Science Fiction Writers

[War Arrow]

Judging by at least the Arthur C. Clarke thread, there's a few of us here with at least a bit of a soft spot for the genre. Having recently realised how poorly read I am in this area (excepting Philip K. Dick about whom I became a bit obssessive at one stage) I've been trying to broaden my horizons a little with Arthur C. Clarke, Brian Aldiss, A. E. van Vogt (though wasn't too impressed), Clifford D. Simak (was impressed - pleasantly rural tales, the Waltons with aliens maybe), Stephen Baxter and others. I'm particularly blown away by this latter author whose thing seems to be (at least in certain books) deriving apeshit crazy scenarios from the weirder end of theoretical physics - the novel Flux for example is set amongst a pseudo-mediaeval culture of engineered microscopic humans who live inside a neutron star, whereas Raft is set in a universe where the laws of physics are slightly different and gravity is a billion times stronger - no planets, stars are about a mile wide and have a lifespan of about a year and so on - and the thing that impresses me is he writes all this stuff in a thoroughly believable, almost matter of fact way, so it kind of comes across like maybe C.S.Lewis stuffed into a blender with Stephen Hawking.

Anyone?

[Forum Monk]

I am not all that well read, when it comes to science fiction but I have a few that I thought were outstanding:

Neuromancer by William Gibson

Neuromancer is considered "the archetypal cyberpunk work",[6] and its winning the Hugo, Nebula, and Philip K. Dick Awards legitimized cyberpunk as a mainstream branch of science fiction literature. It is among the most-honored works of science fiction in recent history,[7] and appeared on Time magazine's list of 100 best English-language novels written since 1923.[8]

The novel has had significant linguistic influence, popularizing such terms as cyberspace and ICE. Gibson himself coined the term "cyberspace" in his novelette "Burning Chrome", published in 1982 by Omni magazine. It was only through its use in Neuromancer, however, that the term Cyberspace gained enough recognition to become the de facto term for the World Wide Web during the 1990s.[9] The portion of Neuromancer usually cited in this respect is:

The matrix has its roots in primitive arcade games. … Cyberspace. A consensual hallucination experienced daily by billions of legitimate operators, in every nation, by children being taught mathematical concepts. … A graphic representation of data abstracted from banks of every computer in the human system. Unthinkable complexity. Lines of light ranged in the nonspace of the mind, clusters and constellations of data. Like city lights, receding (Gibson 69).

In his afterword to the 2000 re-issue of Neuromancer, fellow author Jack Womack goes as far as to suggest that Gibson's vision of cyberspace may have inspired the way in which the internet developed, (particularly the World Wide Web) after the publication of Neuromancer in 1984. He asks "[w]hat if the act of writing it down, in fact, brought it about?"

[Forum Monk]

I did make it through four of the six novels detailing the fictional accounts of House Atreides and the desert planet Arrakis in the Frank Herbet series, Dune.

Dune has been widely influential, inspiring other novels, music, films (including Star Wars[33][34]), television, videogames, and comic books. The novel was parodied in 1984's National Lampoon's Doon by Ellis Weiner, and inspired The Dune Encyclopedia (1984) by Dr. Willis E. McNelly.[35]

Dune inspired the Iron Maiden song "To Tame A Land." However, when songwriter Steve Harris requested permission from the author to name the song "Dune," his request was met with a stern refusal — backed up with a legal threat — which noted that "Herbert doesn't like rock bands, particularly heavy rock bands, and especially rock bands like Iron Maiden." The song was renamed "To Tame a Land" and released in 1983.[36][37] It is also the likely inspiration for the lyrics "Walk without rhythm, it won't attract the worm" in the song "Star 69 / Weapon of Choice" by Fatboy Slim. In the novel, Paul notes "We must walk without rhythm" to avoid notice by a sandworm as he and Jessica cross the desert; Lynch's Dune (1984) features Paul's line "If we walk without rhythm, we won't attract the worm" 82 minutes into the film.[38]

The series was full of great imagery, fascinating characters, strange religion, odd creatures and plenty of intensity. A masterwork.

[Digit]

Oh dear oh dear oh dear WA, you have been deprived haven't you?
What about Wells, Conan Doyle, Verne, Bradbury, Wyndham, and Asimov?

[War Arrow]

Oh dear oh dear oh dear WA, you have been deprived haven't you?
What about Wells, Conan Doyle, Verne, Bradbury, Wyndham, and Asimov?

Read a couple of HG Wells & John Wyndham when I was a kid. The first few pages of The Kraken Wakes scared the bejeesus out of me though, so I never finished it. I have a big car battery sized Asimov collection sitting on my shelf (recently acquired during large haul of cheapo books) which I'll get around to within the next few months, hopefully - also Farenheit 451.

I've read and enjoyed a couple of William Gibson novels (Mona Lisa Overdrive, Count Zero and Pattern Recognition) but I must confess he kind of got on my nerves after a while. Funny though that he didn't own a computer until the 1990s (at least after the big typewriter written cyberpunk novels) and needed the delivery guy to show him how to turn it on.
Dune looks too mammoth an undertaking at present, each volume being about 6 inches thick, if I remember correctly, but maybe one day.

