Speculative Fiction Is Strong With This One
I don’t remember how old I was when I chanced upon Ray Bradbury’s R is for Rocket in my school library (twelve, perhaps?), but I believe it was the first science fiction book I’d ever read.
My earliest interest in what is known as “speculative fiction” was sparked by television. The original Lost In Space TV series, for example, later reinforced by reruns of Star Trek (TOS).
I was already an avid reader as a child, but once I discovered sci-fi, I knew it was time to leave The Hardy Boys behind.
Junior and Senior high school saw my reading list expand greatly. Authors such as Isaac Asimov, Frank Herbert, Douglas Adams, Ursula K. Le Guin, Lester Del Rey, Anne McCaffrey, George Orwell, Jules Verne and (naturally) J.R.R. Tolkien quickly became household names.
Early Speculative Fiction Exploration
One of the early gems I discovered was Aaron Wolfe’s Invasion. Wolfe turned out to be Dean Koontz, writing under a pseudonym. Invasion inspired me to begin writing my own stories.
The Laser Books imprint was curated by Roger Elwood, to whom I — as a naive 13-year-old — sent a sci-fi novella I’d written. He declined my submission (graciously). My very first rejection letter … I wish I’d kept it.
Andre Norton was also one of my early go-to favorites. A number of her books grace the shelves in my writing office to this day.
Ms. Norton’s ability to write on both sides of the sci-fi/fantasy genre, and to create complex worlds was remarkable and inspirational.
She invested time researching ancient cultures as background for her world-building. Never underestimate the value of anthropological and historical research when it comes to creating fictionalized societies.
The Circle Expands
Michael Crichton’s many books have joined Ms. Norton on my shelf. Crichton is an excellent example of “hard” science fiction (as is Asimov, Ben Bova and Canada’s Robert Sawyer): speculative stories set in the future but based on real science of today.
While Norton focused on anthropology, Crichton & Co. research the latest technological breakthroughs before crafting stories around them.
Fantasy continues to be represented by J.R.R. Tolkien, George R.R. Martin, Neil Gaiman, Brandon Sanderson, Fonda Lee, and Patrick Rothfuss’s on-again, off-again King-Killer Chronicles.
Supernatural thriller writers such as John Connolly, Jonas Saul, Dean Koontz, Stephen King, and an ever-evolving list of new authors round out my bookshelves.
For anyone wondering whether “speculative fiction” is a wide-ranging genre, replete with numerous sub-genres and infinite cross-genre permutations, look no further.
And while I enjoy reading books by Grisham, Ludlum, and Clancy, etc., speculative fiction will always hold a special place in my heart.
And bookshelf.
And imagination.
As Stephen King states in his worthy tome, On Writing:
“If you want to be a writer, you must do two things above all others: read a lot and write a lot.”
Hello. My name is Deven Kane, and this is my website.
One thought on “Speculative Fiction Is Strong With This One”
Comments are closed.