I'm, apparently, LeGuin.
Posted by xnera (Member # 187) on :
James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice B. Sheldon)
I don't read science fiction very much, so I'm unfamiliar with her work. Might be fun to look into, since I am supposedly like her. Posted by Anna (Member # 2582) on :
Gregory Benford Heck, I never read anything of him. Is it any good ?
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
Olaf Stapledon ! Wow !
But what he wrote ? And Who is he ?
Posted by Sara Sasse (Member # 6804) on :
Old Isaac.
You'll like Tiptree, xnera.
[ January 04, 2005, 11:00 AM: Message edited by: Sara Sasse ]
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
E.E. "Doc" Smith
The inventor of space opera. His purple space war tales remain well-read generations later.
Unfortunately, [URL=http://www.amazon.com/exec/obidos/search-handle-url/index=stripbooks:relevance-above&rank=relevance20041029rank&field-keywords=EE%252520%252522Doc%252522%252520Smith&search-ty pe=ss&bq=1&store-name=books/ref=xs_ap_l_xgl14/103-0386249-8279816]Amazon[/URL] gave me weight loss, football, and yodeling in my search. Must be out of print. Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
Hmmm...
First try, I got William Gibson - never read anything of his.
Tried again, redoing a couple of questions in which all the choices I had were lousy ones and came up with Ursula K. LeGuin.
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
Avidreader,
There were a couple books still in print listed on Amazon, but most are out of print. There are plenty of online used booksellers out there and they can probably be bought at a reasonable price.
"Smith" is a common name - next time, add "Skylark" to your search query.
It's the first three books of the "Lensmen" series in one volume.
[ January 04, 2005, 11:13 AM: Message edited by: sndrake ]
Posted by Dagonee (Member # 5818) on :
E.E. "Doc" Smith for me, as well.
I couldn't get it to change by adjusting the 3-4 questions I was ambivilent about.
Dagonee
Posted by Ryoko (Member # 4947) on :
Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs)
No idea who this is....
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I'm a dirty old man.
Robert A. Heinlein.
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
*jumps to the defense of MPH*
Not true! You're not old...
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
yet!
Posted by signal (Member # 6828) on :
quote: Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs)
No idea who this is....
Same here.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Yay! I'm Arthur C. Clarke!
Does this mean my prose takes a back seat to my hairbrained ideas?
Posted by Farmgirl (Member # 5567) on :
So am I, Annie! (Arthur C. Clarke)
Don't know that I've read any of his stuff ever..
FG
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
Whereas my reaction was "@#$@#! I'm Arthur C. Clarke. Damn!"
He lives in Sri Lanka. Cinnamon Gardens. Fahim's met him, interviewed him 4 times for various magazines. He's offered to take me over there to meet the guy, and my response was "I wouldn't know what to say." Fahim immediately replied with "It doesn't matter. The guy's so stuck on himself that he talks for hours. And watches videos of himself being interviewed. And documentaries done on him, and so on. And so on. And so on."
That's the part of him I don't wanna be like.
The rich and famous part, sure! No problem!
Posted by advice for robots (Member # 2544) on :
Hal Clement here, too. Never read him.
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
Thanks for the link, sn. I'm surprised Doc Smith wasn't in my dad's old books that I stole.
I've got to get a library card up here.
Posted by Architraz Warden (Member # 4285) on :
Ha, I'm Jules Verne.
I suppose I'm not offended by that.
Feyd Baron, DoC
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Quid - I'd always wondered if you had any dealings with Arthur C. I thought it was cool when I was a little kid watching "Mysterious World" and he'd give the intros standing on a beach in Sri Lanka. I was like "Whoa! Sri Lanka! That has to be the most exotic place I've ever heard of!"
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
That's too funny!
By the way, his dive shop was destroyed by the tsunami. Yep, even the Great Arthur C. Clarke was affected.
Posted by Avadaru (Member # 3026) on :
Cordwainer Smith (Paul M.A. Linebarger)
I've never heard of this person! Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I'm Asimov.
