If a fictional Jewish settlement in Alaska qualifies as Science Fiction or Fantasy, then any fiction set in modern times qualifies. How is that more SFF than, for instance, a Harlequin Romance. Both are equally science fictional and/or fantastic.

I’m not surprised Michael Chabon won. The science fiction community has a history of roping in non-genre/genre-breaking novelists in order to popularize or legitimize the genre. Margaret Atwood comes to mind. (The story goes that she spurned numerous invitations to appear for the Handmaid’s Tale because she didn’t want her work to be labeled SF. Years later, she changed her mind, wrote Oryx and Crake and made a buttload of money by being shelved in the SF section.)

I can’t say whether or not Chabon deserved the victory as I hadn’t read any of the other novels. I will say that I’ve started the Yiddish Policeman’s Union, found it interesting, but not interesting enough for me to finish it. (I am, however, very picky about my novels, since I prefer short stories, so this isn’t a criticism of Chabon. I actually quite liked Chabon when I met him. Affable fellow. Looked a little like a deer in headlights the whole time. Jittery. Kind of awkward, really.)

I think I’m with you in that I grew up with SF, but haven’t read much of the newer stuff, because they seem to specialized, if that makes any sense. For example, I loved Ender’s Game, because while it was set in the future, it really dealt with subjects that literature explore: namely Life, Universe, and Everything (I also love Douglas Adams). On the other hand, a book like Greg Bear’s Darwin’s Radio, while engrossing, was too steeped in science for me to truly enjoy it. I finished it, but I’ve little inclination to read it again.

the only one who doesn’t really “get” Jon Scalzi? I have read both Old man’s War and the Ghost brigades and aside from being eminently readable, the novels don’t strike me as particularly special.

I’ve posted before about Robert J Sawyer, who has a novel on the list. I find him real compelling at times, especially the alternative/speculative series on intelligent velociraptors, “farseer”, fossil hunter, and foreigner.

I read several categories of books, including SF. The SF writer I can’t get enough of-has won several Hugos and other awards-Kim Stanley Robinson, who resides in Davis, CA, and thus could be a SFGiants fan.

I just finished being blown away by “Years of Rice and Salt”—altern-history, focusing on how science, exploration, and everything else develop after the plague kills virtually all the white people in Europe. So most of it is set in China & Central Asia, also India and the Americas a little. 10 sections, some of them actually novellas, about specific bits of progress. Great characters and tales. He manages to hook you with the characters, then you are led to think about the abstract/philosophical conflicts as they are driven by action.

Robinson’s Red Mars, Green Mars Blue Mars are well known, and fascinated me also. Sci Fi emphasizing geology, climate change, and the clash between science, economics, politics. And there’s a trilogy that I think may be aimed at teenagers. I only read the first, its hero is one—that’s the Wild Shore, Gold Coast, Pacific Edge.

And Robinson has a recent climate change trilogy I will be reading the next few months. Basically I think I better force myself to read something else just so my mind doesnt merge with his or something.

Discussions of Rush and science fiction awards? This FanPost isn’t going to help McC’s repuation as the nerdiest baseball site on the Internet. Not that that’s a bad thing.

I grew up on Asimov, del Rey, Farmer, Heinlein, Clarke, et al. Sadly, that type of SF is all but dead, and I’ve long since falled out of the habit of reading it. I think I’m still bummed that space travel hasn’t progressed nearly as quickly as those old masters had portrayed in their works.

Such as it is.

I was a voracious consumer of fantasy as a kid: Tolkien, Terry Brooks, Robert Adams, Anne McCaffrey, all that shit. I was totally into D&D, and then added drugs to the mix, which really helped me appreciate Michael Moorcock. I’m pretty sure that in my teens I read everything he had ever written. Loved all that goofy shit.

Became an English major somewhere in there, which left little time for pleasure reading. Sorta got my feet wet again with WIlliam Gibson (early, good; recent, not so much) and Snowcrash (one of the greatest books I have ever read). Everything by Stephenson other than Snowcrash, though, has been ghastly (IMHO). I’d love to find something as awesome as Snowcrash or the Sprawl Trilogy stuff, if anyone has recco’s.

Rendevous With Rama still in development. Morgan Freeman to star.

Currently knee-deep in all things Jim Butcher – really fun, low key reading – good entertainment.

Also still plugging along on Terry Brooks – he’s gotten so much better as a writer since his first trilogy – so its been fun to keep up with him.

The George RR Martin books really are amazing, but I’m worried he’ll pull a Jordan and die before he finishes – that’d really suck.

Otherwise, some old classics inclide Eddings, Goodkind (though he could’ve cut a few whole books of rhetoric out of his series), David Drake, Robin Hobb – post more and I’ll be happy to discuss at length.

Daniel Abraham, one of the nominees, used to date one of my dearest friends. He’s a nice, thoughtful guy who drinks a lot of coffee.

They came over to our apartment once, and I tried to make coffee only to find some kind of long-dead worm in the can of chicory. We all laughed, and he didn’t drink any of the coffee.

I can’t let an SF/fantasy discussion thread go by without singing the praises of my favorite author of all time—the late, great Roger Zelazny. His works are nearly all out of print now, but he won several Hugos and Nebulas early on for some mindblowing works of “New Wave” SF. He’s best known for the classic “Amber” series, but his other works could be even better.

If you’ve never read Zelazny before, a good gateway book is one of his last: “A Night In The Lonesome October.” It’s a little story told by Snuff…Jack the Ripper’s dog. Saying more would be too much, but it’s excellent. After that, buy “The Big Book of Amber” for $15 and prepare to have your mind blown. Then proceed to “Lord of Light” and everything else.

I want to beat up this Fanpost.

Girls don’t like whining in general.

but I know two people who know Elizabeth Bear, Hugo Award Winner. So I think I’ll have to check her story out. Brush with fame!

i liked snowcrash, and also “the diamond age.” Reading reviews scared me off the recent ones. I have started Zodiac and put it down. Hm, could use that as my respite from KS Robinson

“If I never get back” by Darryl Brock
guy accidentally zips back in time to the start of professional baseball. Meets players. Still has his current knowledge of where the game would go, and tries to teach strategy.
I found it excellent. It has a full on plot, conspiracies, love & sex, the whole deal

from amazon, the sequel is “two in the field” and there’s less baseball content. Mixed reviews. Anybody read it?
Yeah, I just remembered the scenes near Cliff House from “never get back”. Most of it’s around Ohio though, nice writing.