Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

[RexMundi]

Curious and bored at work while in the process of going over a few thousand pages of architectural and design specs, so in the process of thread hopping, I figured I'd start a new one of these. Mostly for curiosities point of view, but I have also found, that the directions folks lean towards writers, tends to explain directions they approach various things in the field.

 

So, if you had to pick your ten, Who would they be? Better yet, WHY, and Why should others read their work? Even Better Yet, would their Material make for a great Star Hero foundation?

 

~Rex

[Nyrath]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Well, my top SF writers is a different list from my top SF writers who have Star Hero material.

 

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/18596-SF-Novels-for-Star-Hero?p=364243#post364243

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/18596-SF-Novels-for-Star-Hero?p=364368#post364368

http://www.herogames.com/forums/showthread.php/18596-SF-Novels-for-Star-Hero?p=365136#post365136

and add The Witches of Karres by James H. Schmitz

[RexMundi]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Ah, but if you were pinned down on the dissection plate by the greys, and they were demanding direct info, right now, what would it be? If different though, Why? See that's the interesting thing. What would make, let's say, Phillip K. Dick, a better read and set of Source Material, then Stephanie Meyer?

 

~Rex

[Susano]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Hmm... based what's on my shelves....

 

Ian M. Banks -- awesome space opera using the Culture and other settings.

C. J. Cherryh -- excellent alien races. The Mri, Hani, Regul Kif, and a lot others.

Robert Heinlien -- I've only a few of his books, but they're all pretty good reads.

Larry Niven -- creator of some of the best big space objects (Ringworld among others).

Charles Stross -- I've only read a little (so far), but it's all been highly imaginative.

Roger Zelazny -- highly creative concepts and stories.

 

Since I'm not at home... I can't scan my books to see what I'm missing. But this is a good start.

[Lawnmower Boy]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Amongst currently active authors,

 

1) Connie Willis

2) Vernor Vinge

3) Walter Jon Williams

4) C. J. Cherryh*

5) Glen Cook (that is, if he ever deigned to write another SF instead of running off fantasy)

 

Amongst old-timers, I can't get my mind around ranking them. Robert Silverberg and Michael Moorcock are uneven, the old-timey pulp writers such as Asimov, Williamson, Leinster, Van Vogt, Norton, Hamilton haven't aged well unless you're willing to forgive them their sins. Some of the much-celebrated big names are such poo-poo heads (Robert Heinlein, Marion Zimmer Bradley) that I don't feel comfortable boosting them. I could never really get into Ballard and Aldiss.

Apparently James Triptree and Theodore Sturgeon are good. I should really read them. Of course, I should really read the Critique of Pure Reason, too, but I doubt that's going to happen now, either. M. A. Foster had one really good book in him. Everyone should read Gameplayers of Zan. C. C. Macapp shows such promise in everything he wrote, and Simon Laing did, too, in the old days. There's probably some private tragedy there. The two Kate Wilhelm books I've read still resonate with me to this day. Del Rey, Ron Goulart and Mack Williamson were/are so unambitious. What I'm getting at, in my overtime-stunned way, is that I offer my "inactive writers" list purely in the spirit of killing electrons.

 

1) Stanley Weinbaum

2) James H. Schmitz

3) Cordwainer Smith*

4) Keith Laumer

5) Leigh Brackett

 

However, my gut hunch is that there were more, good, unappreciated SF writers working in the 1950s than anyone but some diligent doctoral student of the next century will ever know.

 

 

*In a "you have to work to appreciate them" way.

[RexMundi]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Hmmm. Some interesting choices there. I'll let the Glenn Cook point slide since he's a particular favorite of mine when it comes to Fantasy. If I were pinned down to the probe plate, and without having the boxes and boxes of stuff to dig through, my ten, in no particular order, would look like this:

 

1. Jack Chalker

2. Joe Haldeman

3. David Weber

4. James Hogan

5. Frederik Pohl

6. Larry Niven/Jerry Pournelle (A cheat, but they have written so MANY things together, I like them as a team heh)

7. Phillip K. Dick

8. David Drake

9. Harlan Ellison

10. E.E. Doc Smith

 

I could of course divide that by, Active, Non Active, Living, Dead, and then Genre, but then my post goes well well beyond the scope of the thread. Very good point on the 50's observation, though I think, at least in the realms of Real Science in Science Fiction, and Military Sci Fi, such an attitude, is coming back. There's at least 60 more people I'd like to add to my list though, but then, this is the quick, and off the surface post and one can always do "The Next Ten and why heh...." I'll save my Why's though for replies (no poetry intended), down the road a bit.

 

~Rex

[Susano]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Argh! I forgot David Drake for military SF!

[RexMundi]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

S'ok. I planned to subdivide later and go for Genre Writers. THIS thread, is meant to be light, in the manner of making a recommendation to confused folks at the book store.

 

~Rex

[Xavier Onassiss]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

I've been reading a lot of the "new space opera" over the last few years, and loving it. So finally, I decided to take a crack at adapting it to Star Hero.

