Posted on 05/23/2008 10:02:34 AM PDT by GSWarrior
There must be a lot of SF fans here. Who are you favorite authors or books? What are you currently reading?
I enjoy SF books that focus on character development over hard scifi themes. Robert Silverberg, IMO, is about the best there is. I also enjoy Gardner Duzois' short stories--some gut-wrenching stuff. Jack Vance's are also very entertaining. Orson Scott Card is pretty good too.
I am currently reading Altered Carbon, by Richard Morgan...it's kind of slow and hard to follow. Not likely to read his other novels.
I have enjoyed some, but not all, of Niven and Pournelle's works.
I met him at my first Lunacon in Tarrytown, NY c. 1987. He was just milling around in the crowd. I happened to have a camera to take pictures of some of the costumes that I'd seen, so I worked up the nerve to ask him if I could take his picture.
He said, "Sure, sure, as long as I don't have to pose."
Oh, no, sir, you don't have to pose.
"I'll look at the pretty girls."
I have this great, statesman-like picture of Asimov in 3/4 profile, hands on his lapels ... ogling some half-naked (but adequately covered) young ladies.
I was actually quoting Martin from "The Simpsons".
Oddly enough, I've never read any of his work (except maybe for some old short story in an old magazine or anthology that I've forgotten about). I probably have something by he in one of the boxes in the basement.
ping
Jack Vance-The Dying Earth, et.al.
Gene Wolfe-Book of the New Sun, et. al.
Poul Anderson-Flandry of Terra, et. al.
R.E. Howard-Conan, et. al.
L. Sprague deCamp-Unbeheaded King, et. al.
Dan Simmons-Hyperion, et. al.
Larry Niven-Ringworld, et. al.
Clark Ashton Smith
Lin Carter
Theodore Sturgeon-Killdozer!, et. al.
Freegards
Who is that?
L Ron Hubbard placemarker
Bradbury
Pohl (my personal favorite!)
Asimov
I also love Greg Bear..... even if he's more of a hard-sciences writer...
Jordan is a master, and I am still crying in his waking from the dream.
Actually he said it might become a problem as far back as the 70s - unless the world moved to much greater use of nuclear power.
Fellow Ringo Fan! YES!! I love rednecks playing with anti-matter!
The Screwtape Letters (2008)
Writer: C.S. Lewis (novel)
Release Date: 2008 (USA) more
Status: Pre-production
Douglas Gresham is involved with this production.
Bruce Sterling and David Zindell also wrote some good stuff, but I haven’t been reading much Sci Fi in recent years.
R. A. Heinlein, USNA class of ‘29
If you want Space Opera, start with "Through the Looking Glass".
If you tend towards semi-fantasy, go with "There Will Be Dragons".
And if you want the male equivalent of a Harlequin Novel, where the men are manly beyond belief, the women fey, the action over the top, and the good guys ALWAYS win, no matter how wierd it gets. . .try "Ghost".
A Warning on Ghost, however. IT is NOT family-friendly reading. John wrote it to basically get it out of his system. . .and it gets pretty sexual. If you can be considered, by anyone, uptight. . .pass "Ghost" by. It's a wild ride, but parts of it approach triple-x rated. . .
Google "Oh John Ringo NO!", and read the review from the Concrete Tomb of Hradska if you're not sure. . . "Hymn" and "Dragons" are available for free at the Baen Free Library. . .
Idoru was fabulous
Robert Jorden- You do not need more than the first 5 book in the series that never ends.
Dennis L. McKiernan- Tolkien lite but also 5 fairy tale
Stephen King- "The Stand"
Laurell K. Hamilton- only about the first 5 in the Anita Blake series then the author goes through a personality warp that would make for some great psychiatry study but make for some very disturbed reading.
JRR Tolkien- Loved the trilogy but could not stand the 100 pages of whining before Biblo ever got out his door and on his journey to ever really like the Hobbit.
Frank Herbert- Dune
Orson Scott Card- Ender's Game
Lary Niven- Ringworld
Allen Dean Foster-You would be surprised to see all his books made into movies, but my favorite series of his is his "Flinx" series
C.S. Lewis- Christian
Frank Peretti-Christian
I believe that he also wrote a (fantasy) book titled "The Dragon and the George." It's been at least 20 years since I read that book, but I recall it was terrific.
Mark
1.) Dune
2.) Lord of The Rings
3.) 1984
4.) Fareinheit 451
5.) 2001: A Space Odyssey
Heinlein, of course. I loved his Lazarus Long stories, and really loved both Job and Number of the Beast.
Stephen Donaldson's Thomas Convenant books: talk about an "anti-hero!", as well as Terry Brooks "Shanara" series are both fun fantasy.
I think that I read Asimov and Herbert while I was too young to really appreciate either the Foundation series or Dune. If I had more time, I'd try reading them again.
I was brought up on Edgar Rice Burroughs. I learned to read with Tarzan, but I really went nuts with the John Carter of Mars books! And Arthur Conan Doyle's "Pelucidar" books. And later, Robert Adams' "Horseclans" books, if you can find them. "Cat of a Silver Hue" is still one of my favorite books ever.
Damn, I could go on for hours and hours.
Mark
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