I'm apparently Cordwainer Smith. Anyone for stroon?
Posted by Dan_raven (Member # 3383) on :
Ursula K. LeGuin
Perhaps the most admired writing talent in the science fiction field.
Posted by Mig (Member # 9284) on :
I am E.E. "Doc" Smith Never heard of him, but the site says he's "The inventor of space opera. His purple space war tales remain well-read generations later."
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
This sounds like a really fun one, too bad it's blocked by ye ol' work filter.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
Ursula K LeGuin.. someone I've never read...
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
quote:Originally posted by The Pixiest: Ursula K LeGuin.. someone I've never read...
Really? She's kind of hard to miss.
I mean, you have never read the Earthsea novels? No Hain cycle stories? Nothing?
Posted by Megan (Member # 5290) on :
Gregory Benford. I've heard of him, but haven't read anything by him.
Posted by Chord (Member # 10122) on :
Isaac Asimov here. Yay Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
PC: Nope! I saw a bit of the atrocity they called "earthsea" on sci fi once.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
I don't know how to recommend Le Guin. It's like telling someone that it's a good idea to eat food every day so they won't die.
I used Google Cache to circumvent the blockage, but I cannot run the cgi script for the quiz, so I'll just post my answers here and hope someone is nice enough to plug them in for me.
quote:Which Science Fiction Writer Are You? 1) What is the grand theme of life that you focus on most often? Art vs. inner demons.
2) What kind of science and technology interests you the most? Whatever is big, fast, and/or powerful.
3) Are you patriotic? Patriotism is foolish... but I suppose I'm rather parochial.
4) How big of an asshole are you? I do not believe someone of my stature should have to suffer fools gladly.
5) Are you a total dork when dealing with the opposite sex? I probably offend a lot more people than I realize I do.
6) Are you loud and flamboyant? When you get onto a subject that I care about, I'll surprise you.
7) Do you consider what you do to be art? It's a craft, and I take pride in being a professional.
8) Who did you vote for in the 2000 presidential election? George.
9) Are you a blabbermouth? I'm such a fascinating talker, folks are glad to let me do more of the talking.
10) Do you have the answers? I have some intriguing theories that might be fruitful.
Gah! They would ask for the 2000 Presidential race. <grumbles in shame>
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
You are none other that Robert A. Heinlein, Primal.
Now I'm waiting for someone to post that they've never read any Heinlein.
Posted by The Pixiest (Member # 1863) on :
PC: High praise. I'll have to give her a chance. What should I read first?
Noemon: I cried when Heinlein died =(
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
Would that I could. My psyche is still scarred. (No one told me to stick to his early stuff until it was much too late.)
I am apparently Asimov. Ironic, since I've never cared for his longer work, and only like some of his shorts.
Posted by Euripides (Member # 9315) on :
Gregory Benford.
Never read anything by him before either.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
quote:Originally posted by Noemon: You are none other that Robert A. Heinlein, Primal.
Now I'm waiting for someone to post that they've never read any Heinlein.
Awesome. I'm not a huge fan, but I can see where we have similar personalities. I wonder how much of the Heinlein diagnosis hinges on that presidential election answer...
Whenever I think of Heinlein, it actually reminds me of Gaiman. Specifically, I am reminded of a random scene in American Gods where the main character gets into the car of some American Indian and notices a paperback copy of Stranger in a Strange Land in the back seat. Those kind of random details always stick out in my head for no particular reason and, since his writing is littered with them, it's one of the main reasons I like Gaiman.
As for Le Guin, a quick, easy read is the original Earthsea Trilogy. Short, and brilliant.
For more in-depth stuff, there are a ton of compilations of her short stories all over the place. There's also The Left Hand of Darkness and The Lathe of Heaven and many, many others.
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
Isaac Asimov! W00t! Funny, I was re-reading favorite passages of his autobiography and a short story or two just last night.
