Top Ten Tuesday - Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition

Top Ten Tuesday is hosted at The Broke and the Bookish.

This week's topic is Top Ten Authors Who Deserve More Recognition.

Great topic!  In a literary world where sometimes it seems like certain authors deserve less recognition, let's give some attention to the other side.  I can think of a number of writers (and books) that have, for some inexplicable reason, flown under the radar or not gotten quite as much attention as they should have.  Here are some authors you might want to check out, if you haven't already done so (the authors' names link to their official sites):

10. Isaac Marion - I just read Warm Bodies a few days ago.  How annoyed was I to find that the author hasn't written anything else yet (well, except for a prequel that doesn't appear to be available in Canada)?  The writing and characterization made me fall in love with this zombie novel (heh... never thought I'd use the words "love" and "zombie novel" in the same sentence).  The author is working on a sequel, so there's more to look forward to.  I'd also like to see what else he could do with different characters and stories.  I put Marion on this list because I haven't seen a ton of reviews of his one-and-only book.  The movie may have gotten more hype, but the book is definitely worth a read, too.

9. Edward Eager - This author has no official website (he died before the Internet was born), but his books were recently reprinted and are still available to buy.  I'd never heard of this author before I stumbled across his books in the children's section of our local library a few years back.  I have no idea why they haven't gotten more attention, as they fit in nicely with the contemporary fantasy trend for young readers.  While there are some bits that might seem a bit dated (and sexist), for the most part, these books are lots of fun and offer up some imaginative ideas.  My favourite book of his is probably Half Magic.

8. Michelle Magorian - If you haven't read her most famous book, Goodnight Mister Tom, then you might not even recognize this author's name... and that's a shame, because in addition to that classic, she's also written a number of highly enjoyable historical novels that take place during World War II.

7. Kit Pearson - I'll admit that I haven't read any of this author's books in a while, but she's still writing, and if her new stuff is as good as her old stuff, I don't know why she isn't a lot more popular.  I read the Guests of War trilogy, as well as Awake and Dreaming and A Handful of Time, and really enjoyed all of them.  I think some of these books might be more middle grade than young adult, which might explain why they aren't more popular (it seems that YA gets more attention than MG these days).

6. Charles de Lint - I rarely (if ever) see any reviews for this author's books, despite the fact that he has written a number of highly enjoyable fantasy novels (including a few directed at the YA market).  He's Canadian (which may have something to do with it), but he's also been around for years and has a pretty impressive bibliography.  Celtic and Native American mythologies are the main foci in his stories, which usually include some fantasy element.  My personal recommendations would be Trader, Yarrow, and The Blue Girl.

5. Diana Wynne Jones - This is the author of Howl's Moving Castle.  She's also written many other fantasy novels for the middle grade and young adult crowds.  Sadly, Jones died in 2011... but she left us with an impressive body of work.  I find her books to be highly underrated, especially when so many of them deal with today's popular themes (e.g., a fairy tale retelling in Fire and Hemlock; witches and wizards in Howl's Moving Castle; mythology in Eight Days of Luke and The Game).

4. Gail Carson Levine - This author gave us the popular Ella Enchanted, and yet many may not even recognize her name.  She's written quite a few fantasy stories in the fairy tale vein, sometimes as retellings and sometimes as original stories.  I've read five of her novels in the past few years, and enjoyed every one of them.  The Two Princesses of Bamarre is my favourite of hers; it's not as well known as Ella Enchanted, but I actually enjoyed it more.

3. Antonia Michaelis - This German author is the wordsmith behind Tiger Moon, one of my all-time favourite stand-alone novels.  She has written other things (though I've not gotten around to reading any of them yet).  I loved the story and writing in Tiger Moon (even though it was a translation from the German, it didn't read like it), and I thought about the characters for a long time after I'd finished it.  It seems that not many people have heard of Tiger Moon (or its author), which is a shame.  It's something a bit different in today's young adult scene, a historical fantasy with beautiful writing and unforgettable characters.

2. Alison Baird - This Canadian author has written quite a number of books.  I've only read four of her young adult titles, but I loved them all.  My review for The Hidden World on Amazon was one of the first five-star reviews I ever wrote.  And the Willowmere Chronicles has got to be one of my favourite YA series of all time.  With the current interest in all things paranormal, I have no idea why this series that involves witches and reincarnation hasn't become more popular.  Maybe it has to do with the fact that the books aren't that easy to find.

1. Laura Whitcomb - Under the Light came out in May, and while it generated a bit of buzz (mostly from people who enjoyed A Certain Slant of Light), it didn't get the kind of attention you'd expect for an author who's written a small handful of young adult novels with absolutely gorgeous prose.  While The Fetch didn't win me over story-wise, it still had the same beautiful writing I've come to expect from this author.  I hope she keeps writing; I'd love to keep reading!