Well, Ellison I can understand. He can turn anyone off of reading!

All four of those authors have wildly different styles. It puzzles me what you found they have in common that bugs you.

Geosynchronous Communications Satellites, to be precise. Pity he never patented the idea….

I've read very little in this genre. Heinlin's Stranger in a Strange Land was wonderful as was most of the Vonnegut I've read, but I think I stopped there. I tried to read an anthology when Chris and I first got together (he was way into it) but it never gelled with me, so I decided it was a boy thing.

EDIT: There's more. Dune - book 1; His Dark Materials series and some Neil Gaiman.

Right now, I'm half way through Dryland's End by Felice Picano. I'm enjoying it immensely.


5000 years in the future women are dominant over men, and the various worlds inhabited by "Humes" (Humans) are ruled by The Matriarchy Council. Human lifespans have been increased to well over 600 years. Intelligent machines have taken over most of the day-to-day work, leaving everyone the leisure to pursue whatever pastime or avocation they choose. Peace has held for centuries. However, the Matriarchy is crumbling, both from within and without. The intelligent machines want rights and recognition; some are in open revolt. Suddenly, a new disaster erupts that could end, not only the Matriarchy, but the Human race itself. Can two men and a woman, sent to explore a primitive colony world, find the solution that will save humanity?

Amen.

Well, you mentioned telecommunications in the question so I didn't figure that part needed repeating.

Forgot to mention Gregory Benford who I have also enjoyed and discovered as an adult. H. Beam Piper's Fuzzy Sapiens books were quite a joy when I was a kid (haven't reread them as an adult). The first book in Philip Jose Farmer's Riverboat books was amazing as are several in the World of Tiers books (very much in an action adventure vein). Most of Phillip K. Dick doesn't connect with me, but when it does it is great.

Morigoon mentioned feminist SF and Sheri S. Tepper (mentioned by me above) is definitely the leader of that pack but manages to not be so annoying as I've found much of that subgenre (not because it is feminist but I prefer it when SF explores an idea more than being and activist for it).

I've read a fair bit of S.M. Stirling this last year on various BART trains but while I find bits and pieces very interesting, overall I think he's turned me off.

Love anything by Vonnegut, and the entire Hitchiker's Series (actually, I enjoyed everything Douglas Adams wrote).

On the fantasy side, I raised myself on Dragonlance. The series got out of hand, I'm sure there are hundreds upon hundreds of books now, but the original trilogy and the first handful of additional trilogies were some of the best of the genre. They skew juvenile, they're hardly LotR, but I thought the characters were great.

James Tiptree, Jr./Raccoona Sheldon/Alice Sheldon.

If you don't like the style of most sci-fi writers, I beg that you give her works a try. She wrote mostly short stories, I believe. I still remember the night I read "The Screwfly Solution" - alone, in my little apartment in Bellingham, sitting on the floor in my kitchen nook.

I loved the genre growing up, taking a particular liking to Clark, Asimov, and Bradbury, but I think what tired me out on this stuff was that all the cool mysteries & quests seemed to be solved with rather dull answers.

I still love Philip K. Dick, and there are a few volumes of Sci Fi, I'll always hang on to - but I find Magical Realism and the sorts of dream/realities of Murakami far more compelling these days as they seldom feel the need to explain the odd and mysterious.

I'm particularly fond of the contemporary fantasy genre. Writers include Tanya Huff, Tim Powers, Charles de Lint, Mercedes Lackey, Neil Gaiman, Peter S beagle, etc.

Tim Powers' work, the Fault Lines series in particular, blows my mind. He paints a picture of an incredibly odd reality just under ours that is at the same time frightening and sadly gentle. Incredible stuff.