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[ЯAW]

I have been reading lots of scifi lately and I noticed how all my favorite authors have been either long gone or wrote their best best work in the 80s. So. I started wondering who is the greatest living SF author? Iain M. Banks was my favorite contemporary SF author and by large margin. There is very little good space opera and he had created something special with culture series. But since he is gone, can't nominate him.

Gene Wolfe, Larry Niven and Neal Stephenson are pretty much my current go to trio but even with them I feel like they have already written their best books. Stephenson wrote his best work in the 90s but at least his 00s production is more or less steady and to be honest I still get excited if there is new book announcment from him. So I guess my answer would be Neal Stephenso.

How about you?

 

[elrechazado]

Stephenson. Anathem is so amazing.

 

[Yaboosh]

As someone who likes to read a LOT, and reads everything, always reading very thoroughly, I would have to say Isaac Asimov.

 

[Grakl]

As someone who likes to read a LOT, and reads everything, always reading very thoroughly, I would have to say Isaac Asimov.

living?

 

[postcyberpunk]

As someone who likes to read a LOT, and reads everything, always reading very thoroughly, I would have to say Isaac Asimov.

I think this is ironic.


William Gibson-- who didn't see that one coming?

Though, Stephenson is good-- Cryptonomicon is spectacular. Ted Chiang is good. And China Mieville when he writes in the genre-- though he is mostly a Weird author.

 

[Volimar]

living?

His brain is in a robot body somewhere.

 

[linsivvi]

Dan Simmons. Too bad he doesn't seem to write science fictions any more.

And Asimov lives forever.

 

[Jenga]

the best are dead

 

[ЯAW]

Dan Simmons. Too bad he doesn't seem to write science fictions any more.

And Asimov lives forever.

He still writes great stories but I really miss SF Simmons.

the best are dead

Yeah. That's why we pick one amongst the living authors.

 

[Jenga]

Yeah. That's why we pick one amongst the living authors.

but everyone else is solidly mediocre

i suppose i'd say ted chiang is probably one of the best atm

 

[GrizzNKev]

Nylund.

 

[Volimar]

John Scalzi

 

[Zophar]

Sam Delaney.

 

[ЯAW]

John Scalzi

I still need to read Old Man's War. I saw it at local book store but I judged it by he cover and got more Wolfe.

 

[Santiako]

Alastair Reynolds

 

[golem]

Stephenson is a bastard for jacking my money with Clang so I wont support that (although he probably is up there)

For just a good ole yarn Lois McMaster Bujold seems to get overlooked often.

 

[akira28]

I vote Niven, but I've been reading him long enough to notice all the cracks in the foundation. Really awesome from the outset, starting with Ringworld, but far from perfect.

 

[whatsinaname]

I have been reading lots of scifi lately and I noticed how all my favorite authors have been either long gone or wrote their best best work in the 80s. So. I started wondering who is the greatest living SF author? Iain M. Banks was my favorite contemporary SF author and by large margin. There is very little good space opera and he had created something special with culture series. But since he is gone, can't nominate him.

Gene Wolfe, Larry Niven and Neal Stephenson are pretty much my current go to trio but even with them I feel like they have already written their best books. Stephenson wrote his best work in the 90s but at least his 00s production is more or less steady and to be honest I still get excited if there is new book announcment from him. So I guess my answer would be Neal Stephenso.

How about you?

Now that Iain Banks is gone, there aren't any authors I love that are releasing a lot of Sci-Fi.

Ursula Le Guin - She hasn't written much recently but definitely one of my favourites.

Vernor Vinge - Hasn't written anything in a while either. Rainbows End was excellent though.

Richard K Morgan - I really liked the Takeshi Kovacs series but he seems to have moved onto writing Fantasy and Video Games.

 

[rtcn63]

Lawrence Miles is among my favorite. Can't say he's the best, since he stopped writing in 2004, and most of his work is relegated to Doctor Who-related literature. Here's his rewrite of a Sherlock Holmes story (the one with Irene Adler):

http://holmesbestiary.blogspot.com/2011/12/broodmare-for-gloriana.html

From his last novel:

 

[Jenga]

Now that Iain Banks is gone, there aren't any authors I love that are releasing a lot of Sci-Fi.

Ursula Le Guin - She hasn't written much recently but definitely one of my favourites.

Vernor Vinge - Hasn't written anything in a while either. Rainbows End was excellent though.

Richard K Morgan - I really liked the Takeshi Kovacs series but he seems to have moved onto writing Fantasy and Video Games.

funny thing about authors is that you kinda assume a lot are dead

I'd like to second Le Guin and Niven, possibly wolfe but i never thought of him as sci fi

 

[Derwind]

Margaret Atwood

 

[ЯAW]

Now that Iain Banks is gone, there aren't any authors I love that are releasing a lot of Sci-Fi.

Ursula Le Guin - She hasn't written much recently but definitely one of my favourites.

Vernor Vinge - Hasn't written anything in a while either. Rainbows End was excellent though.

Richard K Morgan - I really liked the Takeshi Kovacs series but he seems to have moved onto writing Fantasy and Video Games.

Have you read The Children of the Sky? I love A Fire Upon the Deep and I pretty much reread it once a year and I wouldn't mind going back to Zones of Thought saga.

 

[whatsinaname]

Looking at the length of time between releases of a lot of good science fiction writers, it makes me marvel about how prolific Banks was while continuing to maintain his high quality. I thought The Hydrogen Sonata was excellent. He put out a sci-fi book every couple of years since 1996. And then there was his non sci-fi writing as well.

