I did a WAYR on science fiction back in December 15's diary. But I thought we'd do it again, and this time, concentrate on favorite authors and why.
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Here are some of my favorites, with some explanation.
John Varley. First, the dude can flat out write. He's thoroughly mastered the craft of fiction writing in a way that is, sadly not true of many SF writers (Sturgeon, Le Guin and a few others are the exceptions). But he's also got all sorts of interesting ideas in his head:
What would a community be like where everyone was blind and deaf? Read "Persistence of Vision"
What if there were a space colony founded by radically feminist lesbians? What would it be like in a few generations? (Read about Robin the Nine Fingered in "Wizard"
What if there were a living being that was the size of a small planet? (Read the Gaea trilogy - Titan, Wizard, Demon
What if you could change sex easily? "Options"
What if there were a planet populated entirely be violent felons? (e.g Charon in The Golden Globe)
all sorts of interesting ideas
Robert Heinlein. OK.... his political philosophy is repugnant, his views on women are neanderthal (with some exceptions) but still.... he writes such good stories! Among my favorites: The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, Citizen of the Galaxy, The Rolling Stones, Time Enough for Love. I devoured these books as a teen.
Terry Pratchett DISCWORLD!!!! If you haven't read any Discworld novels.... well GO DO SO! Pratchett once said "Writing is the most fun you can have with your clothes on".... but reading a Pratchett novel comes close! His later novels in the series are even better than the early ones. Anything with Sam Vimes is excellent.
Connie Willis I don't like all of her novels, but "Bellweather" was hysterical, as is "To Say Nothing of the Dog". People who can mix humor into their novels are some of my favorites.
Neal Stephenson Is his stuff SF? Well, some of it is clearly SF, and all of it is arguably SF....., except maybe the Baroque Cycle, which is historical fiction that feels like SF. I like novels like "Cryptonomicon" because they give me an education while being great novels. "Snow Crash" and "Zodiac" are more straightforward SF. "The Diamond Age" is so jam packed with ideas
Theodore Sturgeon Several of his novels are mind altering. "More than Human" is stunning, that is, I was stunned at some of the scenes.
Samuel Delaney Some of his novels (e.g. Dhalgren) I find unreadable. Others (e.g. Babel-17) are fantastic. Who else could write a novel where the plot hinges on aspects of grammar in an alien language? OTOH, Dhalgren almost seems to be written in an alien language!
Isaac Asimov OK. I loved Asimov as a kid and teenager. I read his novels, I read his mystery short stories. I read his autobiography. I read some of his science.... If I had to list my favorite SF novelists now, he wouldn't be on there. But, well, for old time's sake.
Bruce Sterling I am not usually a big fan of cyberpunk. I find it hard to read and understand - they seem to be speaking in another language, and I don't want to work that hard when reading SF. But Sterling, I like.
Kurt Vonnegut Enough said, I think
Harlan Ellison Writing as a form of social protest. He ought to be popular, here on dailyKos, and we need more writers like him, nowadays.
A diary like this would not be complete without mentioning how I got into this in the first place:
Madeline L'Engle's A Wrinkle in Time was the book that turned me, age 9, from someone who knew how to read into a reader. I read it cover to cover, turned back to the first page, and started over.
Doubtless, there are writers I'm forgetting.....