Authors , Books and Stories That have lead You to Other Authors Books and Stories That You Didn't Previously Know About.

[BAYLOR]

You're reading an authors books and stories, or about them, and this in turn leads you to authors books and stories that you had never previously heard of.

 

[The Big Peat]

Ooh, this is a good one. Anna Smith Spark's interviews led me to M. John Harrison's Viriconium. Reading up about Tanith Lee has inspired me to give Angela Carter a go.

 

[KGeo777]

I read an essay by Lovecraft on horror and he mentioned The Diamond Lens by Fitz James O'Brien. Quite a memorable and innovative story. Good recommendation. I read a couple of his other works. I had never heard of him before.

 

[BAYLOR]

I read an essay by Lovecraft on horror and he mentioned The Diamond Lens by Fitz James O'Brien. Quite a memorable and innovative story. Good recommendation. I read a couple of his other works. I had never heard of him before.

Ive never heard of him either.

 

[KGeo777]

Ive never heard of him either.

What Was it? A Mystery is another good story but the Diamond Lens is like Edgar Allen Poe crossed with Horton Hears a Who.

Movie worthy story.

 

[BAYLOR]

What Was it? A Mystery is another good story but the Diamond Lens is like Edgar Allen Poe crossed with Horton Hears a Who.

Movie worthy story.

Jacque Futrelle The Problem of Cell 13. One of the finest mystery stories of all time A Harlan Ellison recommendation . Ive found alot of writers because of his writer . Another, is the Short story Collect Nightshade and Damnations by Gerald Kersh .

 

[KGeo777]

Jacque Futrelle The Problem of Cell 13.

That story has a wiki page yet the Diamond Lens doesn't.

 

[Randy M.]

Because in mystery circles Futrelle's story is very famous. Futrelle, too, if only as a victim of the Titanic.

Horror! by Drake Douglas (a pseudonym for I've forgotten who) prompted me to read Lovecraft, as I think did reading some introductions by Robert Bloch to his collections. Douglas also pointed me to Arthur Machen.

Ellery Queen's anthology 101 Year's Entertainment pointed me toward the Arsene Lupin stories, also the Saint and Father Brown, among others.

 

[BAYLOR]

Otis Adelbert Kline , a contemporary of Edgar Rice Burroughs . I found this author because Stpehn King mentioned his name.

And of course a book in Jefreys Lord's Blade series lead me to The Star Rover by Jack London.

 

[Teresa Edgerton]

I first read "The Diamond Lens" many, many years ago, but nothing else by O'Brien until some years later I read a mention of "The Wonder Smith" (can't remember who or where, but someone must have mentioned it because why else would I go looking for it?). After much hunting I found it and downloaded it from a free ebook website, which may or may not still exist. After that I looked and looked for more by the author, but it was not so easy back then. These days, so many classic stories have been reprinted in ebook form and are available from sources like Amazon. Wiki page or not, "The Diamond Lens" has appeared in many anthologies over the years--well, it's anecdotal evidence, but I've come across it in several, so I assume it must also be in a fair number of anthologies I've not read-- so it is far from forgotten. After a lengthy quest (and more stories downloaded from online sites) I was able to buy, used, a two volume collection, The Supernatural Tales of Fitz-James O'Brien. I highly recommend Volume 1, which has most of my favorites.

 

[BAYLOR]

Angry Candy by Harlan Ellison drew my attention to Alfred Bester and Theodore Sturgeon neither of whom previously payed any attention to.

 

[Toby Frost]

I'm not sure if it counts, but Stephen King's Danse Macabre discusses a range of horror novels, and I've read several of them. They were generally really good.

 

[BAYLOR]

I'm not sure if it counts, but Stephen King's Danse Macabre discusses a range of horror novels, and I've read several of them. They were generally really good.

That works.

 

[Astro Pen]

Short story anthologies are great for that. I read Keith Roberts beautiful tale, The lake of Tuonella, and it led me on to his Pavane and The Grain Kings (which is on my to read list.)
Here is a review of the short in question which agrees with my opinion.
There is something else about the story, that readers seem to miss but I'll leave you to divine that for youselves.

keith roberts – It Doesn't Have To Be Right…

Posts about keith roberts written by iansales

iansales.com

 

[BAYLOR]

And Because of Harlan Ellison I found Gerald Kersh's wonderful book Nightshade and Damnations.

 

[Orcadian]

Jean Auel's Clan of the Cave Bear series (or rather the first 3 books,where I stopped) led me to Robert Sawyer's trilogy Neanderthal Parallax. I had absolutely no idea this work existed and rather naively I thought it too would be about life in the Stone Age. Not so; Sawyer asks the question: 'What sort of people might Homo neanderthalensis have evolved into, if they hadn't died out? And the series has taken totally unexpected turns. So, while I did cringe at some casual sexism and did have a few 'oh, puhlease' moments,, it was largely very enjoyable and never dull for a second.

 

[JunkMonkey]

Short story anthologies are great for that. I read Keith Roberts beautiful tale, The lake of Tuonella, and it led me on to his Pavane and The Grain Kings (which is on my to read list.)
Here is a review of the short in question which agrees with my opinion.
There is something else about the story, that readers seem to miss but I'll leave you to divine that for youselves.

keith roberts – It Doesn't Have To Be Right…

Posts about keith roberts written by iansales

iansales.com

A vastly under-appreciated writer.

 

[K. Riehl]

Lois Bujold spoke about her admiration for Eric Frank Russell. I now own all of his works.

I was fortunate to correspond with Roger Zelazny in the 80's. He recommended 3 or 4 titles in every letter.

Tad Williams turned me onto Guy Gavriel Kay. One of my favorite authors.

 

[BAYLOR]

Cornel Woolrich was another writer who I discovered thats to a Harlan Ellison book.