Still a bit fixated on Stephen Baxter at present - read a fair chunk of Ring at the weekend - lengthy descriptions of processes involving gravity and dark matter inside our sun as it turns red giant as witnessed by an artificial intelligence which has been abandoned therein - he's got a real knack for writing about things that you wouldn't think really lend themselves to the written word.

[Digit]

Never could make up my mind whether 'The Kraken Wakes' should be classified as Sci Fi or horror. Like you I read it as a kid and nearly ended up turning all the lights on!
It was broadcast on the BBC Radio many years ago, and a first class rendering at that, unlike the the Hollywood version of 'Day of the Triffids'. That was so bad Wyndham refused to have anything to do with it.
Dune defeated me, I lost the plot around page 1001, or maybe it was earlier!
Asimov wrote a lot of shorts in his early years and one of my favourites was about an American star ship that was trapped and destroyed by a black hole.
All that was recovered was a tech's tool box containing a 'Star Mangled Spanner!'

[Forum Monk]

I became a Dune fanatic (not like memorabilia and stuff) but reading it every spare minute. I launched into the series not long after reading the The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Silmarillion. I was totaly fascinated not only by these novels but how Tolkien devised entire mythologies and languages to support the mystique and magic of the series. (btw I never cared for fiction until adulthood - as a kid I only read non-fiction and nearly flunked all my literature classes. I once did an oral report on Melville's Moby Dick by trying to recall the movie. It was an utter disaster.)

Dune also existed in a fantasy type world with an underlying history totally contrived by the author. I was totally blown away by the Melange laced Space Guild Navigators folding space, and the matriarchal Bene Gesserit; a religious sect blending elements of the Sisterhood with witchcraft. I loved it at that point in my life.

[Digit]

If I ever find the time to look for an agent I might even be able to add my name to the list!

[Forum Monk]

If I ever find the time to look for an agent I might even be able to add my name to the list!

So what are you waiting on? Get some referrals and get it done.

[Digit]

Twice I've made a start and had my PC go kaput on me. I'm jinxed.

[dannan14]

Asimov's Foundation series is crucial. Don't forget the three books from the 90's written by David Brin, Greg Benford, and Greg Bear. Also check out Brin's Earthclan series. That one has great ideas about evolution.

[War Arrow]

I became a Dune fanatic (not like memorabilia and stuff) but reading it every spare minute. I launched into the series not long after reading the The Hobbit, The Lord of the Rings trilogy and the Silmarillion. I was totaly fascinated not only by these novels but how Tolkien devised entire mythologies and languages to support the mystique and magic of the series. (btw I never cared for fiction until adulthood - as a kid I only read non-fiction and nearly flunked all my literature classes. I once did an oral report on Melville's Moby Dick by trying to recall the movie. It was an utter disaster.)

Dune also existed in a fantasy type world with an underlying history totally contrived by the author. I was totally blown away by the Melange laced Space Guild Navigators folding space, and the matriarchal Bene Gesserit; a religious sect blending elements of the Sisterhood with witchcraft. I loved it at that point in my life.

Hear you on that. I'm a sucker for a finely crafted bit of world building. And sort of along those lines, just finished the last of my Stephen Baxter marathon - Ring - sadly over long and patchy but would make a great, much shorter novel. Notably it has impressed me with the notion of our galaxy comprising stars embedded in a disk of dark matter - hence turning like a wheel rather than a whirlpool - so at last I grasp a bit more of that need for an explanation to which dark matter is the answer. Still not entirely convinced though. Mind you, think I'm starting to understand string theory a little better. Baxter may not be particularly poetic (shame) but he's very educational.

Anyway, onto Under The Skin by Michael Faber at present, as recommended by local reading group. It seems to be shaping up well.

[john]

All -

Check out Zelazny, particularly his "Amber" series.

Also Robert Howard of Conan the Barbarian fame.

And Fritz Leiber who created Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser.

All wonderful trash reading.



john

[War Arrow]

All -

Check out Zelazny, particularly his "Amber" series.

Also Robert Howard of Conan the Barbarian fame.

And Fritz Leiber who created Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser.

All wonderful trash reading.



john

Noted, as I was very much taken with Deus Irae - the Zelazny/ Philip K. Dick joint effort. Just finished Under The Skin, which is actually a bit of a relief. Well written, but a pretty unpleasant book.

[john]

All -

Check out Zelazny, particularly his "Amber" series.

Also Robert Howard of Conan the Barbarian fame.

And Fritz Leiber who created Fafhrd and the Grey Mouser.

All wonderful trash reading.



john

Noted, as I was very much taken with Deus Irae - the Zelazny/ Philip K. Dick joint effort. Just finished Under The Skin, which is actually a bit of a relief. Well written, but a pretty unpleasant book.

War Arrow -

If you want something truly amusing and scary,

Neal Stephenson's "Snow Crash."

He also wrote "The Diamond Age" and "Zodiac" which are

Equally excellent.


john