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Personally I've got it down to Jeff Grubb and Graham McNeil. But unfortunately Jeff Grubb was one of the perpetrators of the "player-character doesn't exist" retcon, so my vote goes to McNeil. He can write battle scenes well, he actually does research into the lore, fixes more problems than he creates, and writes overall solid fiction. Blizzard should be using him more instead of Golden. I liked Golden's DT saga, but I don't think she's the best sci-fi writer overall.
Graham McNeil.
I'Mengsk was the best Starcraft novel IMHO.
McNeil has a slight edge over Tracy Hickman.
McNeil is a more balanced author of the two. He's good with the story, characters, setting, action pieces and general feel and tone. Hickman is better at the action pieces, setting and the feel and tone, but the story and characters weren't as good as McNeil's. This could possibly also be because her story wasn't nearly as "big" as McNeil's, so it's possible she'd outdo him if she got to work with a proper premise.
If anyone votes Aaron Rosenberg, they need to be shot.
I would vote for Queen of Blades over Starcraft: Ghost: Nova any day. And over Heaven's Devils. I haven't read anything after that one, since it was so bad.
I voted Deitz for Heaven's Devils. You voted against it? Blasphemy! Maybe I'm an easy reader, but I liked virtually all the books.
I will still lob hate at Queen of Blades, and especially Shadow of the Xel'Naga. (Sadly, the author of SotXN can actually write, but only if he's writing his own universe. Or X-Files.)
Dietz for 'Heaven's Devils'. Some didn't like it, but it was probably MY favorite SC novel thus far (Hickman's 'Speed of Darkness' coming behind close second).
I do indeed remember Speed of Darkness, and I'm hoping to go back and re-read it. I was rather impressed by it, and it was quite dark and abysmal: exactly what you would expect as a front-line soldier in a zerg invasion.
Kevin Jay Anderson is the worst of the lot.
Well, just look at what he did to Dune.
Voted for McNeil by virtue of I, Mengsk, though I think DeCandido and Golden deserve honourable mentions. And if we're talking about the authors in general, I think Neilson gets an honourable mention as well, while Dietz and Anderson...don't.