Science Fiction Authors

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Considering that we have a popular thread dedicated to fantasy authors already, I thought it would be only fair to highlight the competition now. Also, it would be nice to have some discussion going again. Anyway, here we get to talk about the many writers who have codified the many subgenres of science fiction. What are some of your favorites, if any? That being said, what is your history with science fiction? What do you feel about it, compared to fantasy or other genres? Why do you read it, or why not?

Personally, my own experience has been good but structurally mixed. There are definitely LOTS of science fiction stories that I love in film, of which I've seen no shortage of, but as for books, I've never been too keen on them, and I can't put my finger on exactly why. However, I definitely wish to amend that situation. Believe me, I have a good number of notable sci-fi authors in mind, and I'll be trying to check most of them out over time. In the meantime, I'd like to know your on thoughts on a long and widely respected genre like this.

[Coír Draoi Ceítien]

Well, I really want to get the conversation going (PLEASE someone join in....), so I thought I might list some names and titles like I did originally in the early days of the "Fantasy Authors" topic. Since that was done before I had the blog, this time I'm not going to go into so many biographical details since I plan to do so on "Science Fiction Visionaries." I'll just recap what I've listed before as a means of recommendation; as a bonus, I'll add some that I haven't covered yet but plan to, just to give you a taste of what's coming.

So here are some authors to consider if you want read science fiction:


JULES VERNE (1828-1905) - Journey to the Center of the Earth, From the Earth to the Moon, Twenty Thousand Leagues Under the Sea, Around the World in Eighty Days, The Mysterious Island

H. G. WELLS (1866-1946) - The Time Machine, The Island of Dr. Moreau, The Invisible Man, The War of the Worlds, The First Men in the Moon, The Food of the Gods, In the Days of the Comet, The War in the Air, The Sleeper Wakes, The Shape of Things to Come

HUGO GERNSBACK (1884-1967) - Ralph 124C 41+

EDGAR RICE BURROUGHS (1875-1950) - Barsoom (A Princess of Mars; The Gods of Mars; The Warlord of Mars; Thuvia, Maid of Mars; The Chessmen of Mars; etc.), Tarzan (Tarzan of the Apes; The Return of Tarzan; The Beasts of Tarzan; The Son of Tarzan; Tarzan and the Jewels of Opar; etc.), Pellucidar (At the Earth's Core; Pellucidar; Tanar of Pellucidar; Tarzan at the Earth's Core; Back to the Stone Age; Land of Terror; Savage Pellucidar), The Land That Time Forgot

ARTHUR CONAN DOYLE (1859-1930) - The Lost World, The Poison Belt, The Land of Mist

PHILIP WYLIE (1902-1971) - Gladiator, The Savage Gentleman, When World Collide [w/Edwin Balmer], The Disappearance, Tomorrow!, Triumph, The End of the Dream

E. E. "DOC" SMITH (1890-1965) - Skylark (The Skylark of Space; Skylark Three; Skylark of Valeron; Skylark DuQuesne), Spacehounds of IPC, Lensman (Triplanetary; First Lensman; Galactic Patrol; Gray Lensman; Second Stage Lensman; The Vortex Blaster; Children of the Lens)

YEVGENY ZAMYATIN (1884-1937) - We

ISAAC ASIMOV (1920-1992) - Robot (I, Robot; The Caves of Steel; The Naked Sun; The Robots of Dawn; Robots and Empire), Foundation (Foundation; Foundation and Empire; Second Foundation), Galactic Empire (The Currents of Space; The Stars, Like Dust; Pebble in the Sky), The End of Eternity, The Gods Themselves, Nemesis

ARTHUR C. CLARKE (1917-2008) - Childhood's End, The City and the Stars, A Fall of Moondust, Space Odyssey (2001: A Space Odyssey; 2010: Odyssey Two; 2061: Odyssey Three; 3001: The Final Odyssey), Rendezvous with Rama, The Fountains of Paradise, The Songs of Distant Earth, The Hammer of God

ROBERT A. HEINLEIN (1907-1988) - Red Planet, Sixth Column, Farmer in the Sky, The Puppet Masters, The Rolling Stones, Starman Jones, The Star Beast, Tunnel in the Sky, Double Star, Time for the Stars, Citizen of the Galaxy, The Door into Summer, Have Space Suit--Will Travel, Starship Troopers, Stranger in a Strange Land, Farnham's Freehold, The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress, Time Enough for Love, The Number of the Beast, Friday, Job: A Comedy of Justice, The Cat Who Walks Through Walls, To Sail Beyond the Sunset

ALDOUS HUXLEY (1894-1963) - Brave New World, Island

OLAF STAPLEDON (1886-1950) - Last and First Men, Odd John, Star Maker, Sirius

A. E. VAN VOGT (1912-2000) - Slan, The Weapon Makers, The Book of Ptath, The World of Null-A, The Voyage of the Space Beagle, The Weapon Shops of Isher, The Mixed Men, The Universe Maker, Empire of the Atom, The War Against the Rull

RAY BRADBURY (1920-2012) - The Martian Chronicles, The Illustrated Man, Fahrenheit 451, The Golden Apples of the Sun, I Sing the Body Electric

GEORGE ORWELL (1903-1950) - Animal Farm, 1984


I think that's enough for right now. If you want to talk about any that I haven't mentioned yet, either here or on the blog, feel free to do so. Why don't you discuss why you read them, if you do, or what impact they've had on your life? What would you like to read?