Bonus points for any books you believe are classics from that time period. Any language, but only fiction please.
I’m really excited to see what Lemmy has.
Henning Mankell for a bit of Scandi crime
And I don’t see anyone mentioning Doug Adams !?
To add one I haven’t seen: Jane Smiley. I really enjoyed The Greenlanders, A Thousand Acres and Horse Heaven.
David Mitchell
Nick Hornby
Alan Dean Foster
Second to David Mitchell. Bone Clocks was amazing
The comedian?
I just thought of another: Bernard Cornwell. His novel series (Sharpe, The Last Kingdom, etc) are phenomenal historical fiction.
Andy Weir -from a not too avid reader
Three names that jump to mind immediately
Octavia E. Butler
Ursula K. Le Guin
Gabriel García Márquez
Le Guin and García Márquez probably had well-known works a bit earlier than 1970 though, maybe 1960ish.
I appreciate you naming more than one female author!
Terry Pratchett.
Agreed, I’m most of the way through The Colour of Magic and I can’t remember the last time I was reading something where at times I have to stop and fully comprehend what I just read because it was so dang well written that I have to go back and read it again immediately.
That will never end. Every re-read for me is fantastic.
And you’re on one his weaker books! 🫣
https://www.lspace.org/books/apf/index.html
This link has always been helpful for explaining his books.
I am on 12 of 42 or however many he wrote, but damn it if his little quips aren’t masteries of word play. So far Sorcery, Wyrd Sisters, and Mort are my favorites.
I tell people it’s like living in a Monty Python universe with a dash of magic.
I’m more of a fan of his later works myself. It trades some silliness for depth as time goes on. And I really loved Susan who you haven’t met yet
My favourite has always been the Colour of Magic, but along with that, I enjoyed reading Guards! Guards! to my children just as much.
Be sure to include The Amazing Maurice and Equal Rites and the Tiffany books as well; the only thing YA about them is the ages of their protagonists.
Equal Rites was great! I think that was my first introduction to Granny but I wished there was a sequel.
There kinda is. Esk shows up in I Shall Wear Midnight. Tiffany resolves a lot of the threads left by the witches
Tom Robbins and Tim O’Brien
Ray Bradbury. All his books are amazing.
Bah, I don’t feel like reading? He wrote tons of short stories.
first well known work after 1970
The Martian Chronicles was published in 1950, Fahrenheit 453 in 1953
I actually didn’t check that. I would have sworn early 70s.
Turns out I am thinking Bradbury Theater
Cory Doctorow and I suggest reading Walkaway. I found it transformative.
Little Brother too, very good.
Sarah Waters
David Foster Wallace
Stephen King
Haruki Murakami
Kurt Vonnegut
Toni Morrison
Just a few names that popped into my head
Edit: some of these are based on popular opinions. For example, I never really got into Toni Morrison
Love DFW
I’m happy to see someone else mention Murakami.
I went on tear in university—a long time ago now—reading everything that had been translated to English by then. And, while they had the most bizarro plots, I found them to be the most compelling reads, wanting to read more and more, until I ran out of things to read.
He definitely deserves a place on this list.
Vonnegut is wonderful but his first book is 1950s and his greatest success is likely the 1960s. Question asked post 1970.
Yeah, I knew he started in the 50s. But you’re right, I looked it up and some of his notable stuff was earlier than I thought
He died in 1982 but his works are hugely influential:
Philip K Dick.Neil Gaiman
Ken Follet: Pillars of the Earth. Historical fiction. You’re transported back to the 1200s. Cathedral building with raunchy politics, a bit of HBO Game of Thrones mixed in. It was extremely visual… and fondly memorable for me.
Not to mention the two sequels World without End and A Column of Fire, set in the 1400s and 1600s, respectively, and the prequel Kingsbridge set around the year 1000.
Then there’s the century trilogy which takes place in the 20th century, and a whole lot of smaller works like A Dangerous Fortune, which manages to make you care for some bankers in 19th century London.
