Thread: Over-Rated Authors

Neil Gaiman
Stephen King
Richard Dawkins
Dan Browm

Definitely it is John Grisham for me.

Every time I teach The Solar System at Key Stage 3 I have to remonstrate with little girls mooning over Robert Pattinson pictures in the back of their planners.

Well that obviously does not work then, time you changed your approach, if you keep repeating a piece of behaviour you are likely to get the same result, no wonder you are frustrated.

Originally Posted by Olly Buckle

Well that obviously does not work then, time you changed your approach, if you keep repeating a piece of behaviour you are likely to get the same result, no wonder you are frustrated.

Exactly! Isn't the definition of insanity to do the same thing repeatedly expecting a different result?

If cut outs of Robert Pattinson and Taylor whatshisname's face were stuck to a model of the solar system, I'm sure you'd have their attention.

"This is called Jupiter, and for it we're using Robert Pattisons' head, for obvious reasons..." I would SO love to be in THAT class

Originally Posted by mocha

Stephanie Meyer. No contest. She was the one who ruined Vampires because once the Twilight series came out that's what have the books that got cranked out by the publishers were: tragic vampire-human love stories.

This. She pretty much ruined the vampire genre.

I know that Stephanie Meyer is overrated, I'm not arguing that fact. But, am I the only one in thinking it's fantastic she's made reading cool? How many people would not have found the world of fiction if it weren't for her books?

Call me shallow but I wouldn't mind selling that many books! Would you say no to being an author so well known? Quality not quantity yada yada yada (I can hear it now) LOL

Her raising the popularity of books is definitely a plus, and the money she's made isn't to be scoffed at. The sad reality is very few writers will ever see such mega-success. Envy must account for some of the griping. Not that I'm defending the books, I really think they suck, but I do appreciate that she's accomplished something.

Originally Posted by caelum

Her raising the popularity of books is definitely a plus, and the money she's made isn't to be scoffed at. The sad reality is very few writers will ever see such mega-success. Envy must account for some of the griping. Not that I'm defending the books, I really think they suck, but I do appreciate that she's accomplished something.

*Hi five* I really wasn't expecting that answer

Originally Posted by Cressida

As for Stephanie Meyer, I am still inclined to castigate her. Every time I teach The Solar System at Key Stage 3 I have to remonstrate with little girls mooning over Robert Pattinson pictures in the back of their planners. Grrr!

Oh my goodness! That WAS a joke. I can't believe that anyone actually took that seriously.

I took me a while to learn, there are no tonal expressions in written chat, unless you use a someone will always take it seriously.

Originally Posted by Olly Buckle

I took me a while to learn, there are no tonal expressions in written chat, unless you use a someone will always take it seriously.

Hey Olly. I quite understand. I know that youngsters use smileys all the time but being old, it does not come naturally. A bit like txt spk I think, I never quite manage that either.

Harry Turtledove. His older stuff is good but the bulk of his writing (i.e. most of Timeline-191) feels like he took a template and went through a grand rewording process to create "new" characters, plot, etc. Certainly not the "Master of Alternate History".

Tom Clancy. The invincible American warrior has lost his shine after Iraq and Afghanistan so what did Clancy do? He started re-inventing Jack Ryan un-credible CIA agent and going back of the tedious spy's back catalogue of cold war adventurers. Then the ultimate betrayal the FRANCHISE, all those awful techno-thrillers supposedly written by Clancy and a horde of assistants.

Stephaine Meyer, as most people said. But I think she didn't really mean to ruin the genre. Her books aren't really bad, I actually enjoyed them when I read them when they first came out. It's mainly the hype and the movies that ruined it. In the book, Bella actually had depth, especially in Breaking Dawn. But, seeing as how Kristen Stewart is the Keanu Reeves of a new generation...

You get the picture.

But not all young adult vampire books are pure evil. I really enjoy the House of Night series by P.C. Cast and Kristen Cast. It's not tragic vampire drivel. It a unique story (or at least it is in my opinion). It touches on Celtic mythology, vampirism as something you are born with, and two powers clashing with the fate of the world at stake. But even though not all new vampire books are hopeless, I'm still quite depressed that none of the tweens obsessed with Meyerpires have a clue who Lestat de Lioncourt and Anne Rice are...