Who Should You Read if you want to Write SF/F?

If you love Butler you'll also love Rice, LeGuin, Norton, and Delaney (but not necessarrally in that order.)

I would encourage you to read as much as you can. But you don't need to limit yourself to the science fiction or fantasy genre in order to become attuned to the sort of writing you might want to emulate.

--C

Butler is good. Who else should you read? Hmmm...

Jack Williamson
Isaac Asimon
Arthur C. Clarke
Poul Anderson
Robert Sheckley
David Niven / Jerry Pournelle
Robert Heinlein
David Brin
Gregory Benford
Neal Stephenson
China Mieville
Karl Schroder
Frederick Pohl
Ben Bova
Joe Haldeman
Alistair Reynolds
James Tiptree Jr. (a female writer using a pseudonym)

Many others I'm sure :)

Charles Stross. Oh god, yes. Required reading for the modern scifi author. Conveniently, his "Accelerando" novel is free online.

Anything and everything!

My personal favorites include Harry Harrison, Bob Shaw, Hal Clement, Jules Verne, Roger Zelazny...

Robert Heinlein and CJ Cherryh. They both tell really good stories, so they're fun. But, if you are reading SF in order to write SF, they are instructive because of how they weave alien or future backgrounds into the story as if those backgrounds were normal. They build worlds as if they were describing the present, talking about things you already know, yet, somehow, sneakily, explaining all sorts of strange stuff without bonking you over the head with it. For Cherryh, I'd go with Downbelow Station. For Heinlein, I'd start with Have Spacesuit Will Travel (this one's a classic that gets given to my kids' friends as birthday presents, but I re-read it every five years or so myself).

Seconding Asimov and Brin. Both of them have novel ideas and immersive settings and express them with great writing to boot.

Oh, yay, I love these sorts of topics!

Fantasy: I tend to prefer fantasy, so I'm going into more depth here
What I consider "must reads":
-Lord of the Rings and/or Silmarillion by JRR Tolkien (classics)
-At least one Narnia C.S. Lewis (classics)
-Anything by Jack Vance (again, classics)
-Earthsea by Ursula LeGuin (classics)
-A Song of Ice and Fire by George RR Martin (In my opinion, the best epic fantasy since Tolkien. Takes pleasure in turning cliches on their heads, full of both dramatic battles and conniving and plotting, with a dose of gritty realism. The characters are very multidimensional--sometimes characters who are villains in early books will become quite likable when you see their side of things. To be fair, though, some people think it's a little *too* gritty and relativistic.)
-At least a few Discworld books, my favorites being Small Gods, Night Watch, Hogfather, and Reaper Man by Terry Pratchett (They range from so-so to amazing; constant humor and lots of social commentary make them very fun)
-Random fun stuff:
-The Lies of Locke Lamora by Scott Lynch (reads like a literary Ocean's 11. Not exactly "deep" literature, but incredibly, amazingly fun)
-The Belgariad and Mallorean by David Eddings. (In all honesty, they're kid stuff, but they were the first non-children's books that I *ever* read, so I'm quite fond of them. The plot is simple and somewhat contrived, the magic system is incredibly undefined, and most of the elements are incredibly cliched, but I love it anyway. The characters are irreverent, the dialog is sarcastic, and the tone is mocking. A guilty pleasure, but great fun.)
-Wheel of Time by Robert Jordan (The first book is great. The next few--I liked them up to six--are good. And then the plot gets too big to handle and the writing begins to deteriorate. Still, pretty good, and a lot of more recent fantasy authors owe some of their success to Jordan.)

-Things I'm told are amazing, but have yet to read:
-A Shadow in Summer by Daniel Abraham (I'm told it's very Martinesque)
-The Darkness that Comes Before by R. Scott Bakker (Moral relativism, thousands of years of history, and gray "heroes" abound, I am told. Hoping to get it for Christmas)
-The Malazan Book of the Fallen by Steven Erikson (I'm told it's great, if you can get past the first book. I've tried, and failed. Maybe after November's over I'll give it another shot)

Sci-fi: I don't really read as much sci-fi, so I don't have as many suggestions
-Must reads in General Sci-fi:
-At least one Asimov. I Robot is a good one. (classics)
-Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clark (classic)
-The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, The Restaurant at the End of the Universe, and Life, The Universe, and Everything by Douglass Adams (Just plain amazing. Other great ones by him include Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency and The Long Dark Teatime of the Soul)
-The Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin (also a classic)
-Perdido Street Station or The Scar by China Mieville (So much fun, where to start? Flawed heroes, a large element of horror and fantasy, amazingly fun plots. He's got a knack for completely sucking you into the world.)

