h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

H.G. WELLS! No doubt about it, he's the best. The Time Machine, Invisible Man and War of the Worlds. They're classics and they're great. C.S. Lewis is good too.

My favorites: Robert Heinlein, Anne McCafferey, Isaac Asimov, Douglas Adams, and Frank Herbert.

your dad

This will sound bad but whose "your dad"

DNA but without all the jokes Ray Bradbury

I have nothing new to add. I like all the greats from the golden years and DNA, but overall, it'd have to be Asimov.

Oh, nobody's mentioned Brian Aldiss. He's good.

I was introduced to The Hitch Hikers Guide and Dirk Gently when I was 11. Before that I dont think I ever read. Since then I became addicted to Douglas Adams' writing. It is a pity he didnt write more!!!

Since then I have developed a liking for Philip K Dick's books.

Also of interest is Jonothan Kellerman - Murder Mysteries from the point of view of a Psychologist.

DNA. I've not completed any other sci-fi author's book. Tried Asimov, didn't find humor, couldn't go through with it.
I read Foundation's Edge or something. Just the first parts. Does any of his books have humor? If yes, i'm getting it...

I found that either an author grabs you or he doesn`t.Asimov had me from his 1st paragraph,Douglass Adams likewise,Ray Bradbury,Harlin Ellison..it`s just whose style grabs you~that`s all N

Darkwin, read "I, Robot". It is a bunch of short stories and it has plenty of humor.

Oh ok...
I'll try I, robot... and maybe if it grabs me i'll buy it. But honestly, Foundation's Edge didn't...

The Mars trilogy (Red, Green, Blue) was written by Kim Stanley Robinson.

The writer's I prefer have strong literary skills; exploring themes rather than hung up on techie stuff (although believable technology is necessary simply not the ends)

samuel r delaney, Kim stanley robinson, William gibson, neil stephenson, Phillip k dick, Ian Banks.

I find it irritating to go into books shops, libraries etc and find fantasy and science fiction lumped together.. Each has its merits (me being polite as i dont particularly like fantasy) but they are certianly not interchangable genres and its an insult to both to treat them so.

Bugger ... and Frank Herbert... well at least for the first two or three sequals....

I really like John Brunner but you don't hear so much about him, also DNA, and Neil Gaiman, but that's not really scifi. The Bill Gibson cyberpunk novels are great too, and 'Farnhams Freehold' by Heinlein.

Oh yea... i read Kim Stanley's Escape from Kathmandu (i'm from Nepal). It's was good. Not sci-fi though.
Haven't tried other KSR books though

"I find it irritating to go into books shops, libraries etc and find fantasy and science fiction lumped together.. Each has its merits
(me being polite as i dont particularly like fantasy) but they are certianly not interchangable genres and its an insult to both to treat them so."

I couldnt agree more!!!
It drives me crazy when I go looking for Sci-Fi and am instead confronted by an endless number of books on Dragons and faeries.

Absolutely... Not that I'm against Tolkien but when I went to buy TRATEOTU, It was like DNA, DNA, DNA, Tolkien, Tolkien, Asimov, C. L. Lewis.
Not fair...

I agree completely-it takes a different kind of mood/personality to do fantasy as opposed to scifi-bookshops also do the same with crime and thrillers and humorous novels and humour books though-so if you want it your way you need a specialist shop which are few and far etc..Pehaps it is being grouped as 'escapist'-that would really be depressing, to be in the same league as Aga-saga readers.

Tend to prefer 'future Earth' type stuff to 'Out in space' things-I've noticed this kind of division in readers-anyone else?

The clearest division I have seen is between the hardcore science... "lets get this technically accurate how does a matter converter REALLY work "... and what Harlen Ellison refered to as speculative fiction. Starting with the idea of "what if ....?" Phillip K Dick (a real what if-er) wrote an interesting introduction to one of his books which was an essay attempting to define the genre. A film/concept like Star Wars for example is actually an action adventure film that happens to be set in an imaginary universe/future NOt necessaraly Science fiction- where as something like "the Mote in god's eye" (grrr can't remember the author's name ! Jerry Pournelle ?? )explores ideas of first contact and what an alien culture might really be like (bloody alien rather than pseudo humans!)
The boundaries can be very blurry... is ALIEN a first contact Science Fiction or an action/ horror film ?

Itx all interesting stuff but to me the strongest realisation is that despite the fact that a long way down the literary track there have been some outstanding pieces of geniuine literature written in this genre it is still treated like a throw away medium like the bodice rippers written by danielle steele and jackie Collins. (ergggh!)