Posted by Boris (Member # 6935) on :
Ursula K LeGuin. Aparently I'm now a woman. I've never even heard of her, much less read her work.
Edit: Oh, Earthsea. Gotcha.
[ January 04, 2005, 12:44 PM: Message edited by: Boris ]
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
quote:I've never even heard of her, much less read her work.
Oh, you really should.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
First time I was Frank Herbert, which I can see. If I were a writer I'd like to write books like Dune.
Went back and changed answers and got Greg Benford. The name sounds familar but I've never read anything by him.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
I'm Heinlein?
I wouldn't have predicted that. Posted by BannaOj (Member # 3206) on :
I'm Philip José Farmer
quote: This prolific author brings surprising depths to he-man adventure tales, and broke science fiction's prudery barrier.
I've never even heard of him. (Edit: Oh he wrote Riverworld stuff, I have heard of that, but never read any)
As far as William Gibson sndrake, some people view him as the father of modern cyberpunk. I've read a couple of his works and they're generally pretty good. I believe (I could be wrong) he may be the guy who first invented the concept of somone neurally linking into the internet, but before it was the internet.
AJ
[ January 04, 2005, 12:57 PM: Message edited by: BannaOj ]
Posted by Boon (Member # 4646) on :
quote: Philip José Farmer
This prolific author brings surprising depths to he-man adventure tales, and broke science fiction's prudery barrier.
hmmm...never heard of him.
edit: HA! You beat me!
[ January 04, 2005, 12:56 PM: Message edited by: Boon ]
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I hope I'm the younger, interesting Heinlein, and not the boring dirty old man Heinlein.
Posted by lem (Member # 6914) on :
I am Hal Clement. I don't know who he is. I changed several of the answers I was 50-50 on, and I was still Hal Clement.
quote: A quiet and underrated master of "hard science" fiction who, among other things, foresaw integrated circuits back in the 1940s.
Anyone read him?
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
I'm Stanislav Lem, who I've never heard of.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
I'm Gregory Benford
"A master literary stylist who is also a working scientist."
I'm cool with this.
Anybody know if his books are any good?
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Stanislav Lem is Polish and wrote Solaris, which is really cool.
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
Octavia Butler. I don't even know her.
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
*stabs Jeni*
If I liked him, I'd kill you. As it is, you're just slightly wounded.
Posted by Kama (Member # 3022) on :
Yes, I'll post 3 times in a row, just for the heck of it.
It looks like most people have never heard of the authors they supposedly are. Is the test weird, or are we not real sci-fi geeks?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I want to know which sci-fi author OSC is.
Posted by Zamphyr (Member # 6213) on :
Seems to be credited with the idea of Dyson spheres. His books "are bracingly depressing books in which inevitable tragedy is left to speak for itself."
Never heard of him....
Posted by Sopwith (Member # 4640) on :
Frank Herbert...
Man, I really, really don't like Dune or the spawn of Dune.
Posted by Erik Slaine (Member # 5583) on :
Gregory Benford. And dkw: Yes, they are.
Posted by Chris Bridges (Member # 1138) on :
Phillip Jose Farmer, whom I have heard of. And he's written much, much more than just the Riverworld books.
Posted by MrFunny (Member # 7209) on :
John Brunner His best known works are dystopias -- vivid realizations of the futures we want to avoid.
Posted by Alcon (Member # 6645) on :
Gregory Benford A master literary stylist who is also a working scientist.
(The real Greg Benford once took this quiz, and it told him he was Arthur C. Clarke.) <- I love this!
EDIT:
Took it again and changed a few answers I wasn't sure about and got this:
David Brin Bestselling producer of impossible-to-put-down epic adventures in a far-flung future.
I LOVE David Brin!! He's one of my favorite authors
[ January 04, 2005, 04:19 PM: Message edited by: Alcon ]
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
I came up with Gregory Benford, I'm cool with that, he can really write. Changed #2 from 'physics' to 'big etc' and got Heinlein.
