Reality today is so bizarre that science fiction pales by comparison. The present political scene is as wild as any SF story that I have read. Americas drones flying worldwide killing Americans. The US can’t afford to refuel its ships, while the US government gives away cell phones, medical cost approaching the GNP of a country........
I like Michael Z. Willimason’s novels of future war, executive protection company, libertarian planets. He is a blade maker and editor at large for Survivalblog.com, also.
http://www.michaelzwilliamson.com/bibliography.php
Steven Baxter writes universe-sweeping books. He tends to be very rough, almost sadistic, to his characters but the stories are good. he has several “theme” series of novels.
I read a great book, recently written by old Sci-Fi great Frederick Pohl, titled “All the Lives He Led.” It was written in 2011. I was surprised Pohl was still alive.
BTW, Amazon reviewers really panned the book, but what do they know?
The author doesn’t really define what he’s looking for, does he?
Gene Wolfe. Conservative, Christian (Catholic). Fairly critically acclaimed, even by a lot of ‘literary elite’ types. Uses unreliable narrators to great effect, in my opinion.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gene_Wolfe
John C. Wright. Also conservative and Christian (Catholic again). Younger than Wolfe, but the things I have read are much more in the golden age sci-fi realm than Wolfe. He wrote a continuation of Van Vogt’s the World of Null-A. He groups Van Vogt with Heinlein and Asimov as the ‘classic three of golden age sci-fi’ over Clarke or Bradbury because of the Astounding/Campbell connection apart from popularity.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_C._Wright_(author)
Here’s his essay about the ‘classic three’, I thought it was interesting.
http://www.scifiwright.com/2013/02/the-big-three/#more-7169
His blog is also political with a heavy conservative/Christian bent, it’s amazing Tor publishes him, he railes against the homosexual agenda which is basically a hate crime to a lot of people. I take it he is pretty reviled amongst a lot of sci-fi authors and fans nowadays who seem to have a high % of liberal or various flavours of libertarian leanings.
He probably should be looked back on like Gene Wolfe will be, but he is probably too politically incorrect today.
Freegards, thanks for all the pings on FR
Heinlein has no peers. He’s the master.
Orson Scott Card; David Drake; John Ringo;
Tom Kratman; Fred Saberhagen; Larry Niven; Jerry Pournelle;
these guys are probably getting kicked out of elementary schools all across America for having a dangerous imagination.
I think David Brin should be way up on the list - tied with OSC. The “Uplift Wars” series was marvelous. It had a complete eco-system and multiple alien societies completely described.
“Stranger in a Strange Land (my favorite Heinlein novel...)”
I assume he’s under 21 LOL!
Asimov, Clarke and Heinlein were historians- not techies or soap-operatists.
I do not believe their like exist today. (Mainly because there are no venues like magazines for them to develop their craft.)
A great tale about when a man who is found a couple hundred years after the Grand Collapse. The second book in the trilogy wasn't as good add the first though.
Jack Campell, the lost fleet series
John Varley
Allan Steele, the coyote series
Hmm, let’s see. Greg Bear, Gregory Benford, Orson Scott Card, Anne McCaffrey, John Ringo, B. V. Larson, T. R. Harris, Richard Phillips, Michael McCloskey... There are others, but these will do for now.
As others have said here, of course our own Travis McGee, but I don’t think we can classify his books as science fiction.
just finished “Directive 51” by john Barnes. first good sci fi I’ve read in a long time.
bflr
My novel “Sirat: Through the Fires of Hell” is inspired by Heinlein.
great thread
J.C. Hutchins has "The Seventh Son Trilogy" definitely worth checking out.
And Phil Rossi very, very dark.