100 Books That Influenced Me as an Author
This is the culmination of a daily series that looked back at books that influenced one fantasyauthor. Below are links to all of the articles in the series and how each of the books was influential.
Day 1: The Hobbit
This was the first fantasy book I read.
Day 2: The Sword ofShannara
This book showed me there was more to fantasy than just Tolkien.
Day 3: Black Beauty
Black Beauty was the very first novel I ever read.
Day 4: The Mystery of the Sinister Scarecrow
This mystery novel, and the series it was part of, showed me the importance of characters solving their own problems.
Day 5: The Fellowship of the Ring
My favorite of allTolkien'sbooks. It taught me the importance of characters.
Day 6:Thieves'World
This book and its series introduced me to Sword and Sorcery fiction. What a gift!
Day 7: Satan's Sabbath
Action, action, action! Writing action scenes. That's what I learned from The Executioner series of novels.
Day 8: PetSematary
This was not only the first Stephen King book I read, but the first horror novel I ever read.
Day 9: The Stand
The Stand influenced my writing by showing me how epic fantasy could be brought into the real world, and how horrific such would actually be.
Day 10: Conan theCimmerian
I was introduced to the writings of Robert E. Howard through this book, and I've been grateful ever since. Howard was a fantastic writer.
Day 11: Splinter of the Mind's Eye
The first Star Wars sequel. Need I say more?
Day 12:Another Fine Myth
This book really taught me all about comedic fantasy literature.
Day 13: Spellsinger
I first discovered the fantasy writings of author Alan Dean Foster with this novel.
Day 14: The Three Musketeers
This book introduced me not only to historical fiction, but to the great story-telling abilities of one of my favorite authors, Alexandre Dumas.
Day 15:MobyDick
Anger and madness came alive and were made believable (and frightening)in this novel like no other I've read sense.
Day 16: 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea
Early science fiction and a master writer. That's what this book revealed.
Day 17: The Iliad
Epic fantasy at its most earliest. Few tales are older than that of Achilles and the siege of Troy.
Day 18:WatershipDown
A tale of rabbits opened my eyes to the possibilities of epic adventure beyond that of traditional fantasy.
Day 19: Paradise Lost
This was the first book that truly showed me the beauty of words, and showed me that the bad guy could be the protagonist without having to take the reader into the depths of depravity and darkness.
Day 20: In Cold Blood
Truman Capote's book is the best true crime, non-fiction book ever written. It also contains some of the strongest, most emotional writing of the 20th Century.
Day 21: The Dark Knight Returns
The Dark Knight Returns re-introduced me to graphic novels once more, and was my first real introduction to hardboiled fiction.
Day 22: The Sandman: Season of Mists
Author NeilGaimanshowed me the beauty of words with this tale, andhe proved to me any art form can be used to tell a fantastic story.
Day 23: Homeland
During a long dry spell without reading fantasy, this novel by R.A. Salvatore brought me back to the genre.
Day 24: Education of a Wandering Man
LouisL'Amour'sautobiography is the best biography of anyone I have ever read.
Day 25: Starship Troopers
Still the best military science fiction I've ever read.
Day 26: World War Z
More than just zombie fiction, this book opened my eyes to how horror could actually be literary.
Day 27: The Dark Tower IV: Wizard and Glass
The only book that has ever made me shed a tear. Showed me the power of words.
Day 28:Spaceling
This book showed me that children can make great protagonists, and it showed me the true possibilities of non-traditional science fiction.
Day 29:ElricofMelnibone
Taught me the true depths of darkness that fantasy, specifically Sword and Sorcery, could reach into.
Day 30: Swords andDeviltry
Author FritzLeiberconnected dark fantasy, humor andlovable characters to create the greatest pair of Sword andSorcery characters ever written,Fafhrdandthe Mouser.
Day 31:Cerebus: High Society
Humor, satire and complex plot development are high on the reasons that writers should experience this series of graphic novels.
Day 32: Screenplay
This non-fiction book by Syd Field was a tremendous help to me in simplifying the basics of storytelling.
Day 33: Hamlet
The madness. That's what I love about this play, andthe writing behindit. Was Hamlet insane, or faking it? I lean towards he began as faking it, but swiftlydownspiraledinto his own madness.
Day 34:Captain America #226
The writer for this issue of this comic book was the first fiction writer I ever met in real life.
Day 35:Hellblazer#63
John Constantine is one of my favorite fictional characters.
