a lot of the authors on Andrea Höst’s list. Or maybe it’s not that odd, as she goes from A right through Z, for a total of 99 authors. Wow! There are a ton of authors on this list who are new-to-me — way too many — some I definitely need to add to my TBR pile(s).
Constance Ash, for example, I’m sure I never heard of her, which is too bad, as I sure went through a horse-crazy period. (Actually, I am still more or less in that horse-crazy period, so I think perhaps I should look up this series.)
Pat Cadigan, I never read anything by her. TEA FROM AN EMPTY CUP is an amazingly evocative title.
Cara d’Bastian’s UF series sounds amazing — set in Singapore and Malaysia, really? I just have to try that.
I have Susan Dexter’s THE PRINCE OF ILL-LUCK on my TBR pile downstairs; it’s another for the reader who enjoys a horse-centered story, I hear.
And on and on. I mean, that’s only into the D’s! Lots of authors I know on this list, too, of course. Click through and I bet you’ll find both favorites and new-to-you authors.
One author from this list I’ve never heard of but am definitely planning to try: Cara d’Bastian
The author I’m most familiar with: CJ Cherryh, of course, though my favorites list from Cherryh would be quite different. I mean, CHANUR, sure, but where’s CUCKOO’S EGG? And ANGEL WITH A SWORD was never one of my personal favorites.
The author I’m most pleased to see on this list: Doris Egan, GATE OF IVORY, which is the first book in a wonderful trilogy that didn’t get the attention it deserved when it first hit the shelves. It came out in omnibus form some years ago and I made several friends buy it then. Ooh, ooh, and Margaret Mahy! I just love many of Mahy’s books and don’t think they’re as widely known as they should be. And there’s Judith Tarr’s LORD OF THE TWO LANDS, a historical fantasy I just love. Martha Wells! Another author who should be absolutely a household name.
Most beautiful cover: I really like the cover of THE RED COUNTRY by Sylvia Kelso. I’ve never heard of the book or the author, but that cover would make me pick up the book in a bookstore. “An Australian writer who writes densely poetic novels, most set in Australia, or fantasy worlds with Australian landscapes.” Densely poetic, eh? Sounds very much like my cup of tea.
Book I’ve most wanted to get to: THE STEERSWOMAN by Rosemary Kirstein. I’ve heard about this and the concept sounds really interesting.
Flawed books that I have nevertheless read many times: Anne Maxwell’s DANCER series, starting with FIRE DANCER. I think the series as a whole suffers from continuing romantic angst that keeps on going long after it should have resolved. And the romance is so clichéd. Yet . . . yet . . . I really like these books anyway. Now that I see this author on the list, I kind of want to go re-read at least the first book yet again. I do agree that it’s a real shame the series was cut short at three titles.
Most seminal: I agree, Andre Norton had a huge impact on me exactly in this way. I, too, think of weapons and vehicles in just these terms — needlers, skimmers. I never, ever thought of that before. But yeah, Norton sure did set up ideas about how to write SF adventure stories.
Click through and check out this list. Who’s your favorite? Any glaring omissions? You’re invited to fill in gaps in the comments.
I’m glad to see I’m on there already, otherwise, yeah, that’d be a glaring omission, all right. But no, I’m happy.
I do have an author to add, though, so I need to go leave a comment.