Posted by Sibyl (Member # 10079) on :
I came out as Olaf Stapledon. Funny, I read "Odd John" years ago, and was not impressed enough to read another. But then, I've learned a lot and changed a lot since then. Maybe I should reread it, or find another OS.
As with most online quizzes, I wished that it would be possible to choose two or more of the alternatives, or have a "none of the above" (for all of them)
Posted by Scott R (Member # 567) on :
I've taken this test twice before and both times came out as EE "Doc" Smith.
The phrase "purple prose" annoys me.
Posted by Avatar300 (Member # 5108) on :
Olaf Stapledon
Standing outside the science fiction "field", he wrote fictional explorations of the futures of whole species and galaxies.
Posted by mr_porteiro_head (Member # 4644) on :
I'm also EE Smith.
Posted by Luet13 (Member # 9274) on :
I am James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice B. Sheldon.) Does someone want to enlighten me on what she wrote?
Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
Isaac Asimov. And I'm reading the Foundation Series right now. But that's probably why I got him. I answered questions about what interested me based on my info intake for the past couple of weeks, in which I've been reading Asimov.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
James Tiptree Jr. only wrote two novels that I'm aware of, Up the Walls of the World and Brightness Falls from the Air. Both of them are decent, but neither struck me as fantastic. Her real strength was in her short fiction, of which she wrote a slew. Pretty much any collection of her short stuff is going to be well worth reading.
[ February 07, 2007, 04:57 PM: Message edited by: Noemon ]
Posted by TheGrimace (Member # 9178) on :
Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs), whom I've never heard of, but sounds interesting. Can anyone reccomend anything of his?
Posted by sndrake (Member # 4941) on :
John Brunner - (don't have the exact quote)
Writes on dystopias - the futures we want to avoid.
It's probably one of the best matches I've gotten on one of these types of tests.
Posted by Maliam (Member # 9915) on :
Alfred Bester
Any suggestions on what to read from him? Just curious to see hwat he has.
Posted by Lyrhawn (Member # 7039) on :
David Brinn.
Don't even know who that is.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Well, David Brin (one N), wrote The Postman (Think Kevin Costner) and The Uplift Saga among others. I'm surprised you've never heard of him.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Mig: I am E.E. "Doc" Smith Never heard of him,
"Never heard of him"? You've never read the Lensmen books?
Posted by breyerchic04 (Member # 6423) on :
Wow, there are more possibilities than I expected.
I am Octavia Butler.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by Maliam: Alfred Bester
Any suggestions on what to read from him? Just curious to see hwat he has.
The Stars My Destination and The Demolished Man are probably his two most famous novels. He wrote reams of short stories which range from uninspired to brilliant. "Fondly Farenheit" is arguably the best known of his short fiction.
Pretty much every author who has been listed so far, with the exception of Brin*, I'd say, has undisputably had a fairly powerful impact on the genre. If you're serious about SF they're all probably authors you'll want to read.
*No insult to Brin, here. He's just new compared to the other authors that have been listed so far, except for Butler.
Posted by Nighthawk (Member # 4176) on :
quote:Originally posted by Noemon: You are none other that Robert A. Heinlein, Primal.
Now I'm waiting for someone to post that they've never read any Heinlein.
Hein-who?
Well, OK, I read one book of his.
No OSC? Is he even an option? Can anyone that knows him better than I do even try to get him?
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
I'm Heinlein, myself, though I've always identified well with Harlan Ellison (though he'd scoff to be called an SF author).
EE Smith wrote the Lensman series of stories during the pulp era in the 20's, which was subsequently turned into an anime movie. I loved the movie, though I've never read any of Smith.
Apparently Lucas stole heavily from him.
Posted by TL (Member # 8124) on :
Samuel R. "Chip" Delany - which is interesting.
Posted by Marlozhan (Member # 2422) on :
I'm Ursula K. LeGuin
Who is she anyway?
