no context will be given, or is necessary for that matter

Bonus points for any non-D&D or D&D derivative systems.

My first RPG was Palladium Fantasy way back when my grognard uncle invited me to his groups table. I still don't really grok it, but it was pretty formative of my ideas of what an RPG could be. The lack of balance and extreme existential threats as part of ordinary encounters included.

Needless to say, I haven't found a group for this system in a looong while, eheh.

I learned to read in grade school like pretty much everyone else I know, and I remember really enjoying reading for a very narrow portion of my younger years. When reading books became a compulsary part of school, that enjoyment just vanished, and video games ended up filling that void of "solitary passtime". I dont even really like video games all that much, eheh.

Now that im older, I dont really have authority figures threatening my future if I dont read the dryest books known to man, so I'm open to the idea of just reading again - it certainly cant be worse than just browsing lemmy posts for hours, right?

The thing is, I have absolutely no grasp on what the current book scene really looks like. I dont really know what authors are considered masters of the craft, or where to even really get a finger in the pulse on which I'd be into. If you could recommend someone who writes books you like, or just a few standouts, it would really help me get my bearings.

If it helps, I'm currently reading "A hundred years of solitude", "Berserk", and "Le fluers de mal", and am generally open to tragedies, horror, and narratives that are either experimental or just weird. If you know of any manuals or informative books that are particularly well written, im also interested in those!