10-26-2009, 03:57 AM
> I've never read an author that consistently called to me.
I've found two whose every novel and short story snagged me. Alfred Bester and John Brunner.
> I would not want to be THAT predictable that a
> 'machine' author would be able to reach me with
> one particular formula.
"Formula?" Blech. Bester was like Philip K. Dick without the daddy complex. His every work was a trip. Even his seemingly-mainstream teleplays managed to squeeze in some extraordinary and eye-opening element.
Brunner had the unique ability to almost completely change his style to suit a wide range of material. Every one of his novels is written differently such that they could easily have come from different authors, yet each also demonstrates the common element of a keen intelligence and mastery of the art behind it. Each book is not just an adventure and a morality-play, but also could stand as a tutorial for aspiring fiction writers.
I've found two whose every novel and short story snagged me. Alfred Bester and John Brunner.
> I would not want to be THAT predictable that a
> 'machine' author would be able to reach me with
> one particular formula.
"Formula?" Blech. Bester was like Philip K. Dick without the daddy complex. His every work was a trip. Even his seemingly-mainstream teleplays managed to squeeze in some extraordinary and eye-opening element.
Brunner had the unique ability to almost completely change his style to suit a wide range of material. Every one of his novels is written differently such that they could easily have come from different authors, yet each also demonstrates the common element of a keen intelligence and mastery of the art behind it. Each book is not just an adventure and a morality-play, but also could stand as a tutorial for aspiring fiction writers.