# Best science fiction authors



## Spudley (Oct 2, 2003)

Straw poll time - who are the very best science fiction authors of all time?

Anything from hard sci-fi to science fantasy: Who are your favorites? And why...?

I know the names of all the "grandees" are going to come out - Asimov, Bear, Herbert, Crighton .... but I'm also interested in the less well known writers that you've enjoyed.

For instance, have you read any John Wyndham? Fairly light science-fiction; quite old now (wrote in the '50s and '60s), though much less dated than his contemporaries - titles like "Day of the Triffids", "Web", "The Crysalids", and others all stand up well even today. He was one of the strongest early influences on my own writing, and although my style has changed a lot, I can still see his influence in there.

Lets see who else you can think of....


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## Kitten Courna (Oct 2, 2003)

Does Walter M. Miller, Jr. count?  I love Canticle for Leibowitz.  And you can't forget Orson Scott Card, but his science fiction angles are definitely second to his psychological ones.  This Wyndham fellow sounds interesting, I'll give him a shot when I've got an open day or two.

-Kitten


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## Cigol712 (Oct 2, 2003)

Robert Heinlein is exceptional. Stranger in a Strange Land, Starship Troopers, etc.

This guy had such creativity.


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## kinetickyle (Oct 2, 2003)

William Gibson and Neal Stephenson, two of my all-time favorites.


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## Lily (Oct 3, 2003)

Robert Heinlein and Orson Scott Card

oh, and Stanislaw Lem- I can never remember how to spell his name!


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## Washer (Oct 3, 2003)

Dude, gotta read some Dan Simmons.  That guy is good.  Also, Neil Stephenson.


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## AdamR (Oct 3, 2003)

Arthur C. Clarke would have to be on the top of my list...he was ahead of his time.


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## jjmulletman (Nov 13, 2003)

What! What? What?!?!?!?

So many posts and nobody has mentioned Philip K Dick?  Many people do not take him seiously because so much of his work was short fiction.  I believe his short fiction is better than many of his larger novels.  Read _Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?_ and you will understand his writing style.  He was one of the first authors to see the future with a bleak outcome caused by our industrialisation.

As a writer he made a terrible living, and died befor he became famous.  Very sad. ale:


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## Sneaky (Nov 13, 2003)

Alan Dean Foster both for Sf and SFantasy, Katherine Kurtz, Tanya Huff, David Gemmell, Jack Vance, Mercedes Lackey, Marion Zimmer Bradley, E.E. Eddings ........


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## obiwanjabroni (Nov 17, 2003)

Heinlein and Card.  Heinlein, especially for Stranger in a Strange Land, and Card for the Ender Series (especially speaker for the dead and Xenocide) and for Enchantment (a not so simple story about the real story of Sleeping Beauty).


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## Lily (Nov 17, 2003)

Ah! A fellow after my own heart! I elected those two authors too. My best friend gave me _Stranger in a Strange Land_ for Christmas . . . I was so captivated I finished the book in one sitting because I couldn't put it down. Oh, it was the unabridged version, by the way. I've been trying to decide whether or not it's worth picking up the abridged one . . .


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## Monkey_Man (Nov 17, 2003)

SF: Isaac Asmiov. SFantasy: Neil Shusterman


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## MikeM (Nov 24, 2003)

Michael Marshall Smith- really weird stuff.

The holy trinity, Gibson, Stephenson, Noon.

Iain M Banks

Alastair Reynolds.

Phillip K Dick.

Does HP Lovecraft count?

If so does Tolkein.

too many to mention.


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## Light (Nov 30, 2003)

I had to add one author the list :wink:

Peter F Hamilton ~ The Dark Dawn Trilogy, Nano Flower, and Fallen Dragon are the one's I have read.

He has to be my favourite sci-fi author.

I've also read Ian M Banks who is a great crossover writer and I've just been given ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card. Plenty of people have said great things about Orson so it should be a good read.


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## Capulet (Nov 30, 2003)

I'm surprised nobody has mentioned Larry Niven yet.  His Ringworld and other Known Space books/Stories helped define a generation of sci-fi.  I can't think of anything other than Star Wars or Star Trek that has as defined a timeline or universe, and those are made by giant teams of writers!


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## A-Chan (Dec 9, 2003)

I haven't read a whole lot of books yet.. and the ones I did read were mostly Star Wars *giggle*  

Besides those, I like Timothy Zahn.  I haven't explored many authors yet, but give me time!


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## Alastair Gruell (Dec 9, 2003)

Kage Baker. Witty, character-driven, Inventive! What more can you say about time travel, immortal cyborgs who become smashed on chocolate (but can metabolize every other substance, whether poisonous, narcotic, etc. quite easily), their rather dull masters and idiot savant enemies? A lot!


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## godisthyname (Jan 5, 2004)

Robert Lindsay - he wrote 'A Voyage to Arcturus' which to me was utterly insanely bewildering, but in a good way.


