Discovered Authors 2012

[J-Sun]

Added someone new to your bookshelves or otherwise discovered someone interesting? Let us know about it here.

Seems like, for ease of navigation, stuff like this should link to predecessor threads if people want to follow up on older stuff. If whoever starts this next year would link back, it'd probably be good.

2011
2010
2009
2008
2007*
2006*
2005*

* restricted to new (not just "new to you") books, with 2006 and 2007 also not having the years in their titles.

My new author is not new in general, not new to me at all in an absolute sense, and is only provisionally added to my shelves but still, I've never read a whole Allen Steele book that I know of, and I've now read Hex.

[elvet]

These are new to me authors that I'll be watching for upcoming books:
Sam Sykes Tome of the Undergates
Michael J. Sullivan Riyria series
Hopefully I'll have more to add in the latter part of this year.

[Fried Egg]

So far this year, I've discovered:


Hope Mirrlees - "Lud-in-the-Mist". Very good but apparently she didn't write much else in the genre so that'll probably be it with her.

Frederik Pohl, C.M. Kornbluth - "The Space Merchants" & "Wolfbane". Loved the Space Merchants but disappointed by Wolfbane.

Jean Ray - "Malpertuis". Excellent insanely weird novel. Definitely look forward to reading more of this author.

Geoff Ryman - "Was". Generally quite disappointed with this but will probably revisit this author at some point.

John M. Ford - "The Dragon Waiting". I hated this so much I couldn't finish it. Probably won't revisit this author.

Ian Whates - "City of Dreams & Nightmare". Okay, I had read a short story of his before but this was my first novel by him. Enjoyable enough and will likely read something else by him soon.

William Morris - "Wood beyond the world". Good but variable. I will try more of his work at some point though.

Franz Kafka - "The Metamorphosis and Other Stories". Interesting stuff and I know there's some more classic stories out there that I should read by him.

[Mouse]

New to me this year: Glen Duncan.

Possibly new to me this year (or could've been last year): Richard T Kelly.

[Randy M.]

Steve Rasnic Tem: Deadfall Hotel was quite good. I look forward to reading more.

Gregory Maguire: Lost was interesting, but I'm still not sure I know what to think about it. I mostly enjoyed it, though.

Toby Barlow: Really enjoyed Sharp Teeth more than I expected. I hope he writes more.

Tom Piccirilli: Two enjoyable crime/mystery novels, one leaning toward horror the other more urban fantasy. I expect I'll read more by him in the future.


Randy M.

[creynier]

good idea.

[creynier]

By the way...Erin Morgenstern is the author of "The Night Circus". Check it out.

[J-Sun]

Just finished Hannu Rajaniemi's The Quantum Thief. At some points I was thinking I might end up not merely liking this but even loving it but, by the end, I had only Eight Deadly Words for it.

I tend to think of "Discovered Authors" as a positive thing, but I guess the polarity doesn't change it.

Originally Posted by Fried Egg

...

Frederik Pohl, C.M. Kornbluth - "The Space Merchants" & "Wolfbane". Loved the Space Merchants but disappointed by Wolfbane.

...

Franz Kafka - "The Metamorphosis and Other Stories". Interesting stuff and I know there's some more classic stories out there that I should read by him.

I guess you could figure I'd recommend Gladiator-at-Law from the Pohl thread but I'll go ahead and say it. You still might not like it but it was closer to the zone of The Space Merchants than Wolfbane.

As far as Kafka, I did enjoy his The Complete Stories. I didn't love everything but I liked enough of them enough that I'd probably be unsatisfied with something that wasn't comprehensive. Also, his The Trial is pretty indispensable. I like The Castle, too, but I recall The Trial being "the" masterpiece.

[Connavar]

Oh god i have almost been overdosed on new discoveries. I almost only read new authors for me. I have to look all of them up.

Lewis Caroll - Alice's Adventures in Wonderland was a true classic,wonderful witty,nonsense,humor.

Donald Ray Pollock - literary strong southern noir

John Mill Stuart - the philosopher,essayist.

Edgar Rice Burroughs - John Carter is timeless adventure classic.

Saki - great subtle,witty,ironical humor that i adored reading.

Carolyn Keene - Nancy Drew books is mass produced books i can endure people calling trash because it is really insulting even to children who read it.

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by Fried Egg

So far this year, I've discovered:

Hope Mirrlees - "Lud-in-the-Mist". Very good but apparently she didn't write much else in the genre so that'll probably be it with her.

Jean Ray - "Malpertuis". Excellent insanely weird novel. Definitely look forward to reading more of this author.

