He's quite good yes, but not the best..

So many writers in the world.. saying that he is the best is just unfair..

The stranger is a very good book in my opinion, it's pretty surreal through the whole book but that REALLY keeps you on wondering what happens to the "enigmatic" main character (you'll find out why I said that)

Pretty right.
Also,now that i come to think of it,this question is stupid. An author,most of the time (well i'm pretty sure it's always like that,but well i don't want to state facts i'm not absolutely sure of),is specialized in one kind of book. To take well known examples, if Tolkien,after writing all the fantasy books he's written would have written a Thriller,and Conan Doyle heroic fantasy book,they would surely not have been as good as they are in their normal books.
So i don't think we can say an Overall Best writer exists. Choosing the best writer of a kind of book is maybe possible,but i personally don't think writers can be compared,due to their different writing style.
that was my opinion

don't forget about Bran . He's the one i'm counting on to rule

now on the the topic

best writer ever ? this question is better asked "Best writers ever"
i'd say the people who wrote the Bible are . Best selling book. it has history , fiction, deaths, supernatural , you name it. Countless people enjoy\have enjoyed their writings as a whole.
so there you have it

it's hard there are so many good writers....

i really like
Micheal Crichton ( Jurassic Park, Congo, Timeline)
Shakespeare (what a fucking funny pervert ^^)
Terry Pratchet (Discworld Novells)
George Orwell (1984, War of Worlds, Animal Farm)
Anthony Burgess (just for Clockwork Orange )

but over all i love and he's the best:
Douglas Adams ^^

(hm, why are so many of them already dead :/)

This post was edited by Nato on Sep 24 2007 02:04pm

this is by H.G. Wells ofc, omg sry ^^''

Robert Ludlum

This post was edited by anikilador on Oct 2 2007 12:36pm

Crichton hasn't written a book in years, he writes movie scripts.

Shakespeare is all prose, no story and simplistic characters.

King's early stuff is noteworthy, but he's been 100% crap for decades. And he never could write an ending.

JK Rowling is an improving amateur who struck it big.

Orwell is a god.

Martin is arguably the best fantasy writer ever. (not that the genre has too many heavyweights. And no, Tolkien is not that good. Great world-building and quality prose. Mostly dull characters and some desperate need for an editor. Any book with Tom Bombadil cannot top a genre)

Richard Morgan is probably the best current Sci-fi writer. And Heinlen the best ever...when he wasn't in his hippy phase.

RJ, may he RIP, started an enjoyable, derivative little yarn, than completely lost control of it. He is not a good writer, though he has talent as a storyteller. His world is enjoyable when its actually going somewhere. What he doesn't have and hasn't had since book 5 or so is a competent editor.

Goodkind is a plague sent to destroy our souls.

Gaiman and Meiville have potential that they never quite fulfill.

Bakker is putting out some of the best epic fantasy today.

Lynch is a very talented newcomer. With tighter, a bit more plausible storytelling he could be a powerhouse. Already one of the most enjoyable reads out there. Real gift for dialogue.

This post was edited by AchillesHK on Oct 4 2007 06:23am

No hes retarded.

LOL

Yet another epic example where this idiot Kulith starts a fight, but oh of course he will always say that he didn't start it, like always. Kulith is always right and Kulith is always holier than anyone else and Kulith never does anything wrong and we should kneel down to him and worship his opinions.

Sarcasm, of course. Truth be told, Kulith is the biggest idiot/asshole on this forum, hands down.