Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short stories

[Duane]

I am hoping to be pointed in the right direction. I am looking for 10+ great sci-fi short stories. Especially if the author is not really or no longer well know. Still, if the author is famous, I would love to know the name of the story.

I have not been a big reader of short story sci-fi, but have given it a try recently and some of it is really good.

Thanks!

 

[Gov Kodos]

Re: Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short storie

Robert Sheckley is a long time favorite, 'The Demons' is a story that has always stayed with me for its humor. Another author is Joe Hensley with 'And Not Quite Human' which I loved for the ending. Not sure if these are too well known for your question. A final is CM Kornbluth's 'That Share of Glory' about a space traveling translator.

 

[CorporalCaptain]

Re: Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short storie

Sometimes when I want a new author, I look up a Hugo or Nebula winner that I haven't read yet, and grab an anthology that has their winning story. The nominees are also worthwhile to look up too.

 

[23skidoo]

Re: Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short storie

N-Space by the great Larry Niven has some great stories, as well as the infamous essay on Superman's sex life, Man of Steel, Woman of Kleenex. I've never actually encountered a paperback edition of this, but the hard cover shows up quite often.

Also, check your used bookstores for paperback anthologies of Hugo and Nebula award winners. They used to be published regularly in the 1960s and 70s.

Alex

 

[Greg Cox]

Re: Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short storie

Check out Ted Chiang, Terry Bisson, and various "Year's Best SF" anthologies.

 

[Jolaris]

Re: Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short storie

Alice B. Sheldon/James Tiptree Jr.

Not for the prude though, "A Momentary Taste of Being" could be one of the most sexual stories ever written... O_o

 

[sojourner]

Re: Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short storie

H. Beam Piper. You can find most of his short story stuff on project Gutenberg for download. A great contemporary of early Heinlein and Asimov who was lost to us too soon.

 

[RJDiogenes]

Re: Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short storie

Jack McDevitt is a writer who seems to fly under the radar, but he's on a level with Clarke and Asimov. He has an anthology out called Cryptic, which contains his excellent stories "To Hell With The Stars" and "The Fort Moxie Branch" (among others, of course).

 

[Duane]

Re: Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short storie

Thanks so much!

 

[Mistral]

Re: Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short storie

H. Beam Piper. You can find most of his short story stuff on project Gutenberg for download. A great contemporary of early Heinlein and Asimov who was lost to us too soon.

Yes, Piper.

Also, Allen Steele has a couple of short story collections that are great. Rude Astronauts and All-American Alien Boy, I think are the titles.

You can go here: http://www.freesfonline.de/Authors.html and find most of the authors already mentioned. Let me throw out 2-Randall Garrett (his Lord Darcy stories are great) and Paul McAuley. But feel free to peruse what's in the list-there are literally hundreds of stories available.

 

[Canadave]

Re: Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short storie

Not an author, but if you're looking to expose yourself to more SF short stories, go to a magazine store and pick up the latest copies of Analog and Asimov's Science Fiction. They're monthly magazines and they print new and different short stories in every issue. Not every story is the next Hugo winner, but on average they're very good and have a good mix of relatively new and established writers.

 

[Mistral]

Re: Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short storie

Not an author, but if you're looking to expose yourself to more SF short stories, go to a magazine store and pick up the latest copies of Analog and Asimov's Science Fiction. They're monthly magazines and they print new and different short stories in every issue. Not every story is the next Hugo winner, but on average they're very good and have a good mix of relatively new and established writers.

Very good advice. You never know what you will find. I have some old Analogs that contain a story printed in chunks across several months. Its called Ringworld. I also have a story in 2 Analogs called Emergence by David Palmer which went on to become a fairly well-selling book.

 

[Greg Cox]

Re: Looking for fantastic but more obscure sc-fi authors; short storie

Not an author, but if you're looking to expose yourself to more SF short stories, go to a magazine store and pick up the latest copies of Analog and Asimov's Science Fiction. They're monthly magazines and they print new and different short stories in every issue. Not every story is the next Hugo winner, but on average they're very good and have a good mix of relatively new and established writers.

There's also Fantasy & Science Fiction magazine. And I believe that Tor.com regularly publishes new short fiction as well.