Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

Skip to comments.

Who are the best science fiction/fantasy authors?
5/22/ | Myself

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.


TOPICS: Books/Literature
KEYWORDS: fantasy; fantasysf; literature; scifi; sf
Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 221-239 next last
To: night reader
Too bad [Asmiov] was a raving, Kool-Aid drinking leftist... atheist!!!

Not sure I can agree. I haven't studied the man enough, but my recent reading of his history books "The Greeks: a great adventure", "The Roman Republic", "The Roman Empire", "The Land of Canaan", and others don't exactly correspond with your assessment. He was also heavily involved in the Great Books project.

From these sources, I can believe the atheist part, but raving kool-aid drinking leftist doesn't ring true. Hmm. Perhaps I'll have to reconsider.

61 posted on 05/23/2008 10:38:23 AM PDT by Tao Yin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: GSWarrior

I’m all over the place, but among my favorites:

Larry Niven / Jerry Pournelle
Heinlein
Asimov
Jack Chalker
Phillip Jose Farmer
David Drake
Dan Simmons (The Hyperion books are superb!)
Stephen R Donaldson
Tolkien (goes without saying)
Orson Scott Card
Dennis L Mckiernan
Stephan Baxter

For easier, lighter reading like when I’m flying, I tend towards:
Terry Brooks
Piers Anthony
Gardner Dozois and his various short compilations

For unreadable Dreck, any book by:
Kim Stanley Robinson


62 posted on 05/23/2008 10:40:16 AM PDT by Malsua
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: lesser_satan
> You forgot Mohamed (piss be upon him).

Piss be upon him indeed. I wasn't sure whether to classify him as a fantasy writer or as more of a plagiarist.

63 posted on 05/23/2008 10:41:31 AM PDT by NewJerseyJoe (Rat mantra: "Facts are meaningless! You can use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 60 | View Replies]

To: GSWarrior
The aforementioned Stephen R. Donaldson (his Final “Trilogy” will really have 4 books) and Terry Goodkind, whose “Sword of Truth” series is coming to television!

Lots of good names being bandied about here, tho. You can't go wrong with any of them!

CA....

64 posted on 05/23/2008 10:42:01 AM PDT by Chances Are (Whew! It seems I've at last found that silly grin!)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GSWarrior

65 posted on 05/23/2008 10:42:08 AM PDT by montyspython (Love that chicken from Popeye's)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GSWarrior

L. Neil Smith. Heinlein. Herbert. Weber. Simmons.


66 posted on 05/23/2008 10:42:12 AM PDT by Dead Corpse (What would a free man do?)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: Malsua

I wish Dozois was more prolific.


67 posted on 05/23/2008 10:42:12 AM PDT by GSWarrior
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 62 | View Replies]

To: GSWarrior
For Fantasy, I loved all the original Robert Aspirin "M.Y.T.H Adventures" books. I just looked him up on Wikipedia and discovered that
1 - he started writing them again in 2001 and
2 - He died yesterday!

I was also a big fan of the Andre Norton "Witch World" novels when I was a teen.

68 posted on 05/23/2008 10:42:42 AM PDT by mollynme (cogito, ergo freepum)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GSWarrior
Heinlein, hands down. And Glory Road is my favorite.
69 posted on 05/23/2008 10:43:22 AM PDT by Virginia Ridgerunner ("We must not forget that there is a war on and our troops are in the thick of it!"--Duncan Hunter)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: GSWarrior

The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb is amazing character driven fantasy. My wife and I were fighting over the books constantly. It starts with “Assassin’s Apprentice”. The original trilogy is followed by an additional trilogy. I found the second trilogy years later. It was great to go back and it didn’t disappoint.


70 posted on 05/23/2008 10:43:22 AM PDT by Tao Yin
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: mollynme

There is a thread here today about Asprin that prompted me to start this thread.


71 posted on 05/23/2008 10:44:01 AM PDT by GSWarrior
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 68 | View Replies]

To: Tao Yin

Asimov was a convinced atheist but not proselytizing about it. His politics were likely typical of his background, secular New York Jewish intellectual. I remember reading something about his being turned off by Heinlein’s libertarian/militaristic views.

I would be real curious to see what Asimov would say when science intersects politics - i.e. global warming. I remember one essay of his about the global climate - that we were lucky that we had mostly ocean at the high altitudes rather than large land masses, and that you might avert another ice age by sprinkling graphite dust on the glaciers.


72 posted on 05/23/2008 10:45:42 AM PDT by heartwood
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 61 | View Replies]

To: GSWarrior

I really enjoy David Gemmel’s work. He died around July 2006. Look for “The Rigante” series. You won’t be dissapointed.


73 posted on 05/23/2008 10:46:15 AM PDT by Grizzled Bear ("Does not play well with others.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: chesley
I probably should have included a :-)

I meant to imply that each is a fake/phony/fraud

74 posted on 05/23/2008 10:46:31 AM PDT by NewJerseyJoe (Rat mantra: "Facts are meaningless! You can use facts to prove anything that's even remotely true!")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 42 | View Replies]

To: GSWarrior

David Weber, John Ringo, David Drake, Heinlein, Asimov, Spyder Robinson, Sharon Lee and Steve Miller...

Ok, now I need to go buy another book!

RS


75 posted on 05/23/2008 10:48:01 AM PDT by RikaStrom (The number one rule of the Kama Sutra is that you both be on the same page.../Exeter 051705)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]

To: NewJerseyJoe
The three greatest fantasy authors of all time, without question, are:

You're supposed to name SF Writers. Not BS Artists.

;-)

76 posted on 05/23/2008 10:48:33 AM PDT by Grizzled Bear ("Does not play well with others.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 21 | View Replies]

To: night reader
Too bad the man was a raving, Kool-Aid drinking leftist... atheist!!!

Yes, but he gets points for being a Dirty Old Man. Also for being quick with witty limericks.

77 posted on 05/23/2008 10:48:51 AM PDT by Tanniker Smith ("We have top men working on it." "Who?" "Top. Men.")
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: Tanniker Smith
"Yes, but he gets points for being a Dirty Old Man."

:-D

78 posted on 05/23/2008 10:49:39 AM PDT by montyspython (Love that chicken from Popeye's)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 77 | View Replies]

To: night reader
Interesting to discover, since one of my favorite non-fiction books of his (never really got into his sci-fi stuff too much) was his Asimov's Guide to the Bible! Never knew he was an atheist, you wouldn't know it from the guide!
79 posted on 05/23/2008 10:50:03 AM PDT by pillut48 (CJ in TX --Soccer Mom and proud Rush Conservative with no dog in the presidential race now *sigh*)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 25 | View Replies]

To: GSWarrior

The Name of the Wind by Patrick Rothfuss is *excellent* fantasy.


80 posted on 05/23/2008 10:50:48 AM PDT by AZWest
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 1 | View Replies]


Navigation: use the links below to view more comments.
first previous 1-20 ... 41-6061-8081-100 ... 221-239 next last

Disclaimer: Opinions posted on Free Republic are those of the individual posters and do not necessarily represent the opinion of Free Republic or its management. All materials posted herein are protected by copyright law and the exemption for fair use of copyrighted works.

Free Republic
Browse · Search
General/Chat
Topics · Post Article

FreeRepublic, LLC, PO BOX 9771, FRESNO, CA 93794
FreeRepublic.com is powered by software copyright 2000-2008 John Robinson