-Great Apocalyptic/Dystopian
-1984 by George Orwell (classic)
-A Handmaid's Tale by Margaret Atwood (classic)
-Earth Abides by George R. Stewart (Post pandemic earth. Very detailed about what happens to the earth after most humans die, and about how the survivors deal with trying to form a new society)
-The Road by Cormac McCarthy (Post apocalyptic, very dark tale of a man and his son trying to survive in a lifeless, hostile world. Dark, very gritty, but really well-written.)

People I can't really place in a genre, but still great:
-Anything by Neil Gaiman (Because he really is that awesome. American Gods is good, as is Anansi Boys, as is Stardust, as are the short story collections. More fantasy than anything, but in a very modern setting, and transcends genre at times. If you're looking at his short stories, A Study in Emerald is online and very good.)
-Vellum and Ink by Hal Duncan (sci-fi, alternate history, parallel universes, steampunk, dystopia, fantasy, mythology...everything! The writing style is fluid and eclectic, and a little difficult at first, but *amazing*. One of the best series I read last year)
-Black Juice by Margo Lanagan (A series of speculative fiction short stories. Ranging from high "magic" to no magic at all, in very diverse settings. Singing My Sister Down is particularly amazing.)

I did a quick scan, and I didn't see anyone mention Orson Scott Card. I consider him a fairly important member of the SF/F guild.

I also like Jeffery Carver a lot, and he has a great web site for writers, which includes a list of important SF/F authors and works.
http://www.starrigger.net/

I forgot to check to see if anyone mentioned Philip Jose Farmer, so at the risk of being redundant, I'm going to include his name.

Definitely check out Carvers site.

I write - therefore I am, (and in some small sense, always will be).

On the science fiction side of things, I'd recommend Arthur C. Clarke, Larry Niven, and Isaac Asimov. They're really three of the pillars of the genre.

Oh my! I am officially overwhelmed.

Thanks everyone for the suggestions and please keep them coming. When I need a break from the novelling, I'll peruse Amazon with your suggestions and maybe rack up some additional book buying debt (or at the very least craft an extensive waiting list of Items for Later).

I believe this is probably one of the most extensive and useful lists for science fiction books: http://www2.ku.edu/~sfcenter/sflib.htm

Outside of that, I'd say some of my favorites are David Brin, Isaac Asimov, HG Wells, and Philip K Dick

------
James Boone Dryden

NaNo 2006: Shadows of Mati (finished)
NaNo 2007: (steampunk novel) - reached 28k

well, what you should read is determined by what type of sci-fi you like. As for me, I tend to prefer pre-moon landing style classic hard sci-fi space operas.

That said I recemmend :

I'm surprised no one mentioned one of the all time greats from the classic pulps of the 1950's, from a time when space adventure was space adventure, and didn't rely on how the science worked... the fact is it did and the little green men in flying saucers were everywhere to prove it. Let's hear it for the god of sci-fi pulps: Keith Laumer, esp his Retief series and the collection of short stories known as Dangerous Vegetables (he didn't write these, he compliled what he thought was the best by other writers). Laumer's Bolo series is pretty good too. The Retief series is by far the greatest work of fiction ever written.

Douglas Addams' Hitchhicker's Guide to the Galaxy series is an absolute must read.

H.G.Wells, esp, Island of Dr Moroe, Food of the Gods, The Crystal Egg, Country of the Blind, The War of the Worlds, and The Time Machine

I also recomend Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game (though I thought it's sequals were rather dull)

I like James Blish's Star Trek series as well, though these books are a bit harder to find, they were writtin in the 1960's and 1970's.

Ray Bradbury is pretty good too. and also Brian W. Aldiss but some say that these two are more fantasy than sci-fi, so I guess you'd have to read them and judge for yourself.

