On Sun, May 30, 2004 at 07:22:05PM -0500, David Dyer-Bennet wrote: > >> expect new stories to be *better* than old stories. I expect exactly > >> the reverse; we're living with the cream skimmed off a few thousand > >> years of literary history, and the best stuff from that much time is I'm surprised nobody brought up _Agyar_ as an ObBrust. > And when I looked at the 2003 novels and such nominated for the > retro-hugo, it was *amazing* how much first-rate stuff was published > in 1953. OTOH, if I recall correctly the Hugo nominee lists for 1952 and 1954 weren't that impressive. I don't know if you can compile Retro- lists for those years equal to 1953, or if 1953 was a bumper crop. I also remember thinking that Bujold, for example, could write rings around most of that list. At least in terms of characters, or characters whom I remember. Also, why would _More Than Human_ be science fiction father than fantasy, apart from the "psionics isn't fantasy though magic is" exemption? I guess one could argue "postulated evolution of the human race", as with Childhood's End. > > I also wonder - what authors do you (David Dyer-Bennet) recommend, > > that we might have missed? > > Good -- Egan, MacLeod, Vinge. Bujold. I doubt anything's too I'd add Iain M. Banks. Ted Chiang (stories.) I assume the question is about "currently publishing good stuff" authors. -xx- Damien X-)