I haven't spent much time in this conference yet, am just wondering what
people's favorite SciFi authors are [and why you like them]!??

85 responses total.

Ooh, let's see...

Philip K. Dick, because he always offers a new and twisted perspective
Harlan Ellison, becuase his stories explode within your brain like
        Pop-Rocks in your mouth
Ursula K. Leguin, because she's a damn good storyteller
Arthur C. Clarke, because he can handle hard SF *and* characterization
        at the same time
Tim Powers, because he makes his stories so complex and still consistent
        (and weird)

That's a start, anyway.

I like Asimov and Heinlein alot.
I like Ted Reynolds, and Michael Kube McDowell.
Sherry Tepper is usually great.
For mind candy, nothing beats Anne MaCaffrey.

Dean Ing
Allan Cole and Chris Bunch
Steven Brust
Allen Dean Foster
Jerry Pournelle

        Robert Heinlein has been my favorite science fiction author for
a long time.  I like the way he blended realistic scientific situations
with the way societies develop and the way the people in them react to
different situations.  He had his flaws, but no one else in science
fiction has ever had his capabilities.
        I like Jerry Pournelle for his analytical treatment of the near
future, and his ability to tell an exciting story about war and soldiers
in future situations.
        I like Larry Niven's mid-60's science fiction because he dealt with
exciting new (then) developments in science.  I also enjoyed his off-hand
yet in depth treatment of problems.  Niven really knew (and perhaps still
knows) how to analyze a problem, to include but discount the unimportant
parts, and move a story along the really important parts.  Niven is highly
intelligent, he knew (and perhaps still knows, doesn't show it much any
more though) how to make the reader feel as intelligent as he is.
        Frank Herbert knew how to make the reader perceive depth in his
stories, at least he did in Dune.  I consider Dune to be the best science
fiction novel ever written.

In no particular order:
John Varley
Larry Niven
Rojer Zelazny
George RR Martin
Joan Vinge
Spider Robinson  (Sometimes, when he's not on one of his damn soapboxes)
Vonda Mcintyre
Arthur C. Clark

My favorite SF authors are:
Greg Bear
Issac Asimov 
Larry Niven
Robert L. Forward
Poul Anderson
M.A. Foster (Love the Morphodite series)
William Gibson

My favorite Fantasy Authors are:
Margaaret Weis and Tracy HIckman
Mercedes Lackey
Fred Saberhagen
David Eddings

Spider Robinson and Harlan Ellison. Aside from that, I don't read as
much s/f as hang out with types who do. ;)

Sort of a Science FIction camp follower, eh? ;-)

        Pat Cadigan. She's sort of "cyberpunk" but has much better character
devlopment than Gibson or Sterling.

I'll agree with the earlier respondant about Dune being the best SF novel
ever written.  I also like David Brin's stuff, particularly "Startide
Rising" and "The Uplift War."  They have some of same sweeping quality that
Dune has, and some neat characters including in non-human cultures.  I think
that Asimov and Heinlein are good for younger readers.  For my taste, more
sophisticated readers would find them oversimplistic.  And of course,
there's always Tolkien.

Troy Denning: Fantasy Scifi, Medieval too.

DUNE?  Please explain.  I found it horribly dense and incomprehensible.

Well, clearly it's a subjective matter of opinion.  I loved Dune because it
was at the same time a portrait of a man with heroic ideals that come into
conflict and turn him from a hero into at best a neutral power, and possibly
(depending on your point of view) the worst mass-murderer in Herbert's human
history, and a portrait of a wonderfuly decadent, richly pictured, and
detailed society.  I'm also fond of complexity in my plots, so Dune appealed
to me.

For scifi, I like Heinlein, for good character portrayal, and Larry Niven, for
plot and storyline.
For Fantasy, I like:
Margaret Weis & Tracy Hickman
J.R.R.Tolkein
Troy Denning
Doug Niles
and R.A.Salvator

Uff

I grew up on such obscurities as Lord Dunsany, George MacDonald, Mary Webb (not
fantasy, but obscure british dialect writer), Charles Williams, etc.  permanent
ly warped my style of speaking and writing and made me unable to stomach
such hacks as Terry Brooks or Piers Anthony.  I like Gordon R Dickson for his
ideas, Misty Lackey and RA McEvoy for the sweetness of their worlds, Anne 
McCaffrey for being able to craft a world so enticing it cons me into reading
her superficial repetitiousness and liking it.  I love MZB, even when I know 
she's not at her best.  Current favorites are Charles deLint and Diana Paxton.

