I wasn’t going to post my top ten as I was struggling to come up with authors that didn’t have some sort of recognition (whether literary prizes, cult status or decent sellers). However, after having a little look round other blogs, several people have come up with less than ten and others have listed authors that I would have hands down said they had recognition by the bucket load. Now I’m thinking, this is a good chance as a British blogger to throw out some names that won’t be known over the pond as well as some American authors that are pretty unknown over here.

Therefore, here is this week’s Top Ten (meme hosted by The Broke and the Bookish).

Steven Hall – Author of The Raw Shark Texts (one of my favourite books) and a generally nice bloke. The book has received cult recognition and has numerous websites over the un-chapters, some of which have been lost forever. I just love the book and am looking forward to his future work in print.

#2 Jennifer Armintrout – I found her by accident as I had pre-conceived ideas that MIRA books would be more about romance than gritty urban fantasy but oh my I was wrong. There’s some really disturbing scenes in her Blood Ties books and it’s been one of my favourite, if short, series in the genre.

#3 Danny Wallace – Everyone thinks of Danny as ‘the guy who said yes to everything’ or ‘the guy that started a cult for fun’ but he’s actually a pretty good and entertaining writer. He makes me laugh which is sometimes the most important thing.

Thomas Emson – Male written, grown-up urban fantasy. He’s published by Snowbooks so isn’t out in the mass market but is worth a read if you’re fed up of the saturation of girlie vampire stories in the genre.

#5 Mo Hayder – Yes, you can always buy her books in Tesco but she often gets overlooked by people listing crime authors. Her books are quite chilling and at times disturbing.

#6 Daphne du Maurier – OK I know you’re thinking, but she’s famous, why does she need more recognition?! Well she’s famous for one book; Rebecca. Don’t get me wrong, I love Rebecca but Daphne du Maurier has written many varied books and short stories. Did you know her work inspired Hitchcock’s The Birds?

#7 Marie Phillips – Gods Behaving Badly is a charming book but few know about it. I think a lot of people mistake it for chick-lit but it’s not. If you like modern reworkings of mythology that don’t take themselves too seriously, check it out.

#8 John Wyndham – Well I think he deserves recognition everytime a movie rips off one of his books. Just think of the amount of times the beginning of Day of the Triffids has been rehashed. His books stand the test of time and if you’re a sci-fi fan you should go out and read some!

#9 Sara Gruen – I guess she’s got fame coming her way with this year’s adaptation of Water For Elephants but I only know about her due to word of mouth at ReadItSwapIt. Fantastic author.

#10 Nick Stafford – Probably best known for his adaptation of War Horse for the stage, last year I got a copy of Armistice to review and I thought it was beautifully written and had echoes of war poetry about it. Anyway, not many people seem to have read it on Goodreads and I think he has promise.

Phew, I made it to ten…that was a tough introduction to Top Ten Tuesday! Thanks for stopping by and remember to head on over to The Broke and the Bookish to join in.