Who are some good/interesting authors?

Question

...someone like aldous huxley or carl sagan. Or any author that writes books that are inspiring, or really make you think. Any suggestions?

Answer 1

Hi Daisy,

It sounds like you have excellent taste in science fiction if you like Huxley and Sagan.  I'm not so much a sci fi buff myself, but the men in my family are, and I know they love everything by Issac Asimov and Arthur C. Clarke, as well as  Iain M. Banks , Greg Bear, and Larry Niven.

The other day my brother and I were discussing Dune by Frank Herbert and Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card.  He said they were two of the best and most influential (for him) books he's read.  (He's a rocket scientist if that means anything.)

For some reason the idea of Metamorphosis by Franz Kafka just popped in my head.  If you like sci fi with some philosophical meat to it, you may enjoy that rabbit hole.  Also, Slaughterhouse Five - anything by Vonnegut; and of course George Orwell!  How could we leave 1984 and Animal Farm out?

If you want something a bit different - if you liked The Matrix, try looking up the screenplay.  It's available online.  I'm a big fan of the movie, and I found the screenplay was a surprisingly good read!

And finally, you mentioned something inspiring, something that will make you think.  Some people love her and some people hate her, but one thing most people admit is that Ayn Rand will make you think.  It's not exactly science fiction - it encompasses a broader stroke than that - but Atlas Shrugged and the Fountainhead are both excellent books if you haven't already read them.  You have to take it with a grain of salt because she does tend to have a dramatic effect on people.  She's one of my favorite authors precisely because I think her works are tremendously inspiring.

I hope this list whets your appetite for some great reading.  Good luck and have fun! :)

Answer 2

P.D. James has written some excellent novels that fit the bill. Here's a link to a list of her books:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/P.D._James#...