So, without further ado, here we go.
10.) Ray Bradbury
Bradbury impresses me not just because of his several works of fiction that have had a definitive and lasting impact on the literary world, but because he suffered through years of rejection letters before even getting a single short story published.
Now, that's not to take away from his contributions to literature. Fahrenheit 451, The Illustrated Man, The Martian Chronicles, Something Wicked This Way Comes, and so on. And those aren't even counting his short stories. I highly recommend you watch the video embedded below, as it gives great insight into what kind of man Ray Bradbury really was and why he was so impressive.
9.) C. S. Lewis
This is probably the part where you expect me to mention The Chronicles of Narnia being Lewis's masterpiece, and his greatest contribution to our society. Well, if that's what you were thinking, you'd be wrong.
In truth, while I do like and respect the Narnia books, I don't consider them Lewis at his best, and they're certainly not what influenced me the most. The Screwtape Letters, A Grief Observed, The Problem of Pain, and even the Space Trilogy all outdo Narnia in my eyes. Even if you don't consider yourself spiritual in any manner, Lewis's Mere Christianity is still a thought-provoking and insightful read, and I recommend anyone looking to dive into his "Spiritual Essays" start either there or with Screwtape.
8.) Joss Whedon
Joss finds his way onto this list mainly because of his way with dialogue. Yes, he writes compelling stories, but let's be honest: if it wasn't for his way with dialogue and character interaction, half of us probably wouldn't keep reading/watching his work.
To be honest, the fact that he's even on this list is kind of a cheat. I made it a point not to include filmmakers, but seeing as Joss had a stint on Astonishing X-Men, among a few other comics, he is technically eligible, but just barely (especially since his best work with characters and dialogue is onscreen).
7.) Dante Alighieri
What can I say about Dante that hasn't been said at least a million times before? Probably nothing, so bear with me as I state the obvious.
Dante was the genius who, above all else, made us all look at hell in a very different light. Although Dante makes many references to God and the bible, his version of hell is very different than the one described in the christian texts. Dante's hell isn't one of fire and brimstone, but instead one of darkness and anguish, and all the nightmares we try our hardest not to think about. The "Circles of Hell" have been a mainstay in our culture ever since, referred to not only in casual conversation but used in numerous works of fiction over the years, and I don't see them going anywhere anytime soon.
Yes, Inferno was Dante at his best, but don't do like so many other people and stop after that. Inferno is only the beginning of The Divine Comedy, followed by Purgatorio and Paradiso, and none of them are worth missing.
6.) Alan Moore
And here we have our true oddball on the list. The man has only written comics, but I consider comics just as equal in merit as any novel, and sometimes they do their job better than a novel can.
Moore has always been influenced by the great poets of ye olden times and a ton of classic literature in general, and you can tell that in his writing. Even though he writes comics, his stories feel noticeably different than anyone else in the business, and they've felt that way since he took over Swamp Thing at DC in the mid 1980's.
Imagine this: That guy you've read about since you were a kid? You know, the one that got turned into a plant-creature but retained his humanity? Well, what if all of that was completely wrong? What if, instead of a man trapped inside a monstrous body, trying to do good, it had been a plant with delusions of grandeur the whole time? Yeah, that plant only THOUGHT it was the guy that had been killed in the swamp. Pretty trippy, right?
Little things like that are what Alan Moore did to revolutionize an industry that had fallen into complacency. He later went on to write a little book called Watchmen, the first comic to ever make the New York Times Bestseller List, and it even got attention from Time magazine, another rarity at the time.
5.) Luo Guanzhong
The Romance of the Three Kingdoms might not be a name that resonates with you, but it certainly does with me. Not only is the Three Kingdoms period of Chinese history in-depth and fascinating, but it turned into the springboard for a number of really cool "subtle" embellishments when Guanzhong decide to novelize the story.
Some of the characters in Romance are larger than life, and that's perfectly all right. There are a few things Guanzhong gets outright wrong when compared to true history, but he knew he was telling a story first and foremost, and allowed himself certain luxuries. Truly, he was among the earlier Historical Fiction writers; a concept that was fairly foreign until later years.
Now, there is speculation that Guanzhong was not the sole writer of Romance, just the man to compile everything into one cohesive story, but there's no proof either way, so you can believe whatever you want. I always refer to Guanzhong as the sole writer because it's easier to credit that way.
4.) Homer
If I have to tell you who Homer is and what he wrote, you've probably been living under a rock your whole life and can't even read the text in front of you. That's just how well-known the bugger was.
Personally, the Odyssey is what sticks out in my mind, above the Illiad and all of his other poems. When I was 11 years old, I read it for the first time and was completely blown away. It was the first Epic Poem I'd ever read, so initially the style confused me, but once I got into the story I just couldn't put the book down.
Almost any time someone sees a new story of adventure, intrigue, sailing, armies, betrayal ... they can recall a moment in the Odyssey that closely resembles it.
It's funny though, if you looked at the "proper" way to write a character in popular fiction today, Odysseus would most likely be considered a bad example. He's smart, handsome, athletic, steadfast, courageous, and expert marksman/swordsman, fierce warrior and tactician, and all around near-perfect. But somehow, his struggle is still compelling. We watch the people all around him fail and fall, but somehow this one guy is still standing, all because he wants to make it back home to his wife and son.
I think the character of Odysseus resonates so strongly with people simply because we can all imagine the suffering we would endure for our loved ones, and we'd like to think that our resolve would be as strong as his, even in similarly dire situations. I could discuss this theory all day, but if I do we'll never get to....
