Who is the best fantasy fiction writer and why?
In my opinion, Tolkien. He simply surpasses all others in the beauty of his descriptive writing and in the depth of his stories. Second: White, and for the same reasons, plus his integration of really first-rate humor. You will notice some of the others mentioned above in my list at the link below, but none of those really match these two greats. Probably only Burton’s “1,000 Nights” matches either Tolkien or White, and he was merely the translator, not the author. Beagle also gets very high marks, and is unquestionably one of the greats of modern fantasy. Jim, http://www.life-after-harry-potter.
Piers Anthony is definitely on this list of best fiction/fantasy writers, particularly his series “Xanth Novels.” If you are looking to read books by authors you’ve never read, I really suggest his works. They are very entertaining, and especially great for reading in the summer. I suggest beginning at the start of the series, though, if you want to read them. The first novel in the series (and one of the best) is A SPELL FOR CHAMELEON. Wiki notes that he is “one of the most prolific science fiction/fantasy writers” and that he has had numerous books on the New York time best seller list. (I didn’t know this info until I now, I just think his books are loads of fun to read and the characters and plots are intriguing and can easily cause a reader to lose track of anything outside of the novels while reading.) I hope you check it out.
