A regular reader of these pages and self-described “Caitlin Star”
fan Gene Atkins wrote, “I have been digging your top ten series so far, but was
wondering if you could do a list of your top writers of all time?”
Gene has a good point. I have done top ten lists of movies,
TV shows, soundtracks, actors, actresses, books, even songs, and have yet to
make an official top ten list of writers. And since I am a writer, it is time
to correct this oversight. So here it is, a list of my top ten favorite writers
of all time. All genres, media, and formats are included.
Robert Silverberg
There is a wonderful article written by Silverberg in the
outstanding pulp retrospective book “Sin-O-Rama” where he talks about cranking
out a new 50,000 word erotic pulp novel—every two weeks! And you know what? I
have read many of them and they are damn good reads.
How good is Silverberg? One of my favorite books ever was
this scanner-type science fiction romantic thriller I picked up in the ‘70s. It
was a reprint and when he was asked to write a new forward Silverberg confessed
it was something he had cranked out just to pay the bills and had forgotten
about it. This novel would have been anyone else’s masterpiece, but for him it
was just something spit out to pay the heating bill and forgotten about.
Of course, nobody but me even remembers any of these old
pulps and today Robert Silverberg is best known for his artful, poetic prose
and award-winning, intelligent science fiction and fantasy novels.
"The World Inside" is highly recommended for fans
of the recent best-seller "Divergent".
What to check out:
“Lord Valentine’s Castle” and “The World Inside”
Joan Ellis
I am a huge fan of vintage pulp fiction from the early and
mid ‘60s known as “the sleazy pulps”, especially those published by a company
called Midwood. Most stories were set in Manhattan and have a very “Mad Men”
quality to them. Often the characters even worked in advertising.
Joan Ellis was the all-time best at this sub-genre of
fiction. Do not let the term sleazy pulps fool you. Her books are rich,
expertly crafted, romantic, noir-ish works of wonder. Ellis has a real knack
for creating vivid, young female characters dealing with teen angst and
blossoming sexuality. Today these books would be called racy “Young Adult”.
What to check out:
Just about anything she wrote at Midwood Publishing.
Personal favorites include “In The Shadows” (actually available on Kindle!),
“Sooner or Later”, “Gang Girl”, and "Reluctant Nympho".
John Jakes
John Jakes may be the best writer of epic historical fiction
ever—certainly of American history. There are many writers—and many of them
quite successful—where you can feel the strain of the work the author put into
it. As a result these books often do not make for a smooth read. In a John
Jakes novel this is never an issue. He is just a gifted storyteller and a
natural writer who delivers impeccable craftsmanship and flowing narratives you
will get lost in. Most of his historical fiction is truly epic in scope and
length—I am talking telephone book thick door stopper novels. Yet, they read
fast and smooth.
Like Robert Silverberg, Jakes started out in pulp fiction doing everything from sleazy romance to science fiction to a “Conan” inspired Sword & Sorcery series, “Brak the Barbarian”. All of it is great!
Like Robert Silverberg, Jakes started out in pulp fiction doing everything from sleazy romance to science fiction to a “Conan” inspired Sword & Sorcery series, “Brak the Barbarian”. All of it is great!
What to check out:
“The Bastard”, “North and South”, and his novelization to
“Conquest of the Planet of the Apes”.
Robert E. Howard
I recall Harlan Ellison once saying something like, “Howard
was better than any of us because he was crazier than a bedbug.”
There is a raw physicality to Howard’s writing style and
colorful action sequences that was ingeniously captured by the legendary cover
paintings of Frank Frazetta. Although his “Conan” stories are classified as
Sword & Sorcery (Howard practically created the genre), Howard creates
real, naturalistic worlds and writes stories that feel like they may have
actually happened sometime during the mythical lost history “between the years
the ocean drank Atlantis and the gleaming cities…”
What to check out:
Almost any “Conan” book (or comic book) but the best
collection (because it is contains the fully restored and unedited text of
Howard) is “The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian” (Conan the Cimmerian #1), as
well as part 2 and 3 of this collection.
Harlan Ellison
Speaking of Harlan Ellison…
Harlan Ellison is a writer. And I mean that term in the most
profound, artistic sense of the word. Very few authors are writers, nor can
they ever hope to be. I know I am not. I am a storyteller, a confident (and
hopefully competent) one who strives to get better and deeper and more effective
with every piece of work. But Harlan Ellison is a writer. His words sing and
soar and shake you to the core and along the way he will tell you one hell of a
story.
What to check out:
This list would take forever because Ellison is as prolific
as he is brilliant, and has written everything imaginable including scores of television
scripts, comics, and sleazy sex pulps and hundreds upon hundreds of short stories.
A good place to start world be his short story collection, “Trouble
Makers”, which includes two of the greatest, “‘Repent, Harlequin!’ Said the
Ticktockman” and “Deeper Than the Darkness.”