 

From Wikipedia:

This "new space opera", which evolved around the same time cyberpunk emerged and was influenced by it, is darker, moves away from the "triumph of mankind" template of space opera, involves newer technologies, and has stronger characterization than the space opera of old. While it does retain the interstellar scale and scope of traditional space opera, it can also be scientifically rigorous.

 

The new space opera was a reaction against the old. New space opera proponents claim that the genre centers on character development, fine writing, high literary standards, verisimilitude, and a moral exploration of contemporary social issues. McAuley and Michael Levy[7] identify Iain M. Banks,[6] Stephen Baxter,[6] M. John Harrison,[6] Alastair Reynolds,[6] McAuley himself,[6] Ken MacLeod, Peter F. Hamilton, and Justina Robson as the most notable practitioners of the new space opera.

 

I haven't read Harrison and Robson yet, but the rest I've found thoroughly enjoyable. And I'd include some of the works of Charles Stross in this category as well.

 

Creating a Star Hero setting in this vein has been hard work, but the effort has paid off. I've been running games like this at conventions for a couple of years, and I always get the same reaction: "When are you going to publish this?"

 

I'm not telling.

 

 

Don't blame me,

Xavier Onassiss

 

ps -- I forgot Wil McCarthy and Chris Moriarty!

[lemming]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

First three, I think the universes would be interesting. The other two I like various bits of tech that float around.

 

• Elizabeth Moon (Remnant Population, Serrano series)
  
• Steve Perry (Interesting universe for his Man that never missed)
  
• David Brin (Hyperion series)
  
• Fred Saberhagen (Berserker and some other stuff)
  
• David Drake (I tend to like his collaborations better than him straight)
  

[Kristopher]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

I've been reading a lot of the "new space opera" over the last few years, and loving it. So finally, I decided to take a crack at adapting it to Star Hero.

 

From Wikipedia:

This "new space opera", which evolved around the same time cyberpunk emerged and was influenced by it, is darker, moves away from the "triumph of mankind" template of space opera, involves newer technologies, and has stronger characterization than the space opera of old. While it does retain the interstellar scale and scope of traditional space opera, it can also be scientifically rigorous.

 

The new space opera was a reaction against the old. New space opera proponents claim that the genre centers on character development, fine writing, high literary standards, verisimilitude, and a moral exploration of contemporary social issues. McAuley and Michael Levy[7] identify Iain M. Banks,[6] Stephen Baxter,[6] M. John Harrison,[6] Alastair Reynolds,[6] McAuley himself,[6] Ken MacLeod, Peter F. Hamilton, and Justina Robson as the most notable practitioners of the new space opera.

 

I haven't read Harrison and Robson yet, but the rest I've found thoroughly enjoyable. And I'd include some of the works of Charles Stross in this category as well.

 

Creating a Star Hero setting in this vein has been hard work, but the effort has paid off. I've been running games like this at conventions for a couple of years, and I always get the same reaction: "When are you going to publish this?"

 

I'm not telling.

 

Sounds a bit like where I'm going with the setting I'm working on.

[Old Man]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Brin, Vinge, Banks, Gibson, Stross, Verne, Wells, ERB, Asimov, Bradbury, Clarke. Wait, that's eleven.

[Sundog]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Drake, Pournelle, Heinlein, Asimov, Flint, Weber, Lem, the Brothers Strugatski, Wells, Moon.

[Ranxerox]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Bruce Sterling and William Gibson because I does love myself some cyberpunk.

 

Iain M Banks for proving that technology that is distinguishable from magic is insufficient.

 

Kim Stanley Robinson for both his Mars trilogy and his Gold Coast books.

 

David Brin, not the most challenging of writers, but his Uplift universe is great setting and I use uplifted species in all my far future campaigns.

 

Octavia Butler for challenging me.

 

Larry Niven for his Ringworld books.

 

C. J. Cherryh .

 

Phillip K. Dick. I just read A Scanner Darkly and loved it.

 

Douglas Adams because life really is that absurd.

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

As far as authors I've mined for Star Hero ideas, three not yet mentioned leap to mind

 

Steve Perry, the Matador series, which was the foundation for my old game setting

Mike Resnick, whose Inner Frontier just BEGS for a good game. How much is a verse in Black Orpheus' Ballad worth as a Reputation?

and Julian May, who does psi's like no other

[Susano]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Bruce Sterling and William Gibson because I does love myself some cyberpunk.

 

Also, Neil Stephenson... although my enthusiasm for his work has dropped of sharply of late. I own several of his novels, but decided that I wasn't going to pickup any more past the Baroque Cycle.

[Ian Mackinder]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Based on my mood and perceptions of the moment, and in no particular order:

 

Robert Heinlein - Well, just because.

H. Beam Piper - His short story 'Omnilingual', by itself, earns him a spot. Then there is all the other stuff he did as well ...

Stanley G Weinbaum - Most of you probably have not heard of this guy, he died with just some short stories done, but they are very very good.

Edgar Rice Burroughs - for Barsoom and Pellucidar (OK, way more pulpy than SF, but still ...).

