British authors to try

[strange]

depedning upon your age and taste there are several British authors who are truly wonderful.

1. Anthony Horowitz: If you havent here of this guy it doesnt suprise me. I first read when I was in primary school and his books are still some of my favourites. TO WARN YOU HE IS A CHILDREN'S/TEENAGE writer but he also writes for adults as well as for TV, film and stage. The Alax Rider series are the oringal junior james bond which doesn't glamorise the live of a spy but shows a sense of realistm to the situation. Unlike other teenage spy books Horowitz's characters are realistic and every event from base jumping to even SAS training seems realistic and as if it could happen as he never tries to hide the facts of what could happen. been warned if you saw the Stormbreaker film then you will get a better read (but isn't that always the case?). Alkso his POWER of Five series is a supernatural revamp of a previous series he never finished which is unbelieveably detailed and keeps the same sense of reality and emotion as all his books.

2. James Herbert: sometimes refered to as the British 'Stephen King' although personally I don't agree but non the less, he has wrote some great stuff including The Spear and other horror books. I would mention ONCE as a must read and the best piece of writer his has done so far.

3. H.G. Wells: If you like your sci fi and classics you definetely want to check out Wells. Personally, Verne is alway called teh god father and creator of science fiction but Verne never once wrote about sci fi on and scale like Wells which is truly profilic. War of the Worlds was the first ever alien invasion novel which fails to dissapoint and in The Island of Dr Moreau he explores the idea of genes and evolution which has become some common in mordern society. Other works of art include the Time Machine and the Invisible Man.

Thank for reader folsk please comment with any of your thoughts or ideas. this isn't a complete list but just three authors I felt I must mention.

[Ducky]

I think this one is actually Irish, but still:

Joseph O'Connor.

His book Inishowen is such a good read.

Ducky.

[staropeace]

MARK MORRIS......for the love of God....lol........will ye not try him? I promise you wont be sorry with The Deluge...........

[waterlilyjaguar]

I would add Patricia Highsmith and Ruth Rendall. I never tire of their books and
they are truly wonderful writers.
And cannot leave out William Trevor (Irish) author who is my favorite short story
writer of all (excluding SK) and some of his stories border on the strange and
weird things that are within seemingly normal people.

[Kim L.]

I'll say it again: Neil Gaiman (Anansi Boys, American Gods, Neverwhere, Coraline...)

[Pennywize]

I'd recommend James Herbert to anyone as a kind of Stephen King Lite. The books don't have the same sort of depth but still enjoyable in their own way. I read The Ghosts Of Sleath on holiday and think it was one of his best and Sepulchure is also worth a look.

[Sawney Beane]

Graham Masterson,I´ve only read The Burial by him,but I really enjoyed it

[JohnDalglish]

Hi,

And some of the great horror/Sci-Fi writers from a while back, Nigel Kneale (Quatermass), John Wyndham (Day of the Triffids, The Kraken Wakes), and Brian Aldiss.

Nigel Kneale

John Wyndham

Brian Aldiss

Long days and pleasant nights

[MrsSmeej]

Hi Strange and welcome. My two sons love the Alex Rider series and I found it an enjoyable read also. If you liked those, you might like the Artemis Fowl books - written by Irishman Eoin Colfer. They blend the realism of Horowitz's spy novels with fantasy by positing the existence of fairies... A master criminal versus LEP-Recon forces. Same reading level as the Rider books. And, if you haven't read them, you should try Rowling's Potter books. They were terrific.

As for British authors writing for an older audience, there are too many I've enjoyed to name them all... For lovers of the fantastic; J.R. Tolkien, Terry Pratchett, Douglas Adams, and Clive Barker are some of my favorites (to name just a few of the more famous ones.)

... And Tad Williams. He's British, right? And the Australians... Did I mention the Australians?

[Bev Vincent]

I would recommend Ian Rankin (Scottish) and P.D. James