Who is the greatest living American author?

Debate serious and interesting topics, rant about politics or pop culture, or otherwise converse in essay form about your opinions. The rules of conduct here are a little stricter.
Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir
Posts: 1561
Joined: 2008.09.26 (12:33)
NUMA Profile: http://nmaps.net/user/incluye
MBTI Type: ENTP
Location: USofA
Contact:

Postby otters » 2009.06.20 (02:44)

OMG STEPHENIE MEYER GUYZ!


Harper Lee. She wrote a pretty popular novel, or something.
Image

User avatar
Hawaii Five-Oh
Posts: 921
Joined: 2009.02.16 (02:57)
NUMA Profile: http://nmaps.net/user/Guiseppi
MBTI Type: ISTP
Location: Ithaca, New York
Contact:

Postby Adoniseppi » 2009.06.20 (02:48)

Stephen King has the most great movies made after his work, including Shawshank Redemption, and Misery... as well as popping out about 300 prize winning novels a week.
Image

User avatar
Oops Pow Surprise
Posts: 635
Joined: 2008.09.26 (22:09)
NUMA Profile: http://nmaps.net/user/
MBTI Type: INTJ

Postby noops » 2009.07.11 (12:13)

Wight wrote:OMG STEPHENIE MEYER GUYZ!

FUCK you beat me to it.

I'm tempted to say her anyway, just to see what kind of response that would elicit. Though, I guess that my telling you of such a plan would ruin the joke. Hmm...


Just disregard the previous paragraph. Pretend it's not even there.

Stephenie Meyer. All the way baby.
Last edited by noops on 2009.07.14 (02:31), edited 1 time in total.
Image

User avatar
Dance Dance Revolution Android
Posts: 884
Joined: 2008.10.07 (13:13)
NUMA Profile: http://nmaps.net/user/ChaoStar
MBTI Type: INFJ

Postby ChaoStar » 2009.07.13 (18:28)

Stephen King is the King.
Image

Octave
Posts: 8
Joined: 2008.10.28 (19:33)

Postby under_pressure » 2009.08.17 (00:44)

John Irving.

Dead would be Ernest Hemingway.

User avatar
ABC
Posts: 133
Joined: 2008.10.08 (06:19)
NUMA Profile: http://nmaps.net/user/Orion_
Location: Australia

Postby Broghan » 2009.08.21 (13:07)

Off the top of my head I can name only two: Terry Brooks and Stephen Donaldson; two top writers, in my opinion.
Image

Hawaii Five-Oh
Posts: 919
Joined: 2009.03.06 (19:50)

Postby blackson » 2009.08.22 (04:19)

kkstrong wrote:I'm quite fond of Christopher Paolini.
He is a plagiarist.

"Asked ortsz for a name change"
Posts: 3380
Joined: 2008.11.13 (16:47)

Postby otters~1 » 2009.08.22 (17:20)

Blackson wrote:
kkstrong wrote:I'm quite fond of Christopher Paolini.
He is a plagiarist.
Thank you!
the dusk the dawn the earth the sea

Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir
Posts: 1561
Joined: 2008.09.26 (12:33)
NUMA Profile: http://nmaps.net/user/incluye
MBTI Type: ENTP
Location: USofA
Contact:

Postby otters » 2009.08.22 (21:09)

flagmyidol wrote:
Blackson wrote:
kkstrong wrote:I'm quite fond of Christopher Paolini.
He is a plagiarist.
Thank you!
Well, yeah, but his books entertain me anyway.
Image

Doublemember
Posts: 73
Joined: 2009.06.06 (03:36)

Postby Sondrigal » 2009.08.23 (00:10)

Andy Samberg
He writes from the soul.

"Asked ortsz for a name change"
Posts: 3380
Joined: 2008.11.13 (16:47)

Postby otters~1 » 2009.08.23 (04:31)

Wight: Try re-reading them with an eye out for how absurd they are.
Sondrigal wrote:Andy Samberg
He writes from the soul.
<3
the dusk the dawn the earth the sea

Global Mod
Global Mod
Posts: 1596
Joined: 2008.09.26 (13:10)
NUMA Profile: http://nmaps.net/user/gloomp
MBTI Type: INTP
Location: Troy, New York
Contact:

Postby unoriginal name » 2009.08.23 (23:52)

flagmyidol wrote:Wight: Try re-reading them with an eye out for how absurd they are.
No need to do that. They're fun books, why let your intellect get in the way? Just enjoy them for what they are, not what they're cracked up to be.

