Jim Butcher. He's best known for his series The Dresden Files, which is kind of neo-fantasy, I guess you could call it. Harry Dresden is a PI and a wizard in modern-day Chicago, and he gets mixed up in all kinds of supernatural shit. Brings some sorely-needed creativity to the genre. The really impressive thing about Butcher is his plotting - he's really good at managing multiple diverging plotlines, weaving them within each other and bringing them back together by the end of each book. Chuck Palahniuk. Fight Club, Rant, Choke, etc. He gives me the same sort of feeling as Vonnegut - stories that seem to take place in an alternate plane of reality, where everyone is slightly deranged. He's also got a great command of the sentence - short and choppy most of the time, but knows when to drop some heavy exposition.
Philip K. Dick. Total Recall, Minority Report, Blade Runner were all based on his works ("The Minority Report" was a sub-par short story, but whatever). Inventive as fuck. Very, very important sci-fi author.
I know he's a bit niche, but Robert Jordan. It took 23 years (him being dead for the last 5), but he created one of the all time great fantasy series. Left Tolkien in the goddamn dust. Also, Brandon Sanderson. He helped finish Jordan's "Wheel of Time" series. He's also created (by my count) at least six whole worlds, with different rules and magics, unique and complete unto themselves. That's... Well shit, that's fucking amazing. SIX different magic systems, six complete worlds, six complete sets of characters, motivations, scenarios. He started as a Fantasy fanboy (of Robert Jordan, actually), and has become one of the most prolific fantasy writers of our generation, if not the most. Has anyone mentioned Asimov? Or Bradbury? I don't even need to mention these men's credentials. Anyone participating in this thread should already know them. How about Piers Anthony? Maybe the most prolific sci-fi/fantasy writer of all time? The man has written a book starting with every letter of the alphabet, and that's just in his Xanth series (fantasy fiction primarily aimed at young adults, filled with puns, still delightful). Not to mention having like, 7 other series of great characters/plots. Bio of a Space Tyrant is one of my favorite series ever. Incarnations of Immortality is not far behind it.
This thread makes it clear that I need to read more. I'm not well read enough to substantively contribute to the discussion, but I would like to nominate someone. James Baldwin From "Sonny's Blues". And I know that's not a novel. However, I believe it to be one of the finer representations of his work.
I don't think people realize the true genius of Dr Seuss until they have a small kid and go back and read those books in their adulthood. Yeah, they rhyme and have perfect cadence and all, but they're incredible for more reasons than just that. The repetition of words and sounds and the way he uses similar prefixes and suffixes of words really help kids with word recognition. Sure, a kid isn't going to be able to read "Zizzer Zazzer Zuzz" or know what one is at first glance, but they will know recognize all of the words around it and will become very familiar with the "Zzzz" sound very quick. Dr Seuss' writing was very purposeful. Not to mention that the dude took a bet that he couldn't write a book with only 50 different words, and turned it into one of the most memorable books of all time. <a class="postlink" href="http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Eggs_and_Ham" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;">http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Green_Eggs_and_Ham</a>
Literally every name I would have thought to throw out. Has been mentioned. (King, Heinlein, Anthony, Butcher) All their virtues have been quite thoroughly listed so I guess I will toss out a dark horse in the younv readers catagory. Rick Riordan: He writes the Percy Jackson series. His writing is fast paced engaging, and while being an action driven series he still has well formed characters. Also I think he should get a nod for writing young adult books right now that have abso-fucking-lutely nothing to do with vampires. Honestly this series is right up there with Harry Potter for me now, as a series I recommend for people trying to get their kids in to reading.
I'll nominate Neil Gaiman, or if we're allowing Brits, Alan Moore. These two men entirely changed the public perception of what a comic book is or can be. Among other things, Moore wrote the only comic to be featured in Time's greatest novel list, while Gaiman wrote one of the most praised long-running series in the genre and one of few series to attract the likes of Norman Mailer. They're changed the genre from pulp fiction for children to a respected literary genre. Moreover, they also did it while embracing the traditions before them: Moore wrote both Batman and Superman works and reinvented Swamp Thing, Gaiman wrote Batman and episodes of Doctor Who.
I'll throw another vote for Chuck Palahniuk, Neil Gaiman and Neal Stephenson for the novels mentioned. All brilliant. Chuck's work hasn't been as good IMO as his earlier work, but still good. Gaiman and Stephenson just get better and better. Gaiman's novels are great but his run on The Sandman is some of the best "literature" I've read. Probably doesn't hurt that Dave McKean is one of my favorite artists as well. Robin Hobb is also probably the best fantasy I have read. Not on the level of greatest American novels though. A few names that should be considered: David Foster Wallace: Infinite Jest is brilliant. Broom of the System, Oblivion short stories and The Pale King is good but would have been better if he actually finished it. Sad he offed himself. Jonathan Lethem: Fortress of Solitude is one of my favorite books of all time. Motherless Brooklyn, Chronic City and the non-fiction The Disappointment Artist are all fantastic. William Gibson: His influence on tech is undeniable. Or at least his forward thinking and understanding of where tech was going. He really was the forefront of the cyberpunk genre. Stephenson is a better writer but The Neuromancer should be considered important. It's tough for novels like that to age too well as tech moves so fast but they're always profound. The Sprawl Trilogy and the Blue Ant Trilogy all were very visionary. Alan Moore: His comic books or "graphic novels" are amazing. The Watchmen is amazing. His Swamp Thing work is amazing. V for Vendetta and From Hell. Also great. Batman: The Killing Joke was a pretty influential story. I think Gaiman is a bit better but Moore is right up there. (Edit: Didn't read the full post above, but agree fully with his Moore info) Too bad James Joyce wasn't American. His name was the first that popped into my head. Never realized he wasn't American, just assumed....like a dumb American. Maybe I just wanted to claim him as one.
I can't edit my post anymore but I think David Foster Wallace should be included due to his short story collections. They have to count. There just needs to be an exception for his inclusion. Hell, anybody who produces one truly great novel should be considered. I've always been envious of writers as I can't do it and if you are good enough to create one brilliant novel, you should be included.