“Honorable Whoredom at a Penny a Word” is a glorious
collection of his early crime/pulp/noir stuff. And his two classic “Outer
Limits” episodes “Demon with a Glass Hand” and “Soldier” are a must see and are
available streaming at Hulu and Amazon.
Richard Matheson
Like Harlan Ellison, this guy is the real deal. Richard
Matheson is a writer! And one hell of a storyteller too. Also like Ellison, he
was wildly prolific, but on an even bigger scale in a sense since his focus was
primarily novels (as well as countless feature film screenplays and television
scripts).
His influence and imprint are perhaps unequaled among the
grand masters of science fiction, fantasy, and horror. He literally created
both the modern zombie and vampire apocalypse genres with his 1954 classic
novel “I am Legend”. His 1975 time travel fantasy masterpiece “Bid Time Return”
was adapted into the beloved 1980 cult film “Somewhere in Time”, one of the
most heartfelt and romantic movies of all time.
He penned multiple classic “Twilight Zone” episodes, many
classic 70s horror telefilms including “Kolchak the Night Stalker” and “Trilogy
of Terror”, and wrote “Duel”, the 1971 television movie that propelled a very
young Steven Spielberg onto big screen stardom.
Among his many masterpieces are the action-packed nightmare adventure
“The Shrinking Man”, the creepy “Stir of Echoes” (made into a 1999 film
starring Kevin Bacon), and the deep and moving “What Dreams May Come” (made
into a gorgeous looking 1998 movie starring Robin Williams).
Where to start:
“The Shrinking Man” and “Bid Time Return” showcase the
action suspense, and the romantic imagination of this master writer.
D.C. Fontana
Okay, I know this one will be unfamiliar to most people.
D.C. Fontana (a.k.a Dorothy Fontana) is a television writer who started out as
Gene Roddenberry’s secretary then went on to write several of the greatest
episodes of classic “Star Trek”.
She served as story editor for “Star Trek” and
several other shows including the Emmy Award winning animated “Star Trek”, “The
Sixth Sense”, “The Fantastic Journey” and “Logan’s Run”. The list of
outstanding episodes she penned over the last five decades are too numerous to
list here but include scripts for “Circle of Fear”, “Land of the Lost”, “The
Six Million Dollar Man”, “Kung Fu”, “Buck Rogers in the 25th Century”, “Star
Trek: The Nest Generation”, “Babylon 5”, “Deep Space Nine”, and “Earth: The
Final Conflict”.
What to check out:
“This Side of Paradise” and “The Enterprise Incident” from
classic “Star Trek”.
“Eslewhen” from “Land of the Lost”.
Glen Morgan and James Wong
It is staggering how many outstanding television scripts this
writing team delivered in the ‘90s, including the majority of the best stuff
from Chis Carter’s brooding tandem of “The X-Files” and “Millennium”.
Everything these guys write is exciting, witty, imaginative,
and more often than not, groundbreaking.
In addition to their work for Carter, the duo created, produced, and
wrote their own series—a barely seen gem of a show “Space Above and Beyond”. “Space Above and Beyond” was an addictive,
beautifully produced, intelligently written and acted show that should have
become the “Battlestar Galactica” of the ‘90’s, but was poorly handled by FOX
who kept pre-empting it and barely bothered with any promotion.
What to checkout:
“Space Above and Beyond” and the “X-Files” episodes “Home”,
“Ice”, “E.B.E.”, “Squeeze”, “Little Green Men”, “The Field Where I Died” and
“Musings of a Cigarette Smoking Man”. Also just about the entire second season
of “Millenium”.
James Cameron
He is primarily known as a visionary director who creates
revolutionary new technology to bring his vision to the screen. But all of
those movies begin with a blank page. James Cameron writes all his own material
and he is one hell of writer.
When I was studying screenwriting I read his scripts for
“Rambo: First Blood part II”, “Aliens”, and “The Abyss” non-stop. His
story-telling instincts are razor sharp, his expertly paced screenplays rich
with vivid writing and memorable characters.
What to check out:
Anything with his name on it of course, but from a reading
the screenplay point of view, “Aliens” and “The Abyss” read like great science
fiction action-adventure novels.
Edgar Rice Burroughs
When your work is still being read, adapted, and inspiring
other artists over a century later, that about says it all. The works of ERB
had a profound influence on so many, from anthropologist Jane Goodall to
filmmaker James Cameron (the director has said “Avatar” was inspired by “Princess
of Mars”).
When read today, sometimes the language can be problematic,
as can the “God’s eye” omniscient writing style in vogue at the time. But
still, Burrough’s rich, imaginative storytelling skills are unparalleled in the
world of pulp fiction and his works are full of bold action, riveting action
set pieces, and wondrous lost cities.
Where to start:
Book 3 in the Tarzan series “The Beasts of Tarzan” is the
best in the entire series and one my all-time favorite books. “Princess of Mars”
is an outstanding entry into ERB universe and the sub-genre of “planetary
romance”.
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