Greatest Living Novelist

Who gets your vote?

Cormack McCarthy is very spotty in his work, but Blood Meridian is mind-bendingly brilliant, and most of his other work is on the positive side of "very good".

I have to say that JK Rowling is up there. She may not be the best writer but nobody can deny what she has inspired with Harry Potter.

Maybe just my bias, but I have a hard time placing a genre writer in that spot.

Actually I went back a reread Harry Potter, and the writing doesn't read as well to me the second time around..... maybe that is just me. Personally I like Stefan Petrucha's writing style

james patterson is one of the best mystery/suspense thriller writer in the business. he write characters you really care about. their stories are page turners, because they are sometimes better than watching tv or movies. most the better novelists i read, are dead. other novelists are living, that i like are: jack higgins is the best spy thriller writer in his field. clive clusser is great spy thriller writer. michael connelly is pretty good detective writer. occasionally, john grisham, he is a hit and miss author for me. i mean some of his books are great to read, some of them are really boring to read, bu good stories, in general. and the last and the best, one of the most enjoyable novelist to read, because of the humor and the craziness that she put her characters in. janet evanovich, and she is the best.

As I said, she's not the greatest writer, but I was talking purely on what Harry Potter has created. You look at the fan base and what has come from the books. Plus, the money she has earnt through it is damn impressive!

Stephen King.

For the sheer enormity of the recurring theme of the Crimson King and the beam throughout many of his works. The man is a mad genius.

Tolstoy

I think you could make a case for Roth. None of his books are as good as Blood Meridian, his average work is far better than anyone else living. And he's prolific, or was before he retired anyway.

Courtney Alison Moulton writes the series Angelfire. I can only read a small amount at a time because it's so intense.

Kilgore Trout