QTL Universal Authors

There is a collection of authors that we here at the Quill To Live would consider our ride or dies. These are the authors that we keep tabs on because we don’t consider if we will read their latest book, it’s only a matter of when. In our continued celebration of QTL’s 10th anniversary, here is a list of our most beloved authors whose impressive book catalog almost always gets shelved as a favorite among QTL members.

Adrian Tchaikovsky (6/7 QTL members approve) – Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky, Tchaikovsky, what would I do without you? He writes so many books these days it’s hard to keep up, but that doesn’t stop me from trying. He only gets better as time goes on, honing his already sharp skills into a scalpel-like efficiency. You want themes based around our relationship to the natural world in both fantasy and science fiction contexts? He’s got it. You want big ideas smashing together with small people afraid of their lack of power? That’s Tchaikovsky’s bag, baby. Something I’ve come to appreciate about Tchaikovsky after reading so many of his books is his endless curiosity, exploring similar themes in different ways, iterating on them without negating his previous explorations. And almost every single time, they are both fun and weird. It’s that perfect mix of you know you’re going to get quality, but how he reaches it is anyone’s guess. 

Becky Chambers (5/7 QTL members approve) – Many dub the unique Chambers corner of the SFF universe “Hopepunk,” but we think that’s a bit reductive. There’s plenty of hope and optimism in the Becky Chambers pantheon, but she also builds intricate worlds with complex characters, various races, and tough challenges. Whether those challenges are on the intergalactic scale or a hyperpersonal level, Chambers delivers. We flock to Chambers not for her driving plots but for her slice-of-life sci-fi that grapples with real emotions and big questions. Wayfarers is a perfect place to start for the Chambers-curious, but you can’t go wrong with Monk & Robot, either.

Brandon Sanderson (6/7 QTL members approve) – Sanderson is popular for myriad reasons, most notably his prolific output. Few authors can churn out big fantasy books at the rate Sanderson can while also keeping their quality as high as it is. Sanderson’s books are renowned for their intricate magic systems, stunning interconnectivity (in the case of the Cosmere), and incredible character development. Sanderson will give you a warrior battling with inner demons, a religious leader having a crisis of faith, a god reckoning with their place in the universe, and a scientist making unprecedented discoveries while trapped by the enemy, all in the same book. Sanderson stories move along briskly, but they’re best known for the “Sanderlanche,” a momentous crescendo to cap off each book with an epic climax.

 Guy Gavriel Kay (7/7 QTL members approve) – Guy Gavriel Kay is an author who is adored and talked about frequently among QTL members. This sentiment is further proven by our enthusiastic recommendations for everything he has written over the years. Kay is a brilliant writer who first flexed his abilities in the classic fantasy realm with The Fionavar Tapestry series before stunning us with several masterful historical fiction novels that are lovingly created and lightly sprinkled with the fantastical. We especially love Kay’s astounding ability to convey the human condition by building complex worlds through the eyes of the people adjacent to its powerful forces. These historical fantasy masterpieces always feature incredible characters that are believable and compelling. Kay will move you through points in history, but root you in the lives of people during these moments in time with a poignancy that makes even the simplest of character interactions leave a lasting impact.

Joe Abercrombie (6/7 QTL members approve) – It is often said, here and elsewhere, that nobody does character quite like Abercrombie, and I have still yet to encounter a real challenger. His worlds are gritty and mean, giving his characters a substrate to really grow into. Abercrombie’s prose conducts the dance between his characters, plot, themes, and world-building with a deft hand. There is a pace to his books that reminds the reader that they are reading through the characters and that they may be lying to you. Abercrombie loves to tell you exactly what he’s going to do right as he’s doing it. His work is filled with twists, but none of them ever feel cheap or unearned. He writes like a stage magician, only using a little sleight of hand to appear to be doing magic. But what makes it all work is that there is still a lot of heart to be found within his avalanche of tragedy, and that’s why I keep coming back. Characters of every kind are a universally loved element by all of us reviewers. (Photo Credit: Lou Abercrombie)