Hal Clement's most famous novel was Mission of Gravity. I met him at a sci-fi con once and he was very nice, although he couldn't remember a great short story he had written. It was set on a Mercury-like world, very hot with near-vacuum pressure. Aliens that humans encountered there "saw" with their "nose" organs, because molecules emitted from objects travelled in essentially straight lines to the aliens' noses, therefore making their noses almost as accurate as vision, in some ways more accurate.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
William Gibson is on of the best stylists in sf. One book jatraqueros might like is Pattern Recognition:
quote:Pollard [she's the main character] is among a cult-like group of Internet obsessives that strives to find meaning and patterns...
I cut that sentence to make it funnier, but internet forums are one of the book's main themes. I liked it a lot.
Posted by punwit (Member # 6388) on :
Farmgirl, we must be sharing a body.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
quote: His [Stapledon's] books "are bracingly depressing books in which inevitable tragedy is left to speak for itself."
One reason I've always avoided him.
The only novel of Cordwainer Smith I have is Norstrilia, about a planet settled by Aussies. They develop a secret immortality formula, which they zealously guard from theft. I've read it several times and liked it. He's most known for his shorter work, which was weird and ahead of it's time:
quote: Robert Silverberg and many others have credited Smith with pointing the way to new areas for science fiction to explore. Many writers have tried to imitate his style, not an easy thing to copy well.
A few days ago I read a novella by Tiptree with a bizarre, unique ending, in The New Atlantis edited by Robert Silverberg with two other novellas by Gene Wolfe and Ursula Le Guin. Le Guin's title novella had a laughably obvious basic science mistake. Anyway, Tiptree is great, I would put her in my top 20 favorite authors. She had a unique style and was also decades ahead of her time.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
Hmmm, either I read too much sf, or you guys should read much, much more... Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I'm guessing the latter, Morbo.
I've been stuck in Latin American literature for the past couple years and have been neglecting my scifi duties.
Posted by Storm Saxon (Member # 3101) on :
quote: It looks like most people have never heard of the authors they supposedly are. Is the test weird, or are we not real sci-fi geeks?
You're on OSC's site. Of course you're not real sci-fi geeks. Posted by Happy Camper (Member # 5076) on :
I am also Hal.
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
quote: The guy's [Arthur Clarke] so stuck on himself that he talks for hours. And watches videos of himself being interviewed. And documentaries done on him, and so on. And so on. And so on."
Funny but pathetic. I hope I never get such a monster ego.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
I'm Isaac Asimov............is that bad?
Posted by Joldo (Member # 6991) on :
Gah! I'm Ayn Rand? Ayn Rand?!
That test is evil.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
I personally think that Asmiov was a genius. So I will say that that is good.
Posted by Alcon (Member # 6645) on :
Well even if Arthur C Clark has developed an ego in his later years, he wrote some amazing books in his younger ones. And I'm rather suspicious that he'd have that much of an ego, there may be more to it...
Posted by Cor (Member # 4295) on :
Ok, this is weird. In all the years I've been reading science ficion, hundreds and hundreds of books by many, many authors, there has only been one novel I was unable to force myself to finish because I dislike the writing style and the material bored me. It was by Arthur C. Clarke. Guess which author I'M supposed to be?
Scary.
I'm sure there are all sorts of psychological implications here....I find my own writing boring, I dislike my own work....I rarely finish anything I begin to write....
Of couse, it could simply be a silly little quiz that I shouldn't take too seriously...Hmmm....
Posted by Alcon (Member # 6645) on :
Well, I've picked up a number of Greg Benford's books and never ever finished one. And thats who I originally got. So it might just have something to do with the quiz. We like authors styles that differ from our own cause well, we're used to our own Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
William Gibson here too. Sndrake, we're mental kin. Now that is a scary thought
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I'm surprised at all the people you all haven't heard of.
