Favorite Sci Fi Author?

[duskyjewel]

Orwell’s 1984 was much more a political and social commentary than science fiction. Just because it’s about the future doesn’t make it sci-fi. Brave New World by Huxley, even though it had more sci-fi stuff with the babies in bottles and all, same thing.

I can’t believe this thread hasn’t mentioned Arthur C. Clarke yet! I adore him. Childhood’s End was the first book that literally scared the bejeezus out of me. Songs of Distant Earth was beautiful. Rendezvous with Rama is such an old-fashioned adventure story, and its sequel was really good too. One of his short stories, I think it’s called “The Nine Million Names of God,” made both my DH and I stop short and really THINK for hours!

I loved Asimov’s Foundation Trilogy, but haven’t read much else of him. My DH loves Heinlein. I must say that one thing that really bugs me is how much fantasy there is out there getting called sci-fi. Maybe I am just a snobby purist, but I think “hard” sci-fi is the real sci-fi, and the fantasy stuff should be a different genre altogether. But then, I get eyes rolled at me all the time, too, because I think the NL plays a purer form of baseball than the AL does. Tee hee…how’s that for a total non-sequiter?

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

Well, if you’re allowed to mention ‘borderline’ work, then Watchers by Dean Koontz is superb.

I think it might have been the Nine Billion Names of God, and I still remember the last line!

 

[Kitty_Chan]

Orwell’s 1984 was much more a political and social commentary than science fiction. Just because it’s about the future doesn’t make it sci-fi. Brave New World by Huxley, even though it had more sci-fi stuff with the babies in bottles and all, same thing.

I can’t believe this thread hasn’t mentioned Arthur C. Clarke yet! I adore him.

I guess about Orwell, I just remember it presented as scifi to read in English class in High School, that or ohh the pioneer one crossing the prairies it was a phone book thick, arghh cant remember. anyway loved scifi so picked it. Mind you both were dreary, English class misery 101

Also wasnt that Arthur C Clarke who had the tv show about different things in science or something like that??? I have a bad cold and its making me fuzzyer than normal

 

[joelacour]

Roger Zelanzy

Heinlen

Herbert - Dune trilogy

Asimov

 

[estesbob]

Well, if you’re allowed to mention ‘borderline’ work, then Watchers by Dean Koontz is superb.

I think it might have been the Nine Billion Names of God, and I still remember the last line!

Everything by Dean Koontz is superb

 

[passivesquid]

back in jr high i used to be big on the whole negative eutopia genre but that was when iwas a lot more liberal and radical and communistic. but now ive moved onto like alternate history. mostly harry turtledove

i also like religious fiction like tedd decker and frank perretti. (anyone read their collabo book “the house” yet?)

 

[estesbob]

back in jr high i used to be big on the whole negative eutopia genre but that was when iwas a lot more liberal and radical and communistic. but now ive moved onto like alternate history. mostly harry turtledove

i also like religious fiction like tedd decker and frank perretti. (anyone read their collabo book “the house” yet?)

I like turtledove also although I thought Guns of the South was a little too immersed in the “lost cause” mythology

 

[duskyjewel]

I guess about Orwell, I just remember it presented as scifi to read in English class in High School, that or ohh the pioneer one crossing the prairies it was a phone book thick, arghh cant remember. anyway loved scifi so picked it. Mind you both were dreary, English class misery 101

Also wasnt that Arthur C Clarke who had the tv show about different things in science or something like that??? I have a bad cold and its making me fuzzyer than normal

Ah…high school English teachers. Has any group done more to damage Americans’ appreciation for literature? Okay, before anyone flames me, I am not lumping every teacher in America in here, I know there are good ones. But it just seems like there are so many out there that are bad, just holding space until they retire. What can you say about a teacher who doesn’t even place a novel in its correct genre?

Yes, I believe Arthur C. Clarke did have a TV show, but I also think that was a long time ago, before I would have watched it. I remember seeing it on his “credits” one time.

 

[Bridge]

Hello. I’ve been reading the forums here for a few weeks but was finally inspired by this thread to register and post something, albeit with the hidden agenda (well maybe not so hidden now) of introducing an author that i recently discovered and that hopefully will be of interest here.

First though, my favorite sci-fi authors over the years have been Asimov, Frank Herbert, and Orson Scott Card. Herbert of course for his Dune series, though Hellstrom’s Hive was very good too. For Asimov, especially for the first four books (in terms of publishing date) of his Foundation series, the robot detective books, The End of Eternity, and many of his short stories. I’ve also enjoyed a number of his non-fiction works. For Card, my favorites include Wyrms, the first three Ender novels, and the Homecoming series (although from what i understand it’s an almost direct re-telling of the Book of Mormon; similarly the Alvin Maker series is a re-telling of persons and events in the early days of Mormon history).

Both Asimov and Card are very clear in their writing - there are few, if any, hidden messages that you have to puzzle out. Which brings me to my not-so-hidden agenda about an author who isn’t quite so clear in his writing (think Wolfe or Borges) but once the puzzle comes together it really creates a powerful and lasting impression. Or at least that has been my experience. In fact, he inspired me to delve more deeply into Catholicism and its teachings. And oh yes, the author i’m referring to is R.A Lafferty, a sadly nearly forgotten writer who happened to be a very devout, very conservative Roman Catholic. And much of his writing revolved around his faith.

