Timothy Zahn- A to Z

I have only read Angelmass by Timothy Zahn, but it was very good and I learned how to run a con from it.  Excellent results if I do say so myself.  From what I hear, though, he is pretty well known and liked for his Star Wars extended universe stuff.  He has a large body of work and I look forward to reading some of his other books and short stories. 

and A to Z is done.  Yeah baby!

Neal Stephenson- A to Z- Author profile

I was first introduced to Neal Stephenson's work in the science fiction book club that I had put together in Nashville around 2002.  The book was Diamond Age or A Lady's Illustrated Primer.  Needless to say, I was blown away.  It was an amazing story and probably still my favorite of all the works of his that I have read.  Indeed, it is one of my favorite books overall.  I have since read, Interface, Snow Crash, Cryptonomicon, and Anathem. 

Anathem is a pretty amazing peice of work.  It is very dense and takes a bit of a science fiction education to fully enjoy.  It took me about 200 pages to really get into it, but then turned into quite a page turner. 

One thing I love about his books is that I learn something.  I don't mean an interesting factoid or peice of trivia.  Stephenson thoroughly researches things like Summarian religion for his novels.  He decides he isn't going to let that go to waste and inserts vast amounts of research into his novel.  If, like the math section in cryptonomicon for me, you would like to skip the research it can be done fairly easily without losing the story. 

It looks like he has another novel coming out this year called Reamde.

Richard Matheson- A to Z

When most people think horror, they think Stephen King or George Romero.  But who do Stephen King and Romero think about.  The answer is Richard Matheson.  If you have only seen I Am Legend (in any of its incarnations), you are probably scratching your head as to why.  If you have read any of Matheson's stuff you know why. 

First off, his novel, I Am Legend, has never been made into a movie.  Well, unless you count night of the living dead.  Which Romero himself does and has apologized to Matheson for borrowing his idea.  I am legend is amazing.  His short stories are, stylisticly, all over the place and excellent as well.  I would suggest Mad House, The Funeral, and the doll that does everything. 
Several of his stories have been made into movies, such as Stir of Echoes and What Dreams May Come.  Most of the film adaptations of his work are unsuccessful, which is ironic as he himself moved into script writing. 

Fangoria has a recent interview with Matheson that I found very interesting.  Pick up a copy to check it out  Do yourself a favor and give this man a read. 

Paolo Bacigalupi-A to Z

Most of the authors that I have and will profile this month are well established and most are considered representatives of the Genre.  Bacigalupi is newer.  He only has two novels and book of short stories out.  One of those two novels is YA. 

So, why am I profiling Mr. Bacigalupi?  Other than I needing someone or something for "P,"  I have read two thirds of his published work.  I like his style and I believe he is going places.  Wait he has gone places.  His novel, Wind Up Girl, tied for the Hugo this year.  My 10 year old has read and enjoyed Ship Breaker, a book that intorduced her to dystopias. 

He will be one of the founding fathers if not the face of the Biopunk movement.  Wind Up Girl alone will provide that, but he has a world that he has created that he uses to tell his stories.  He is up and coming and look forward to following his career.  While I enjoy the stories set in his biopunk world, I do hope that he tells some different types of stories as well. 

Kurt Vonnegut- A to Z

Kurt Vonnegut was an American born science fiction writer.  He is most famous for his fictional retelling of the bombing of Dresden, Germany; an event that he actually experienced.  This was told in Slaughter House Five and touched on some in other works as well.  I have only read two books of his and they were both told as the narrator as he is writing the book.  This is a pretty unique perspective.  He died in 2007, so it goes.

Slaughter House Five is considered on of those books that everyone should read.  I would agree with this statement.  If for no other reason, because it will introduce you to one of the most prolific science fiction auther you have never heard of, a Mr. Kilgore Trout.  Trout pops up in many of Vonnegut's works. 

I know a lot of writers read me, so here is Vonnegut's rules for writing a short story:
Use the time of a total stranger in such a way that he or she will not feel the time was wasted.

Give the reader at least one character he or she can root for.

Every character should want something, even if it is only a glass of water.

Every sentence must do one of two things—reveal character or advance the action.

Start as close to the end as possible.

Be a Sadist. No matter how sweet and innocent your leading characters, make awful things happen to them—in order that the reader may see what they are made of.

Write to please just one person. If you open a window and make love to the world, so to speak, your story will get pneumonia.

Give your readers as much information as possible as soon as possible. To hell with suspense. Readers should have such complete understanding of what is going on, where and why, that they could finish the story themselves, should cockroaches eat the last few pages.

Vonnegut qualifies the list by adding that Flannery O'Connor broke all these rules except the first, and that great writers tend to do that.  (from wikipedia)

Related articles

• Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut (ravereader.wordpress.com)

Azimov- A to Z Challenge

Isaac Asimov is one of the fathers of modern science Fiction.  His short stories in I, Robot were recommended to me by my mother and bridged a generational gap with equal enjoyment on both sides.  Foundation inspired and entertained us.  He is the master of the serial, giving his readers complete stories volume by volume. 

He is a man so important to science fiction that he has an award and magazine named after him.  He is even credited with coining  the term robot.  He was a prolific writer in multiple dramas and was also a doctor of biochemistry. 

I have not read all of Asimov's scifi.  I have barely scratched the surface.  I find the tales themselves are quite simple, but very enjoyable.   A little known fact is that he died of AIDS after contracting HIV through a blood transfusion.  I will end with a story that I heard about him during a screening of 2001.  When the movie was finished Clarke asked Asimov what he thought, to which Asimov in anger stated that Hal didn't follow the three laws of robotics.  I am not sure if it is true but it brings a smile to my face. 

Hopefully they programmed the 3 laws into Watson.