Overrated Authors?

[Fran]

I'm afraid this is probably not possible. If there are people who think a meat dress is awesome ... I expect the worse.

Me too. How very sad...

More to be pitied that laughed at .... IMO

[laci_baby]

True Fran.

[MatDatPhatKat]

I agree with Trinah. Dan Brown is nothing more than a journeyman who has been hyped to a position WAY above his station. Digital Fortress, for example, is just dire. Just Dire. Hats off to him though. I don't begrudge him his fortune at all. What I do object to, however, is the contention that his works are somehow special, or better. I fear that a new reader will beleive the hype, give him a go, conclude that The Da Vinci Code is as good as it gets, and then give up on reading again.
Guys - there's SO much that's SO MUCH BETTER out there!

[Margarita]

That must be one of the best selling authors right? Dan Brown is a good pick

[Gatsby'sGreenLight]

I'd say Dan Brown is overrated, over overrated even. He really isn't that great a writer.

I totally agree! I like his plot lines; you can't deny there is something compelling in his stories -that is why they are popular. But, his actual writing is not good. Full of cliched characters, simple sentences, overused metaphors... and yet I've read almost all of his books - certainly the Robert Langdon trilogy.

I would have the same argument/assessment of Stephanie Meyer. Terrible writer, but compelling storyline.

Overall, I truly do credit these authors and J.K. Rowling (whom I love) for getting more people to read. Anything that gets people to put down the remote and pick up a book is awesome in my mind!

And I agree that Hemingway (and Hawthorne) are much better at short fiction than longer novels. Stick to the shorts, and you'll discover some great writing you may have overlooked.

[Evapohler]

I just read through all of these posts, and I think this thread is a testament to the fact that different readers enjoy different things, and so one author can be like a god to one reader and a hacker to the next.

As a fledgling writer myself, this is good for me to remember: An author cannot please everyone.

[Scottaleger]

leonardo da vinci

[Fran]

leonardo da vinci

He was a bit 'up in the air' right enough

[Gannon]

leonardo da vinci

He was a bit 'up in the air' right enough

Yep, he did think that his ability was "Through the roof".

[Jesika]

Paulo Coelho is overrated a lot. He is very famous but this does not make him a good writer. I started reading Zahir and it was extremely simple and banal story. Ok, let's not judge people so harsh after only one book, but then i tried The Alchemist and it was the same predictable, lame story.

[Eric Tolevsky]

Steinbeck, Oscar Wilde. I am not saying that they are not good or even great writers, but yes they are overrated.

[ResearchScholar]

I just read through all of these posts, and I think this thread is a testament to the fact that different readers enjoy different things, and so one author can be like a god to one reader and a hacker to the next.

As a fledgling writer myself, this is good for me to remember: An author cannot please everyone.

Quite so. But sometimes the real intention is to provoke and to be controversial. That is how a readership is formed. Simply writing and studiously avoiding controversy may not lead to much. However, provoking and making people think may have better value.

[Bighuey]

One who I thought was overrated was J.S. Lefanu. His stories never did anything for me, they were kind of tame. In my opinion Algernon Blackwood and M.R. James wrote more chilling supernatural stories, also Edith Wharton and Arthur Machen wrote more realistic and believeable stories, that would leave you with a creepy feeling. James just didnt have that element of horror that some of the other authors from that era did.

[MatDatPhatKat]

James ellroy is a very overrated author. His stories aren't that bad in themselves. I just think his writing style is horrible. Way too much swearing and jumps in the plot. It get's very frustrasting and confusing to read and L.A confidential that could have been such an awesome book became a real pain rather than entertainment.

I agree that Ellroy's writing style is challenging, but the fact that I keep going back for more is a testament to the quality of his story-telling. I particularly like the Americal Underworld Trilogy (American Tabloid, The Cold Six Thousand, Blood's A Rover).

[wildriver]

Paulo Coelho is overrated a lot. He is very famous but this does not make him a good writer. I started reading Zahir and it was extremely simple and banal story. Ok, let's not judge people so harsh after only one book, but then i tried The Alchemist and it was the same predictable, lame story.

I agree with you. The Alchemist is marketed as the book that's gonna change your life, but there really was nothing much to it in the end. I've also read Eleven Minutes by Coelho, thought I'd give him a second chance, but again, really wasn't that impressed.