Geoff Ryman - "Was". Generally quite disappointed with this but will probably revisit this author at some point.

John M. Ford - "The Dragon Waiting". I hated this so much I couldn't finish it. Probably won't revisit this author.

Ian Whates - "City of Dreams & Nightmare". Okay, I had read a short story of his before but this was my first novel by him. Enjoyable enough and will likely read something else by him soon.

William Morris - "Wood beyond the world". Good but variable. I will try more of his work at some point though.

Franz Kafka - "The Metamorphosis and Other Stories". Interesting stuff and I know there's some more classic stories out there that I should read by him.

You've certainly discovered some good 'uns there F.E. Lud-in-the-Mist I consider to be a great work of the genre but I know nothing about any other work Mirlees wrote. According to wiki The Collected Poems of Hope Mirrlees was published last year including her critically acclaimed Paris: A Poem, described as a masterpiece in modernism. I wouldn't mind accquiring a copy of that.

Jean Ray's classic of the macabre I have never read but I noticed it/he seems to be classed as being on a par with authors including Gustav Meyrink, Georges Rodenbach, Stefan Grabinski, Jan Potocki and Thomas Ligotti, which means that book as you are saying must be pretty darn good! I will definitely want to pick up a copy of that this year. Thanks for the heads up. Did you know there was a 1971 film made of the book staring Orson Welles? I've not seen it but I'm sure J.D. and others here have. It's supposed to be very good.

Geoff Ryman I like but I admit Was I enjoyed but could not regard as a 'great' work. His novel The King's Last Song is a beautifully constructed work layering Cambodian life of the present with the past, focusing partly on the story of 'King Jayavarman VII, the Buddhist ruler who united a war-torn Cambodia in the twelfth century, making it a haven for peace and learning'. Air is his other well known novel along with The Children's Garden, part of the SF masterwork series but not one I recall having pulled off the shelf yet to read.

John M. Ford's The Dragon Waiting I too found to be a problematic read. I would not have read it other than the fact that it was part of the Fantasy Masterwork series. I've not read anything else by him.

Ian Whates I confess to only having read a couple of his short stories. I should probably embark on his current series though, especially as Brian has recently posted that excellent thread featuring several of our resident authors.

William Morris is good not to mention a key influence on the genre. I particularly liked his novel 'The Well at the World's End'. For a change of pace perhaps you should check out the lovely penguin black classic edition 'News form Nowhere and other writings', it's excellent. Morris was one gifted individual, being proficient in many different areas of creativity especially his still highly influential and regarded work in textiles, accomplishing what many folk might only hope to achieve in 10 lifetimes! A real genius by any measure. I would love to read his biography actually.

Franz Kafka as you already know I'm a fan of. I think I might like his short fiction generally more than his 3 novels. J-Sun is right, 'The Trial' is regarded as his best work in the longer format and I think my favourite of the 3 novels.

Cheers.

P.S. *Frederik Pohl, C.M. Kornbluth - "The Space Merchants" I recently saw a copy of in the revamped unnumbered and ongoing Sf Masterwork series. It was previously published in the numbered series as you probably know. It's not one I have read yet. I should give it a go.

[Fried Egg]

Thanks for your comments Gollum, it's always helpful to get information on further reads when you've discovered an author.

[GOLLUM]

Originally Posted by Fried Egg

Thanks for your comments Gollum, it's always helpful to get information on further reads when you've discovered an author.

No problem. I'm just glad you posted about Jean Ray. I really want to purchase a copy of that book now having read both your comments and the general critical regard this work appears to garner.

In fact along with Laird Barron and another couple of authors mentioned recently on these forums I will include this in my next internet order, not an activity I embark on too often due to being in the lucky position of residing in a City that is up to its eyeballs in good quality bookshops as well as possessing a genuine arts including reading culture...despite the dominance of sport here..go figure?

[Fried Egg]

Originally Posted by GOLLUM

...not an activity I embark on too often due to being in the lucky position of residing in a City that is up to its eyeballs in good quality bookshops as well as possessing a genuine arts including reading culture...

Lucky you!

[clovis-man]

Robert Charles Wilson after reading Spin.

and

John Scalzi after reading Old Man's War.

[J-Sun]

Originally Posted by clovis-man

Robert Charles Wilson after reading Spin.

and

John Scalzi after reading Old Man's War.

Hope those are positive discoveries as they're exactly what I have in the TBR from those not-yet-read-in-book-form authors. And I thought I was going to be the last person on earth to read the Scalzi... well, although I may be now that you've beaten me to it.