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About Prose Novelists: Who writes novels that speak to you because of the quality and style of the writing? How would you describe them or their books?
I don't mind reading a fast book with lots of action or a twisting plot, but over the years have discovered authors that seem to have a style unique to them apart from what's going on:
Richard Powers seems to play with the sounds and meanings of words strung together like pearls on a necklace(The Echo Maker, Orfeo).
John Banville (Athena) creates descriptions that sound poetic and deep while remaining clear and visual.
Donna Tartt (The Goldfinch) puts you into a scene so that you feel the emotion of being there.
Don Delillo (The Names) makes a continental paradise seem like a dense forest of scholars and bright sunlight all at the same time.
Those are a few of mine, what are your favorites?
Steven Erikson's bibliography — spanning his completed Malazan Book of the Fallen decalogy to his at-the-moment incomplete Kharkanas Trilogy (with other works interspersed) — is a monument to literary fantasy. MBotF neatly straddles the line between high fantasy with beautiful prose and globe-spanning plots, and low fantasy that gets into the trenches with individual military units; the series crosses back and forth between the two with ease.
Comparatively, The Kharkanas Trilogy is nearly all "literary" with dense, high-quality prose; broad narratives; deep philosophical dialogue; and occasional wit and humor to carry the reader through the otherwise unflagging fall of a golden age.
I have found few authors who can evoke an entire history, personality, and life like Erikson can. Throughout the MBotF series, he introduces "throwaway" (in quotes because no character he creates is without purpose) characters that make the reader feel an entire range of emotions in just a few short paragraphs. And then there are the recurring characters, who become like recognizable facets of the reader's own personality by the time Erikson has wrung their lives out upon the pages.
When reading Erikson, I get the sense that every single word is deliberately chosen, written over layers of erasure/white-out/deletion. Like a fossil unearthed from a digsite, each line of dialogue is an invocation to what has come before, what is happening now, and what is yet to come.
I love Catherynne Valente (Deathless, Palimpsest) - the way she writes makes me feel like I should spend some time drawing or painting or otherwise making art.
And Haruki Murakami (Norwegian Wood, Wind-Up Bird Chronicles) - I suppose the thing I like about both these writers is that their stories seem kind of dream-like. Almost like you're reading from within a dream?
Perdido Street Station by China Miéville. China seems to have an almost otherworldly grasp on sentence structure and language. A lot of people feel like he vomited a thesaurus into his keyboard, but to me it never feels forced, and lends itself to the insane worlds that he permits you to watch being built page after page.
The Book of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe. There is nothing else like this. The way the story twists in on itself, the way he forces you to overlook details that are clearly presented but go unnoticed until a second or third read through, the way the narrator lies to your face as he spins his self serving yarn... it is truly an amazing work of art. It is the only book I wish I could read again for the second time, for the first time.
The Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons. Not as "flowery" (I kind of hate this term when it is used to degrade well written prose) as the other two but still demands your attention. I'm not a huge fan of Dan's other works, but there's no denying that he is an excellent writer.
I'll post a few.
First is The Kingkiller Chronicles by Pat Rothfuss. It's 2/3 of a trilogy right now waiting for the third book. The writing is just absolutely beautiful and poetic from cover to cover. It might be a long wait for the last book so don't start it yet if that bothers you. But part of the reason it takes so long is that P.R. edits for a long long time and is super meticulous in word choice and references. Even down to the meter and word/syllable count in some sentences being very subtly important.
I've been reading Infinite Jest and have read other David Foster Wallace things before. His writing is equal parts monotone and cutting and modern/casual. It's such a devastatingly earnest language about everything, and he uses it to jump from the most mundane to the most abhorrent topics leaving you feel just very aware after.
He writes so beautifully. I would also include his novella, The Slow Regard for Silent Things, though it's a bit of a weird read. He also has a short story living in some anthology too.
I haven't read it yet but there's a short story called the Lightning Tree as well (I think it's about Bast?). It was part of a larger anthology published a couple years back.
I thoroughly enjoyed Slow Regard For Silent Things.
Jacqueline Carey's Kushiel's Dart. It's probably one of my favourite fantasy novels. That's book one of a trilogy. The rest of the trilogy is definitely worth reading too. The sequels...not so much, though the writing is still beautiful.
Edit: Actually, my favourite would be Peter Beagle's The Last Unicorn. It is incredibly beautiful and sad. Highly recommend!
Vonnegut is an absolute joy for me. You might have had to read Slaughterhouse Five for a class at some point, but my favorite from him is Cat's Cradle. It's very hard to review this book and recognize why I actually enjoy it so much, but I will try my best. His satirical and dark humor has some indescribable quality that really speaks to me, man. While maybe not quite as absurd as Slaughterhouse, it gives it a run for its money. I also enjoy how the chapters are often short and pretty disconnected, meaning you can pick it up with any small amount of free time and have a good laugh or two. He even tackles the issues of his day in a way which seems to still apply to modern times.