Benford is . . . okay. I've read six or seven of his books, so he can't be too bad, but he can often be pretty boring.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
I read one short story by Triptree . . . "The Women Men Don't see" or whatever. I found it to be too strident in its feminism.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Benford is interesting, but long-winded. The one book of his I recall (um, time-travel (no, not travel -- sending a message to a younger you?), irreversible damage to the biosphere, set in the 1970s . . . ) I didn't like the first time I read it, but it grew on me.
quote: The third story in this volume takes place 16,000 years in the future. When you realize that the 33 stories are ordered chronologically, you begin to grasp the scale of Cordwainer Smith's creation. Regimes, technologies, planets, moralities, religions, histories all rise and fall through his millennia.
These are futuristic tales told as myth, as legend, as a history of a distant and decayed past. Written in an unadorned voice reminiscent of James Tiptree Jr., Smith's visions are dark and pessimistic, clearly a contrast from the mood of SF in his time; in the 1940s, '50s, and '60s it was still thought that science would cure the ills of humanity. In Smith's tales, space travel takes a horrendous toll on those who pilot the ships through the void. After reaching perfection, the lack of strife stifles humanity to a point of decay and stagnation; the Instrumentality of Mankind arises in order to stir things up. Many stories describe moral dilemmas involving the humanity of the Underpeople, beings evolved from animals into humanlike forms.
Yeesh! Posted by Dragon (Member # 3670) on :
quote: Stanislav Lem
This pessimistic Pole has spent a whole career telling ironic stories of futility and frustration. Yet he is also a master of wordplay so witty that it sparkles even when translated into English.
okaaaaaaaay
edit: is it true that all the "jen"s who have taken this test got Stanislav Lem? I did, and I noticed that jeni did too...
[ January 04, 2005, 09:45 PM: Message edited by: Dragon ]
Posted by Vadon (Member # 4561) on :
Jules Verne The 19th century Frenchman who made science fiction into a successful commercial genre.
I'll need to look up what he did. ^_^
Hey, I do know who this is, I know his works but not by his name... eh-heh.
Ironic, I was watching October Sky, (Still am) and Homer grabs a copy of From the Earth to the Moon. I saw that like five minutes before I took the test... man, I have a short memory don't I? ^_^
[ January 04, 2005, 10:35 PM: Message edited by: Vadon ]
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
Okay, some of you people scare me.
Do you really call yourself science fiction fans? How can you possibly be familiar with this genre if you've never heard of Lem, Farmer, Tiptree, Cordwainer Smith, and Jules freakin' Verne?
I'm apparently Heinlein, BTW.
[ January 04, 2005, 10:37 PM: Message edited by: TomDavidson ]
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
Who is Kurt Vonnegut? "For years, this unique creator of absurd and haunting tales denied that he had anything to do with science fiction." So my guy is in denial? Anyone ever heard of him?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Yes.
I read him in high school for English class.
I've been meaning to get back to him.
And yes, it's sad that people haven't even heard of Jules Verne.
[ January 04, 2005, 10:35 PM: Message edited by: mr_porteiro_head ]
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
*beats head against wall*
Okay, I clearly slipped through a crack into some Bizarro universe where everyone else on Hatrack apparently grew up reading, um, Diane Duane or something.
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
People not having heard of these authors scares me, but the idea of Tom as Heinlein scares me more. I like Tom.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
Is there OSC? It would be funny if there was and OSC took the quiz and wasn't himself.
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
I took it again and changed some answers I wasn't so sure about and got Arthur C. Clarke. Mph, were you talking to me? Can you tell me some books by him? I want to read me Posted by BelladonnaOrchid (Member # 188) on :
Hmm...I am apparently Arthur C. Clarke. How interesting to find out that I am really a middle-aged, balding man.
I'm not even a fan of Arthur C. Clarke, though.
(Edited for TomDavidson, to allow Mr. Clarke to have his silent 'e'.)
[ January 05, 2005, 02:55 AM: Message edited by: BelladonnaOrchid ]
Posted by TomDavidson (Member # 124) on :
No matter how much you dislike him, he still has a right to his silent "e."
