Who is your least favourite author?

[Inderjit S]

SillyWabbit-I understand what you mean now-you think Tolkien is a pedant, and I agree with you, but which author isn't? Well, I enjoy Tolkien's pedantry as I like to know every detail of Tolkien's world. But never mind, each to his own is what I say.

But there is one more gripe-how can all of Tolkien's characters be 'dull'? Can you really homogenize a whole bunch of different characters as being boring and dull? Though, I must admit, I am being a tad hypocritical, since I find all of Jane Austen's characters, with the possible exception of Mr. Knightley to be amazingly dull, though Tolkien has a lot more character variation then Jane Austen.

 

[mr_michel]

lol You are not the baddy. You don't wear black and go mmmmahahahah.

a bowler hat and a pointy moustache may also help

 

[Wabbit]

Indeed it might!

Also, living in an abandoned volcano, stroking your white pussy and plotting the worlds destruction will also!

 

[Ice]

Now that sounds rude Zip it

 

[Wabbit]

Rude? Now what ever do you mean?

 

[bobbyburns]

let's see ... if I open another beer now, it'll save me time later.

 

[Ashlea]

let's see ... if I open another beer now, it'll save me time later.

But it loses all the lovely fizz.

 

[bobbyburns]

hmm, interesting.

 

[Nosferatu Man]

Haha, oh man. Well I am actually sitting in my volcano at the moment (because that's where my computer is) but I'll be heading off soon to read The Lord of the Rings on the edge of my own tectonic plate. I haven't got a white pussy though - mine's black.

 

[novella]

This question assumes that one would read, or even repeatedly read, books that one despises. Who would do that, beyond a school assignment?

Also, isn't it probable that there are really really terrible unreadable authors out there whom one would simply not bother with at all?

Just trying to understand the question. . . because when I ask myself this, I immediately come to the conclusion that I just do not read books I don't find appealing because I don't have time or inclination to torture myself. So I don't get why anyone would read their "least favorite author."

Well I too really dislike Tolkien because when I got up to page 5672 of The Silmarillion I was, like, so bored. See?

 

[Martin]

But surely there is a chance that you will chance upon a new author, decide to give him/her a go, and it turns out to be really bad?

And no, I did not call you Shirley.

Cheers

 

[Jenem]

I agree about Tolkien, but since I did enjoy his stories I can't say he is my least favorite. Catherine Cookson is my least favorite. I read one of her books. I found the story boring and the writing style was (what is the word I am looking for?) immature. Maybe that does not describe it. It seemed that every development in the story was told through character dialogue. There wasn't any character development through actions and thoughts. It was a bit strange, actually. The story was flat/one-dimensional

 

[Thelma]

Some

Yes, there are some writers that I can;t read though I had to, years ago, for my exams. Ashlea, I'm happy you think the same: Conrad, I never liked his books. And there is one that I don't like at all even if I had quarrels with some of my friends for this. He's very much appreciated and very famous-
Garcia Marquez. Well, I just don't like this South American magical realism as it is called and a lot of my friends tried to convince me he's great, I read three of his books because I had to, for exams.

 

[tylerd]

I agree with you and Ice though about Terry Pratchett. He's one author I honestly don't like.

why so? to me he's absolutely cool in allegory and parody. and in case you don't treat books of his like some - you know - just another junk fantasy stuff - it will probaly work (lol)
recommend neil gaiman or jeff vandermeer or jonathan carroll

 

[Nosferatu Man]

Hehe, no I love fantasy - junk or regular. I loved the ideas in his book (I've only got his Rincewind Trilogy by-the-way) but there was just something about his style that I didn't like. I didn't get to the end of the trilogy incidentally. I've also played a demo of Discworld Noir on the Playstation though, and I really liked that. I thought it was pretty hilarious. I suppose I'll have to read more Pratchett to fully appreciate him. I don't know though... I was just really disappointed by that Rincewind Trilogy.

 

[Ou Be Low hoo]

Clive Cussler - I thought 'Atlantis Found' was a stinking pile of B-movie shit. Why on earth is he so popular!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!

 

[Maya]

Nicholas Evans, because of "The Smoke Jumper". It's the worst book ever!Nora Roberts, I've read one or two of her novels, and God they're so melodramatic.
I didn't manage reading more than around 30 pages of one of Catherine Cookson's novels, and I'm not planning on reading any further EVER.

 

[Ice]

Nicholas Evans, because of "The Smoke Jumper". It's the worst book ever!

I agree The Smoke Jumper could have been better written, though I did enjoy his first two books, The Horse Whisperer and The Loop

 

[dele]

Clive Cussler - I thought 'Atlantis Found' was a stinking pile of B-movie shit. Why on earth is he so popular!?!?!?!??!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!?!??!

Well, some of us happen to enjoy his books, me being one of them. And although I respect your opinion, your way of phrasing it rather offended me. He is popular because he writes entertaining fiction about endearing characters in larger-than-life situations.

 

[Shade]

I was amused by Anthony Lane's piece in the New Yorker (collected in Nobody's Perfect) when he read all the books in the top ten bestseller list for one week in 1994, and then wrote about his ordeal. Among the list was Judith Krantz and Allan Folsom (hence references to them in the below quote), plus Clive Cussler...

No. 5 on the list is Inca's Gold, by Clive Cussler. The plot is some farrago about buried treasure in the Andes, and the characters, though intended to be as tough as old boots, are not quite tough enough to curse properly. "Those fornicating baboons" is about as close as they get. The fruitful comparison here is with Judith Krantz, who I thought would be partial to soft-core euphemisms like "moistness" and "manhood" but never hesitates to call a **** a ****. The only point of interest in Inca Gold, in fact, is Cussler's attempt to out-Folsom Allan Folsom, sometimes in the most unsuitable places: "The underwater blast came like the eruption of a huge depth charge as a seething column of white froth and green slime burst out of the sinkhole, splattering everyone and everything standing within 20 meters (66 feet) of the edge." I love that parenthesis more than I can say. Someone should ask Mr Cussler to edit an anthology of English poetry. He could start with Robert Frost:

And miles (multiples of 1.6 kilometres) to go before I sleep.
And miles (multiples of 1.6 kilometres) to go before I sleep.

The Cussler hero, Dirk Pitt, is equally formal; he even has a trademark logo next to his name on the cover, although it's hard to see why anyone would want to steal it. I have yet to spot the commercial spinoffs - "A double McDirk with medium fries, please" - but they could only be an improvement on the book.