User avatar
Queen of All Spiders
Posts: 4263
Joined: 2008.09.29 (03:54)
NUMA Profile: http://www.freeWoWgold.edu
MBTI Type: ENFP
Location: Quebec, Canada!

Postby SlappyMcGee » 2009.08.24 (00:34)

No, no. They're poorly written, plagiarized ridiculous shit.
Loathes

"Asked ortsz for a name change"
Posts: 3380
Joined: 2008.11.13 (16:47)

Postby otters~1 » 2009.08.24 (01:10)

Sorry gloomp, gotta side with Slappy on this one. I am as much or more of a fan of fantasy as the next guy, but Paolini's crap is on another level. At this point, sci-fi and fantasy are pretty much dead genres. There are no new ideas (with a few exceptions--see His Dark Materials). For a new fantasy novel to be good, it either has to have a brand-new idea in it (like Asimov's stuff always did, for example), or be so well-written, well-plotted, and generally well-crafted, that you enjoy reading it regardless.

Paolini... no. :/
the dusk the dawn the earth the sea

User avatar
Boeing Boeing Bone!
Posts: 755
Joined: 2008.12.23 (05:44)

Postby Amadeus » 2009.08.24 (01:57)

Paolini basically combined Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. He's overrated, unoriginal, and writes poorly. End of discussion.

On another note, Bradbury's fantastic and he's still alive. Barely.
People write to me and say, "I’m giving up, you’re not talking to me." I just write them a simple message like, "Never give up," you know? And it changes their life
http://greenbrown.bandcamp.com

User avatar
Queen of All Spiders
Posts: 4263
Joined: 2008.09.29 (03:54)
NUMA Profile: http://www.freeWoWgold.edu
MBTI Type: ENFP
Location: Quebec, Canada!

Postby SlappyMcGee » 2009.08.24 (12:09)

Amadeus wrote:Paolini basically combined Star Wars and Lord of the Rings. He's overrated, unoriginal, and writes poorly. End of discussion.

On another note, Bradbury's fantastic and he's still alive. Barely.
Hilariously, I find Bradbury underwrites in spite of great original ideas. :(
Loathes

User avatar
Depressing
Posts: 1977
Joined: 2008.09.26 (06:46)
NUMA Profile: http://nmaps.net/user/rennaT
MBTI Type: ISTJ
Location: Trenton, Ontario, Canada
Contact:

Postby Tanner » 2009.08.24 (12:59)

flagmyidol wrote:At this point, sci-fi and fantasy are pretty much dead genres. There are no new ideas (with a few exceptions--see His Dark Materials).
Wait, wait, what? What the hell? How can you say such ridiculous things when books like The Yiddish Policemen's Union are still in their original publication run? Why are you being so braincrazy with your liewords?
Image
'rret donc d'niaser 'vec mon sirop d'erable, calis, si j't'r'vois icitte j'pellerais la police, tu l'veras l'criss de poutine de cul t'auras en prison, tabarnak

User avatar
Queen of All Spiders
Posts: 4263
Joined: 2008.09.29 (03:54)
NUMA Profile: http://www.freeWoWgold.edu
MBTI Type: ENFP
Location: Quebec, Canada!

Postby SlappyMcGee » 2009.08.24 (15:51)

rennaT wrote:
flagmyidol wrote:At this point, sci-fi and fantasy are pretty much dead genres. There are no new ideas (with a few exceptions--see His Dark Materials).
Wait, wait, what? What the hell? How can you say such ridiculous things when books like The Yiddish Policemen's Union are still in their original publication run? Why are you being so braincrazy with your liewords?
Tanner, my literature teacher this semester looks exactly and acts like you.
Loathes

"Asked ortsz for a name change"
Posts: 3380
Joined: 2008.11.13 (16:47)

Postby otters~1 » 2009.08.24 (21:24)

rennaT wrote:
flagmyidol wrote:At this point, sci-fi and fantasy are pretty much dead genres. There are no new ideas (with a few exceptions--see His Dark Materials).
Wait, wait, what? What the hell? How can you say such ridiculous things when books like The Yiddish Policemen's Union are still in their original publication run? Why are you being so braincrazy with your liewords?
Isn't that, like, Sedaris or somebody? I haven't read him (yet). Oh, and, Tanner. Please note my use of the words 'pretty much.'
the dusk the dawn the earth the sea

User avatar
Queen of All Spiders
Posts: 4263
Joined: 2008.09.29 (03:54)
NUMA Profile: http://www.freeWoWgold.edu
MBTI Type: ENFP
Location: Quebec, Canada!

