An interesting piece in the August 20 issue of The New Yorker about Philip K. Dick but drawing comparisons to Elmore Leonard.  Being a long time fan of Phil Dick, and of course, Elmore, I found this article fascinating.

The return of Philip K. Dick.
by Adam Gopnik August 20, 2007

There’s nothing more exciting t an adolescent reader than a unknown genre writer who speak to your condition and has somethin great about him. The Ace paperbac cover promises mere thrills, and th writing provides real meaning. Th combination of evident value an apparent secrecy makes Elmore Leonard fans feel more for thei hero than Borges lovers are allowe to feel for theirs. When they tell you it’s going to be good, what more can you hope for it to be?
Eventually, enough of these secret fans grow up and get together, and the writer is designated a Genius, acquiring all the encumbrances of genius: fans, notes, annotated editions, and gently disparaging comprehensive reviews. Since genre writing can support only one genius at a time—and no genre writer ever becomes just a good writer; it’s all prophet or all hack—the guy is usually resented by his peers and their partisans even as the establishment hails him. No one hates the rise of Elmore Leonard so much as a lover of Ross Macdonald.

Read Adam Gopnik’s New Yorker piece here.

Me too. Dick & William Gibson are the only SF writers I can bear. The reason, & this is another characteristic shared with Elmore, is their low level of pretentiousness, of the sort most SF writers (Heinlen, Delaney) have in rich profusion.

I note that Gopnik disses High Castle though, which puts him on the list of people I’m making voodoo dolls of.

Im a long time PK Dick fan and a new Leonard fan.  When i actually read Leonard for the first i thought Dick in that.  They have IMO in common the great dialouges that makes you not carry about what the plot is and the interesting satire of their contemporary times. 

About the qoute i dont understand the thing about hating the raise of elmore leonard as much R.Macdonald fan.  I love Ross Macdonald more than most crime writers.  Doesnt mean i will dislike those that takes his place.

When i first read Ross Macdonald,John D.Macdonald,Richard Stark/Donald Westlake i wished there were new versions of them in our times.  That was way before i read EL of course.