Have you read The Children of the Sky? I love A Fire Upon the Deep and I pretty much reread it once a year and I wouldn't mind going back to Zones of Thought saga.

No I have not. I read A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky fairly recently (2012 or so). Will hopefully get around to Children of the Sky sometime soon.

 

[Haly]

His brain is in a robot body somewhere.

Is that really living though?

</hardscifiphilosophy>

Vote for Wolfe here.

 

[FirewalkR]

Have you read The Children of the Sky? I love A Fire Upon the Deep and I pretty much reread it once a year and I wouldn't mind going back to Zones of Thought saga.

Heh, once in a while, when I find that I've forgotten sufficient detail, I re-read both A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky. My favorite from those two is always the one I've read last.

I've also read Children, of course. Rainbows End is quite good but the Zones' books have a way of making me really, really care about the characters that Rainbows lacked, in my opinion.

 

[BrokenFiction]

Greatest living? Probably gotta echo Gene Wolfe. People will be studying him for years.

My favorite right now? Karl Schroeder. He's putting out some really imaginative stuff.

 

[bishopp35]

William Gibson is the greatest living one, although his latest trilogy is not science fiction.

 

[Haly]

I picked up one of Gibson's recent offerings in B&N one day, read the first page, and promptly put it back on the shelf.

Dude is seriously chugging his own Kool-aid.

 

[Nameless]

I enjoy Alistair Reynolds and Stephen Baxter immensely

 

[AntoneM]

No David Brin fans? 'Cause I'm about to answer with David Brin.

 

[Parch]

Robert J. Sawyer

 

[bishopp35]

I picked up one of Gibson's more recent offerings in B&N, read the first page, and promptly put it back on the shelf.

Dude is seriously chugging his own Kool-aid.

Yeah , his latest two books aren't great.

I still consider him one of the greatest because his first six books are still great books, Neuromancer is a classic. But mostly, my admiration for him comes from the book Pattern Recognition witch perfectly describes the confusion of living in “modern times”.

 

[Pau]

Ursula K. Le Guin for me.

 

[Maklershed]

I think Alistair Reynolds will be remembered as the Asimov of our age.

Shout out to James SA Corey but its actual two people writing as one pen name so I guess they don't count.

EDIT: For all you fine people who don't so do so yet, please stop by the what are you reading thread and let us know what you're currently reading. Always like to see sci-fi posts and recommendations in there:

http://www.neogaf.com/forum/showthread.php?t=811654 (May 2014 thread)

 

[Haly]

James SA Corey feels too pulpy to be considered "greatest etc etc".

 

[Maklershed]

James SA Corey feels too pulpy to be considered "greatest etc etc".

Yeah I was kinda thinking that as well. Fun books but I know what ya mean.

 

[heliosRAzi]

Hannu Rajaniemi

 

[Carcetti]

Looking at the length of time between releases of a lot of good science fiction writers, it makes me marvel about how prolific Banks was while continuing to maintain his high quality. I thought The Hydrogen Sonata was excellent. He put out a sci-fi book every couple of years since 1996. And then there was his non sci-fi writing as well.



No I have not. I read A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky fairly recently (2012 or so). Will hopefully get around to Children of the Sky sometime soon.

I wish I hadn't read Children of the Sky. It was like someone had taken all the worst parts of A Fire Upon the Deep and doubled it.

 

[mclem]

I haven't read much Stephen Baxter yet, but I've liked what I've read of it, so him,

(Although that's only if I can't include PTerry since his stuff is more fantasy than pure SF)

 

[whatsinaname]

Hannu Rajaniemi

!

Had forgotten about him. The Causal Angel is supposed to be out sometime soon right?

 

[Carcetti]

On the question of the thread... I think there are several great science fiction authors doing stuff now but I don't love any of them like I did Banks. There's Ken McLeod, Alastair Reynolds (who seems to be getting better all the time), old hands like David Brin, lots of them.

Edit: have to add that M. John Harrison and Ian McDonald are up definitely up there as well.

If I had to pick one to represent the 2010s I'd pick someone who's really blown my mind: Peter Watts.

 

[LayLa]

Alastair Reynolds

Hannu Rajaniemi

these are both good shouts, Rajaniemi is not for everybody but the imaginative worlds he creates are incredible. Still gutted that there will never be another Culture book again tho :/

 

[Haly]

Oh, when it comes to short prose, Ted Chiang is probably up there.

 

[Hunter D]

Dan Simmons is the best alive.

A guy that puts out great books that no one talks about is Joel Shepherd.

 

[genjiZERO]

Vernor Vinge gets my vote. A Fire Upon the Deep and A Deepness in the Sky are two of the most consistent and well thought out optimistic science fiction. Really great ideas about futurism and aliens too.

 

[ЯAW]

Apparently Scalzi's Old Man's War is a series. Is the whole saga worth it or just the first book?

 

[ComputerMKII]

James Cameron

 

[inm8num2]

Lindelof

 

[Heshinsi]

I love military space operas, so I'm going to say David Weber. I also like Elizabeth Moon as well.

Some of my favourite books of his are:

In Fury Born
Honor Harrington series
Starfire series with Eric Flint
Empire of Man series with John Ringo
Dahak Series

 

[DodgerSan]

I don't know about greatest, but one who's never disappointed me is Joe Haldeman. Forever War is still a classic (why no movie?), and stuff like Mindbridge, The Long Art of Living and Tool of the Trade are packed with great ideas.