Day 36: Kingdom Come
Taught me to play withreaders'expectations of characters, to surprise the readers while remaining true to the characters.
Day 37: I AmLegend
Hands down, the best vampire novel ever written.
Day 38: Interview With the Vampire
Brought a breath of fresh air to the vampire genre when it first came out in the mid-1970s.
Day 39: Tales from the Vulgar Unicorn
This collection of Sword andSorcery short stories really cemented the world foundwithin the books that made up theThieves'World series.
Day 40: Shadows of Sanctuary
Shadows of Sanctuary is my favorite of theThieves'World books collecting sword andsorcery stories.
Day 41: Stranger in a Strange Land
Not only one of the best lighter science fiction novels ever published, but this book also shows a writer can vary widely in his themes.
Day 42: On Moral Fiction
Stressed that our art is only as important as we make it to be.
Day 43:Foucault's Pendulum
Truly opened up the world of the occult to me, from a skeptic and student's point of view.
Day 44: The New War
Taught me that a series, and its characters, can survive quite well beyond the original author's writings.
Day 45: Atlas Shrugged
Many love or hate this Objectivist novel, but I found I loved the writing style and the story without myself completely falling for the philosophy behind it.
Day 46: BattleRoyale
Action, adventure, horror, gore, and all with a thought-provoking message in the background. What more could a modern pulp reader want?
Day 47: Killer's Choice
Perhaps my favorite hard-boiled type novel ever written, andthe first EdMcBainbook I read.
Day 48: TheBonehunters
Author StevenErikson'snovel opened my eyes to the potential of complex story telling in the fantasy genre.
Day 49: Batman: Gothic
This graphic novel showed me how differing genres could be mixed together and work well together, from horror to fantasy to hardboiled to comic heroes and more.
Day 50: Grendel
No one combines ancient epic tales with modern existential thought like author John Gardner
Day 51: Armed and Dangerous: A Writer's Guide to Weapons
One of my favorite books about writing, mainly because it was a fun and interesting read and it didn't repeat the same old information over again.
Day 52: Fight Club
A great novel from perhaps the best literary author of modern times.
Day 53: Zodiac
Truth is often stranger than fiction, and this non-fiction book about the Zodiac serial killer proves it.
Day 54: Advanced Dungeons & Dragons 1st Edition Dungeon Master's Guide
The game of Dungeons and Dragons has had a huge influence upon fantasy and speculative authors of the last 30 or so years.
Day 55: Dracula
If you want to write horror and/or gothic literature, you've got to study the best.
Day 56: A Connecticut Yankee in King Arthur's Court
In my opinion, the greatest novel ever written about American politics. Even if it isn't specifically about American politics.
Day 57: Great Expectations
Charles Dickens knew how to plot and create great characters.
Day 58: Han Solo atStars'End
This early Star Wars novel emphasized the importance of recurring characters.
Day 59:Cyteen
Complexities of plot and background were learned from this science fiction tale.
Day 60: Armor
My first experience with military science fiction, and it was a great read.
Day 61: Red Dragon
The first book to feature cannibalistic serial killer HannibalLecter! Now what's cooler than that?
Day 62: The Hunt for Red October
Tom Clancy's first novel really brought the military thriller into mainstream readership.
Day 63: The First Book of Swords
Sometimes a story is just a story, and this novel emphasized that.
Day 64: Sometimes the Magic Works
Author TerryBrooks'sexperiences as a writer soundan awful lot like my own.
Day 65:Dragonflight
AnneMcCaffey'sPernnovels have shown how fantasy andscience fiction can be intertwined well.
Day 66: Wizardry andWild Romance
This non-fiction book offers a somewhat non-traditional look at the fantasy genre, shoving aside many of the genre's better-known work as trivial, while offering other, lesser-known works that have literary merit.
Day 67: Dragons of Autumn Twilight
This book kicked off the trend of novels based upon Dungeons & Dragons, and what a book it was.
Day 68: The Ruins
One of the best-paced novels I've ever read. Just when you think things can't get worse for the characters, they do. Over and over again.
Day 69: The Pillars of the Earth
Though this is historical fiction, epic fantasy writers should study this novel to learn how an epic can be done well.
Day 70: Lightning
Dean Koontz knows how to keep readers turning those pages.
Day 71: Splatterpunks: Extreme Horror
Showed me that horror literature doesn't have to be limiting, but offers many more possibilities.
