My friends have been reading books by these authors and I would like to get some feedback from this forum about these three. Questions: Are they similar authors (writing style, etc.)? Which one is your favorite? How would you rank them? Which one is regarded as the best by popular opinion? Which book is regarded as their best (each author)? Which books would you recommend? Are there any other authors who are in the same boat as these three (as in similarity, fame, etc.) Thank you.
Have read almost all of Steven King's books and all of Chuck P's books and their writing styles and books are totally different. King is more horror-themed whereas Palahniuk's books are just more *****ed up than anything (but a few are very good). Have not read any Neil Gaiman. Palahniuk-Fight Club or Survivor King-The Stand (long but a great read) If you want to get a taste of King's writing, you could get Night Shift or Skeleton Crew, a bunch of short stories. If you like them, then start with his earlier books and work your way up. His Dark Tower Series was pretty good as well King's writing is pretty basic...it's almost like watching television in a way, but his older stuff is pretty entertaining if you like the genre. His newer stuff isn't that great but it isn't terrible. Palahniuk's books are grittier and not really horror themed, though one book was...his worst in my opinion. He is a better writer, but now kind of seems burnt out IMHO. It's hard to recommend other authors because those two guys are totally different. If you like King's stuff...you have about 40 books of his you could keep reading. If you like Chuck P's stuff, I would recommend "Trainspotting" or "Glue" by Irvine Welsh
I've only read Stephen King and Neil Gaiman. There's no reason that I'd think they were similar at all. For Neil Gaiman I've read the following: American Gods: Liked it, darker overall story Anansi Boys: Liked it, whimsical overall feel, not as serious as American Gods. Neverwhere: Liked it, felt more like a fantansy novel. Uses common theme of normal everyday person getting pulled into another world. Good Omens: written with Terry Pratchett, did not like this one at all. Hard for me to rank a favorite as the 3 books I liked are all pretty different. Probably depends on what kind of story you prefer. For Stephen King I've read the following: Dark Tower series: Good, but I don't think it's what I'd recommend for an introduction to King. The Stand: Awesome setup, but didn't care for the ending/conclusion The Shining: Enjoyed it a lot Different Seasons: You've probably seen some of the movies, but it includes the novellas for Stand by Me, Shawshank Redemption, and Apt Pupil. The 4th novella is a bit weak, but the other 3 are excellent. Hearts of Atlantis: Enjoyed this book a lot as well. Eyes of the Dragon: Forgettable I'd probably recommend Different Seasons as a good place to start, especially if you liked any of the movies. Not sure which books are regarded as the best for either of these authors. Fame wise, and for sheer output, it's hard to beat King. You could try going to Amazon and checking out the reviews for each book that you are interested in. If you give us an idea of what type of books you like, it would probably be easier to make a recommendation.
I've only read Neil Gaiman and Stephen King and they are nothing alike. King is mostly a horror writer while Gaiman writes, well, weird stuff. King, IMO, is pretty consistent. If you like one book there is a good chance you will like others of his. Gaiman can be all over the place. He writes adult novels, graphic novels and children's books. Whereas most King's stuff is okay to mediocre (IMO - although he DOES have some gems), there is some stuff by Gaiman that I really like and some stuff that was harder to get through. Of the two, overall, I would say I liked Neil better.
I'm really into audiobooks so I'm always listening to a book instead of music. I was on a Neil Gaiman kick for a while and I liked all of them, but nothing that blew me away. For Stephen King I read (listened to) the Dark Tower series twice in a row and I really liked it and I had my wife read it and she's almost done with the last book. I don't really think that you can go wrong with Stephen King. Chuck Palahniuk is to me an acquired taste. He's really into writing about the underside of society and all the horrible things that happen that no one ever hears about. It's entertaining and you want to find out how the stories are going to end, but it's almost painful to keep going because bad things are always happening in his books (or at least the ones I read).
Are they similar authors (writing style, etc.)? Neil Gaiman uses a lot of surreal and horror themes in his books. He's more Tim Burton than Stephen King. Which one is your favorite? How would you rank them? Neil Gaiman is not just my favorite writer on the list but one of my favorites period. Read Sandman, American Gods, and Coraline, and Good Omens. Stardust and Graveyard Book are good too. Which one is regarded as the best by popular opinion? If you're a giant nerd, Neil Gaiman. I think King is ridiculously overrated, and Palahniuk I could take or leave. Which book is regarded as their best (each author)? Which books would you recommend? See above. Are there any other authors who are in the same boat as these three (as in similarity, fame, etc.) Warren Ellis is the nerd Shakespeare. His comics are incredible (see Transmetropolitan and Planetary) and his novel, Crooked Little Vein, is the only book to ever make me cringe in pain (and was also a fun read). Not great, but it's good for mindless entertainment. Transmet and Planetary are truly great.
It's decent. Worth reading if you like him. However, I would recommend Survivor or Fight Club over Lullaby, but Lullaby is better than Pygmy.
Questions: Are they similar authors (writing style, etc.)? Not really at all. Which one is your favorite? How would you rank them? I'd go Gaiman-King-Palahniuk Which one is regarded as the best by popular opinion? Probably King, if you go by sales. Which book is regarded as their best (each author)? Which books would you recommend? Hard to say what's regarded as best for me; I'd say probably Neverwhere or American Gods for Gaiman (although I also like Stardust); probably Fight Club or Choke for Chuck. Personally I like King's non horror stuff (Dark Tower, Shawshank Redemption, etc.) so I can't really recommend too much there.
I've read several of Palahniuk's books. As others have said it is an acquired taste. Some of this books are among the best I've read, while others are just a complete mindf%#$* and I felt like I wasted my time reading them. For Chuck P, of the ones I've read I would rate them like this: 1. Invisible Monsters 2. Fight Club 3. Survivor 4. Lullaby 5. Choke 6. Diary 7. Haunted Really 1 - 5 are great books and I would highly recommend them. Diary gets pretty out there towards the end, and I thought Haunted was just crap.
I liked Lullaby quite a bit. I would read Invisible Monsters next though if you haven't already. It's my favorite of his.
