Welcome, ghoghunter! We have several sci-fi readers here, and I'm sure they'll show up on this thread eventually.

I used to read lots of sci-fi, but I don't so much anymore. My favorites from way back when were: Bradbury, Heinlein, Philip K. Dick and some Phillip Jose Farmer. I don't know much about current authors or titles, though, sorry.

As for me, not currently, although I read nothing but in high school and college. Last I read was Dan Simmons's Hyperion/Endymion tetralogy. I bought the Library of America PK Dick, but I haven't read it yet.

Not much of the current stuff, but like Dynomutt, I read little else in school. The most recent work I've read has been Neal Stephenson, Dan Simmons, and Neil Gaiman.

Huh? Did I hear my name mentioned? ;-)

Yep -- I've read a bit of sci-fi and a bit of horror but mostly the "classic" stuff -- nothing too recent. I read (of course) Douglas Adams, some Bradbury, some PK Dick, and Poul Anderson. In terms of horror stuff, I read pretty much all of HP Lovecraft. Never got into Stephen King ..... don't know why.

Thanks for all the responses everyone! It look like Science Fiction is something we all read in our youth. I must be getting nostalgic!

Dynomutt...Stephen King is not someone I think of for sci fi. He's more horror which I also enjoy. As far as Horror goes I love the Lincoln-Child books. I especially enjoyed his series with Pendergast. My fav in that series was "The Cabinet of Curiosities"

Joann

One of the most notable SF books of this year is Blindsight by Peter Watts. Definitely worth reading.

I also have that same Philip K. Dick book that Disputantum mentions. I've only read Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep so far, which I really liked. I plan on reading the others from it (The Man in the High Castle, Ubik, and The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch) at some point this year.

Oh, we had a huge thread I think last year on this very subject (my one frustration on this otherwise excellent board is how hard they make it to find those threads!) I have been reading sci fi/ fantasy all of my life, tho probably the most during my 20s - Bradbury and Clark, Douglas Adams, and many many others. I don't read it as much as I did - but I still enjoy them. Nancy Kress Beggars in Spain and its sequel are wonderful - she looks at the consequences of genetic manipulation. And Neil Gaiman is wonderful. If you like your fantasy light with a satirical bite, look for Terry Pratchett's Disc World, or his book he wrote with Gaiman, Good Omen.

Oh and btw, welcome! This is a fun, well read, and interesting group of readers. Jump on in!

I'm loosing my mind if I cannot tell the difference between Sarah Canary and Dynomutt. Apologies to you both. Must be a glitch in the space-time continuum, I'm conflating all the other threads in all the other years.

Elizabeth Moon is also a favorite and I still mourn the loss of Roger Zelazny.

Yes, Welcome, Ghoghunter.

Oh I'm glad to hear there are lots of others that like Sci Fi too! Now I have some good titles to go look for at the Library. Thank you also for the warm welcome!! I've been lurking here for awhile and enjoying the messages.
Joann

Hi,
Science fiction? Well, not as much as when we were younger (I have a whole wall of Ace Doubles). When they quit publishing, I found that the genre tended more to fantasy, and I guess I lost the mood. I still re-read some of the best of those years.
Regards,
Bob

I've been reading SF and fantasy both pretty much all my life. Probably a third of the books I read fall in this genre, with a third nonfiction and a third everything else. My favorite writers among those currently active are Kage Baker, Connie Willis, Ursula K. Le Guin, Sarah Zettel and Kay Kenyon for SF; and Patricia McKillip and Robin McKinley for fantasy. Oh dear, as soon as I began this list I thought of a dozen wonderful books written by other writers, so do believe me that there are many others I like very much, Elizabeth Moon and ---no, I'm stopping here.

Rosefolly

I don't read much SF anymore, but I think Robert Charles Wilson's books are very good, well written and imaginative with excellent characterizations.

