The Book Stacks

Long-time readers of this blog may have noticed that I have a habit of asking folks about their favorite book. I’m particularly fond of asking that question in interviews. So, when Gillian of Food History mentioned that she was going to be at an Australian SF Convention, and offered to ask one question of the assembled writer throng for me, you can imagine what I requested. And the best part? She got all sorts of answers for me, and typed them up with some commentary. All hail Gillian! I’m sure that you are curious to learn about the reading habits of Australian SF/Fantasy/Horror writers, so read on. (Note: many of the authors chose one favorite out of their several favorites, so while the book listed may not be their ultimate favorite it is still *a* favorite.) I can see that there is much reading in my future. By the way, Gillian’s current favorite book(s) are “Ursula Le Guin’s Always Coming Home or maybe the Ellen Kushner duology.”

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There are two non-Australian writers in this list (Dave Freer and Russell Kirkpatrick). Everyone else is very Australian. Some are best-sellers; some have published short stories but no novels. This means the list ranges from emerging writers to the top in the speculative fiction field in Australia right now, which means it gives a *very* good view of the sort of thing Australian fantasy, SF and horror writers read.

Lucy Sussex - Randolph Stowe’s The Visitance (Sussex is an amazing and elegant short story writer; Stowe is better known for Midnite, which I’ve loved since I was a kid.)

Alison Barton - Kaaron Warren The Grinding House (alas, I’ve never read any of Alison’s work; Kaaron recently appeared on JM’s blog but you wouldn’t know that she writes horror from her warm web presence.)

Russell Kirkpatrick - Ursula K. Le Guin The Left Hand of Darkness (Russell is a leading cartographer when he’s not writing fantasy trilogies. He’s also from New Zealand, but Australians forgive him that as long as he forgives us our sense of humour. Ursula Le Guin needs no explanation.)

Russell Blackford - Robert Heinlein Stranger in A Strange Land (Russell is a philosopher and a writer and a critic and a very good bloke to have drinks with. Come to think of it, I elicited this question over drinks.)

Ian Irvine doesn’t have a favourite book. (Which is a pity, because his books are the favourites of many. His new series stars Runcible Jones and is great fun.)

Keith Stevenson - Isaac Asimov The Foundation Trilogy (Keith is mainly known for editing short stories and writing short stories and for his Scottish accent. He is so tall that I was introduced to him three times before he worked out what I looked like.)

Jane Routley (also known as Rebecca Locksley) - Jane Austen Persuasion (writer of fantasy trilogies, lover of Greek food, thoroughly nice person.)

Dirk Flinthart - Mikhail Bulgakov The Master and Margarita (tr Michael Glenny) (Dirk mainly writes short stories, though I believe a novel is forthcoming. He has a reputation for gourmet cooking, which fits since he lives in Tasmania, home of gourmet ingredients.)

Chris McMahon - David Gemmell Sword in the Storm (Chris recently released the first novel in a series called The Cavalcanni.)

Kylie Seluka - Juliet Mariller Daughter of the Forest (Kylie is a Canberra writer of mostly young adult stuff who has just won a rather nice fellowship - she’s a name to watch out for.)

Rjurik Davison - M. John Harrison White (another up and coming writer to watch.)

Joel Shepherd - George R.R. Martin A Game of Thrones (Joel writes both SF and fantasy novels and is published mostly through the Voyager imprint of HarperCollins.)

Trudi Canavan - Ursula Le Guin The Earthsea Trilogy (do I need to introduce Trudi? Her fantasy novels sell by the hundreds of thousands on three continents - they’re also very well written and exceedingly hard to put down. She never takes herself too seriously, and she has outstanding taste in chocolate.)

Glenda Larke Guy Gavriel Kay Tigana (Glenda Larke is a Malaysian-based Australian writer, who writes very lyrical fantasy novels.)

Karen Miller couldn’t decide between two writers so asked me to include both - George R.R. Martin A Game of Thrones and Dorothy Dunnett A Game of Kings (author of The Innocent Mage duology and an unexpectedly different new trilogy - first book is The Empress of Mijak) [TBS: If this is the same Karen Miller whose fan fiction I used to read, then I need to get her books stat!]

Bill Congreve - Joe Lansdale Drive In (Bill is an outstanding editor of short fiction. When he writes - in between editing - he writes terrific short stories. When he gave me the title of his favourite book he was so enthusiastic about it he gave me a complete rundown of the plot and I intend to get hold of it soon, by hook or by crook - it sounds exceptionally fun.)

