SF Poll

[ubiquirk]

I hope this works. [Polls don't always like me.]

I've been thinking about my love of my fave genre and wondering what others prefer in science fiction.

Poll Science Fiction

Comments

[ayerf]

The something else... let's see, there's Timothy Zahn, but I guess my focus is really on fantasy, what with Terry Pratchett and Tolkien. Quite a few of the 'children's books' I read also are quite strongly sf/fantasy, such as HP, Garth Nix, Philip Pullman to name a few.

One of these days I'll have to read some of those authors you've got listed there!

[ubiquirk]

I don't read so much fantasy anymore, and what I do read doesn't stick with me. (Yes, including HP, I'll admit). But I do like Pullman. It's been ages since I read Pratchett - I should do so. Some humor right now wouldn't go amiss.

If you give me a general idea of the types of sf you might want to explore, I could maybe offer up some names.

[ayerf]

One of these days I'll definitely want to read Philip K Dick - Ubik comes to mind somehow.

Most of what I've read so far has been Star Wars expanded universe spin off novel things. Something different to that, maybe?

[ubiquirk]

'Ubik' is one of my PKD faves, but it's really wacky (fractured narrative, lots of wtf moments, etc). I think a good book to try him with at first is his early 'Time Out of Joint,' then 'The Man in the High Castle,' and then 'Ubik.'

For interesting New Space Opera, you've got Iain M. Banks in your own backyard! His Culture books are very good. They're all set in the same universe, yet aren't a series, per se. [Any books of his put out as Iain Banks are mainstream fiction - the M. means it's sf.]

[ayerf]

Thanks! I've made a note of them. I'll have to see what my local library or Waterstones has... All of them, hopefully (although not so hopefully for my bank account if they're in the latter!)

[ubiquirk]

I admit that now that I live somewhere with no good used book stores, if I'm reading something I'm not sure of yet, I use the library all the time. My uni library here can order books from other libraries (ILLIAD). I remember something similar when I was at uni in England, so perhaps you can as well.

[ayerf]

It should be the case! I've never investigated fictional books at my uni library. Presumably it has them, as it must have an English department.

[ubiquirk]

It depends on the place as to how much sf they have available on site, but ILLIAD often pulls from public libraries that carry quite a bit of fiction.