Authors I've recommended and Why

A deviation on the challenge. Instead of books I've recommended I'm going with authors. The authors I recommend have many books that deserve to be read.

• Andre Norton: The woman who dreamt up science fiction as we know it. With her you'll find the roots of space portals, galactic empires and much more.
• Isaac Asimov: You name it he wrote it. Science Fiction, science, history, religion, essays, has his own magazine.
• Anne McCaffrey: Dragon Riders series,  Harpers of Pern series, The Ship Who Sang series about a cyborg ship, The Crystal Singer series and more. You can get lost in her fantasy worlds for a lifetime.
• James A. Michener: This man wrote his heart out. The Source is one of the most influential books of all time. Centennial about Colorado, Alaska, Texas, Chesapeake, are good straight up histories. The Drifters is about hippies in the 60's. Anthem is about a senior citizens home.
• Colleen McCullough: Known for The Thorn Birds and Tim, but her First Man in Rome series, which I have all of them in hard back, have influenced me as a writer more than any other author.
• Barry Sadler: The first 22 books of Casca the Eternal Mercenary series are under his name, most ghost written. He also has Morituri about gladiators in Rome, and modern day mercenaries based on his life: The Shooter, Phu Nham, Razor, Cry Havoc. When teaching 7th and 8th grade English there wasn't much for boys to read. All young adult fiction is purposely designed for girls. I tried to get boys to read Edgar Allan Poe, the vocabulary was too high for them. I tried Micky Spillane, I the Jury bored them. Then I came across Casca. This is when the first came out. I read to the class Eternal Mercenary (cleaning it up a bit) and I got the boys reading. I scoured used book stores and picked them up. When it was Sustained Silent Reading time they were reading instead of sleeping.
• James Clavell: King Rat, Shogun, Noble House, you want to learn about describing characters and what they are thinking study these books. It's amazing how he understand the Asiatic mind and culture, none of which translates on film.
• Tom Clancy: Action adventure writing at the highest level. My wife has made me watch Hunt for Red October a million times. I prefer the book it doesn't have the stupid exec wanting to raise rabbits.
• Eric Van Lustbader: Into martial arts his Ninja series will be right up your alley. He has science fiction, and has picked the mantle on the Borne series.
• Berthold Gambrel: Here is an up and coming author growing with each book and I've reviewed them. From The Start of the Majestic World to his latest Vespasian Moon's  Autumn Carnival he holds your attention. Here's an artist in need of encouragement and support.
•  Audrey Driscoll: She has a Herbert West series fashioned in the style of H.P. Lovecraft and a nice stand alone book She Who Comes Forth set in turn of the century Egypt. I've reviewed a few of them.
• Dr. Irene Blea: A good friend and in a writers group together. She has a trilogy starting with Suzanna, based on her Aunt's life story about a girl in New Mexico early 1920's forced to be married at age 13 to an older man. the next two books recount her life after she leaves her husband.  Daughters of the West Mesa I've reviewed and recommended on TTT and this challenge. She writes about a mother worried that her daughter is one of seven women and a fetus buried on the mesa behind her house. It's based on what happened a decade ago and the murders are unsolved. She became quite close to the mothers of these victims and it is their tale. On Amazon you'll find these books and also her college textbooks on Chicana studies and feminism. Unfortunately they're all in paper back or hard back her publisher is not converting them to e-books.