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Copper Cockeral
Need To Publish Your NaNoNovel?
So You Think You Know Phookas?

"Only two things are infinite, the universe and human stupidity." - Albert Einstein"

Connie Willis, especially her time travel stuff. Doomsday Book is one of the best novels I have ever read (it's a cross between sci-fi and historical, though, but all Connie Willis's novels and stories focus more on characters than shiny spaceships). To Say Nothing of the Dog takes place in the same universe, but is completely hysterical. She also has some fantastic short stories, including "The Last of the Winnebagos" and "Even the Queen."

I have two blog posts, listing off my ten-most-personally-influential sf short stories and novels -- the ones I can't get out of my head; the ones that have influenced me incredibly. If you love Butler, I think you'll also like Spider Robinson (especially the Stardancer and Mindkiller trilogies) and Tanith Lee, whose use of language is some of the most gorgeous I've ever seen or read.

My Scifi must-reads, in no particular order:

- China Mieville ; Perdido Street Station and The Scar
- Isaac Asimov ; everything the man wrote, though I'm partial to The Gods Themselves
- Robert A. Heinlein ; Stranger In A Strange Land, among others
- Arthur C. Clarke ; goes without saying, much like Asimov
- Aldous Huxley ; Brave New World
- Philip K. Dick ; among his many wonderful works, my favorite is Radio Free Albemuth

I can't believe no one has mentioned this, unless I missed it, but you should definitely look in to Frank Herbert's Dune series. This is the most sold science fiction series of all time which is why it surprises me so much. If Tolkien is what all fantasy writers try to emulate, then Herbert is what all science fiction authors try to emulate. They are by far the most in depth, all encompassing and well written SF books ever written in my opinion.

Let's see, off the top of my head:

For Sci-Fi (and there's probably a good deal of repetition here)

CJ Cherryh (The Faded Sun Trilogy was excellent)
Arthur C. Clarke (though I'd avoid the space odyssey series--classic maybe, but i'm not a fan--my personal favorites of his are 'Childhood's End' and 'Cradle')
Isaac Asimov (who actually covers both Sci-Fi and Fantasy, though I'll admit I never read any of his fantasy work his sci-fi is excellent. I recommend particularly 'Nightfall'--which he co-wrote with Robert Silverberg, and if you're talking Asimov than 'I Robot' should not be overlooked.)

For Fantasy:

Absolutely read some Sara Douglass, especially the Wayfarer Redemption Series. Her books are long, but incredibly hard to put down once you get going.
If you like Arthurian Fantasy I can also strongly reccomend AA Attanassio's series that starts with 'The Dragon and The Unicorn'
Tolkien's 'Lord of the Rings' is of course a classic
Anne Rice's early vampire series. (Interview with a Vampire, The Vampire Lestat--though I personally have nothing good to say about anything after Memnoch the Devil. I think her first two books in the vampire chronicles are her best work-personal opinion, of course.)

http://upliftandimplode.blogspot.com

I've only been reading sci-fi for a couple of years, and I think that "Ender's Game" by Orson Scott Card is the best introduction anyone could have to the genre. Brilliant book.

After that I'd move on to Asimov's "I, Robot", Herbert's "Dune", and Orwell's "1984", and of course Douglas Adams's "The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy".

A few other random recommendations that haven't been listed above:
"The Sparrow" by Mary Doria Russell
"Spin" by Robert Charles Wilson

If you're looking for authors that fall in the void in between Sci-fi and Fantasy, I recommend devouring everything that Neil Gaiman has ever published- the comics, the short stories, and of course the novels. American Gods or Stardust is a great place to start.

And for fantasy I'd recommend Susanna Clarke's "Jonathan Strange and Mr. Norrell", C.S. Lewis is of course a must as is Tolkien, Garth Nix's YA Abhorson trilogy is fantastic (the first book is "Sabriel"), and of course Le Guin's "Wizard of Earthsea".

I'm surprised not to see William Gibson on this list. If you ever want to write cyberpunk, you better not start without reading "Neuromancer."

Also, Dan Simmons' "Hyperion" is phenomenal.

