Authors I especially like
Updated January 2026.
(E)books
- John
Christopher. Science fiction. My favorite: Sword of
the Spirits trilogy.
- Susan Cooper.
Fantasy. My favorite: The Dark is Rising series.
- Dorothy Dunnett.
Historical fiction, historical fantasy, historical romance, and crime
fiction. My favorites: The Lymond Chronicles series and The
House of Niccolò series.
- Sylvia Engdahl.
Science fiction. My favorite: Children of the Star trilogy.
- Diana Gabaldon.
Time travel, historical adventure, and historical romance. My
favorites: Outlander series and Lord John series.
- Robert
A. Heinlein. Science fiction. My favorite: The
Moon is a Harsh Mistress.
- Norma
Johnston. Historical fiction, romance, suspense, and
contemporary realistic fiction. My favorite: The Keeping Days
series.
- Guy Gavriel Kay.
Historical fantasy and romantic fantasy. My favorites: Tigana
and his as-yet-unnamed series set in the European Renaissance.
- Ursula
K. Le Guin. Fantasy. My favorite: Earthsea series.
- Alistair
MacLean. War fiction and thrillers. My favorite: H.M.S.
Ulysses.
- Susan R. Matthews.
Science fiction and historical fantasy. My favorite: Under
Jurisdiction series.
- Patricia
A. McKillip. Fantasy and romantic fantasy. My favorite: Riddle-Master
trilogy.
- Naomi Novik.
Fantasy and historical fantasy. My favorite: Temeraire series.
- Mary
Renault. Historical fiction and historical romance. My
favorites: The Last of the Wine and The Persian Boy.
- Dorothy L. Sayers.
Mysteries, romantic mysteries, and historical drama. My favorite: Gaudy
Night.
- Mary
Stewart. Historical fantasy and contemporary romantic
suspense. My favorites: Merlin trilogy (historical fantasy)
and Touch Not the Cat (contemporary romantic suspense with a
touch of historical romance).
- Rosemary
Sutcliff. Historical fiction, mainly set in Britain during
the Roman era. My favorite: The Eagle of the Ninth series.
- Megan Whalen Turner.
Historical fantasy and romantic fantasy with a setting similar to the
eastern Mediterranean. My favorite: Queen's Thief series.
- Philip
Turner. Adventure novels set in England during the
nineteenth and twentieth centuries. My favorite: Darnley Mills
series.
- Robb White:
Twentieth-century adventure fiction, especially World War II naval
novels. My favorite: Silent Ship, Silent Sea.
Online works
Some of these writings are also available in (e)book format.
- M. Chandler. Crime
fiction and romantic crime fiction. My favorite: Shadow of the
Templar series.
- Dante.
Proto-science fiction (by the standards of his time), fantasy (by the
standards of our time), and contemporary romance. My favorite: The
Divine Comedy. Recommended commercial translations: H. R. Huse
or Charles S. Singleton for the story, Dorothy L. Sayers for the
notes.
- Manna Francis
(also here).
Science fiction crime fiction, with something vaguely resembling
romance. My favorite: The Administration series.
- Lynn Johnston.
Comic-strip fictional narratives set in Canada from 1979 to 2008. My
favorite: For Better or For Worse.
- Randall Munroe.
Geeky comics. My favorite: xkcd.
- Lucius Parhelion
(also here).
Historical romance and historical fantasy romance. My favorite: Hurrah
for Hollywood series.
- Rolf and Ranger
(also here).
Romance, contemporary fiction (including contemporary western),
adventure, historical fiction, paranormal fiction, fantasy, and
science fiction. My favorites: Patch in a Silent Sky and Falls
Chance Ranch.
- G. B. Trudeau.
Comic-strip fictional narratives set in the USA from 1970 to the
present. My favorite: Doonesbury.