Sue Bursztynski - Catherine Jinks Living Hell (at least I think my bad handwriting says “living hell” but I can’t find the book in any bibliography. Sue is a short story writer and Catherine Jinks writes mostly but not only young adult fiction - my personal main claim to fame in my writerly existence is that her BA supervisor was the same person as my PhD supervisor and gets acknowledged in her ‘Pagan’ series.)

Edwina Harvey - Alistair Reynolds Pushing Ice (Edwina is another short story writer - Australia is particularly rich in short story writers and editors at the moment.)

Pamela Freeman - Jane Austen Pride and Prejudice (Pamela is a writer for young adults.)

Kate Forsyth - Juliet Marillier Daughter of the Forest (if you don’t know Kate’s work I can write you something, but she’s well published in the US and about 20 other countries. Last time I saw her she was wearing twinkly silver shoes.)

Robert Hood - Mark Z. Danielewski House of Leaves (horror writer and Daikaiju addict.)

Rowena Cory - Daniells Glenda Larke Heart of the Mirage trilogy

Tansy Rayner Roberts - Pamela Dean Tam Lin (Tansy writes for children, adults and everything in between. Her new book is for children and has mermaids.)

Marianne de Pierres - Octavia Butler Dawn (the first volume of Lilith’s Brood) (Marianne wrote the Parrish Plessis cyberpunk series, but her new series is quite different. I was cheeky and asked her if she liked Octavia Butler because Butler was as tall as she and she hadn’t even thought of that - bang goes my dreams of building up a theory of the height of a writer as key factor in their development.)

Dave Freer - Roger Zelazny Lord of Light

Nicole R Murphy - J.R.R. Tolkien Lord of the Rings (another Canberra writer, this time mainly of short stories. I tell you, there’s something in the Canberra air.)

Donna Maree Hanson - Stephen Donaldson The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant (yet another Canberra writer who explained that these were the books that impelled her into creating her own fantasy worlds.)

Ben Payne - Kurt Vonnegut Slaughterhouse Five (a short story writer from Queensland.)

Chris Barnes - Charles Frazier Cold Mountain (Chris is a Sydney writer and sword expert.)

Cat Sparks - Tim Powers The Anubis Gate (Cat’s significant other, Rob Hood, told me that Cat would select The Anubis Gate. She’s one of Australia’s best short story editors and wields a mean pen herself. Also, she’s uber-cool.)

Stuart Mayne - Peter Ackroyd The House of Doctor Dee (editor and short story writer.)

And that’s all the writers I got round to asking!!

Gillian

Food History, Always Coming Home, Ellen Kushner, Lucy Sussex, Randolph Stowe, The Visitance, Alison Barton, Kaaron Warren, The Grinding House, Russell Kirkpatrick, Ursula K. Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness, Russell Blackford, Robert Heinlein, Stranger in A Strange Land, Ian Irvine, Keith Stevenson, Isaac Asimov, The Foundation Trilogy, Jane Routley, Rebecca Locksley, Persuasion, Dirk Flinthart, Mikhail Bulgakov, The Master and Margarita, Michael Glenny, Chris McMahon, David Gemmell, Sword in the Storm, Kylie Seluka, Juliet Mariller, Daughter of the Forest, Rjurik Davison, M. John Harrison, White, Joel Shepherd, Trudi Canavan, Ursula Le Guin, The Earthsea Trilogy, Glenda Larke, Guy Gavriel, Kay Tigana, Karen Miller, George R.R. Martin, Dorothy Dunnett, The Innocent Mage, The Empress of Mijak, Bill Congreve, Joe Lansdale, Sue Bursztynski, Catherine Jinks, Living Hell, Edwina Harvey, Alistair Reynolds, Pushing Ice, Pamela Freeman, Jane Austen, Pride and Prejudice, Kate Forsyth, Juliet Marillier, Daughter of the Forest, Robert Hood, Mark Z. Danielewski, House of Leaves, Rowena Cory, Daniells Glenda Larke, Heart of the Mirage, Tansy Rayner Roberts, Pamela Dean, Tam Lin, Marianne de Pierres, Octavia Butler, Dawn, Dave Freer, Roger Zelazny, Lord of Light, Nicole R Murphy, J.R.R. Tolkien, Lord of the Rings, Donna Maree Hanson, Stephen Donaldson, The Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, Ben Payne, Kurt Vonnegut, Slaughterhouse Five, Chris Barnes, Charles Frazier, Cold Mountain, Cat Sparks, Tim Powers, The Anubis Gate, Stuart Mayne, Peter Ackroyd, The House of Doctor Dee