I had a soul ... but NaNoWriMo eated it. :(

Breeder of Plot Wolverines

I think personally that Ray Bradbury is a bit of an acquired taste. I tried to read some of his stuff back in high school and had a terrible trying to get into it. In the end, I gave up and moved onto other more entertaining things. I'll commend anybody who can get into a Bradbury work.

One of my favourite book series by far is the Dragonriders of Pern series by Anne McCaffrey. Of course, not everybody is going to look into writing about Dragons but if you ever decides to incorporate the little critters into your SF/F, that would be a good place to start in my opinion. Also, it's already been mentioned but I second the cry of reading the Mallorean and Belgariad. They're a great read, very entertaining and full of wit. I've never read a series of books with more wit. Also, a good fantasy novel that I thoroughly enjoyed was the Eddings' The Redemption of Althalus. Again, it's full of the Eddings' brand of wit and humor and what else could be better than a story about a thief! :D

Happy reading! ^_^

Scanning the thread I'll list the ones that weren't mentioned but are quite worthy of a read:

Vernor Vinge - Classic Hard SF with a intelligent characters and interesting ideas. I'd start with A Fire Upon Deep, it'll really pull you into his work.
Dan Simmons - He's a very good writer. Not just in Scifi but also in general, he's got a lot of literary know-how and he really shows it. He makes wonderful character interactions and really brings you to setting. Illium is a good book to start off with as I think it's more 'friendly' than the Hyperion series.
Robert J. Sawyer - An author that deals in bringing new life to the old. I really enjoyed Hominids and think it's a good place to start.
Robert Charles Wilson - He weaves a story that'll keep you enthralled and break it up with chapters so it feels like you're going to die from the anticipation. A real master of story telling. Start off with Spin and you'll see what I mean.

Hope this was helpful, I'll be sure to check out some of the books in this thread I haven't read yet as well.

Baby, let's try and make this work.

Hi, just galloped through this list and didn't notice a mention for Michael G Coney or John Wyndham, two of my favourites.
And Heinlein and Asimov are essential! Worth reading a few short story anthologies, too, to get a feel for a wide range of authors.

Just 'cause he hasn't been mentioned yet, John Steakley's Vampires and his Armor books are both two of my absolute favorites. He has a very distinct writing style.

And as far as space opera, L.E. Modesitt and his The Silent Warrior series are both pretty good.

"Now is the winter of our discontent." - Flash Mob
Paranoia Is Total Awareness!
Take Back Your Country!

Dystopias forever.

Frank Herbert's Dune series hands down is a *must read*. They are so amazingly detailed and his writing is style is gorgeous. It does tend to get a little high brow since he makes a lot of references to Eastern mythology and philosophy, but I personally go for that sort of thing.

For military sci-fi, you can't go wrong with David Weber, John Ringo, and a host of other Baen writers.

So many fabulous authors and titles out there -- and the choices will absolutely vary by taste.

In sci-fi, I always recommend Orson Scott Card and Douglas Adams. I'm also a HUGE fan of Elizabeth Moon's space operas. Philip Reeve, Anne McCaffrey, Timothy Zahn are also fairly popular in my neck of the woods. And Karen Lowachee is someone to take a look at (recent award winner).

For fantasy, the list goes on and on. I love Robin McKinley (especially two books set in Damar and her retellings), Edith Pattou (East), Catherine Fisher (Snow-Walker), Tamora Pierce, Victoria Hanley, Charles DeLint, Neil Gaiman, Philip Pullman, Stephenie Meyer....

For more on fantasy, take a look at http://morethanmagicmirrors.wikidot.com/authors -- it's got booklists, author info, book info, etcetera (though it does focus on young adult literature -- but there are a lot of crossovers). Happy reading!

Absolutely Alfred Bester. Absolutely Bradbury. Bradbury is one of the Fathers of SF, and Bester is probably THE
father of cyber punk/hard SF. But besides all that, they're FUN!

I've never read Butler but if you need a feel for sci-fi start with the beginning and work your way out
Tr y reading Jules Verne and H. G. Wells

If you're going for a utopian society I'd read The Culture novels by Ian M. Banks. He normally focuses on the darker elements of the titular Culture but when he describes the slightly crazy regular inhabitants it really gives you an idea of what an almost totally free society is like. Also, his whimsical hyper intelligent computers are hilarious.