Today is National Science Fiction Author Day! Last month I asked for people’s opinions on who their favorite science fiction authors were, and why. Here’s what a few people had to say.
Q. Who are some of your favorite science fiction authors?
A. David Leonhardt (President, THGM Writers)
Aside from everyone who ever write a Doctor Who episode, I would have to say Douglas Adams. It is just a coincidence that he also write three Doctor Who episodes, because I love his Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy series.
I hold Adams in the same high esteem as Gregory Maguire, L. Frank Baum and C.S. Lewis and J.R.R. Tolkien. The main distinguishing factor is that those others are considered fantasy (as if one ring to rule them all couldn't be explained by scientific means!)
A. Janice Wald (Janice Wald, Blogger at Mostly Blogging)
Science fiction is my favorite literary genre.
Over the years I've enjoyed the work of Ray Bradbury. I even had the pleasure of meeting him. I also love Stephen King and Aldous Huxley. I also read Ernest Cline. His READY PLAYER ONE is amazing and is relevant today. I'm glad the book was made into a film.
A. Nikola Roza (Founder of Nikola Roza SEO Writing)
First of all- I love science fiction! Perhaps it's my favorite genre of them all, and that speaks volumes since I'm such a bibliophile.
And I've read ALL of the major authors; well not all …but probably most,
- Arthur Clark
- Isaac Asimov
- Ursula Le Guin
- Kim Stanley Robinson
- William Gibson
Give me a name, chances are I'm at least familiar with the writer's opus.
But my favorites by far are Jules Verne and Philip K. Dick
Q. Why?
A. David Leonhardt (President, THGM Writers)
In a word, the Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy is fantastic! I mean that literally, because it is more fantasy than science. It's called "science fiction" more because it is set in outer space and on various non-existent planets (although Betelgeuse is actually a real star, and one of the few I can often easily identify in the night sky).
But very little is actually based on science. Vogons? The Infinite Improbability Drive? The perfectly normal beast? These things are pure imagination, more like fantasy.
Yet, it might be the randomness of it all that I like so much, not to mention the social commentary (the whole approach to building a bypass, how "somebody else's problem" always gets ignored, etc.). And then, how in the end nothing was actually random, after all. It's all very clever.
A. Janice Wald (Janice Wald, Blogger at Mostly Blogging)
All these authors are able to make their content relate to today's world and today's problems although the setting is in the future.
For example, Ernest Cline discusses a virtual community where people are close friends with people online. That describes the blogging community today! I wrote about why I like Cline's book and why it parallels the blogging community in this article:
Are You Ready Player One? What No One Tells You About Blogging
Other books like Animal Farm and 1984 also parallel today's real world.
A. Nikola Roza (Founder of Nikola Roza SEO Writing)
Why:
Well, for different reasons. I'll start with Verne.
I like him because his books introduced me to reading in general. Before I picked up a copy of Verne- I didn't pick any book of any kind.
And that ONE book changed it all for me.
Of course, I'm talking about "20 000 Leagues Under the Sea? The magnificent book that (still) stimulates my imagination and that opened the whole wide world of literature to me.
And Captain Nemo was and still is super cool:)
But my favorite book by Verne is "Journey to the Center of the Earth". I probably read that book 20 times, and I always return to it when I feel doubtful or scared in my real life. So obviously it holds some special meaning for me, though I can't tell you what that is- I don't know.
I do know that I admire professors Lidenbrock who's described as a "bottomless well of knowledge",
Of course, the actuall travel is the meat of the novel.
- Dinosaurs
- ancient people long dead- come to life,
- weird underground weather
It's an adrenaline rush rarely a book can give you, because it all feels so real that once it's over you feel sad and want/need to know more.
Suggested reading by Verne
- The Journey to the Center of the Earth
- The Adventures of Captain Hatteras
- 20 000 Leagues Under the Sea
- The Mysterious Island (sequel to 20 000 leagues under the sea)
Philip. K Dick
I like Philip Dick because he reintroduced me to literature.
In my puberty, I dropped reading altogether because I had other problems to deal, with and there was no time for books.
That was my thinking and it was a big mistake. And luckily for me, it didn't take me too long to figure out.
Ironically, what helped me realize that was not a book by Philip, but a movie that was made from one of his short stories.
Namely, I watched the hilarious "Total Recall" with Arnold Schwarzenegger, and after I've learned that it's based on "We Can Remember it for You Wholesale"- I just had to read it.
And that significant booklet ignited my passion again for the written word. The pasion that burns strong till this very day.
And yes, I know I'm writing in "literary style" but that's intentional.
I finally have a chance to cut loose!
🙂
Recommended reading by Phillip K Dick
Short story- "We can Remember it for You Wholesale"
Novel- "Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep"?
If you can, read his entire opus- it's gold!
P.S.
I haven't mention why I love science fiction so much, did I?
Because it shows me what things could be like and what they might be like in the future. It's exciting to think about the future like that, and it maters little that I won't be there to see it (unless those scientist hurry up with the longevity pill) 🙂
I'm excited about the notion of progress and hopeful that the difficulties our world faces today can be solved with humane technology.
Thanks for reading:)
Hi Erica, I hope you like my contribution and that it gets included in your roundup post. If you need anything else, send me a message on MyBlogu and I'll be quick to respond.
Cheers:)
If you read science fiction, I’d love to hear who your favorite science fiction authors are and why. Feel free to comment below.Â
Leave a Reply