This is my running list of authors and artists who inspire my literary pursuits. It is not intended to be ranked in any particular way. If you haven’t experienced the work of someone on this list, I suggest you seek it out as soon as you leave my site.
Bill Watterson, author of Calvin and Hobbes
Watterson’s comic strip about an imaginative six-year-old boy and his tiger grabbed my attention at an early age. As I grew older, I developed a deeper understanding and appreciation for the lessons and perspectives the strip explored. “The Calvin and Hobbes Tenth Anniversary Book” particularly opened my eyes to the importance of imagination and creative integrity. Watterson’s commitment to his creation was evident in his passion for his artistic style and his desire to protect his characters. Watterson fought for better formats in Sunday newspapers for his comics. For nearly half the time during the syndication of Calvin and Hobbes, Watterson also pushed back against constant pressure to license, or merchandise, the strip. He explained that seeing his characters on coffee mugs and calendars would cheapen his creation and ruin the integrity of his characters. Watterson also managed to do what few artists have, which is quit while he was ahead. Some of the last strips he did are comparable to his early cartoons. Ultimately, his skill with drawing was matched only by his command of words and both came together to create one of the most endearing, hilarious, and authentic comic strips to ever occupy the funny pages.
J.R.R Tolkien, author of The Lord of the Rings and The Hobbit
I remember listening to my father read The Hobbit to me as a bedtime story years ago. My fascination with Middle-Earth began then and flourished when I read The Lord of the Rings when I grew older. There’s no question Tolkien has inspired generations of writers in a number of different genres. Besides the story of the ring itself, I admire Tolkien’s attention to the detail and scope of his creation. The world he invented extended far beyond a setting for a several books. Lord of the Rings is merely part of the larger historical tapestry of Middle-Earth. All the stories set in this world carry a certain credibility because you know the world exists outside of what you’re reading. Tolkien devoted his life to his craft and it shows to this day. Few stories match the scale and complexity of Middle-Earth.
Iron Maiden, my favorite band
Iron Maiden has been a constant musical and creative icon since I first heard them when I was eleven. In addition to playing my drums along with their songs, I continue to marvel at Maiden’s intricate and compelling lyrics. They often explore world history, wars, poetry, and other elements of the human condition. In my view, there are few musicians that match the complexity of Maiden’s music and lyrics, especially considering the longevity of the band. They’ve been together for nearly forty years and have produced fifteen studio albums.
The presentation of the lyrics is just as varied as the song topics. Nearly every album contains a track written from the perspective of a person in a particular role. “Aces High,” for example, is told from the point of view of a British fighter pilot during World War II. Other Maiden songs written in this fashion include “The Trooper,” “The Prisoner,” “Journeyman,” and “The Fugitive.” (These songs all have excellent lyrics and I recommend looking them up, by the way). The narrative structure of these songs never fails to command my attention.
Other songs simply tell a rich story of a battle or rework poetry, fiction, or history into lyrics that create pictures in my mind as I listen to them. Respectively, some example are “Paschendale,” “The Rime of the Ancient Mariner,” “Lord of the Flies,” and “Alexander the Great.”
Ultimately, I admire Maiden for the way they pursue and produce their music. It is just about as ideal as it can get. The way the band members talk about Maiden now makes it sound like they all get together when they wish, write and record an album, and go on several trips around the world promoting it. Record sales and chart positions are irrelevant. In a manner similar to Bill Watterson, Maiden have prioritized protecting their creation above all else. They make music that they like and, fortunately for them, millions of other people happen to like it, too, and I’m proud to say I’m one of them. Also check out the lyrics/performances of “Hallowed Be Thy Name” online.
The Simpsons, my favorite TV show
Though I’ve never conducted a strict analysis, I believe an alarming percentage of my daily speech is composed of quotes from “The Simpsons.” Whatever you believe about the show, especially regarding early versus recent seasons, “The Simpsons” has an impressive legacy in the world of TV. It has influenced a number of other TV programs and cartoons. This is especially interesting since many of the jokes on “The Simpsons” directly reference pop culture and what is going in the real world.
It’s entertaining to consider the never-ending feedback loop “The Simpsons” has created. It inspires more creativity and the show pokes fun at that creativity at the creator’s expense. Brilliant.
I started quoting “The Simpsons” as soon as I started watching them. At first, it was just to get laughs, like when I used to quote Calvin and Hobbes in a similar manner. As time went on, it became like something of a game. How often could I respond to someone’s question or request with a line from “The Simpsons” that made sense in context? Eventually, context didn’t matter because I enjoyed relating to people by telling them the source of my reply.
I love thinking about the process the writers of “The Simpsons” experience. I love the results even more. Despite the countless stories the characters have told over the years, they maintain their integrity. They are who they are. Sometimes they bend to suit the story, but more often the story accommodates the characters.