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Here's my score:
LeGuin -- I've read her Isaac Asimov -- read Kurt Vonnegut -- read William Gibson -- read Frank Herbert -- read Philip José Farmer -- read Robert A. Heinlein -- read Arthur C. Clarke -- read Jules Verne -- read
Ayn Rand -- heard of but never read James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice B. Sheldon) -- heard of, but never read
Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs) -- never heard of Cordwainer Smith (Paul M.A. Linebarger) -- never heard of him Stanislav Lem -- never heard of Gregory Benford -- never heard of John Brunner -- never heard of E.E. "Doc" Smith -- never heard of him Olaf Stapledon -- never heard of him David Brin -- never heard of
[ January 04, 2005, 10:54 PM: Message edited by: mr_porteiro_head ]
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
hee hee hee
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
I'm currently on a Vonnegut reading spree (read some short stories years ago, have been meaning to get to him for a while) and loving it.
Posted by Paul Goldner (Member # 1910) on :
Mr. Vonnegut teaches English at my old high school.
Sadly, he and his famous grandfather hate each other with a passion that is almost holy.
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I'm pretty sure I've seen 'Cordwainer's on shelves because the name is so distinctive, but I've never read any of them.
Posted by Danzig avoiding landmarks (Member # 6792) on :
Samuel R. Delany.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Tom, no dissing Diane Duane!
And I have heard of Lem, Farmer, Tiptree, and Verne. (I think I've even read all of them.) I also know of (but have not read) Vonnegut, Clarke, Gibson, Delany, Clement/Stubbs, and most of the others mentioned in this thread.
I read Heinlein, but I scrubbed my brain afterward.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Which Heinlein? I find that I love some of his stuff, and hate others.
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
A whole bunch of his later stuff, when I was a teenager.
Then I used a phrase I had picked up from one of the books at the dinner table -- with my grandfather there, no less -- and quickly discovered that it was NOT appropriate to use that particular phrase as a general-use expression. Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
The stuff of his I hate is generally his later stuff.
Posted by Jeni (Member # 1454) on :
To answer Tom's question - I definitely do not call myself a science fiction fan. I'm a fan of good fiction from all genres.
Posted by WheatPuppet (Member # 5142) on :
I'm Greg Benford. I don't think Neal Stephenson is on there. Oh well.
I was introduced to Lem last semester with two short stories from a book called The Cyberiad. I want to hook him up to a machine so I can syphon off all his creativity for myself. He's one of the few authors that can make me laugh while reading.
Octavia Butler is awesome! Everything I've read by her has been very spartan and kinda depressing, but also very interesting.
Not a fan of Asimov, or Clarke. Some Heinlein stuff is okay, but I tend to be wary of his writing.
Most of the other writers on the list I've been meaning to read, of have never heard of.
Posted by JaimeBenlevy (Member # 6222) on :
Apparently, everyone knows Kurt Vonnegut and I've never even heard of him . Annie, mph, Paul, can any of you recommend a good book by him that I could try?
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
No. I didn't like him.
Posted by WheatPuppet (Member # 5142) on :
I didn't like him either. If you want to know what Vonneget is all about, read Cat's Cradle.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I need to read that one to see if I still don't like him.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
David Brin....what did he write?
I'd rather be Frank Herbert, I liked Dune and Children of Dune.
Posted by Scythrop (Member # 5731) on :
(imogen here - boy I'm lazy )
I'm a cross between Greg Benford and Ursula Le Guin. Sounds good to me!
Kama, you should read some Octavia Butler. Rivka got me onto her and her work is fantastic! Try the Xenogenesis Trilogy - the first book is called Dawn.
Posted by quidscribis (Member # 5124) on :
David Brin is oh so entertaining and interesting.
Ever heard of the Kevin Costner movie The Postman? He wrote that. The book is excellent.
