OK, so help me find some new SF to read. I like me some rocket ships and ray guns stuff, but also like thoughtful pieces that explore the human side of SF.
So if I like these writers:
Robert Heinlein - where it all began for me
David Brin - his concepts are brilliant and his writing well done
Larry Niven - his short stories more than his novels
Niven and Pournelle - on the other hand, the novels from these two are spectacular
H. Beam Piper - understood the blood and thunder of adventure yarns
Jack McDevitt - His Priscilla Hutchins novels are great tales of exploration and problem solving
Arthur C. Clarke - his sheer writing is beautiful. It’s like he paints pictures with small brushstrokes
John Varley - about half of his stuff works for me
John Scalzi - Old Man’s War worked for me but not all of the sequels
Harry Turtledove - but I’m a sucker for alt-history
Writing who haven’t worked for me:
Kim Stanley Robinson - I’ve tried to read the Mars books a few times and they’ve never caught my attention
Alistair Reynolds - tried one and didn’t get a chapter into it
Some of Allen Steele’s stuff is pretty good. He’s driving the Coyote series into the ground, but the first three books or so were enjoyable. I also liked The Jericho Iteration.
If you can find a copy, get The Carpet Makers by Andreas Eschbach. It has everything you are looking for – grand space opera, fascinating characters, and an emotional slug to the gut in every chapter. It is by far the best science fiction novel of the past 20 years; Eschbach would be one of the modern giants in the field if he wrote in English. Alas, he’s German and the cost of translating ($10K per novel) means he’s unknown in the US; only The Carpet Makers has been published in English. Readers compare him to Orson Scott Card, but Card never wrote anything this good (nor did few others).
If you’re willing to go out of your comfort zone, Shades of Grey* by Jasper fforde is an extremely well-thought-out dystopia; you first think his world is random nonsense but he slowly makes it all fit together.
1.) Isaac Asimov – you list Heinlein and Clarke, but not the good doctor. His stuff is highly variable, but a lot of it definitely explores “the human side” He got lots of short stories, and I’d recommend the original *Foundation * Trilogy, but not the sequels. Also the first two Lije Bailey books, The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun.
2.) Eric Frank Russell – often overlooked, but good SF with humor to it. He wrote lots of short stories and a few novels, with Sting being excellent. The problem is that he’s long out of print, unless you can get e-editions, or buy the colections of his works from NESFA Press.
3.) If you like short stories with twists, there were quite a few practitioners from the 1950s. Try Fredric Brown , many of whose short stories were anthologized. He wrote some great short novels, too. (And he wrote some excellent non-sf/fantasy mysteries as well). Then there’s Robert Sheckley, whose schtick was that you got the impression that he was too cool for this genre, and had a good sense of humor. I think they lifted a lot of his stuff for movies (including the original Total Recall). And try Theodore Coggswell if you can find his stuff. Also Richard Matheson*, who just died recently, and a LOT of his stuff gopt on TV and movies (such as the recent Real Steel. Or Charles Beaumont.
4.) If you like Ray Guns and Rocket Ships, you might want to go real Old School with E.E. “Doc” Smith’s Lensmen series or Skylark series. Space Opera at its founding. Edmond Hamilton, too.
5.) For unusuallly stylistic SF, try Cordwainer Smith’s stories (and his one novel, Norstrilia). His stuff has been reprinted in recent years, and is also available through NESFA.
6.) If you can find them in old bookstores or through online shops, the Ballantine/Del Rey series The Best Science Fiction of… series has a lot of great stuff. It started with The Best of Stanley G. Weinbaum and continued for a decade or so.
If you appreciate the craft of writing, especially as employed in the services of the short story, I would suggest Theodore Sturgeon. A contemporary of RAH and Asimov and that era. Not as prolific as many, but many unusual ideas and always excellent writing.
For simple technical science fiction similar to early Heinlein, I’d recommend Lester Del Rey, who wrote stores about space travel in the 21st century or so. Probably a bit dated, but some good stories.
Harry Harrison is likely to meet the criteria. You might also consider the under-appreciated (IMHO) Clifford Simak. You might enjoy Way Station or They Walked Like Men. I’d also suggest Keith Laumer’s Retief books, similar to the Rat books.
My two favorite under-appreciated SF writers that sound like you might like them: Jack Vance and Roger Zelazny. Might need to find them in a used book store, though.
Closer to fantasy than to SF, by and large. They definitely both are at their best when writing fantasy. (Mind you, I love these guys! They are about the best writers in the field, ever!)
I’m glad Jack McDevitt was on the original list; he’s the one I was going to recommend.
Robert Sawyer, in addition to being a right fine writer, is also a nice guy in person. (As is McDevitt.)