One of the most important qualities I admire about “The Simpsons” is their broad and enduring appeal. The humor can be sophisticated, slapstick, or satirical and it makes sense in the world of the show. It also offers plenty of opportunities to catch references or material viewers may have missed when they were younger or were unfamiliar with some aspect of culture. I liken the experience to re-watching movies you watched as a kid and picking up on more mature themes that, as a child, didn’t interest you or that went unnoticed.
This sort of deeper discovery makes “The Simpsons” fun to watch. I see new material in episodes I’ve seen before and it fuels my appreciation for the show. Plus, repetition helps me memorize the best quotes for future use.
Philip Pullman, author of His Dark Materials trilogy
I easily fell into the world of His Dark Materials the first time I read it. The setting is both compelling and accessible. The significance of Dust is planted early on and remains throughout the story. The first sentence of The Golden Compass introduced me to the dæmon. Pullman himself admitted the use of dæmons is one of the best ideas he ever had as a writer.
A simple definition for a dæmon might be a person’s soul in animal form that travels by the side of their human counterpart. The two can talk and interact with each other and the surrounding world. Some of the most endearing parts of the whole trilogy are when a person and their dæmon communicate. Rather than being referenced as a voice in the head of the person, inner thoughts actually become dialogue.
The character development featured in His Dark Materials is one of the strongest parts of the series. Some people appear as heroes at first and later act like villains and vice versa. Even the nonhuman characters are finely balanced—they speak like people but retain their animal instincts and wisdom.
Another of my favorite aspects of the series is its exploration of multiple worlds. The first book, in fact, begins in one world and the second book begins in another. As the story progresses, characters discover they can travel between worlds. Unfortunately, they don’t find out doing so carries grave consequences until much later.
If you saw the movie adaptation of the first book and haven’t read The Golden Compass (Northern Lights for U.K. folks) I highly recommend going the book route. Where else will you find witches, angels, dæmons, armored bears, an aeronaut, and Spectres in one fantastic story?
Robert Heinlein, author of Stranger in a Strange Land
This book introduced me the science fiction genre. A song with the same name by Iron Maiden led me to Robert Heinlein’s work. Once I started reading Stranger in a Strange Land, I couldn’t put it down.
Published in 1961, the novel centers on Valentine Michael Smith, the only survivor of a failed human colony established on Mars. When a rescue mission brings him back to Earth, it becomes apparent that Smith was born on Mars and raised by Martians. The concept may seem cliché now (how many stories are out there where Martians come to Earth from Mars?), but Heinlein’s attention to detail drives the story beyond any typical sci-fi adventure.
When the protagonists in Stranger in a Strange Land realize that Smith could be considered the heir to the entire planet of Mars, myriad consequences accompany the idea. The discussions of the social, political, and financial ramifications, not to mention fears for Smith’s life, fit seamlessly into the story. Bursts of detailed description build the futuristic world into a dynamic and rich setting.
Heinlein presents this intricate tale with coherence and simplicity that continues to astound me. When creating a world vastly different from our own, it can become tedious to describe it without burdening the story. Stranger in a Strange Land always gives just enough information about the setting to picture it. As Smith adjusts to Earth, he adopts cultural habits of earthlings and bends them to fit his own desires. He also introduces some of his own customs such as “water sharing” and “grokking.” Whenever I hear the term sci-fi, I think of Stranger in a Strange Land.
Joss Whedon, creator of “Firefly”
“Firefly” was a major motivator for me to start writing sci-fi. The show appeared in fall 2002, but after just eleven of fourteen episodes aired, it was canceled. Despite its short lifespan, “Firefly” attracted an impressive fan base that led to equally impressive DVD sales of the one and only season. The overwhelming support from fans gave Joss Whedon leverage to make a film called “Serenity” that continued the story from “Firefly.”
The show itself was named for the “firefly-class” spaceship called Serenity. “Firefly” is set five hundred years in the future, but except for space travel and a fancy gun or chandelier here and there, not much has changed from life today, especially on more poverty-stricken planets.
Something I admire about Whedon is how he tells stories. In the case of “Firefly,” he merely tweaks our current reality, drawing on old western tales and adding updated technology. The characters on Serenity, five crew and four passengers, however, are faced with highly-relatable problems.
Even thinking about the show now, it’s hard to acknowledge the separation of crew and passengers because they all seem like part of ship by the end of season. Everyone makes their own contributions to keep Serenity flying. The best way to stock more fuel cells is to transport goods, legitimate and otherwise. Executing these jobs is not as simple it seems and one job often fills an entire episode.
The way each character speaks is very distinct, too. After watching a few episodes, you could read lines from any point in the season and make a good guess about who says them. And as much as I love the snappy and flowing dialogue, my appreciation also extends to the way Whedon handled sound in space: nothing but silence.