Day 72: For Whom the Bell Tolls
You can't read Hemingway and not come away learning something, at least how to write well without using lots of big words.
Day 73: Of Mice and Men
One of the most heart-wrenching stories to ever be put to paper.
Day 74: A Portrait of the Artist as a Young Man
Not the first stream-of-consciousness novel I'd ever read, but the best. James Joyce shows how to do it right.
Day 75: The Prince
All writers of politics, history and political-related fantasy need to read and study this book.
Day 76: Book of the Dead
My first real experience with zombie fiction, and still one of my favorites.
Day 77: Ariel
One of my early favorite fantasy novels, written by fine author Steven R.Boyett.
Day 78: Swan Song
This post-apocalyptic novel showed me that different authors could tackle similar material in a similar format and still come away something something unique.
Day 79: Shogun
Epic historical fiction at its best, this time set in 17th Century Japan when an Englishman is shipwrecked in the country.
Day 80: Gone With theWind
More than just a romance novel,Gone With the Windis an epic tale of the American Civil War. Great characters, great plot, solid writing. Who could ask for anything more?
Day 81:Depraved
Possibly one of the most deranged men who ever lived was 19th Century serial killer H.H. Holmes. Don't believe me? Then you need to read this non-fiction book. But be warned, this material isn't for the faint of heart.
Day 82: The Count of MonteCristo
EdmondDantes, the protagonist of this lengthy 19th Century novel, is perhaps the most driven fiction in all of literature. Yep, I think he's probably even more driven than Batman.
Day 83:Scaramouche
Swashbuckling fun andadventure at the beginning of the French Revolution. Fans of action/adventure tales andfans of historical fiction should love this novel by RafaelSabatini.
Day 84: The Girl Who Loved Tom Gordon
One of the most uplifting novels I've ever read, andthat's the despite the darkness within the tale. Actually, without that darkness, the story might not have been so uplifting in the end.
Day 85: Foundation
My introduction to true, hard science fiction. I tendto prefer the softer side of sci-fi, but this novel andthe others in the Foundation series really showed me the potential of hard science fiction.
Day 86: World's Finest #256
Sure,spandexedheroes were kindof goofy back in the day before comic books became a bit more mature, but they also fueled the dreams of many young writers.
Day 87:Fantastic Four #200
What did this comic book teach me? About big characters, a big buildup anda big finish!'Nuffsaid!
Day 88: The Return of the King
This book taught me just howindeptha fantasy novel could be. The story itself helped some with this, but it was really all the extra added information at the endof the book that solidified this for me.
Day 89: The Midnight Sun
Author Karl Edward Wagner showed me the way to mix horror and fantasy, and how to do it well.
Day 90: Mysteries of the Unexplained
This book from Reader's Digest opened my eyes to much of the mysterious, paranormal and occult history of the world.
Day 91: The Books of Magic
A decade before there was Harry Potter, there was Tim Hunter. Tim was destined to be the most powerful wizard of his time, but he was given a choice as to whether he wanted to be or not? Or was he?
Day 92: Watchmen
One of the greatest stories ever told in a graphic format. Better than the movie, which wasn't too bad itself.
Day 93: Ancient Inventions
If you want your eyes opened as to just how intelligent and creative ancient humans could be, then you need to read this book.
Day 94: Encyclopedia of Western Gunfighters
Covering pretty much every recorded gunfight in the Old West of American history, this book tells it how it really was.
Day 95: Lonesome Dove
This epic tale of the Old West is at its heart about friendship and the bond between friends as strong as brotherhood.
Day 96: The Last Unicorn
One of the most touching novels I've ever read. Sad, in many ways, but not overly tragic.
Day 97: The Two Towers
As a writer, this Tolkien novel taught me a lot about a character's inner thoughts, the process characters go through when trying to working something out mentally.
Day 98:Without Remorse
The best of Tom Clancy, in my opinion. His most personal tale, though it's not autobiographical.
Day 99: Wizard's First Rule
I was glad to findanother objectivist fiction author besides Ayn Rand, andTerryGoodkinddidn't disappoint.
Day 100: War and Peace
This epic tale of Napoleon's invasion of Russia is worth study by every writer, especially those with interests in history, philosophy and epic tales.
Related links
New for epic fantasy fans, TheKobalosTrilogy
100 fantasy novels and collections everyone should read
Logical Misanthropy, horror and fantasy author's blog