K.J. Parker (Tom Holt) (4/7 QTL members approve) – K.J. Parker is admittedly a bit of an edge case for us, as there are a huge number of his books that we haven’t read yet. He has well over 100 books at this point, and since we have only read about 20, it might be presumptuous to include him on this list. However, many of us are 20 books into his bibliography and are still waiting on a miss. Parker’s signature style is a pessimistic wit that details how things are always going to get worse. He has an extremely distinct and clear authorial voice, and he uses it to make dry, humorous commentary on the societies in his books. He loves stories that come back to where they started, twists that he has telegraphed since page one, and characters that are always better than they proclaim to be. Parker is a master of both long-form and short-form novels, and we look forward to continuing to work through the rest of his catalog. (Photo Credit: Charlie Hopkinson)

Lois McMaster Bujold (4/7 QTL members approve) – Bujold is an interesting QTL top author because half of us are familiar with her through her work in Science Fiction (Vorkosigan), and the other half of us know her from her fantasy series (World of the Five Gods). Despite starting at different parts of her writing career, all of us love her. Bujold is a master of the pulpy, rich, and expansive style of writing that pervaded the 80s and 90s, but she also happened to be thematically and socially way ahead of her time. Reading Bujold’s stories somehow feels both like a nostalgia trip and like you are looking at a social time traveler who has been displaced from the future. Her characters are phenomenal, and her male characters often struggle against patriarchy and grow to incorporate feminism into their ideals. Growth is one of Bujold’s keystone characteristics in all her books, and there are few authors that can show you the evolution of a character like she can. (Photo Credit: © 2005 by Carol Collins)

Nghi Vo (4/7 QTL members approve) – Nghi Vo consistently enchants us with her strong voice, powerful themes, and beautiful prose. Her novella series, The Singing Hills Cycle, is always at the top of our recommendation lists, especially for those new to short-form SFF. Vo is the queen of captivating short-form content, with poignant novellas that deliver time and time again on complicated themes. Her full-length novels, The Chosen and the Beautiful and Siren Queen, are delectable and dreamy works of art that are enchanting yet tinged with uneasiness. The longer page count always manages to pull you into its feverish dream before it shatters and makes the real world feel plain and dull. Nghi Vo is an exceptional writer who demonstrates an incredible talent for world-building and storytelling, regardless of the allotted space.

Robert Jackson Bennett (6/7 QTL members approve) – Robert Jackson Bennett writes books with intense and incredible pacing. When you sign up for a Bennett book, you’re essentially agreeing to board a roller coaster for 300 to 600 pages. The roller coaster will make you laugh, cry, and scream in terror, sometimes all at once. Bennett also has a penchant for delectable mysteries with fantastic twists, as evidenced by his latest series, Shadow of the Leviathan. He also has a unique ability to blend horror elements into his fantasy that gives all of his stories an atmosphere that feels tactile and all-consuming. Many of Bennett’s characters live in our head rent-free, and that’s just fine with us. Sigrud deserves to be up there in our collective noggin. No matter what the subject matter of his story, the QTL feels safe in assuming it is going to have powerful messaging and feel extremely relevant to current social issues we are all dealing with. Every Bennett novel we’ve reviewed has earned high marks, and we don’t think his bar for quality will drop any time soon. 

Sebastien de Castell (6/7 QTL members approve) – de Castell is a magical author who makes it hard not to get excited about anything he puts out. His swashbuckling authorial voice has an ability to draw you in and keep you engaged no matter the subject matter of his latest book. The thing that makes him a QTL universal author is that you can always depend on him being funny and entertaining. I think the site reviewers vary on how compelling they find his characters and themes, but we all simply find his style charming and fun. Even when his books aren’t perfect, his dialogue will keep you on the edge of your seat. de Castell has two major series at the moment (The Greatcoats and Spellslinger) and just started two big new projects (The Malevolent Seven and Court of Shadows). We have read almost his entire catalog and blanket recommend the entire thing.