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:No OSC? Is he even an option? Can anyone that knows him better than I do even try to get him?
If you look at the code for the page you can see who the possibilities are, and Card isn't among them. It's actually a kind of strange list, and two of the people on it don't seem like SF authors at all to me.
Posted by twinky (Member # 693) on :
I don't need to take the test; I'm clearly Peter Watts.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
Noemon is like the SF Guru. We'll all have to make a pilgrimage to Ohio to study under his masterful hand. Pretty soon we'll all grow all our hair out, get shunts installed in our brain stems and have balisets suddenly appear in a lot of our studio recordings.
Posted by JLM (Member # 7800) on :
Hal Clement. Never heard of him. Guess I'll need to check him out.
Posted by Epictetus (Member # 6235) on :
I'm Gregory Benford apparently. It's kind of sad cause I haven't read anything by him, guess that's my cue to go to the library.
Posted by ketchupqueen (Member # 6877) on :
I'm also Cordwainer Smith. My age spots will astound you.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
John Brunner. Huh.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:Originally posted by TheGrimace: Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs), whom I've never heard of, but sounds interesting.
Me, too.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by FlyingCow: I'm Heinlein, myself, though I've always identified well with Harlan Ellison (though he'd scoff to be called an SF author).
Actually, I think Ellison was the one who introduced SF (as speculative fiction) into common parlance, by describing himself as writing it.
quote:Originally posted by FlyingCow: EE Smith wrote the Lensman series of stories during the pulp era in the 20's, which was subsequently turned into an anime movie. I loved the movie, though I've never read any of Smith.
Apparently Lucas stole heavily from him.
So did the creators of the Green Lantern Corps.
Posted by Lisa (Member # 8384) on :
quote:Originally posted by Marlozhan: I'm Ursula K. LeGuin
Who is she anyway?
The Earthsea Trilogy. The Left Hand of Darkness. The Lathe of Heaven.
I'm going to go and cry now.
Posted by FlyingCow (Member # 2150) on :
I'm pretty sure that Heinlein championed the "SF" phrasing, trying to distance the genre from the "Sci-Fi" stigma of schlock.
I thought Ellison described himself as a "fantasist".
Posted by TheGrimace (Member # 9178) on :
out of curiosity (since it's been brought up a few times now here) were any of you big fans of Left Hand of Darkness? I've liked her earthsea books (that I've read) but this one (despite being well known) was mostly just off-putting for me. The only thing I can specifically recall as just annoying me was the constant references to time and date in the local nomenclature which I could never get into, and therefore just jarred me too much every third word when they were mentioned. It was interesting, but dissapointing for me, and i'm curious of other's responses to it.
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
quote:Originally posted by Lisa:
quote:Originally posted by Marlozhan: I'm Ursula K. LeGuin
Who is she anyway?
The Earthsea Trilogy. The Left Hand of Darkness. The Lathe of Heaven.
I'm going to go and cry now.
Had she read my comments to Pix earlier, she would have had an answer. I'm not going to cry about it, but my eyebrow is definitely raised in muted shock.
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
quote:Originally posted by TheGrimace: out of curiosity (since it's been brought up a few times now here) were any of you big fans of Left Hand of Darkness? I've liked her earthsea books (that I've read) but this one (despite being well known) was mostly just off-putting for me. The only thing I can specifically recall as just annoying me was the constant references to time and date in the local nomenclature which I could never get into, and therefore just jarred me too much every third word when they were mentioned. It was interesting, but dissapointing for me, and i'm curious of other's responses to it.
I think that The Left Hand of Darkness and The Lathe of Heaven are LeGuin's two best novels. TLoH probably edges TLHoD out, but just by a hair. It's been a few years, so I probably need to reread it before I discuss it at length, but I'll put it at the top of my list (after Solaris, which I started rereading this morning, so I should be able to talk intelligently about it soon.
