Top Ten Tuesday is a fun weekly task that currently resides at The Artsy Reader Girl and features bloggers creating and sharing lists on various book topics. For this week’s Top Ten Tuesday, participants are tasked with identifying their top ten favourite authors and then listing out which one of their books is the blogger’s favourite. This was a very interesting idea, and while I’ve previously highlighted some favourite books in a specific series, I’ve never tried to list my overall favourite authors and their top books.
This proved to be quite a difficult list to pull together, mainly because I had to spend a lot of time thinking about who my favourite authors are. While several writers were instant choices that I didn’t need to think too much about, the rest of my current favourites was a little harder to pin down. I was eventually able to whittle it down to my absolute favourite authors now (with a generous honourable mentions section), although it took some difficulty. It was quite interesting to consider how my favourites have changed over the last few years, and it wouldn’t surprise me if this changes dramatically the next time I try to list it out.
After working out my favourite authors, identifying my favourite book from them was an easier process, although I did have to do some deep thinking at times. It didn’t help that all these authors tend to have multiple epic novels to their name, all of which I’ve had an incredible time with. Stil, I gave it a try, and I think the final list is a pretty good representation of both my favourite authors and my favourite books from them. So let us see who made the cut.
Honourable Mentions:
Richard Osman – The Last Devil to Die
A brilliant and particularly heartbreaking entry in Richard Osman’s Thursday Murder Club series.
Michael Connelly – Fair Warning
I have the pleasure of reading several of Michael Connelly’s more recent books, and my favourite is the chilling Fair Warning, which combines a great mystery with warnings about companies owning a person’s DNA.
There are so many exceptional spy thrillers from Mark Greaney out there, but my favourite remains his original release, the over-the-top and addictive The Gray Man.
Adrian Tchaikovksy – Days of Shattered Faith
The consistently impressive and inventive Adrian Tchaikovsky had a range of awesome reads I could have featured here, but I had to go with his compelling and elaborate 2025 release, Days of Shattered Faith as my current favourite.
Top Ten List:
Terry Pratchett – Guards! Guards!
With a blog named after a location in his Discworld series, I doubt anyone is surprised that Terry Pratchett is one of my favourite authors. A master of humour, complex characters and elaborate worlds, Pratchett’s book are so damn good, and even after all these years I still get so much joy out of them. As such, Pratchett was an easy author for this list, although I had a lot of trouble deciding which of his books to feature here (I’ve previously done a whole list about my favourites). While books like Jingo, Small Gods and Witches Abroad were all strong contenders, in the end I had to go with the hilarious and clever Guards! Guards!. Not only was it a complex novel, perfectly combining a clever crime fiction narrative with amazing fantasy elements and some outstanding humour, but Guards! Guards! also serves as the first entry in Pratchett’s City Watch sub-series, and I have so much love for how he set up some other amazing reads here. An incredible book from my very favourite author, and a worthy start to this list.
Stan Sakai – Usagi Yojimbo: Volume 11: Seasons
For as long as I have been reviewing, I have been singing the praises of Stan Sakai, who remains one of my favourite comic book authors thanks to his Usagi Yojimbo series. I have had an incredible time reading the entire Usagi Yojimbo series multiple times over the years, but if I had to pick a favourite it would probably be the 11th volume Seasons. Not only does this volume feature one of the stories that first drew me to the Usagi Yojimbo series, but it also features several other captivating stories that showcase both Sakai’s great artwork, and his long-term writing and character creation. I particularly enjoy how he introduces various interesting figures and sets up multiple ongoing arcs in a series of fascinating shorter stories, and it was a real joy to see these play out in the next several volumes. As such, Seasons has a very special place in my heart, and it’s an excellent comic to feature here.
Few authors have kept me enthralled in recent years than the master of dark fiction, Jonathan Maberry. An author primarily focusing on horror and science fiction themed thrillers, Maberry has produced some outstanding novels over the years, and has branched out into several different genres, including fantasy (with Kagen the Damned), and pure science fiction (NecroTek). However, my favourite series is the amazing Joe Ledger books, which follows a highly damaged agent as he attempts to keep the word safe from all manner of advanced technology and weaponry. There are some amazing entries in the Joe Ledger series, however, my favourite is probably the sixth novel, Code Zero. Revisiting some of the worst weapons the protagonist has ever defeated and working against an enemy who knows all their secrets, Code Zero was an excellent read with some awesome intensity behind it.
After spending years getting through his iconic and impressive Dresden Files series, Jim Butcher now reigns as one of my all-time favourite fantasy authors, and I have so much love for his main body of work. Currently made up of 18 books, the Dresden Files follows Chicago’s only wizard as he tries to protect his city from various arcane threats. There are multiple incredible novels within this series, although if I had to pick a favourite, it would be Changes (only just beating out Skin Game). Changes is a standout entry in the series, especially as it completely alters much of the Dresden Files’ established status quo and pushes the protagonist to his very limits. If you’ve read this series, you know why this book is so significant, and the raw emotion, carnage and multiple dark twists, ensure that Changes remains Butcher’s very best book.