3.) Stephen King
The Master of Horror, or so he was branded in his early days. Now, he's the Master of Whatevertheheckhefeelslikewritingatthetime.
King's strength isn't in his ability to write massively-long fiction (although God knows he can do that just fine), but in his characters and the settings/situations that define them. By now he's written everything from Horror to Fantasy, and I'm not convinced the man hasn't written Harlequin under a pseudonym, but no matter what he writes, his characters are very much human and relatable. They make mistake after mistake, like the underdogs they are, and you can't help but root for them against whatever force of evil they find themselves up against.
And that's another unique thing about Stephen King: although he's claimed in the past that the villain of a story is much more interesting when they're in a sort of moral gray area, you find that a lot of his stories are clear-cut good and evil. Take Pennywise for instance; there are absolutely no redeeming qualities about that character, aside from the fact that Tim Curry played her (yes, Pennywise is a female entity) in the film. Throughout the story you're rooting for the Losers, and just waiting for them to rip the heart out of the creature that's been terrifying them the whole book. And it's very satisfying when "It" is finally dead.
2.) Neil Gaiman
Neil Gaiman first grabbed my attention with The Sandman graphic novels. What started out a Horror very quickly turned into Dark Fantasy (a genre that was new to me at the time) and I loved every page of it. I honestly can't thing of a single negative thing to say about the series outside of one or two artists I didn't care for, and the fact that it ended.
Gaiman understands how to weave believable elements of modern storytelling in with the reckless wonder of the classics. It's a brutal balancing act most writers today just aren't capable of, but Gaiman nails it every time he sits down with his notebook.
And if you'd like more insight as to why Gaiman is so awesome, here's a video.
1.) Robert Jordan
And now we get to a hero of mine. This is the man who inspired me to write fiction. When I was 15 and read The Eye of the World for the first time, I felt like my whole world had been turned upside down. I couldn't believe that I hadn't read this series sooner (even though I probably wouldn't have been able to absorb it at any younger age). All the emotions it stirred up inside me made me realize for the first time that fiction was nothing short of magic, and I couldn't wait to start casting my own spells.
The thing that set Jordan apart from most Fantasy writers were his characters. Yes, his world and customs were unique as well, but the characters are the friends you're going to be hanging out with for 14 books (15 if you include the prequel), so they're better be likeable. And that's the beauty of it; you and your friends will probably all like different characters, then halfway through the series, after the characters go through their changes, you might switch favorites.
The world of Robert Jordan's The Wheel of Time is a world of change. It is not the beginning, because there are neither beginnings nor endings to the turning of the Wheel, and Ages will come and go. The world you see in The Eye of the World is non-existent by the time A Memory of Light rolls around.
I can't praise Jordan's work enough, and if I don't stop myself now I'll be here all day. Let me just say that no other author has had the impact on me that Robert Jordan has had, and if the man were still alive, I'd beat down his door just to shake his hand and tell him thanks.
Honorable Mentions
It would be impossible to cram every I wanted to onto a list, and it wasn't easy to trim this one down to what it is. So, I don't think I can leave without at least mentioning some of the people that ALMOST made it on the list.
J. R. R. Tolkien
Yeah, I'm sure some of you are wondering why both Lewis and Jordan made it over Tolkien. Well, that's because, while I love Tolkien, and I consider him a great world-builder and linguist, his storytelling isn't on par with a lot of other writers of his time. It's not bad by any means, but compared to Lewis's it certainly seems that way at certain points.
Mervyn Peake
I'd be remiss not to mention the writer of the fantastic Gormenghast series. At the time, the Gothic style of Gormenghast was a drastic departure from typical fantasy, and the series is often cited as the first Fantasy of Manners.
Tad Williams
I was first introduced to Tad Williams through a church yardsale when I was 16. Yeah, someone had donated a copy of Caliban's Hour to be sold, and my mom worked at the church during the week, so one day when I had nothing to do, I decided to crack open the book in the bin with the most interesting cover, and that happened to be Caliban's Hour.
Before I knew what had happened it was a few hours later and I was at the end of the book. I knew I had to find more stuff from this guy, so I hit the library and looked for anything I could find by this guy. I found The Dragonbone Chair first, and it was awesome. Then I found Tailchaser's song, and even though I don't like cats, the story got it's hooks in me.
To this day I look forward to any new series Williams starts, and hopefully there's another around the corner.
Amy Hennig
It broke my heart not having her on this list. Her stories have been with me since I was a kid, playing video games during the PS1 era. Her work on the Legacy of Kain series has had a huge impact on my writing style, and I stole a theme or two from her work when I wrote Electus.
Her way with characters and bitter, complicated relationships makes her probably the best writer in the video game industry right now. Since Legacy of Kain (where she developed one of my favorite characters of all time, Raziel) she's moved on to other great works like the Uncharted series.
Hennig is unique in the video game industry because she believes that focusing too much on graphics in a game can inhibit it (something series like Gears of War could stand to learn). She has said that once game writers start focusing on creative expression, video games will greatly improve, and I'm 100% with her on that.
Also important is Amy's writing style. Take Uncharted for example: Nathan Drake is the main character, and rather than allude to his past all through flashback cutscenes, Hennig puts Drake with a multitude of different characters that highlight different aspects of his personality and past. Raziel and Kain in Legacy of Kain are much like this as well, as you get to watch how they each interact with some of the same characters at different times, and their actions tell you a lot about them. To me, it means more to actually see how a character reacts than to tell me how they would react, or how they acted in the past.
I love Amy's style, and I hope to God she branches out into novels one day. I'd love dive into her stories without always having to devote countless hours to a series of games every time I want to relive one.
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