(urth) Other SF writers? (Was: How list works and questions to mailers)

[Dan'l Danehy-Oakes]

Pedro,

You clearly have more of a "hard science" orientation than I do in SF.
Given that,
have you tried Stephen Baxter?

On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 1:27 PM, Pedro Pereira
<domus_artemis at hotmail.com> wrote:
>
>  I didn't like James Blish's A Case of Conscience. I felt the novel was
> lacking in all fronts and very overrated. Still, its a matter of personal
> taste.
>
>  Tim Powers I would recomend The Anubis Gates over On Stranger Tides. I felt
> the later wasn't especially good, just an average jolly ride.
>
>  As for The Sparrow, I haven't read that one but I read a lot of reviews and
> my interest is mixed. For example, it seems that the author got the
> space-travel relativistic time all wrong. Also, the aliens are at a
> technological level similar to, say, the stone age or such. The author never
> explained how that alien race sent a radio message with recorded singing
> into space... The idea I have is that the author tried to chew more than she
> could and although the premise of the novel seems very interesting the end
> result is far from living up to the level of hype it gathered. But my
> impression is based on reviews, so take this with a grain of salt.
>
>  My personal recomendations would go to:
>
>  -Solaris, Stanislaw Lem
>  -His Master's Voice, Stanislaw Lem
>  -Roadside Picnic, Strugatsky Brothers
>  -In October will be too Late, Fred Hoyle
>  -The Black Cloud, Fred Hoyle
>  -Star Maker, Olaf Stapledon
>  -Hyperion & Fall of Hyperion, Dan Symmons (IGNORE THE ENDYMION BOOKS!!!)
>  -Rendezvous with Rama, Arthur C. Clarck
>
>  And others I don't remember right now.
>
>
>
>
>
> > Date: Mon, 12 May 2008 13:11:17 -0700
> > From: danldo at gmail.com
> > To: urth at lists.urth.net
> > Subject: Re: (urth) Other SF writers? (Was: How list works and questions
> to mailers)
>
>
> >
> > On Mon, May 12, 2008 at 12:35 PM, Matthew Keeley
> > <matthew.keeley.1 at gmail.com> wrote:
> >
> > > Perhaps we Wolfe fans should put together a list of other worthwhile
> science
> > > fiction / fantasy writers? I know a few of the people on the thread have
> a
> > > list already.
> >
> > Equally good, but about as far from Wolfe as you can get artistically
> > or philosophically,
> > is Samuel R. Delany. Some of his work, incidentally, is <i>not</i> for
> > the easily
> > offended! Good starting places include _Babel 17_, _Empire Star_, and his
> short
> > story collection _Aye and Gomorrah_
> >
> > Anyone who likes Wolfe should give TIm Powers a try: his work is nowhere
> near
> > as *dense* as Wolfe's, and certainly less mysterious, but has a
> > certain similarity
> > in what he uses SF/F to do. A good stand-alone starting point is the
> > pirate novel
> > (h'mmm...) _On Stranger Tides_; his finest work to date is in the
> > trilogy consisting
> > of _Last Call_, _Expiration Date_ and _Earthquake Weather_.
> >
> > Any list like this must include Ursula K. Le Guin, who is another
> far-from-Wolfe
> > but awfully good. Start anywhere but her first three books.
> >
> > I would recommend, with slight hesitation, James Blish, and especially his
> > four-volume trilogy (and that's not a paradox) "After Such Knowledge." The
> > first book (_Doctor Mirabilis_) is a historical novel retelling the
> > life of friar
> > Roger Bacon; the second, in two volumes (_Black Easter_ and _The Day
> > After Judgment_) a contemporary fantasy/horror novel, and the third (_A
> > Case of Conscience_) a SF novel. Together they are an inquiry into the
> > question whether the quest for secular knowledge for its own sake is a
> > valid goal, or indeed permissible at all, from a Christian (sc. Catholic)
> point
> > of view.
> >
> > As an alternate take on some of the themes in _Case of Conscience_, one
> > should also read _The Sparrow_ by Mary Doria Russell, an astonishing
> > book in its own right and one that may appeal to Wolfe fans specifically
> > for a number of reasons.
> >
> > Okay, I'll shut up now and let someone else go.
> >
> > --
> > Dan'l Danehy-Oakes, writer, trainer, bon vivant
> > -----
> > http://www.livejournal.com/users/sturgeonslawyer
> > http://www.danehyoakes.com
> >
> > I once absend-mindedly ordered Three Mile Island dressing in a
> > restaurant and, with great presence of mind, they brought Thousand
> > Island Dressing and a bottle of chili sauce. -- T. Pratchett
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-- 
Dan'l Danehy-Oakes, writer, trainer, bon vivant
-----
http://www.livejournal.com/users/sturgeonslawyer
http://www.danehyoakes.com

I once absend-mindedly ordered Three Mile Island dressing in a
restaurant and, with great presence of mind, they brought Thousand
Island Dressing and a bottle of chili sauce. -- T. Pratchett