Matt Dinniman – The Butcher’s Masquerade
One of the more recent additions to my list of favourite authors is the very popular Matt Dinniman. An author who primarily specialises in LitRPG fiction, I became a mega-fan of Dinniman last year when I decided to try his acclaimed book Dungeon Crawler Carl, which then led to me reading the rest of the series. I honestly cannot remember becoming as obsessed with something as easily as I did with the Dungeon Crawler Carl books, as I absorbed all of them in record time. I’ve only just finished the recently released eighth book in the series, A Parade of Horribles, and this has reinforced Dinniman’s inclusion on this list. I did struggle to decide which of the Dungeon Crawler Carl novels to feature here, with the brutal sixth book The Eye of the Bedlam Bride, being a strong contender. However, in the end I decided that the epic fifth book, The Butcher’s Masquerade, was the entry I had to include as my favourite. Featuring some of the best combination of humour, tragedy and utter insanity that I have ever read in fiction, The Butcher’s Masquerade was an exceptional novel, that hits hard and refuses to let go. A truly epic novel that earns its spot on this list with very little trouble.
John Marsden – The Third Day the Frost
Going back to some childhood favourites, I’ve added the late Australian author John Marsden to this list, mainly because of his iconic Tomorrow series. One of the best pieces of Australian fiction ever written, the Tomorrow series is a powerful young adult series that follows several teenagers caught up in a sudden invasion of Australia. I have so much love for this series, and I’ve had the great pleasure of reading multiple times since I was a young teenager. All seven books in this series are good, but my favourite is The Third Day the Frost, which serves as the dramatic third entry. A powerful novel that sees the protagonists experience the horrors of war and learn to regret decision to fight like never before, The Third Day the Frost was Marsden’s most traumatic book, and it is a harrowing highlight amid the other exceptional entries.
R. A. Salvatore – Homeland
I’ve had the pleasure of reading books from many fantasy authors over the years, but one of the original authors who I became a fan of was the iconic R. A. Salvatore. One of the key contributors to the Forgotten Realms fantasy universe of Dungeons and Dragons, Salvatore has written so many books in this setting, as well as several outstanding series set in his own fantasy universe. I have had so much fun over the years reading his various novels, with the extremely long-running Legend of Drizzt books and his Cleric Quintet being a major favourite. Of these, the book I must highlight as my favourite is the 1990 release, Homeland. A compelling read that serves as a prequel to Salvatore’s original Icewind Dale trilogy, Homeland follows the origins of Salvatore’s most iconic character, Drizzt Do’Urden, and his earlier years surviving amongst his brutal kind. A complex novel that provides some chilling insights into the subterranean dark elves know as drow, Homeland is an outstanding read that provides an extreme version of nature vs nurture. A very easy choice to include on this list.
Simon Scarrow – Under the Eagle
I’ve always been a fan of historical fiction, and my favourite author of the genre is Simon Scarrow. I have been a fan of Scarrow since I started reading historical fiction, with his long-running Eagles of the Empire series being a major factor in this. Following two Roman soldiers as they try to survive the various battlefields and politics of the empire’s peak, the Eagles of the Empire books have always been must-reads for me, and I am still a fan to this day (check out my review for the latest entry, Tyrant of Rome). There are way too many books in this series to have a definitive favourite, but I think I’m going to go with Scarrow’s very first book, Under the Eagle. Serving as an excellent introduction to the main characters as they prepare to invade Britannia, Under the Eagle sets up the rest of the series perfectly and was an excellent initial entry. A very impressive first novel that the series keeps coming back to, Under the Eagle was an amazing read that has had me hooked for so very long.
Joe Abercrombie – The Trouble With Peace
I had to include Joe Abercrombie on this list, as the master of grimdark fantasy fiction has consistently impressed with his powerful plots and delightfully flawed characters. His books, from the First Law series, all the way to last year’s entertaining gore-fest, The Devils, have all been quite incredible and addictive. However, if I had to choose a favourite, I’d have to go with The Trouble With Peace. The second book in Abercrombie’s Age of Madness trilogy, The Trouble With Peace narrowly edges out the trauma of excellent third novel, The Wisdom of Crowds, thanks to its concise story and powerful battle sequences. I also love how it turns the previous novel’s seemingly foppish protagonist into an extremely likeable leading man, while the supposedly heroic young star of the preceding A Little Hatred, is effortlessly morphed into a selfish heel. An incredible read from one of dark fantasy’s absolute best authors and a fantastic inclusion for this list.
Dan Abnett – Warhammer 40,000: Double Eagle
The final person I want to feature on this list is Dan Abnett, who was an automatic inclusion here for being my favourite author of Warhammer fiction. An intense author who always tries to showcase the average human perspective of the over-the-top Warhammer universe, Abnett has written some truly amazing novels over the years, many of which are among my favourite Warhammer 40,000 entries. However, my favourite is probably his classic novel, Double Eagle, which follows a group of fighter pilots battling for survival above a bloody warzone. Featuring some of the very best aerial combat sequences you are ever going to read, Double Eagle was an ultra-addictive masterpiece, that I couldn’t stop listening to. A highly recommended and action-packed read that perfectly wraps up this list.
Whew, well that was a far more extensive Top Ten list than I intended, although I’m happy with the result. The above really are some of my very favourite books from some of my favourite authors, and I love every single one of them. All the above come very highly recommended, and there is a good chance you will start a new obsession the moment you start to explore them, so good luck. Make sure to also let me know your absolute favourite books and authors in the comments below.