Spider Robinson - The 'Callaghan' books.

Larry Niven - 'Ringworld', 'The Flying Sorcerors' and a bunch of other stuff.

James P Hogan - The 'Giants' trilogy and 'Voyage From Yesteryear'.

Jerry Oltion - 'Abandon In Place' and 'The Getaway Special'.

Sharon Lee & Steve Miller - The Liaden Universe

Martin Caidin - 'Cyborg', and a bunch of others, many of which are arguably technothrillers and some well beyond that.

Ben Bova - 'Colony' and for Sam Gunn.

Lin Carter - The 'Callisto', 'Mars' and 'Green Star' series.

David Weber - Honour Harrington and Dahak.

 

Honourable mention to:

 

David Brin - 'The Postman'

James Schmitz - 'The Witches Of Karres'

[RexMundi]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

I was beggining to wonder when folks would hit the "New Space Opera" stuff, Nice to see others hit on Piper, Robinson and Bova as well. It's rough when you're limited to ten because by the time you toss out the first ten off the top of your head, you want to list ten more. Haven't seen anyone list Greg Bear, Martin Caidin, Dean Ing, Octavia Butler or the likes of C.S. Freidman or Lois McMaster Bujold yet......Unless one of those was buried in the big lists. One could almost add to the Criteria for the top ten, in a way of thinking of what to list, is what would you want to KEEP, if the rest had to go.

 

~Rex

[Susano]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Greg Bear is (IMO) terrible. I read Blood Music and Eon and decided I wasn't going to try and more of his stuff.

[Nyrath]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

When it comes to inspiration for a Planetary Romance campaign, an interesting choice is the Northwest Smith stories of C.L. Moore.

http://www.isfdb.org/cgi-bin/pe.cgi?9373

Northwest Smith is a rogue. A little Han Solo, a little Indiana Jones. There is some Film Noir, some Cthulhu mythos, grizzled men wearing faded gray spacer's leathers with their heat ray pistol in a well worn holster. The deserts of Mars, the swamps of Venus, lithe white limbed women, and eldrich horrors.

[Cancer]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

From the point of view which values old-style "hard" science fiction -- minimal extrapolation from known science and technology -- no one did better than Hal Clement with Mission of Gravity and, almost 20 years later, Star Light. In the former (published in serial form 1953) his armored vehicle was armed with a projectile cannon, not any sort of energy weapon. Lasers hadn't been invented yet!

[RexMundi]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

I think there is a genetic component to enjoying Greg Bear. Northwest Smith is a great recommendation btw. Good pick. As for the Bear Hate, heh.....you can't please everyone, but at least it isn't "The Eye of Argon". Still, I've noticed when folks come up with real author hate, it's always along the lines of:

 

* I didn't understand it

* I don't agree with their morals

* I don't agree with their politics

* The book did not address or emphasize that part of the subject which I consider important.

* The story presents opinions I don't agree with

* I wanted it to be a different type of story

 

Which is all fine, but may not necessarily apply to other folks. I've made it a point (and for some time was paid to do it even) to read any drek that folks put in front of me. No matter how bad, I'll finish the book so I can render true venomous replies as to why it stunk. Fortunately, bad sci fi really tends to stick around in the young adult or young men of action kind of novels, or trek or star munchkin books, so your safe if you watch where you step. To return to the Bear commentary, it could be worse, it could always be Meyer, and she's going to do to sci fi, what she did to vamp horror, so be prepared.......

 

 

~Rex

[Ranxerox]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

I was beggining to wonder when folks would hit the "New Space Opera" stuff, Nice to see others hit on Piper, Robinson and Bova as well. It's rough when you're limited to ten because by the time you toss out the first ten off the top of your head, you want to list ten more. Haven't seen anyone list Greg Bear, Martin Caiden, Dean Ing, Octavia Butler or the likes of C.S. Freidman or Lois McMaster Bujold yet......Unless one of those was buried in the big lists. One could almost add to the Criteria for the top ten, in a way of thinking of what to list, is what would you want to KEEP, if the rest had to go.

 

~Rex

 

Yes, Ms. Butler was "buried" in my list. Her stuff tends to make me squirm because it causes me to reexamine my assumptions. That is a good thing.

[RexMundi]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

Thought I saw it when I skimmed the thread again. Butler deserves extra attention though. No one has any props for Eric Frank Russell, James White, Philip José Farmer, Raymond F. Jones or Jack Vance? Hells I should have made it a top 15 List heh.

 

~Rex

[AmadanNaBriona]

Re: Your Top Ten Science Fiction Writers, and then some.

 

First three, I think the universes would be interesting. The other two I like various bits of tech that float around.

 

• Elizabeth Moon (Remnant Population, Serrano series)
  
• Steve Perry (Interesting universe for his Man that never missed)
  
• David Brin (Hyperion series)
  
• Fred Saberhagen (Berserker and some other stuff)
  
• David Drake (I tend to like his collaborations better than him straight)
  

 

Heh... OK, so actually someone else mentioned Perry first

I re-iterate... It's a great setting for a heavy martial arts oriented game.