The very first book of his i read (actually a non-fiction work) was Alaric: The Day the World Ended, that is about the falll of Rome and how close it came to having not fallen. Then came Past Master, a futuristic story which revolves around a golden planet, Thomas More, killer robots, and killing devils. After that came The Fourth Mansions, a book inspired by St Teresa of Avila and her writing on the mansions (or castles) of the soul. And then a few days ago i finished The Devil is Dead, which for me was hard to grasp what was going on but in it he symbolizes the Catholic Church with a ship that travels endlessly around the world.

By the way, there is a great introduction to Lafferty at this site: greatsfandf.com/authors-lists.php – this is where i first learned about him and the article is a good way to prepare you for how to approach a Lafferty story. Also i should point out that he was a renowned short story writer as well. If you google search you should find a few that you can read online.

 

[Sailor_Kenshin]

I think I know these guys.

 

[Cat]

Bradbury.

Lovecraft.

Madeleine L’Engle

Michael Creighton.

 

[AnthonyM2]

Everything by Dean Koontz is superb

I would agree with that. I like the way Koontz mixes genres like suspense/horror/SF. (I understand he’s Catholic also.)

Another author similar to that is F. Paul Wilson, though he is more known for horror (The Keep, Reborn, NightWorld). His Repairman Jack novels (beginning with The Tomb) are very good also, though again, not hard SF but containing elements of it. Wilson does have a series of Science Fiction novels, The LaNague Federation, but I have not read them.

 

[Biblioassistant]

I love Cordwainer Smith’s short stories very much, he is unique - no one, but NO ONE writes like he does. However, I don’t care for his novels.

I love Alfred Bester!! Try his book **The Stars My Destination **which takes the plot of **The Count of Monte Cristo **and reshapes it in sci-fi terms. Or The Demolished Man, in which a man tries to get away with murder in a society where all the policemen can read minds. Bester also was very good with short stories - try “Fondly Fahrenheit” or “**The Men Who Murdered Mohammed” **

 

[aurora77]

i also like religious fiction like tedd decker and frank perretti. (anyone read their collabo book “the house” yet?)

I HATED that book. I found it tedious. Sorry.

Piers Anthony.

Has anyone else read Empire by Orson Scott Card? I think it’s his most recent book; it’s really fascinating.

 

[estesbob]

I would agree with that. I like the way Koontz mixes genres like suspense/horror/SF. (I understand he’s Catholic also.)

Another author similar to that is F. Paul Wilson, though he is more known for horror (The Keep, Reborn, NightWorld). His Repairman Jack novels (beginning with The Tomb) are very good also, though again, not hard SF but containing elements of it. Wilson does have a series of Science Fiction novels, The LaNague Federation, but I have not read them.

I liked the Keep the movie didnt do it Justice. If we are going to get into Horror then Clive Barker is one of my favorites.

 

[estesbob]

I HATED that book. I found it tedious. Sorry.

Piers Anthony.

Has anyone else read Empire by Orson Scott Card? I think it’s his most recent book; it’s really fascinating.

I never much liked Piers Anthony-the covers were always much more interesting than the books.

 

[AnthonyM2]

I liked the Keep the movie didnt do it Justice. If we are going to get into Horror then Clive Barker is one of my favorites.

True, the book was much better, the author also didn’t like the way Michael Mann, the director of The Keep, butchered his novel. that happens a lot with movie adaptions. But I’ve heard they are working on a movie version of The Tomb by F. Paul Wilson, to be called Repairman Jack for the main character in his popular series of novels. Although it has been in the works for years and it’s run into a lot setbacks. More info at Wilson’s site repairmanjack.com.

I have not read any Clive Barker, from his movies he seems a little too dark for me.

 

[Kitty_Chan]

back in jr high i used to be big on the whole negative eutopia genre but that was when iwas a lot more liberal and radical and communistic. but now ive moved onto like alternate history. mostly harry turtledove

i also like religious fiction like tedd decker and frank perretti. (anyone read their collabo book “the house” yet?)

havent read turtledove but did read The House, pretty intense, didnt know where it was going. It was interesting to think of it later I could actually tell what parts Decker or Perretti wrote.

Decker likes to start and put the pedal to the floor and hold it there, it makes for non stop reading. Have you read any of Perrettis Darkness books?

 

[Kitty_Chan]

Ah…high school English teachers. Has any group done more to damage Americans’ appreciation for literature? Okay, before anyone flames me, I am not lumping every teacher in America in here, I know there are good ones. But it just seems like there are so many out there that are bad, just holding space until they retire. What can you say about a teacher who doesn’t even place a novel in its correct genre?

Yes, I believe Arthur C. Clarke did have a TV show, but I also think that was a long time ago, before I would have watched it. I remember seeing it on his “credits” one time.

Yes I had a teacher in 11 and 12 much better. But I still think its not allowed to have a novel about something good happening to anyone. My son complained when he was there, about misery 101, its his phrase

and yes that was the show I didnt see all of them but I remember there were good.

 

[rciadan]

Isaac Asimov
Ray Bradbury
Robert A. Heinlein
Piers Anthony

I am in perfect aggreement. Of course, almost all my science fiction reading was from about 1963 till 1977. I then found the early Church Fathers (as an atheist, mind you) and have not bothered with science fiction since.