Suse, I'm so impressed that you read a Umberto Eco book. I cannot read him, I find him sooo dry. I tried "Focaults Pendulum" and had to 86 it - couldn't stand it.

Fave authors for me...
Robin Hobb - but dont like her new Forrest Mage series
Raymond E Fiest - LOVE the Servant of the Empire series (extension of Magician)
Dave Duncan - Seventh Swordman series is my MOST FAVE fantasy series
Graham Greene - like both his spy stuff and his more humanistic stuff like A Burnt Out Case
George Orwell - the end of 1984 is haunting
Anthony Burgess - A Clockwork Orange - his invented language is marvellous
Iain Banks (same guy but without the M for his non sci fi stuff) - The Wasp Factory is a masterpeice
Joe Haldeman - The Forever War is both a great sci fi book and also an allegory to the Vietnam war
Fredrik Pohl - Gateway and the Heechee stuff keeps you thinking, also he is one of the early masters of sci fi
Thomas Hardy / George Eliot - Tess of the Durberville & The Mill on the Floss - same sort of story, same sort of era, both very, very good.
I know I'm already over...but can I just add the Bronte sisters?? They are great, especially Anne Bronte's The Tenent of Wildfell Hall.

Great topic!