My DH and I are both scifi readers. Never grew out of it, I guess. There have been some great names mentioned here and it makes me want to go back and re-read all their books. Ah Zelazny! Neil Gaiman is one of my current favorites.

I'm frustrated that booksellers think scifi and fantasy are the same thing. I have to go through racks and racks of swords and sorcery just to find a couple good books of speculative science! I like the fantasy books once in a while too but there's too much of it and too much of it is like all of it! I want aliens and weird science and the anthopology of customs I've never thought of. I want other planets and odd sights and impossible plantlife.

I'll be looking for Blindsight by Watts! Thanks for the suggestion.

I've always liked Robert Silverberg.

I've recently started acquiring Iain M. Banks' Culture novels. Only have a few so far, but hope to get the whole shebang eventually. What I've read so far, I like.

I enjoyed the one Culture novel I read and unfortunately never followed up with more. I also enjoyed Kim Stanley Robinson's Red Mars and have every intention of reading more of his Mars trilogy and The Year of Rice and Salt which everyone was talking about 3 years ago.

I read and enjoyed Iain M. Banks's Inversions and liked it very much indeed. I also have Look to Windward on my TBR pile. Georgia Peach, Chris, do you have any special suggestions of other books by this author?

Rosefolly

A good coffee table book for science fiction fans is John Clute's The Encyclopedia of Science Fiction (The Illustrated Edition). It has tons of great ideas for classic science fiction reading and it's just a lot of fun to look through with all the great illustrations.

Re Iain M. Banks, I read Use of Weapons recently and have Consider Phlebas in my TBR pile. I'm interested in acquiring his other Culture novels, but it will probably be a slow process. Not all of his books are available here in the US, but I've found his books easily obtained by 3rd party sellers on Amazon (The Book Depository is a good source for books published by a UK publisher). He also has a new Culture novel coming out sometime in 2008. It think the working title is Matter.

UoW is one of those rare books that probably requires two readings to fully appreciate. The ending is a bit of a shocker and once you read the final revelation you see the clues that were set out for you in a whole new light. As an uninitiated reader of the Culture universe, I was completely taken by surprise at the end, which is rare for me. The structure of the novel is interesting too, in that there is one thread that goes forward in time and another that goes backward (reminded me a bit of the film Memento in how those pieces are revealed). I must also say, the novel gives new meaning to out of body experiences!

Look to Windward is the one I read. Initially I felt I was missing a bit having not read earlier Culture books, but he sweeps one up quickly enough. Very imaginative and alien. These are not simply stories of us transferred to the future.

You can't go wrong with Neil Gaiman, whatever the mood -from fairly light and playful (Stardust - and it definitely still has dark elements too) to very dark (American Gods) - just an incredible author.

Sherri Tepper is always great. Connie Willis is too especially if you like well done time travel. Terry Pratchett for something lighter that still has some "meat" to it. Most of Orson Scott Card's. Sharon Shinn is a recently discovered fave - especially Heart of Gold and the "Angel" series - don't let the angels throw you off - they are not what you think - this series is pure sci-fi - just in a different package.

And of course there are the classics - Clarke, Bradbury,Le Guin, PK Dick, Asimov, Heinlein, PJ Farmer, etc. Love them all.

I tend to like sci-fi that deals with deeper themes - xenophobia, conflict of nature vs technology, etc. But then again, I guess all good sci-fi does that.

OH!! - and almost forgot - how could I? - Phillip Pullman's His Dark Materials trilogy. So, so good. Never understood why it was marketed to young adults - they are "grown up" books definitely.

Oh - and yes, Silverberg - lol

solstice98,
I couldn't agree more with your analysis and frustration about sci fi and fantasy - you also said "I want aliens and weird science and the anthopology of customs I've never thought of. I want other planets and odd sights and impossible plantlife." Beautifully stated. Have you tried Sherri Tepper? "Grass" is the one that immediately comes to mind but she has many others that fit this mold as well. "After Long Silence" "Lifting the Stones", etc.