Practice Effect. Uplift Saga (Series - I need to get the rest of them.) Earth Kiln People (Love it!!!!) Life Eaters Second Foundation Trilogy Otherness Glory Season River of Time
And a whole bunch more. And now I'm salivating. I need a serious David Brin fix, and I need it NOW! He's one of my all-time favorites.
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
I just want to add to your reading some french autors : Jules Verne (of course), René Barjavel (creator of idea as temporal paradox, i strongly recommand him), Pierre Boule (who Wrote "La planète des singes" (Planet of the Apes)), Jean-Pierre Andrevon, Louis Boussenard, André Laurie, Gérard Klein.
At this list, I'd like to add Boris Vian who wrote interesting SF books as "Et on tuera tous les affreux" where he treat of gene science just after the WW2.
I forget many french SF writer, because during the 50's to the 80's, French are poor in SF production. the 90's saw a rebirth of this style. I hope to read more french autors in the futur.
Posted by Icarus (Member # 3162) on :
LeGuin -- I've read all of her Ecumen books. I own her Earthsea ooks but haven't gotten around to reading them. Isaac Asimov -- I believe I have read ALL of his science fiction writings (I know, an audacious claim), I have read two or three compilations of mysteries by him, two different memoirs, and a joke book. Kurt Vonnegut -- I've read all of his books. I don't Cat's Cradle was his best. I would recommend Sirens of Titan, or, for more serious absurdism, Slaughterhouse Five. William Gibson -- Know him by reputation only. Frank Herbert -- Okay, here's the big admission: I have never read anyting by Frank Herbert. Philip José Farmer -- I think I have read one short story by him; he had one in Dangerous Visions right? Robert A. Heinlein -- Again, I believe I have read everything by Heinlein, including Anson McDonald. I have even read his recently released, previously unpublished first "novel." Arthur C. Clarke -- read Jules Verne -- read Ayn Rand -- I've read Anthem, Foundation and about half about Atlas Shrugged before the phase ended violently and I threw the book down in disgust. James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice B. Sheldon) -- read (and did not care for) one short story. Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs) -- I've read one or two short stories Cordwainer Smith (Paul M.A. Linebarger) -- short stories Stanislav Lem -- Cor read Solaris, but I haven't gotten around to it yet. Gregory Benford -- Read about six or seven novels. Timescape and his Galactic Center novels. The Galactic Center novels are uneven, but not as boring as Timescape is capable of being. John Brunner -- never heard of either E.E. "Doc" Smith -- sort stories Olaf Stapledon -- Name vaguely rings a bell. Did he have anything in Dangerous Visions? David Brin -- I've read the two Uplift series and everything else I ave gotten ahold of since then. If you have a hard time getting through Sundiver, keep slogging. It gets a lot better.
People who are notably absent so far: Card, Dan Simmons, Nancy Kress, Charles Sheffield, Phillip K. Dick
Who else really ought to be here?
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
Currently, the french SF autors vote for Dick as the most appreciate SF writer.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
Say that again? I don't know what you are trying to say.
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
sorry...
I mean that french SF Writers participate to a vote to select who is the Best SF Writer. And Dick is this man with a very good score.
I'll try to be more explicite next time. All my apologies.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
No worries. I just was interested in what you had to say.
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
Playing around with the quiz, they have Jerry Pournelle in there. I've never read anything just of his, but a lot of stuff he wrote with Larry Niven. (Dad's a big older Niven fan.)
If you haven't tried him yet, Footfall is cold war-tastic and Legacy of Heorot is my favorite. The sequel got into too much sex and weirdness for me, but Legacy has interesting characters, wild scenery, and a great plot.
The quiz describes Pournelle as one of the most commercial sci-fi authors. He brings a widely appealing action-adventure feel to his books that I love.
Edit to add: I also managed to get Mickey Spillane. Apparently he wrote detective novels and a few bad sci-fi pieces. I love playing with the quiz.
[ January 05, 2005, 10:19 AM: Message edited by: AvidReader ]
Posted by PSI Teleport (Member # 5545) on :
Herbert. At least I know who that is.