I like C.J. Cherryh for Sci-fi and Ursula LeGuin for SF & fantasy
not so much because they're great storytellers, but because they're
great world builders.  

Also, they both have wonderful female characters.  
They're PEOPLE first and women second, goddamit!

Lem isn't very good with women, but other than that he's excellent.  When he's
serious, he's got great insights into science and human behaviour (and
sometimes non-human behaviour) and when he's tounge-in-cheek, not only
is he very funny, but he also really gets you to think.  Pirx
is just about the best SF hero ever.

For those who like Weis/Hickman:  why?  (I admit, I've only read
DRAGONLANCE)

For fantasy I have to say no one beats Mercedes Lackey in my eyes.
I love how her characters aren't what I've termed wimpy females.
And as young said "Thery're PEOPLE first and women second, goddamit."
I couldn't agree more- good notion.
Piers Anthony is flugffle (er fluffy) but I likes his _Incarnations_
Of_Imortality_ series.
,

I think "flugffle" is a wonderful word- I may use it as a cross between 
"fluffy", "ugly", and "awful"- roughly what I think of Piers Anthony since
Xanth.  Some of his earlier work was clever, if sexist and a bit pulpy.

Getting back on topic: I'm beggining to enjoy Simon Hawke.

I want to get back to Kami's topic in 19.  I don't know much about the
Xanth series, I've only read two of them (I think).  I will agree
about him being a bit sexist- for wexample- all his women wear dresses-
all the time.  Now I have nothing against dresses, but most of the women
I know wear opants too.

actually, I have gone thru periods of wearing dresses nearly all the time.
they didn't keep me from doing much, and were neither short nor filmy nor
clinging.  Pirs Anthony does seem to ne a sexist jerk.

I don't have a problem with characters wearing dresses, a few of the
ones I've created always do, but in Piers Anthony's case all of them
do, even female characters you wouldn't think of wearing dresses are.
Me for one can't picture a teenage hooker in a long dress.
But Piers has one bright spot, in the end of his _Incartnation_ series
he made a woman God.

Cool!  I think women would do a better job ruling the world anyway.
We mean are just hotheaded brutes who think about but three things:
Beer, Football, and Sex.

Speak for yourself oh offish one......
I havn't tasted a beer yet, that doesn't remind me of urine.
Football is for idiots.
Hmmmm, I don't think about sex *all* the time.......

Just most of the time?  ; }

Heh, well let's just say that it occupies a *healthy* amount of my
thoughts. :-)  BTW, I count it as a win that I only score a .5 out of 3
on the Vidar Grunt Scale.

You must drink more urine than most people...I can't rightly say
what urine tastes like (never having tried it).  Drink a good beer...
a really good beer (jeez that sounds like a commercial).

Dare I ask what the Vidar Grunt Scale is?
I won't say anything about beer, I've never had it.

Anne, reread vidar's reponse #24. That's what I was reffering to as the
"Grunt scale". ;-)

Okay, I get it.

I'd think the "Grunt Scale," would refer more to "Uff Da," than to 
anything else.  

I have to agree with #18, I absolutly love Mercedes Lackey...but I also
enjoy Stephen R. Donaldson's two books, Mirror of her dreams, and a man
rides through.  They are wonderful, but his other books suck.

Xanth is funny, but has gone downhill in the last couple years.  Ogre,
Ogre is a funny book, but some of th others are better.  As for Anne
McCaffeI haven't read her for a couple years, but I haven't liked
what I saw.

        I have never completely read a more boring book than "The Mirror of
her Dreams".

my favorite authors are  (judging from my bookcase):
in alphabetical order;
Piers Anthony
M.Z. Bradly
O. Butler
S. Dexter
heinlein
Hodgell
Misty Lakey
McCaffery
J. Robberson
C. Stacheff
R. Zelazny

although she has been too busy getting a Dr. in front of her name to write all
that much of late, P.C. Hodgell is  that much until lately, P.C. Hodgell is
really good read.  nice character development and descriptions with some fun
humor tossed in--but not too much.

 
Ron Goulart is cool
Phil Foglio
 

You know, I have to agree with #35; I found "The Mirror of Her Dreams"
to be just deathly dull.  And I was really pissed off at the end when
absolutely nothing was resolved.

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