Posted by docmagik (Member # 1131) on :
I am: John Brunner
Posted by Noemon (Member # 1115) on :
You know, Brunner's one I've never really warmed to. I mean, he's okay, but his most famous books have never really done anything for me at all. Stand on Zanzibar? The Sheep Look Up? Meh. I found them unapproachable in much the same way that Delaney can be (but isn't always) unapproachable.
Of course, I haven't read either of those since I was about 19, so maybe I'd appreciate them more now. I would love to have someone who really likes his stuff post about why they like it.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
Apparently, I'm Philip K. Dick.
Posted by kojabu (Member # 8042) on :
Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs)
A quiet and underrated master of "hard science" fiction who, among other things, foresaw integrated circuits back in the 1940s.
No clue who this is...
Posted by Teshi (Member # 5024) on :
I'm Arthur C. Clarke.
Posted by Belle (Member # 2314) on :
quote:Philip José Farmer This prolific author brings surprising depths to he-man adventure tales, and broke science fiction's prudery barrier.
Okay, that totally doesn't sound right. I wanted to be Ursula. :cries:
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
I'm Frank Herbert, but I didn't like that, so I tweaked some of the answers that I was on the fence about. Now I'm John Brunner.
I don't know that that is any better. Posted by RunningBear (Member # 8477) on :
Arthur C. Clarke
Hmm.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
I took it again, and this time I was Robert A. Heinlein
Posted by calaban (Member # 2516) on :
William Gibson.
Posted by MidnightBlue (Member # 6146) on :
Gregory Benford. Never heard of him.
Edit: And apparently, changing my view of patriotism from International to pro-USA turns me into Frank Herbert.
Posted by digging_holes (Member # 6237) on :
Jules Verne.
How appropriate, that's who I'm reading at the moment.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
I am:
quote:Samuel R. "Chip" Delany Few have had such broad commercial success with aggressively experimental prose techniques.
No idea who that is since I'm not a big sci-fi reader, but I like the sound of him.
Posted by Shan (Member # 4550) on :
"Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs) A quiet and underrated master of "hard science" fiction who, among other things, foresaw integrated circuits back in the 1940s."
Hmmm. Never read anything by him.
*puzzles*
Posted by porcelain girl (Member # 1080) on :
Arthur C. Clarke as well.
Posted by ClaudiaTherese (Member # 923) on :
quote:Originally posted by Shanna: I am:
quote:Samuel R. "Chip" Delany Few have had such broad commercial success with aggressively experimental prose techniques.
No idea who that is since I'm not a big sci-fi reader, but I like the sound of him.
Shanna, he's brilliant. Very energetic and memorable characterizations.
Posted by Shanna (Member # 7900) on :
QUOTE]Shanna, he's brilliant. Very energetic and memorable characterizations.[/QUOTE]
Cool! Any specific titles to check out? I need reasons to avoid doing homework.
Posted by SteveRogers (Member # 7130) on :
Is Douglas Adams an option?
Posted by Nathan2006 (Member # 9387) on :
I'm 'Chip' Delany... Never heard of him, but I like the description.
Oh, and in the classical composer one, I'm Charles Ives... I recognize the name, but it isn't ringing any bells... I hope he wasn't into pantonality or anything. I do *not* admire the art of taking mathematical equations and making them into music... The only thing I hate worse is atonality. That said, I hate recycled cliche stuff too.
This is assuming that Charles Ives wrote that stuff (Not the recycled stuff, the pantonality and atonality).
Wow, I went off topic. Imagine how long this post would be if I thought I knew who 'Delaney' was.
Posted by CaySedai (Member # 6459) on :
Another Asimov here. I think I'm more like other authors which of course aren't in the list.
I know - I'm me! (mad cackle) HaHaHaHa!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Nobody can be me. I keep me to myself!!! Don't try to copy - you will be unsuccessful!
(Explanatory note: I just finished a Flash Fiction Friday that I should have done months ago and I'm feeling a bit, I don't know, pleased with myself. And weird.)