Posted by Annie (Member # 295) on :
Jaime - I think that Vonnegut is great.
A good introductory book of his to pick up is Slaughterhouse Five. Cat's Cradle is also famous, but imho not as good.
Posted by Scythrop (Member # 5731) on :
This time it's actually me - not Imogen...
I'm apparantly John Brunner (who I must admit I've never heard of) - who writes dystopias about futures that we want to avoid. This is kinda interesting, as I'm currently about halfway through writing the second book of a trilogy about (you guessed it...) a dystopia that we want to avoid.
freaky.
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
Answering all the questions as honestly as possible got me Isaac Asimov. That makes me happy. That's the highest compliment I've ever received from a cheezy online "which are you?" test.
Anyone who has never heard of Jules Verne is hereby forbidden to read anything else until they have gone to a bookstore, purchased at least three of M. Verne's books, and read them in their entirety. Some would say you can't call yourself an SF fan if you've never heard of Jules Verne. I say you can't call yourself literate if you've never heard of Jules Verne.
Kurt Vonnegut. I definitely know the name, but I'm not sure I've read his stuff. Was he the guy who wrote that dumbass story about a guy who goes back in time and kills a bug, then returns to his own time to find that the ripple effect has changed history, but the sum total of the changes are that English is spelled differently and some candidate who previously lost an election won it instead? If so, then yeah, I hate Vonnegut. If it wasn't him, then I hate whoever it was that wrote it.
Posted by AvidReader (Member # 6007) on :
I'd seen plenty of Verne turned into movies, but I only bought and read a couple of his books after watching The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen. I loved Captain Nemo so much I bought 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island.
Nemo is in both, but not very much. I was disappointed, but they were still pretty cool.
Posted by littlemissattitude (Member # 4514) on :
I am, apparently, William Gibson. I can deal with that. I've only read "Pattern Recognition", and liked it a great deal. I've been trying to find some of his other stuff, but my local library is sadly lacking.
Posted by Jonathan Howard (Member # 6934) on :
Yippy!
quidscribis, I am Arthur C. Clarke as well!!!
Posted by MidnightBlue (Member # 6146) on :
David Brin
Bestselling producer of impossible-to-put-down epic adventures in a far-flung future.
Never heard of him.
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
Bizarre... In this list, There is not Greg Egan. Why ? He is one of my favorite SF Writer. He is perticularly great about his vision of futur, isn't he ?
[ January 10, 2005, 08:10 AM: Message edited by: Choobak ]
Posted by Godric (Member # 4587) on :
William Gibson.
Oddly enough, I still haven't read any of his novels...
Posted by Morbo (Member # 5309) on :
John Brunner is one of my favorites. You guys should read The Shockwave Rider, loosely inspired by Future Shock by Toffler.
Chewie, I like Egan as well. One of the best new short story writers of the past 20 years, and his novels are great too, especially Quarantine.
[ January 11, 2005, 06:20 PM: Message edited by: Morbo ]
Posted by Choobak (Member # 7083) on :
Yes, right ! One i like is Distress called in french L'enigme de l'univers.
But a question turn in my head without answer : Who is exactly Greg Egan ? I never see picture of him... Can somebody have informations ?
[ January 12, 2005, 04:27 AM: Message edited by: Choobak ]
Posted by Ralphie (Member # 1565) on :
Asimov. Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Gregory Benford
I wonder if it has anything to do with the fact that the last two novels I read were his?!
For those of you who don't know him he's a hard-SF writer - which isn't a surprise really considering he's a physicist too. I was very much into physics until my obsession with computers kicked in - like going to national contests for 6 years in a row - so I think that's why I appreciate very much what he writes. I thought "Timescape" was excellent - the Romanian translation of the title was nice: something like "Still nature with time" (I think it's "still nature" that you call for example a painting of a vase with flowers, no?). But I can totally see how someone not very interested in physics might consider it boring or something.
