Who are your favorite authors and Why?

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My favourite authors? Hmm, hard to say, I have a few to choose from. But if I have to pick it'd propably be:
Terry Pratchett - I love his style in his books, the characters and all the parody of other books and stories. I've been a great fan of his books for many years.
Nick Perumov - A very good author with a disturbing yet interesting way of writing (his books can be very brutal). I'm a huge fan of his Keeper Of The Swords series and he did a great job writing Elven Blade which is the first book in his series Ring Of Darkness, the books take place in Middle-earth long after Tolkiens Lord Of The Rings. I haven't read the other two books in that series yet though.
J.R.R. Tolkien - What's not to love about Lord Of The Rings? I have also read the book that was put toghether by his son; Unfinished Tales Of Númenor And Middle-earth. It had a great atmosphere and feeling to the stories, it's a shame he (J.R.R. Tolkien) didn't finish many of them.

Have you read anything by Stephen Lawhead? His fantasy writings brought me back to the genre; his work is quite diverse too - from Celtic to Old English, there's plenty to look through. I highly suggest Hood if you're in the mood for something repulsively dark.