Posted by Samuel Bush (Member # 460) on :
TheGrimace wrote:
quote: Hal Clement (Harry C. Stubbs), whom I've never heard of, but sounds interesting. Can anyone reccomend anything of his?
Well, I guess I am Hal Clement too. Which I was rather pleased to find out. I have copies of almost every story Mr. Clement has written and have read all but a few of them. One of my goals in life is to get my hands on all of them. So there is some kind of affinity there or something. Or maybe not. Who knows.
Anyway, my recommendation to my fellow Hal Clement persons, ie. TheGrimace, JLM, Shan, Kojahu, and Claudia Therese would be to start with one of these three novels. “Mission of Gravity” ; “Needle” ; or “Still River.” But be prepared for some heavy-duty weird conditions on the worlds Clements creates. He was a professor of chemistry and he writes about how conditions might be and life forms that might exist in extreme cold, high gravity, extreme heat, high pressure, etc. He was definitely one of the Hard Science Fiction genre guys.
Come to think of it though, “Needle” takes place on earth, so the conditions aren’t as “alien” as his other stuff.
Anyway, all of his stories are good reads.
[ February 07, 2007, 10:58 PM: Message edited by: Samuel Bush ]
Posted by Dr Strangelove (Member # 8331) on :
I'm Aasimov. I guess I can see that in myself, potentially. I don't think I am like him, but I do think I could be, given the right ... stimuli. Literarily, the Foundation series was alright, but I absolutely adored The Caves of Steel and The Naked Sun and I think the one after that, though I can't remember it so it obviously wasn't all that great. Daneel Olivaw is the MAN! (pun intended)
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
On the Which Office Supply Are You Quiz, I'm heavyweight (44 lb) cream white laser printable paper stock, for covers on lengthy documents.
(Still used at the White House.)
Posted by dean (Member # 167) on :
I'm William Gibson. Cyberpunk all the way, baby.
Posted by Verily the Younger (Member # 6705) on :
I wish they would put OSC in there. Then we could find out whether these writers would get themselves. I got Isaac Asimov by answering the questions as honestly as I could based on my own personality. And I was happy to get him, but I have to wonder whether Isaac Asimov, answering the questions honestly, would have gotten the same result. There were a number of questions where I'm sure he would not have picked the same answer I did.
quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester: On the Which Office Supply Are You Quiz, I'm heavyweight (44 lb) cream white laser printable paper stock, for covers on lengthy documents.
Huh. I am a rolodex. ("Somehow this perennial data organizing device never quite succumbs to the digital age.") I find that kind of funny, considering just a couple weeks ago I asked the supply officer if we had any rolodex cards in stock, and she said she didn't keep them in stock but she could order some specially for me. Apparently I'm the only one in my department who still uses one. Posted by vonk (Member # 9027) on :
Office supply: a stack of blank CD-R discs
House Paint: Longs Drugs "Goth Black" matte interior latex -- For the ultimate (but affordable) gloom&doom bedroom.
Those quizes are great! Especially the paint one. This may be my favorite multiple choice question of all time...
quote:7) Ten animal crackers analyzing a pool table's finitistic tendency to somnambulism. 1. Because the road was itself a path to the Other Side. 2. Dogs can't really play poker. That's just pretend. 3. Our vertical market integration and broad customer footprint yields unmatched branding potential. 4. Ooooohh yeah. Yeah, baby. Now about an inch lower... 5. Go fish. 6. Some 192 data points were collected for differing indices of enzyme expression, subject excitation, and volume of gas produced. 7. A big steaming bowl of poop with a wooden spoon in it. 8. Why a duck?
Posted by dkw (Member # 3264) on :
I am Greg Benford.
And, according to the quiz: "The real Greg Benford once took this quiz, and it told him he was Arthur C. Clarke."
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by dkw: "The real Greg Benford once took this quiz, and it told him he was Arthur C. Clarke."