Postby SlappyMcGee » 2009.08.24 (22:04)

flagmyidol wrote:
rennaT wrote:
flagmyidol wrote:At this point, sci-fi and fantasy are pretty much dead genres. There are no new ideas (with a few exceptions--see His Dark Materials).
Wait, wait, what? What the hell? How can you say such ridiculous things when books like The Yiddish Policemen's Union are still in their original publication run? Why are you being so braincrazy with your liewords?
Isn't that, like, Sedaris or somebody? I haven't read him (yet). Oh, and, Tanner. Please note my use of the words 'pretty much.'
It's still a fucking ridiculous claim, brah'. Science fiction and fantasy are two of the freshest genres around.
Loathes

"Asked ortsz for a name change"
Posts: 3380
Joined: 2008.11.13 (16:47)

Postby otters~1 » 2009.08.25 (21:29)

SlappyMcGee wrote:It's still a fucking ridiculous claim, brah'. Science fiction and fantasy are two of the freshest genres around.
Ick. I hope you're not just saying that because of the pure volume of material published every year... it's not much good.
the dusk the dawn the earth the sea

Yes sir, no sir, three bags full sir
Posts: 1561
Joined: 2008.09.26 (12:33)
NUMA Profile: http://nmaps.net/user/incluye
MBTI Type: ENTP
Location: USofA
Contact:

Postby otters » 2009.08.25 (23:36)

flagmyidol wrote:
SlappyMcGee wrote:It's still a fucking ridiculous claim, brah'. Science fiction and fantasy are two of the freshest genres around.
Ick. I hope you're not just saying that because of the pure volume of material published every year... it's not much good.
Harry Potter is amaaazing. Even better, by weight, by book, individually, there's at least twice as much Harry Potter around as most any other series.
Slappy wrote:No, no. They're poorly written, plagiarized ridiculous shit.
I dunno...I like reading them. Sure, they're longer-winded than your mother after burrito night, and the wording is a bit archaic, but they entertain me to the point where I usually pick Eldest out to read over any other book (with the possible exception of one of the last five Harry Potters) when I'm bored and at loose ends.
Image

User avatar
Queen of All Spiders
Posts: 4263
Joined: 2008.09.29 (03:54)
NUMA Profile: http://www.freeWoWgold.edu
MBTI Type: ENFP
Location: Quebec, Canada!

Postby SlappyMcGee » 2009.08.26 (01:35)

Wight wrote:
flagmyidol wrote:
SlappyMcGee wrote:It's still a fucking ridiculous claim, brah'. Science fiction and fantasy are two of the freshest genres around.
Ick. I hope you're not just saying that because of the pure volume of material published every year... it's not much good.
Harry Potter is amaaazing. Even better, by weight, by book, individually, there's at least twice as much Harry Potter around as most any other series.
Slappy wrote:No, no. They're poorly written, plagiarized ridiculous shit.
I dunno...I like reading them. Sure, they're longer-winded than your mother after burrito night, and the wording is a bit archaic, but they entertain me to the point where I usually pick Eldest out to read over any other book (with the possible exception of one of the last five Harry Potters) when I'm bored and at loose ends.
I usually only read them aloud to my friends in goony british accents, so I don't know about literary quality, per say...
Loathes

Global Mod
Global Mod
Posts: 1596
Joined: 2008.09.26 (13:10)
NUMA Profile: http://nmaps.net/user/gloomp
MBTI Type: INTP
Location: Troy, New York
Contact:

Postby unoriginal name » 2009.08.26 (16:25)

flagmyidol wrote:
SlappyMcGee wrote:It's still a fucking ridiculous claim, brah'. Science fiction and fantasy are two of the freshest genres around.
Ick. I hope you're not just saying that because of the pure volume of material published every year... it's not much good.
You could claim that for practically any genre. Just because there are masses of horrible trash doesn't mean there aren't many, many shining gems as well. For every Time Warrior there's a House of Leaves. For every Trapped on Zargon 5 there's a Kafka on the Shore. You can't claim the minddeath of a genre because of its hacks for the same reason you can't claim the minddeath of a country because of its crazies.

"Asked ortsz for a name change"
Posts: 3380
Joined: 2008.11.13 (16:47)

Postby otters~1 » 2009.08.26 (22:40)

SlappyMcGee wrote:I usually only read them aloud to my friends in goony british accents, so I don't know about literary quality, per say...
Ah, man, can you do every accent? Individually?

:/ wish I was you.

gloomp: I can, however, totally claim the "minddeath" of this forum for various reasons.
the dusk the dawn the earth the sea


Who is online

Users browsing this forum: No registered users and 11 guests