Favorite Sci-Fi Author

[moomoocowjess]

David Eddings and Terry Brooks

 

[Ioinc]

Considering the volume of his work I am surprised Isaac Asimov is not mentioned more.

I thought the Foundation trilogy was simply genius.

He was also a writer of non-fiction work with books on almost every topic.

Among others, I am currently reading Isaac Asimov's guide to the Bible. A secular account of the bible. A bit dry, but an amazing book none the same.

It may not be a big hit with the majority of the members of this site since it does not deal with the religious aspects of the book, but I believe if you can get past that part, it would be very educational for all.

"The Last Question" was also an amazing short.

 

[MoonlessNight]

"The Last Question" was also an amazing short.

I liked that one, but not as much as most people because I thought the ending was rather predictable about halfway through, which kind of lessens the impact.

As a mathematician with some training in computer science I found "The Feeling of Power" both funny and sad (it is really quite shocking to remember that it was written in 1957, which probably makes it Asimov's most visionary in the sense that it predicted a social change long before it happened.)

I am also fond of "It's Such a Beautiful day" (for reasons that are likely similar to the reasons that I like "The Feeling of Power") and the early part of the Foundation series (up to and through the Mule).

Just out of curiousity, what are your feelings on those pun stories that Asimov was fond of writing (you know, the ones that are usually 1-2 pages and whose only purpose is to set up a bad pun at the end)?

 

[Ioinc]

I liked that one, but not as much as most people because I thought the ending was rather predictable about halfway through, which kind of lessens the impact.

As a mathematician with some training in computer science I found "The Feeling of Power" both funny and sad (it is really quite shocking to remember that it was written in 1957, which probably makes it Asimov's most visionary in the sense that it predicted a social change long before it happened.)

I am also fond of "It's Such a Beautiful day" (for reasons that are likely similar to the reasons that I like "The Feeling of Power") and the early part of the Foundation series (up to and through the Mule).

Just out of curiousity, what are your feelings on those pun stories that Asimov was fond of writing (you know, the ones that are usually 1-2 pages and whose only purpose is to set up a bad pun at the end)?

I have read Asimov say something like.... "A good pun is one that makes you groan at the end". And they do make me groan. "A niche in time saves Stein"..... uhhhh. I always like the stories that had a bit more complexity to them.

Probably my favorite short story of his is one called 'Profession'. If you ever get a chance... I would highly recommend it.

 

[Alasse]

I would have to say anyone who writes the Stargate novels, and Brian Jacques...


I can't think of his name, but he writes Talon of the Silver Hawk, anyone know his name?

 

[MoonlessNight]

I can't think of his name, but he writes Talon of the Silver Hawk, anyone know his name?

Raymond E. Feist. I've only read the Riftwar saga myself (both trilogy and tetralogy seem poor descriptions of it since it feels like two books each of which having two parts, but it's never been published like that). I also have played the Betrayal at Krondor game, I guess, but that's more a spinoff by a different author than anything (even though he has apparantly since made a novelization of it).

 

[Craft]

What? No David Drake?

I had to pick other, so he would get on the list.

lol I have many including David Drake

 

[Rabidone]

Larry Niven - Nobody does hard core sci-fi better.

 

[Glenn316]

Larry Niven - Nobody does hard core sci-fi better.

Well Maybe Timothy Zahn's SPINNERET

My favorite author, if for no other reason I have more of her books, is Andre Norton

 

[rosemerry]

Ray Bradbury "The Martian Chronicles"

Fantasy is what can't happen
Science Fiction is what could possibly happen
Horror is what we don't want to happen

Rather simple with a lot of crossover possible but definitions nonetheless. For a list of sub-genres for science fiction check this website out: http://www.writing-world.com/sf/genres.shtml

 

[rosemerry]

Hey don't forget Micheal Chriton. Yes his books are sold as mainstream but how sci-fi can you get with genetically engineered dinosaurs.

 

[MoonlessNight]

Hey don't forget Micheal Chriton. Yes his books are sold as mainstream but how sci-fi can you get with genetically engineered dinosaurs.

Personally I liked Sphere and the Andromeda Strain the best. I felt that those were his two books where he stopped writing so much on auto-pilot and actually tried to write an original and thought provoking science fiction work. The rest of his stuff was enjoyable for me, but ultimately largely forgettable.

 

[rosemerry]

Jurassic Park was just the title that first came to mind. Mostly it was to let people know that just becuase it's not sold under a science-fiction genre does not mean it's not science fiction.

 

[Blackmarch]

Hey don't forget Micheal Chriton. Yes his books are sold as mainstream but how sci-fi can you get with genetically engineered dinosaurs.

He's not considered Sci-Fi????

 

[rosemerry]

well he is printed under action/thriller I think not a sci-fi label. But if you read his stuff classic science fiction or something.

 

[BenAdam]

Ian M. Banks - Use of Weapons

 

[MoonlessNight]

well he is printed under action/thriller I think not a sci-fi label. But if you read his stuff classic science fiction or something.

What people are classified as is pretty arbitrary and usually based off their first book. No matter what Clive Barker writes, that book is going to end up in the horror section (and he's actually pretty mad about this situation). Many of Crichton's early works (particularly if you count stuff he wrote under a pseudonym) are more thrillers with sci-fi elements (the Terminal Man being a good example of this), and some don't even have sci-fi elements (for example, The Great Train Robbery). Of his early work the only one you really had to call science fiction was The Andromeda Strain, and even that could be called a medical thriller if you wanted to. So his early stuff naturally got put in the thriller section and to keep his books together in stores the rest have been put there.

It should be noted that even some of his later stuff is thriller/mystery material through and through (such as Rising Sun, Disclosure and Airframe).

 

[CarpathoRusyn]

Frank Herbert for now, but it may soon be Orson Scott Card.

 

[stonetoflesh]

That's why I created Science Fantasy

I always thought the term "science-fantasy" best described "dying earth" tales, or fantasy-like stories where "magic" is often synonymous with "wisdom/science of the Ancients, forgotten for aeons."

My favorite sci-fi (or science fantasy) authors are Jack Vance, Gene Wolfe and Frank Herbert.

 

[Nienor]

I always thought the term "science-fantasy" best described "dying earth" tales, or fantasy-like stories where "magic" is often synonymous with "wisdom/science of the Ancients, forgotten for aeons."

My favorite sci-fi (or science fantasy) authors are Jack Vance, Gene Wolfe and Frank Herbert.

I don't know, I just decided that books (like Dune) that used both should be in a genre that includes both. I don't know if there is an official science fantasy genre, or what would be in it.