Top Ten Tuesday #13: Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

Top Ten Tuesday is an original feature/weekly meme created at The Broke and the Bookish.





This is a fun topic - a lot of the authors I mention in my TTT are well-known and loved - your J.K. Rowlings, your Melina Marchettas. So I sat back and had a good long think over authors I think should see more attention.

YA Authors:

1. Hilary T. Smith

Notable works: Wild Awake - 494 ratings - 136 reviews

Smith has only one published novel, but that novel is simply amazing. Don't take just my word for it though. There was some buzz around her and the book before it came out, but I would love for this to find a wider audience and more recognition. Wild Awake is beautiful and thoughtful, wild and grief-stricken.

2. Tom Pollock

Notable works: The City's Son (my review) - 398 ratings - 135 reviews, and the forthcoming sequel The Glass Republic

This book is weird. It is not for everyone. But it is so creative and fresh and just plain interesting I do not understand how it (and this author!) have been so largely ignored. The US cover isn't doing it any favors, but this unique urban fantasy brings new meaning to the idea of place-as-character.

3. Haley Tanner

Notable works: Vaclav and Lena - (my review) - 2,606 ratings - 594 reviews

This book is both charming and heartbreakingly sad. It's a look at immigrants, abuse, love, and family. A debut novel, Tanner's first effort is impressive and NONE of my goodreads friends have read or reviewed it. It's short and a wider interest is more than merited.

4. Franny Billingsley

Notable works: Chime - 5,999 ratings - 1,566 reviews

Though Chime hasn't been ignored, it hasn't garnered nearly the attention it deserves. A year after reading it, I can still remember key sentences and passages that just moved me, or were bursting with imagery. Billingsley has a unique way with words and if more of my friends would try this weirdly lovely novel, I would be excited beyond all meaure.

5. Zoe Marriott

Notable works: Shadows on the Moon - 1,174 ratings - 300 reviews; The Swan Kingdom - 2,217 ratings - 262 reviews

Though the Japanese retelling of Cinderella, Shadows on the Moon, had some hype and buzz, I haven't seen the love for it. It's harsh and imperfect, but that novel is just plain amazing. The Swan Kingdom is a weaker effort - that has more ratings at least - but still deserves attention. Especially for fans of fairytales looking for new interpretations.

Non YA Authors:

6. Karen Miller

Notable works: Kingmaker, Kingbreaker series, and the Godspeaker Trilogy (book one, Empress - 2,492 ratings - 308 reviews)

I don't know how this author doesn't have a bigger following. Her fantasy is creative, she uses well-written characters - and a lot of them are strong, empowered women. In a genre where female authors are largely overlooked for their male counterparts, she can more than hold her own.

7. Kate Forsyth

Notable works: Bitter Greens (my review) - 369 ratings - 118 reviews; The Wild Girl - 143 ratings - 55 reviews

Impressive, sprawling, detailed, with Bitter Greens Kate Forsyth proved what a talented author she is. Her books can be hard to come by, which I am sure is part of the reason her latest hasn't been widely read. Her character are rich, her storytelling unparalleled, and her writing evoactive. It may take more time and money to get a copy, but it is more than worth it.

8. Maurice Druon

Notable works: The Accursed Kings series - book one The Iron King (my review) - 2,046 ratings - 169 reviews

This is an older series, currently being republished for a newer audience. A historical fiction writer, Druon's epic story of the Hundred Years War would go on to inspire non other than George R. R. Martin. The parallels are abundant, but Druon's original should be read by all ASOIAF fans.

9. Kate Elliott

Notable works: The Spiritwalker series- book one Cold Magic - 2,928 ratings - 508 reviews

I was nervous going into Cold Magic, as I didn't have the best history with the author's earlier published and more known series, Crown of Stars. However, all the attention that series has received should be redirected to this "Afro/Celtic alternative history ice-punk" series. This fantasy is so well-written and vividly imagined it is incredibly impressive.

10. Susanna Kearsley 

Notable works: Mariana (my review) - 5,693 ratings - 840 reviews; The Shadowy Horses (my review) 3,903 ratings - 631 reviews; The Firebird - 1,329 ratings - 348 reviews

Susanna Kearsley does have a bit of a following, but I would like to see my friends interested in historical fiction give her a chance. Her novels are engrossing, detailed, and full of some of the best romances I've read.