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

In some of the larger bookstore I have seen the categories split, something like Science Fiction, and also a category Science Fantasy. It's this one, Science Fantasy in which I first discovered Anne McCAffrey, expecially the Tower and Hive series. Once I discovered The Rowan I just HAD to read the subsequent books, one after another straight off.

I also discovered a liking for William Gibson for the more cybernetic sci-fi.

In no especial order (but worth a look)

Stanislaw Lem
Olaf Stapeldon
C.S. Lewis
A.C. Clark
Alisatair Reynolds
Stephen Baxter
H.G. Wells

And as for the Detectives
Conan-Doyle (obviously)
Ian Rankin
Phillip Kerr's "March Violets"
and G.K. Chesterton

I have only read The Wasp Factory and keep meaning to read some more. Any recommendations for his sci-fi side?

The Culture Novels - Player of Games, Use of Weapons etc. are excellent although they can be a little confusing at first. However the exploration and understanding of new worlds is as much fun for the reader of science fiction as it is for the protagonists

Personally, I am ashamed of all of you. Out of the eighty or so replies to the conversation, just a handful of you even mentioned our dear Douglas Adams. Who do you think started this site? Surely not Isaac Asimov or Ray Bradbury. I'm not saying he has to be your favorite science fiction writer, I just feel we should show him some respect as one of the founders of this site, and the Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy. Well, I am going to raise my towel to him and salute.

Has anybody mentioned Frederic Pohl? Read his Gateway series! It is science fiction at its best! And Darkwin, you´ll have to start from the beginning with the Foundation...
Read the Gateway series!!


Izzybelle

Sorry, but while Adams' books were funny, the plot of the Hitchhiker series didn't follow very well. The books were good for a laugh, but they weren't SF literature.

In Post 18 Tonsil Revenge said:

'E.E. "Doc" Smith: the only man who could out-fascist Heinlein and Pournelle.'

Sorry, but E.E. Doc Smith was a woman.

Has anyone out there read any Jack Vance stories? I would be interested to hear readers comments on his quite unique style.

Orson Scott Card and Dan Simmons...

harry harrison,brian aldiss,frank herbert,phillip k dick,terry pratchett,

Yes, Terry Pratchett. Anyone who likes DNA would probably like him as well. Their styles are very simmilar.

Sorry, I don't agree about DNA and Terry Pratchett being similar... I vote for Terry Pratchett, of those two.
My current favourite is Roger Zelazny (I'm re-reading all the Amber books.) Also, David Brin, and Kristine Kathryn Rusch.

I agree, Kristine Kathryn Rusch is a brilliant writer.

I'm sorry, but I don't think that DNA is a great writer. He seems to be too egocentric, and also his work it too surreal.

Yes, of course, Jack Vance is a wonderful stylist. I read the 'Demon Prince' novels in 1980, all 5 of them on one weekend!

Pratchett's more Fantasy, totally different style to SF (heavy on the characters, leaden of plot, any gnarled plot wranglings can be magic'd away with, , magic - not that Pratchett falls foul of that) - Hitchiker's is an essay in Wodehousean humour that just happens to be set in space...but it does get the reader to think about the human condition which is what most sci-fi tries to do (although he would have argued in "Last Chance to See" he tried to do that so much more).

"Subject: Favorite Science-fiction writer
Posted Nov 12, 2003 by A Boy Named Sue
This is a reply to this Posting Posting 88


In Post 18 Tonsil Revenge said:

'E.E. "Doc" Smith: the only man who could out-fascist Heinlein and Pournelle.'

Sorry, but E.E. Doc Smith was a woman."

Source, please?
http://www.z9m9z.demon.co.uk/doc.htm

There comes to mind, without names, mind you, two female writers who survived for years with male pseudonyms.

I'll see what I can find.

Are you sure you weren't thinking of James Tiptree, Jr, who was actually Alice Hastings Bradley Sheldon?