Samuel R Delany, Philip K Dick, Ursula K Le Guin, and (maybe) William Gibson.

[pmb]

What scifi/fantasy authors would you be willing to defend as writers of high quality literature and not just genre fiction? What authors both have something to say, and say it well?

NB: I'm primarily looking for people who are by default filed in the SciFi ghetto, not "real" authors who have occasionally been filed in SF/fantasy. Because Kurt Vonnegut is widely acknowledged to be a virtuoso writer and has written a bunch of SF, but I'm not sure that most people think of him as a science fiction writer.

Comments

[thrasymachos.livejournal.com]

Margaret Atwood. Though one might argue that she's a lit writer that dabbles in sci-fi rather than a primarily sci-fi author.

Roger Zelazny. Especially for his books that deal with mythology and pantheons.

[pmb.livejournal.com]

When there's a new Atwood book it doesn't get filed in sf/f automatically whether it belongs there or not.

Could you recommend me some Zelazny to start out on? He's one of those authors I never picked up for some reason.

[thrasymachos.livejournal.com]

To begin, I'd recommend either "Jack of Shadows" or the short story collection "The Doors of His Face, the Lamps of His Mouth." Both showcase the author's versatility quite well.

Must-reads include "Creatures of Light and Darkness," "Isle of the Dead," and "Lord of Light."

And of course, the Amber novels beginning with "Nine Princes in Amber."