What is your favorite science fiction novel?
I honestly haven't read too many sci-fi novels yet, but my favorite so far is probably Starship Troopers, by Robert A. Heinlein. **It's not like the movie!** It's a much more intelligent look at a soldier and his society. I haven't read Jules Verne yet, but from what I hear he's done, I'd say he's definitely science fiction. Of Arthur C. Clarke's works, I've only read 2001: A Space Odyssey. It was also not like the movie--the book made sense! On the recommendation of friends, I was about to read Ender's Game, but in the introduction Orson Scott Card said he was inspired by Issac Asimov's Foundation series. I was about to read that, when I got diverted to Asimov's Robot series. So, I'm now reading that, hoping to work my way back to Ender's Game, eventually :) I'm definitely enjoying Asimov, at the moment!
Any good science fiction Novels?
1. Dune (Dune Chronicles, Book 1) by Frank Herbert 2. Childhood's End by Arthur C. Clarke 3. Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement 4. The Time Machine by H. G. Wells 5.The Moon Is a Harsh Mistress by Robert A. Heinlein 6. Ender's Game (Ender, Book 1) by Orson Scott Card 7. Last and First Men and Star Maker : Two Science Fiction Novels by Olaf Stapledon 8. The Night Land by William Hope Hodgson 9. Ringworld by Larry Niven 10.Slaughterhouse-Five by Kurt Vonnegut 11.The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick 12. A Canticle for Leibowitz (Bantam Spectra Book) by Walter M. Miller Jr. 13. Sea of Glass by Barry B. Longyear 14. Lord of Light by Roger Zelazny 15. Red Mars (Mars Trilogy) by Kim Stanley Robinson 16. Foundation (Foundation Novels) by Isaac Asimov 17. Hyperion by Dan Simmons 18. A Secret History: The Book Of Ash, #1 (Book of Ash) by Mary Gentle 19. Rendezvous with Rama by Arthur C. Clarke 20. The Martian Chronicles by Ray Bradbury
Why are science fiction novels important?
Alot of Sci-fi is insightful satire of contemporary times.
I have finished my novel. It's a science fiction and I have tried approaching few publishers online but failed. How do you advice I should proceed now?
When you say “failed”, do you mean you failed to get a response from the publishers, or did they reject the book?In case it’s the former, that is, you didn’t get a response, then you can approach a literary agent to help represent your book to the publishers. For this, however, the agent will have to go through your work and accept it. There are a number of reputed literary agencies in India now such as Writer’s Side, Siyahi, Anuj Bahri etc which you can find out upon Googling. Do not approach any agents who demand payment upfront, as they turn out to be fraudulent. An agent will only earn by commission once you earn from the book via royalty, advance etc.If, by any chance, nothing else works out in the field of traditional publishing for you, then you can always try self-publishing your novel as an e-book to begin it. Nowadays, there are a lot of options via Amazon KDP, and other online self-publishing services through which you can bring out your book to the world. Again, be careful of “vanity publishers” who charge a hefty price for bringing your book out in print, as often, they end up fleecing aspiring authors while giving them a raw deal in terms of distribution etc. A little bit of prior research will help in making your decision.Good luck!
What are your favourite science fiction novels?
It has to be the Foundation Series by rusian/american biochemist and writter Isaac Asimov.Isaac Asimov created a whole universe, that starts somewhere in the near future into thousands of years ahead. It's not just the huge complexity and detail of his universe. Asimov, as a philosopher too, analizes the whole evolution of human society to describe a quite possible future. As a science man, all his sci-fi is explained from a realistic point of view.It describes the early stages of robotics and how it deals with the human society, the space colonization, to finish with his latest books into a time when human race is all arround the universe.The series contains many books. Some are just a group of short stories. Others, as the “foundation triology”, are long novels that explain the core plot of the series.Overall, they make one of the biggest and more well narrated sci-fi series of all time.
Should I use profanity in my science fiction novel?
You should absolutely use profanity.I myself am writing a piece of science fiction that is “gritty, grim, and exceedingly gory” and I initially tried to limit myself to mild language. However, I quickly realized that this was a mistake. I learned this from the science fiction I’ve been reading recently.The last book I read was William Gibson’s Count Zero. It’s a very dark, adult story with dark, adult themes… and the language to match. The characters in Count Zero don’t inhabit a “goshdarn cyberdystopian heckhole”. They live somewhere a little more real than that, meaning they talk (and swear) the way people actually do.I’m currently reading Timothy Zahn’s Star Wars: Thrawn. Unlike Count Zero, Thrawn is written for a wider audience. It’s been really good so far, but the one thing that feels noticeable is the characters’ incredibly clean language. This works in this specific novel because… it’s Star Wars. However, when you’ve just read something that’s drastically uncensored, you tend to notice when the words “he swore under his breath” are used instead of… characters actually swearing under their breaths.Really, it depends on who your audience is. However, if you’re not holding back on the violence, you might as well not hold back on the language too.
What is your favorite 20th century science fiction novel?
Slaughterhouse-Five, or The Children's Crusade: A Duty-Dance with Death (1969). Fascinating how Vonnegut plays with the concept of time in this book.