Posted by libertygirl (Member # 8761) on :
I'm H.G. Wells. Yay!
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
I'm paper clips?!? O_o
Ok, I adjusted one question I had been on the fence about, and now I'm
quote: an Ibico® KomboTM lever-operated punch for making a row of rectangular holes in a stack of paper and fitting a plastic "comb" binding into them
If you haven't seen one in use, you'd probably have no idea what it is.
Much better. And the funny thing is, I know exactly what that is, because I used one (different brand, though) quite a lot about 14 months ago.
Posted by dh (Member # 6929) on :
I'm a rolodex. Which is funny, because I'm not exactly sure what a rolodex is.
Posted by cmc (Member # 9549) on :
Megan, Euripides and Epictetus... We're all rowing the same boat...
Posted by charles_martel (Member # 10172) on :
I'm a first: Kurt Vonnegut. I guess that means I'm unique, but as it's Vonnegut, that's more "strange and depressed"... Good writer, though.
Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
I'm Heinlein, which I find rather disturbing. I don't think I would have liked Heinlein all that much in real life.
However, I answered "Al" on the 2000 election question, despite the fact I couldn't vote at the time, so Heinlein doesn't depend on that.
Posted by Tante Shvester (Member # 8202) on :
quote:Originally posted by rivka: I'm paper clips?!? O_o
I liked that movie!
Posted by Euripides (Member # 9315) on :
A pirated copy of a spreadsheet program complete with a photo of a CD on which the following was scribbled; M$ 2K Expel Pro (upgrade) (ha ha!)
Do you really expect us to buy 92 copies of the same CD when one works just fine?
Posted by Counter Bean (Member # 10176) on :
Heinlein thank the gods...
Posted by pH (Member # 1350) on :
H.G. Wells.
-pH
Posted by rivka (Member # 4859) on :
quote:Originally posted by Tante Shvester:
quote:Originally posted by rivka: I'm paper clips?!? O_o
I liked that movie!
Oh, excellent point! I did too.
OK, I withdraw my objection to being paper clips. I still think the spiral-bound-assembler is more me, though. Posted by SenojRetep (Member # 8614) on :
- Ayn Rand, initially. Arthur C. Clarke, usually. Ursula K. LeGuin, ideally. - A Stack of Blank CD-R Discs - Benjamin Moore "Royal Evening Baja Avocado" gloss interior acrylic latex
Posted by Primal Curve (Member # 3587) on :
quote:Originally posted by blacwolve: However, I answered "Al" on the 2000 election question, despite the fact I couldn't vote at the time, so Heinlein doesn't depend on that.
Good to know. Were your other answers the same as mine?
Posted by PrometheusBound (Member # 10020) on :
I am yet another Gregory Benford who hasn't read any Gregory Benford. Posted by blacwolve (Member # 2972) on :
quote:Originally posted by Primal Curve:
quote:Originally posted by blacwolve: However, I answered "Al" on the 2000 election question, despite the fact I couldn't vote at the time, so Heinlein doesn't depend on that.
Good to know. Were your other answers the same as mine?
I answered 6,7,9, and 11 the same, the rest differently.
Gregory Benford was one of the authors I tried in my recent attempt to find new authors I liked. His books were certainly better than some of the others (Gordon R. Dickinson *shudders*) but I just didn't care enough to get past the first 3 chapters. Part of the problem was his characters didn't seem to have any motivation for how they felt, so I couldn't really connect to them.
![[Smile]](smile.gif)
![[Frown]](frown.gif)
![[Dont Know]](graemlins/dontknow.gif)
I think I'm more like other authors which of course aren't in the list. ![[Eek!]](eek.gif)
![[Big Grin]](biggrin.gif)
![[Wall Bash]](graemlins/wallbash.gif)
![[ROFL]](graemlins/rofl.gif)
![[Wink]](wink.gif)