New Science Fiction Novelists

I moderate an online Science Fiction Novel discussion group and I’d like a bit of help if y’all may.

The way that it is set up is that people nominate an upcoming book based upon a “theme” (Women authors, Cyberpunk, etc), then we vote among the nominations and the book with the most votes wins. Pretty simple, eh?

The problem is with this month’s theme: “Newly Published Authors.” I chose this theme because, as you can expect, all the books we’ve read so far have been the standard “classics” and I was looking for some variety.

Unfortunately, I might have been a little constrictive in my definition of a “NPA” - an author whose first published novel appeared in 1998 or later - as there are a dearth of nominations. I chose Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds, and so far, that’s the only nomination. :frowning:

What I’d like are some suggestions as to authors that fit my bill. I read Science Fiction, hell I love science fiction, but I don’t have time to read everything and I’m coming up blank other than the Reynolds.

Thanks! :smiley:

Take a look at the John W. Campbell Award. Some recent novelist winners and nominees include Win Spencer, Nalo Hopkinson, and Cory Doctorow.

There’s also the Locus Awards; they have a “best first novel” category.

China Mieville

John Meaney (To Hold infinity, Paradox). If you dragged it back to 1997, you could have Jon Courtney Grimwood, too.

Typhon’s Children, Toni Anzetti (1999).

To be honest, it’s pretty good for a first novel, but King Rat is a way better book. Ah what they hell, you needed nominations. :slight_smile:

ummm, Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds, ummm …

loved that book! His other two are good also.

I’d say Michael Swanwick, but I see that Stations of the Tide came out in 1991! That makes me feel old…

How about Adam Roberts?
Salt
On
Stone
He’s British and good, what more could you ask for.

V

I’ve got Salt here in front of me now.
Good spaceship.


Sci-fi worldbuilding at
http://www.orionsarm.com/main.html

If you dragged it back to 1997, you could have Kage Baker as well. :slight_smile: One of my favorite authors.

Ted Chiang put a collection of short stories out in 2002–I suppose that doesn’t count as a novel, but he deserves all the praise I can heap upon him.

By the way, is this discussion group open to the public? It sounds like fun.

Well, after a few complaints from the participants I dropped the “deadline” back to 1993.

Tan: Sure, it’s open to the public. It’s on another message board (one actually dedicated to the Civilization series of computer games), and our current discussion on the novel Red Mars can be found here.

Btw, that Locus site was a gem. Thanks, RealityChuck

Well, now that the cut-off point has been pushed back to 1993, allow me to recommend Jonathan Lethem, whose first novel, Gun, With Occasional Music was published in 1994. It was named “Best First Novel” by Locus in 1995.

Gun, With Occasional Music is a fantastic read, and I also greatly enjoyed As She Climbed Across the Table, Amnesia Moon, and his short-story collection, The Wall of the Sky, The Wall of the Eye.

Lethem has also written a non-science fiction novel called Motherless Brooklyn, which I enjoyed.

Yer cheatin’ JohnT

~Lonestar.

Hell, just trying to get y’all some help! I’ve already nominated my book.

Btw, Turtledove wrote his first in 1987. Try again. :stuck_out_tongue:

I don’t have access to my books right now and I don’t know when they were published (I think it was post 1993), but I very much enjoyed John Cramer’s Twistor and Einstein’s Bridge. Good hard science fiction, written by a physicist. Both have similarities to Gregory Benford’s Timescape.

I just read the first novel of Steven Chambers, Hope’s End. It’s from 2001.

Nalo Hopkinson is sorta fantasy/science ficcy. Her book Midnight Robber is exclusively sci-fi, so you might want to check that out.

If you are including Fantasy/Horror, Jim Butcher’s first book was Storm Front in 2000. Start of a series set in modern day Chicago and a lot of fun. Or there is S. L. Viehl’s Stardoc, sort of a modern day version of the Sector General books, but not quite as optomistic.

I’d like to recommend the novels of Liz Williams (and not just because she’s one of my friends). I enjoyed her first two books:

Empire of Bones

The Ghost Sister

There’s also The Poison Master, which I haven’t read yet; it looks to be closer to fantasy than science fiction.