Top Ten List of my favourite authors

1: Howard Phillips Lovecraft

Lovecraft created an entire genre that has only grown in popularity in the decades following his tragic death. We should celebrate the innovations to the horror genre he gave us and the inspirations, including my work. One can enjoy the nightmarish terror of The Colour out of Space while not condoning Lovecraft's personal views. Lovecraft is one of my favorite authors despite his prejudice. Lovecraft, at his best, explored humanity's fears of insignificance in the universe, a fear that has only become more potent decades after his death. And I am all for later exploring that fear in Parable of the Gods.

2: Edgar Allen Poe

Edgar Allen Poe is one of the saddest literary figures in history. Nevertheless, he wrote some of the most poignant explorations of death, loss, and self-destruction. Poe used his difficult circumstances to explore the darkest parts of human existence. He has inspired me to explore the dark myself and cultivate my love of gothic fiction and horror.

3: Kazuo Ishiguro

Kazuo Ishiguro amazed me with his ability to write utterly human characters. His fascination with memory and how it shapes us helps deliver the profoundly human elements in his work. For example, whether he is exploring an English butler coming to terms with his employer’s Nazi sympathies in The Remains of the Day or forcing me to realize my mortality with Never Let Me Go Kazuo Ishiguro has always pushed me towards weaving as much humanity into my characters as possible.

4 J.R. Tolkien

J.R Tolkien invented fantasy as we know it. If it were not for him, we would not have Brandon Sanderson, Robert Jordan, Terry Goodkind, and Andrzej Sapkowski, among others too numerous to mention. So I can respect and admire Tolkien as much as Lovecraft for having that much of an impact on literature.

5: Junji Ito

Who would have known that such a sweet, wholesome man who one would mistake for that chill uncle would have such a horrific imagination? Well, Junji Ito scares the shit out of me. His imagination and creativity when it comes to his monsters are outstanding. The quiet exploration of the darkness inside Japanese culture fascinates me as a non-Japanese person, which feels refreshing. In addition, have I mentioned that he scares the hell out of me?

6: Margret Atwood

The Handmaid’s Tale burnt itself into my memory as a dystopian work that feels very real. Margret Atwood has an eye for the casual cruelty that arises from extreme situations. But how often can the answer to the problem be just as severe and destructive?

7:George Orwell

George Orwell’s memorable and terrifyingly astute observations on politics and language make him a must-read for everyone. It is the only way to prevent 1984 from coming true. First, we must learn about it and then spot the rising similarities in our world. Let us hope that it will never come true.

8:Gabriel García Márquez

Gabriel García Márquez not only invented a new genre (magical realism), but he writes like an expert painter. His prose ebbs and flows with the ease of a river. One Hundred Years of Solitude has one of the best openings in fiction and one of the settings. I love how ordinary and often mystical Macondo is, how the magical and the real merge and mix to produce something extraordinary.

9: William Shakespeare

The man whose hand influenced the English language in ways that I still cannot completely comprehend. Every one of Shakespeare’s plays is damn near perfect, highly memorable, and timeless.

10: Mary Shelly

This queen shared the origins of modern gothic horror with Poe and Bram Stoker and invented science fiction with Frankenstein or the Modern Prometheus. That is seriously impressive for a sixteen-year-old, and I cannot help but respect that.

What are your favorite authors? Please feel free to leave them in the comments. I love to hear what you think and your preferences.

Acknowledgments

Any Patreon supporters, go here!