There are a few good people writing novels now, but needless to say they are not on the celebrity circuit or being read in English courses.
One of these days I plan to write a kind of review essay on Connie Willis, whose novels are usually found on the science fiction shelves, but who is one of those rare writers who transcends the genre and can be appreciated by readers who normally can’t stand SF.
I especially recommend Doomsday Book, To Say Nothing of the Dog, Passage, and Bellwether, but all her stuff is good. It would be very satisfying if a few English courses started introducing students to her work. I’d say the nearest thing to it that I can think of is Flannery O’Connor. Certainly far better than the usual suspects among the “contemporary novelists.”
I will go right now to Amazon and order a Connie Willis book.
How I used to love SF! of course I still read Philip K. Dick over again at times. There is an old collection from the ‘Fifties in our little small-town library with ‘best of’, and some of them are as good as anything being written today in any genre.
All right off to Amazon.
I am not a SE fan but Doomsday Book is one of my favorite books.