- Andre Jones
- 6 days ago
Updated: 3 days ago
Who were the top 5 authors that most influenced me as a writer?
Unlike many authors of today, I started writing seriously later in life; basically, when I retired. (yes, I’m that old!)
So, in a way, I guess I’m ‘old-school’, growing up reading books written by Enid Blyton, Anne McCaffrey, Robert Heinlein, Brian Aldiss, JRR Tolkien and Isaac Azimov, just to name a few. When I finally took to writing, I discovered many Australian authors: Glenda Larke (Hambly), Tracy Joyce, Trudi Canavan, Karen Miller, and of course, Peter Aldin, many of them now great friends.
They all, in some way or another, influenced my writing, expecially my love for fantasy and sci-fiction, and incidentally, my love for all manner of RPGs – Traveller, DnD, Pathfinder and MERP. Thomas Covenant – the anti-hero – was such a depressive character.
Stephen Donaldson .. The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, & The Cycle of Thresholds Series (The Gap series)
He had his good points, but overall, I can’t say I liked him (nor Linden Avery in the next series), BUT, the in-depth world-building and characters surrounding the MC kept me reading. Donaldson also wrote a fantastic science fiction series The Gap. Also, a great read, and I realised one could diversify their genres. (I had been advised years ago to stick with one, as mixing genres could lose your fan base.)
Guy Gavriel Kay .. The Fionavar Tapestry
A group of gamers from modern-day Earth are transported to a fantasy world that has elements from Arthurian and Norse mythology. I loved this series, and it’s probably the only one I re-read – and book two always brings tears.
Anne McCaffrey .. The Dragonriders of Pern
Also, another example where science fiction and fantasy meet, though she felt it was more science fiction than fantasy… with dragons. A memorable series that captured my imagination from the start.
Isaac Asimov .. Foundation, I Robot
As with no doubt many of his other writings (these two are arguably his most famous), he shows us mere mortals how to weave hard science into compelling and memorable stories. Isaac was an influence simply due to his prolific work in writing and editing over 500 books!
Jack L. Chalker .. The Saga of the Well World
Maybe not the most well-known authors, but I discovered this author several decades ago and even managed to keep the books intact with all my moving. More serious sci-fi that stretched the imagination …well, mine anyway. Â
In fact, I’ve not touched them for years, and now that I look back, I just might get to read them once more. I wonder if the writers of the Matrix had read the Well World series …
I thought I wrote mixed fantasy and sci-fiction, as I loved both genres, but when I look at these books, they no doubt greatly influenced my writing style … maybe it’s a bit of both.