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## AdamR (Jan 5, 2004)

I know this post has nothing to do with this topic, but I just wanted to say Welcome Back godisthyname!


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## godisthyname (Jan 6, 2004)

And I know this isn't entirely relevant as well but thanks. I've been busy these past two months but I'm back, new and improved actually.


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## Guineapiggy (Jan 7, 2004)

I would say Wells, he was a very, very inteligent man, quite anti-establishment and so forth but you get the feeling that if he were any more in love with himself he'd have trained as a contortionist. Still, I can't reccomend any unknowns in this genre as I don't read much sci-fi.


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## AdamR (Jan 8, 2004)

I am adding to my original list, first of all to say that I agree about Wells. I love Jules Verne's quote about H.G. Wells. I can't find the exact quote but it was something to the nature of:
"H.G. Wells has clearly a wild imagination, taking you to worlds that are beyond the bounds of science."


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## Alexander (May 25, 2004)

Definitely Asimov and Philip K. Dick.

I share a birthday with Arthur C. Clarke, though.


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## Gundampilotspaz (May 30, 2004)

Robert A. Heinlein is the king of Sci-fi. I am tring to read all of his works now I am on my 11th book of 41. So I have some time to good. The worlds and characters he creates rival all other authors of any genre. Most of his work isn't dated even though he wrote mostly in the 40's and 50's.  Starship Troopers, Citizen of the Galaxy, The Moon is a Harsh Mistress, and Beyound this horizon are amoung his novels that can only be labeled Timeless in the modern world.


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## Airborneguy (May 30, 2004)

I hope to add myself to this list one day....


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## The Death (Jun 14, 2004)

The masters, Asimov and Bradbury.


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## regina_verbae (Jun 22, 2004)

Orson Scott Card is my hero.  He's been mentioned a lot, but I feel I must stress the point.  _Ender's Game_, of course is a must-read.  _Enchantment_ might be my favorite of his.  *whimper*  Ever read a book that made you want to die because the emotions were so intense you felt you might burst?  *pant*

Anyway.

Don't forget ole J. K. Rowling!  Yeah, yeah, it may sound lame, but the Harry Potter phenomonon has had its cause.  Call me a cheeseball, a freak, and a loser, but I love Harry!

William Goldman's _The Princess Bride_ is excellent.  Totally messes with your mind.  He's so good, he's got half the world convinced it's abridged and not of his own creation.

I can't believe Philip Pullman's _His Dark Materials_ hasn't been mentioned.  The land of the dead business in the 3rd so perfectly creates a feeling of death.  *shiver*

Max Barry's _Jennifer Government_ is an excellent futuristic society read.  Political and exciting.

I'm a big fan of young adult fiction.  Children need plots and character and all the important things.  Adult books become so focused on technique, style, and language.  Good young adult fantasy:  Franny Billingsley's _The Folk Keeper_.  Gail Carson Levine's _Ella Enchanted_, of course.  Donna Jo Napoli's _Zel_.

Yeah.  Now I need to read...


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## Csira (Jun 22, 2004)

regina_verbae said:
			
		

> Don't forget ole J. K. Rowling!  Yeah, yeah, it may sound lame, but the Harry Potter phenomonon has had its cause.  Call me a cheeseball, a freak, and a loser, but I love Harry!



I've always thought of J.K. Rowling more as a Fantasy author than a Science Fiction author. Unless of course, I am mistaking the fine lines between Fantasy and Science Fiction writing. 

Hm, let's see, I have read Orson Scott Card. I think it was "Enchantment". That was pretty funny, and I hope to read "Ender's Game" one of these days. I also read Isaac Asimov; I have one of his books: Fantastic Voyage (If I can recall, it deals with inside the human body?)


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## regina_verbae (Jun 24, 2004)

Csira said:
			
		

> I've always thought of J.K. Rowling more as a Fantasy author than a Science Fiction author. Unless of course, I am mistaking the fine lines between Fantasy and Science Fiction writing.



Heh.  The thing does say science fiction, doesn't it?  Got so excited, didn't realize what I was saying.

In that case, Pullman would also be fantasy.  As would Goldman.  And Billingsley.  And Napoli.  And Levine.

Teehee.  I have to laugh at myself.


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## The Tao Of Spike (Jun 29, 2004)

42. 42!!
I haven't seen Douglas Adams here yet.  The Hitchiker's Guide to the Galaxy is a must read if you want to laugh out loud.  I'm reading the third book out of five and one short story in the series.   I'm also a fan of Ender's Game and Vonnegut, but I don't venture into sci-fi much.


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## sully474 (Jun 29, 2004)

I'm reading Douglas Adams right now lol.


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## jules (Jul 29, 2004)

I love Douglas Adams' writing! Ray Bradbury is an all-time fave, and Tolkien, of course, though he's more fantasy, as are Rowling and Pullman, who i also love.... 
I find Vonnegut's work distressing, though fascinating, and can only handle it in small bits...
 
xoxoxoxoo


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## death.mage (Aug 31, 2004)

Sara Douglass is quite good.


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