Suggestions on more books/authors from the Thriller/Adventure/Horror genre, please?

Question

I am a fan of those genres and I read a lot of Dean Koontz, Stephen King, Anne Rice, Matthew Rilley, Dan Brown and Michael Chricton. I'd like a recommendation on other authors who are similar and what books to start with, please? 'Cause I want to broaden my horizons a little bit more?

Recommendations on good fantasy books are welcomed as well, because I'm starting to read those too. So far I've read Eragon, the Sword of Shannara and of course, all of Harry Potter.

...sorry, I forgot to mention that I have read all of Tolkien's LOTR Trillogy and loved them to pieces...!

Answer 1

I recommend going old school in each genre

Horror. Try some H.P. Lovecraft still one of the masters of American Horror (Ok so I'm not a Poe fan), nobody does nameless evils from the depths or outer space like this guy. And unlike King, the guy had an editor.
Fantasy here are a few off the cuff
Tolkien, go read Tolkien and you'll wonder why Terry Brooks isn't required to send his estate a check everytime he sells yet another Shannara book.
Fritz Leiber: Wrote six or seven books worth of short stories, back when you could sell short stories. Fafhrd and the Gray Mouser, a pair of n'er-do-well theives, still classics.
Roger Zelazny: Known for his Amber series, he's produced dozens of other fantasy and sci-fi novels. I suggest hitting the library of used book store. Roadmarks, Changeling, Dilvish the Damned, the list could go on and on.
Robert Asprin edited a series back in the 80s called Theive's World, short stories all set in the same city, but written by some of the finest Fantasy authors of the time, each using each other's characters in their own stories. Interesting experiment and a good way to get a feel for the various authors of that era.
Robert A.Heinlein known for his sci-fi this old master still produced some good fantasy works Glory Road and Magic Inc. spring to mind.
Poul Anderson, who from the state of my book shelf is the hardest working manin sci-fi authored some good ones,, Three hearts and Three lions, Operation Chaos, the King of YS series, and the Last Viking Series (a retelling of Norse sagas)
Unfortunately, a lot of older authors canbe hard to find.

Answer 2

I would suggest the crime fiction of Michael Connelly and the hilarious crime fiction of Carl Hiaasen. For thrillers, definitely Daniel Silva's Gabriel Allon series. I love them.

For fantasy - Zelazney's Chronicles of Amber. You will love the amazing family of Amber, slightly dysfunctional, heroic, and fascinating. There are 9 written by Zelazney and recently someone has started writing more Amber books - I think there are 3 more.

Also Glen Cook's Garrett Series for the wildest fantasy literature you have ever read. Imagine taking 1940;s Detective Noir fiction and blending it with fantasy characters like elves, fairys, pixies, a mouse girl who has the hots for the detective, a former dead girlfriend who now lives in a painting, a mafia princess, a redheaded wench, a parrot and a dead but not inactive Logyr who occasionally assists on his cases. They are incredible. You can tell which of Mr. Cooks are the Garrett books because they always have the name of a metal in the title. The first is Sweet Silver Blues. The problem is they are out of print and you have to buy them used on half.com or e bay and they can be pricey. I sure wish Mr. Cook would reprint them. He has a huge fan base. Pax - C

Answer 3

As for Fantasy/Adventure, I'd recommend the following
The Westmark Trilogy and
The Prydain Chronicles
both by Lloyd Alexander

Lots of stuff by Stephen R. Donaldson, especially
Mordant's Need and The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant.

Don't really read the thriller/horrors much, so can't help you there.

Answer 4

Favorite book: Summerland by Elin Hilderbrand Favorite author: Elin Hilderbrand Favorite genre: Romance and Teen Fiction Favorite character: Either Hobby Alistair, Jake Randolph, or Penny Alistair.

Answer 5

If you liked Harry Potter you can try to Conan series, especially the earlier ones. Robert E. Howard wrote them;
and there's Tarzan and the Lost Empire, by Edgar Rice Burroughs.
Also Robert Asprin books about magic such as Myth Perfections, etc.

Answer 6

Jack Ketchum, Brian Keene, Shirley Jackson, Doug Clegg, Tom Piccirilli, Ed Lee, the Year's Best anthos by Ellen Datlow
I'd also look at the Stoker winners and nominees for ideas.
http://www.horror.org/readers.htm
http://www.horror.org/stokerwinnom.htm

Answer 7

My favorite fantasy series is J.R.R. Tolkien's "The Lord of The Rings". Another good fantasy writer is J.V. Jones, try "The Bakers Boy". The Belgariad series by David Eddings is good also.

Have fun.

Answer 8

Have you tried any of the laurell K. Hamilton books? These are definitely fantasy. You will fall in love with her characters immediately. Try either the Anita Blake series or the Merry Gentry series, you will enjoy them both.

Answer 9

A fairly recent one that springs to mind is Shutter Island by Dennis Lehane. It's set in the fifties in an institution for the criminally insane, where a murderer has gone missing from the facility. A U.S. Marshall and his partner are sent in to investigate. Things are not what they seem (there's a surprise...)

Answer 10

Read the Tolkein books, Lord of the RIngs......good and entertaining. Also read Relic and Cabinet of Curiousities by Douglas Preston and Lincoln Child. Really good books. (spooky)