What is your favorite science fiction book and author?

Philip K Dick without question. He could make a fast paced action story that was also full of mindblowing ideas that leave you with plenty to think about, and his narrative voice and ability to create very realistic characters is beyond almost any other writer of the 20th century, science fiction or otherwise.

Not everything he wrote was great, unfortunately. He was very prolific and did a lot of speed. In 1964 alone he wrote and published 4 novels and 15 short stories. That kind of lifestyle meant that he occasionally sacrificed quality for quantity, drove him more than a little crazy, and he died in 1982.

But I would say his best books are

the Man in the High Castle,

UBIK, and

Doctor Bloodmoney.

none of them are very long, but they are easily among the best books I have ever read.

He has also had plenty of movies made from his books, some good, some not so good. They include Blade Runner, Total Recall, Screamers, Minority Report, Paycheck, Imposter, A Scanner Darkly, and the newest awful Nicholas Cage movie Next.

I hope that if you like science fiction you will go out and get something by him because you will love it for sure.

My favorite science-fiction author is Isaac Asimov.

I Robot -

The Rest of the Robots

Naked Sun

Foundation and Empire series

The Caves of Steel

My favorite is any of the Barsoom series by Edgar Rice Burroughs. It is hard for me to pick a faorite book in the series, my least favorite is The Synthetic Men of Mars, but I still like it. If I had to pick a favorite, though, I would say The Gods of Mars would be it. I know some people look down on Edgar Rice Burroughs as compared to other authors especially with more modern writers. I just like the old swashbuckling type of stories.

Douglas Adams is a brilliant writer that was able to craft his cynical view of the world into a humerous and imaginative series.

Kurt Vonnegut is, however, my favorite with Cat's Cradle being my favorite sci-fi novel.

Left Hand of Darkness and Stranger in a Strange Land are also good for a more dramaic, dark read.

The Moon is a Harsh Mistress by Robert Heinlein. He has many more books with wonderful characters and has even had some turned into movies like Starship Troopers. A great writer indeed.

The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury

The Trouble With Lichen, by John Wyndham

I have many favorites! Star Wars books are so cool. And the only author that I can think of off the top is Jude Watson.

Douglas Adams - hands down. And you can't just read the first book of the Hitchhiker's series; you must read them all. I have no idea how many times I have read them. I have yet to encounter another author who writes like Adams. Very satirical, ironic, silly, fun, imaginative...I love his writing style.

Orson Scott Card's Ender books are also very good.

Douglas Adams.

And Kurt Vonnegut.

Dune Series by Frank Herbert, continued by his son Brian Herbert... they are amazing books, science fiction at its best!