Reading


Recommended by

Jewell Brannigan




I've had a lifelong love affair with books, and have been enjoying science fiction and fantasy since I was 10. Many of my favorites belong to the older classics category just because I'm a bit older than 10 now. I think I will include both those that I think well written and an asset to the genre and also those that were a hoot despite any flaws. I've gotten plenty of good suggestions from the SFWA Nebula Awards. Since I've looked through the entire list on the SFWA pages, I'll overlook a few of the more frequent mentions except in cases of personal favorites where I have a comment to make. So far I have to agree with 99% of the recommendations I've seen on these lists.

Novels Comment
David Brin
  • Startide Rising
    		• Tremendous fun and impossible to put down. Wish the sequels had answered more of the mysteries hinted at in this book.
    Steven Brust
  • Jherig series
    		• Despite ups and downs in individual books, I recommend these. The characters are fun and they get into some incredible scrapes. Probably the best ones are the first two. But the prequels to the first book are also worthwhile.
    Orson Scott Card
  • Ender's Game
  • Speaker for the Dead
    		• Picked these up on the recommendation of a bookstore clerk (imagine that!). Hard to make a categorical comment about these except that they deserved every award they got.
    C. J. Cherryh
  • Pride of Chanur (series)
    		• Looking at humanity through alien eyes. The best of her work. I recommend any of her science fiction. I find her fantasy a bit eldrich and slow for me though.
    William Gibson
  • Neuromancer
    		• Created a new, extremely cool genre. Changed the way people think about and develop computer technology. Tremendously significant to the shape of the world today.
    Harry Harrison
  • The Stainless Steel Rat Gets Drafted
    		• My favorite of these larks. Slippery Jim accidentally ends up in the military. After a bit of abuse to them, and tons of hotpups for dinner, he saves the day for a planet with a philosophy directly opposed to his own. A favorite light read.
    Robert Heinlein
  • Stranger in a Strange Land
    		• I wish I'd read this at a younger age (say 17 or so). It would have been an anthem to me then. As it is, I was amazed to find many personal philosophical parallels in this book. This book has many important things to say.
    Julian May
  • Pliocene Exile (series)
    		• Best portrayal of psychic powers. Colorful world.
    Anne McCaffrey
  • Dragonriders of Pern
    (first six books)
    		• Forever changed how everyone thinks about dragons. Perfect mix of science fiction and fantasy which I tend to label 'science fantasy'. Just the right amount of romance and danger in a very well fleshed-out world.
    André Norton
  • Just about any of her stuff.
    		• I always loved her characters that accomplished their missions by being true to themselves.
    Cordwainer Smith
  • Just about anything.
    		• It's all fascinating.
    Theodore Sturgeon
  • More Than Human
    		• Fascinating view of developing super humanity. Sturgeon has always produced the most human characters I've ever had the pleasure to read.

    Anthologies Comment
  • Science Fiction Hall of Fame
    (all books in the series)
    		• Best collection I've ever read; hardly any stinkers.
  • World's Best Science Fiction
    (the old ones when Terry Carr was on the team)
    		• Best editor; Terry Carr always manages to pick out stories that I find interesting.

    Short Stories
    Isaac Asimov
  • Any of the robot stories
    • Henry Kuttner
  • "Mimsy Were the Borogroves"
    • R. A. Lafferty
  • "Thus We Frustrate Charlemagne"
    • C. L. Moore
  • "Vintage Season"
    • Cordwainer Smith
  • "Scanners Live in Vain"
    • Theodore Sturgeon
  • Pick any famous one; they're all good.
    • Roger Zelazny
  • "For a Breath I Tarry"

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