The two novels I've read recently are: "Heart of the Comet" with David Brin (another interesting author, I've read "Glory Season" and it's good) and "Foundation's Fear" and they're both interesting though some things he has written in the latter are "imported" and modified from another series. It was kind of annoying at the beginning but I managed to get over it.
As for whom have I read or heard of from the other authors:
Isaac Asimov -- read all the Robots, Empire and Foundation books and some others too. While he admits that he combines hard SF with police-like investigations I love his way of writing. I also like the way he died, saying "I love you [name of his wife]". Way to go!
Frank Herbert -- read the Dune series and also the Pandora series. The White Plague is not really SF, but it's a good one too. Awesome and very complex author!
LeGuin -- read The Left Hand of Darkness, The Dispossessed, The Word for World Is Forest. She's ok.
William Gibson -- read Neuromancer & Virtual Light, but although I like computer worlds and stuff, I think he's kind of complicated just for the sake of being complicated...
Robert A. Heinlein -- read and liked all that I read. Kind of a "realistic", "satirical" mind. Definitely not an author for everyone though...
Arthur C. Clarke -- read a lot, liked a lot. Especially the "Odysseys" and "Rama" series, but others also come close (Childhood's End for example). Usually very "science" and less "character devellopement", with some exceptions. Still have to read Richter 10 - I was reminded about it by the recent Asian disaster.
Jules Verne -- you must be kidding, he was my first favorite writer! In my grandparents' village there was this old lady who had a big collection of his novels. Imagine this: a 300 family peasants village and someone has Jules Verne novels!!! Boy, was I lucky!
Stanislav Lem -- read Solaris, some short stories - hillarious! -, The Cyberiad, The Star Diaries and a totally crazy novel for which I don't know the title, about a spy that tries to find out what his job is. That last one is totally nuts, and when I say "totally" I mean it! I'm the only person I know who managed to read it in full.
Gregory Benford -- see above
John Brunner -- Stand on Zanzibar, The Squares of the City (not SF, about chess & human society ). Interestingly weird and psychological. Still have to read The Sheep Look Up (nice title, huh?!).
Samuel R. Delany - read The Einstein Intersection but didn't like it very much...
Olaf Stapledon -- heard of, didn't read anything Kurt Vonnegut -- heard of, never read, planing to read! Ayn Rand -- heard of, didn't read
E.E. "Doc" Smith -- never heard of Philip José Farmer -- never heard of Cordwainer Smith (Paul M.A. Linebarger) -- who? James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice B. Sheldon) -- "Tiptree"?! Get a real name! Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs) -- no bells ringing
Of those who are missing: - Ph. K. Dick, though I suspect that no one here is really that crazy to be Ph. K. Dick (be glad people!!!). Probably my favorite author, though someone "very opposite" to me. - A. E. van Vogt - one of the "greats", together with Clarke, Asimov, Herbert & Dick. In my opinion, of course. - Ray Bradbury - because of his little green man & stuff - O. S. Card, but I might be biased - Joe Haldeman - the "Forever" books are superb! - René Barjavel - I agree with Choobak, he's very good - Gérard Klein - plays a lot with time & space; and chess. Lovely! - Dan Simmons - didn't read anything YET, but I know he's good - Greg Bear - in the same league with Gregory Benford. I've read only Eternity, but it was aaaawesome! Even if I had to read it twice before I understood something out of it! - the Strugatski brothers - definitely Russian style
I'd also give you some Romanian authors but unfortunately they aren't translated to English...
Posted by Corwin (Member # 5705) on :
Verily, the story you're talking about is "A Sound of Thunder" by Ray Bradbury. Now you can go on hating the right guy! Me and other experts consider that one a classic though...
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(The real Greg Benford once took this quiz, and it told him he was Arthur C. Clarke.) <- I love this!![[No No]](graemlins/nono.gif)
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sorry... ![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
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I loved Captain Nemo so much I bought 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea and The Mysterious Island. ![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)