Categories: Entertainment

Authors Whose Books You Should Check Out

Star Wars is given a lot of praise and credit for being such a well thought out and expansive universe that pushed the boundaries of science fiction. In 1965, Franke Herbert released the first book in one of the most iconic book series of all time. The Dune series is comprised of six novels that each push the boundaries and expand the universe a little more. Herbert had a unique ability as a writer to create complex and precise events. Any part of Dune can be dissected for hours at a time. Every group, religion, and organization have thousands of years’ worth of history that Herbert had created. The amount of dedication and care that has to be put into the craft to achieve this is unbelievable. Unfortunately, Herbert passed away in 1986 before he could write any more novels in the Dune series. However, his notes were enough for his son to create 16 more novels that expanded the universe his father created. Dune is without a doubt one of the best science fiction series of all time and one of the most thought-out series of all time. Frank Herbert was very serious on leaving his mark as one of the greatest authors in the science fiction genre.

Perhaps one of the best authors to write in satire, Ellis has made himself known in the industry both in a good way and in a bad one. With so many novels that deal with the corruptness of stereotypes, Ellis uses his writing to poke fun at specific groups of people. In his breakout novel titles “Less Than Zero” Ellis puts the wealthy upper class under the microscope. And in his follow-up novel “The Rules of Attraction” college students are examined instead. His most famous novel however takes the idea of satire into an entirely different direction. “American Psycho” examines the mind of Wall street’s very own Patrick Bateman. The amount of traction and attention that this novel received is mind blowing. Ellis became one of the most known authors after this novel released. He was being praised for his amazing writing and portrayal of the selfish, sadistic, and crazed businessman. His novels are very intense, and he does not hold back in any way, shape, or form. If you live for satire pieces and enjoy seeing the mental struggle of corrupt characters, then Ellis might be one of your next authors to check out.

This is one of the authors who has had a tragic life. Dazai’s life came to an end in a double suicide with his lover. While there are many speculations about the suicide itself, all of Dazai’s works show that he had a fascination for depression and the affect it takes on the human mind. So much of his own life experiences were reflected in his novels and this is what made his writing feel so natural and authentic. His novel “No Longer Human” remains his most popular piece of literature. It’s brutally honest and pessimistic. Dazai has a way of making the smallest events turn into such a big influential factor. More recently, Dazai’s works have been getting a lot more attention as the serious matter of mental illness has been brought up more commonly in our society. With that, his novels have had a big influence on those who suffer from depression or those who wish to learn more about how certain individuals are affected by the issue. And with a lot of speculation revolving his death, a lot of people believe that his novels may even contain some clues about his death.

Society has evolved throughout the decades. With each new step in evolution, comes those who don’t agree with certain ideals and will oppose them. George Orwell is one of the authors who wrote about social criticism, and opposition to totalitarianism. Orwell created depictions of society through unique and creative narratives. Books such as “1984” and “Animal Farm” show the struggles and fear that certain leadership can bestow upon its citizens. “1984” is one of my favorite books of all time and it’s because of the way Orwell depicts society and the idea of the controlling Big Brother figure that haunts society. It’s a fictional world that makes you afraid of something like ever truly happening. Every piece of the narrative is so thought out and made to feel eerie. The book itself makes you feel as if you are being watched just like the characters in the book itself. It’s crazy to believe that society in the 40’s was enough to fuel this type of imagination. We could only imagine the unique stories Orwell would come up with if he were still alive today.

Flynn is definitely a genre author. She is one of the few authors to create such tension and fear with nothing but real-world situations. Murder and betrayal are two heavy factors that are present in all three of Flynn’s novels in the “Gone Girl” collection. If you are into novels where you won’t figure out who the true suspects are until the very end, then Flynn is the author for you. She does such a great job at keeping you turning those pages. Just when you feel like you might have all the pieces to solve the puzzle, you find out that you were working on the wrong one the entire time. It’s a very big accomplishment for authors to create stories that can’t be figured out very early on in the novel. Flynn keeps the suspense going through her novels and uses broken characters to drive the narratives forward. All of her main protagonists are subject to an abusive childhood and this results into them growing up into the dark and isolated characters that we know. And as you would expect, tragedy and death follow them through every page of the book, and it only gets crazier and crazier.