Just to say I'll be replying to comments in a day or two, as I've just been diagnosed with pre-hypertension blood pressure and am trying to take it easy currently. Thanks to everyone, will get back to you soon.

Thank you for the list looks great

really enjoyed the historical context and personal anecdotes preceding each book. apologies if you've already previously mentioned him on the channel, but one of my favorite current SF writers is sean mcmullen from australia. his short story collection COLOURS OF THE SOUL is fantastic, and his story "the precedent" is one of my favorite SF stories of all time. in my opinion, he does stellar work combining hard SF with great writing; a rare thing, as you've mentioned. anyway, great video!

looking forward to the 90's vids, thanks as always.

My understanding from a British writer friend is that the publishers put so much pressure on new writers to cough up a new volume every 2-3 years that they have nervous breakdowns. They've had years to work on their first titles, and then if they are successful in the market, the publishers drive them too hard rather than developing them.

I LOVED the quick aside on Steampunk and Cyberpunk, that side glance, golden.

I'm not familiar with many of those books, but some do look interesting. I do love Gwyneth Jones' books and the White Queen trilogy are some of her best work. I find that I have to reread her books a few times because she puts so much information into them at sentence level. It is easy to miss essential facts. Her aliens are some of the best that anyone has created, and, with no spoilers, the gap in understanding leaves both sides completely bewildered. There are many short stories and a later novel (Spirit) set in the same universe. Have you read her Bold as Love series about rock stars taking over the government and turning all of Britain into a giant rock festival? It is much better than it sounds, full of Arthurian references and heavy rock! Another favorite is Elizabeth Hand. The Glimmering is perhaps not one of her best, but later fantasy/horror stories like Black Light and Waking the Moon are great. Also her later crime stories about an aging Punk photographer with a drug problem are much in the M John Harrison style. She also wrote a short novel called Wylding Hall about an English folk/rock group (think Fairport) encountering the supernatural while recording in a nicely spooky old house. I too have gone off much modern hard sf but may pick up some of these to give them a try.

Love this video, so thanks for that. I use that reading guide from Broderick & Di Filippo - or rather, I picked novels from it regularly, right after I picked it up, and that was nearer to when it was first published. So, I read a lot of books from it in a flurry, and have been a bit lax in going to it for suggestions lately, though I still have Red Mars lying around unread. I also remember that when I acquired that reading guide, I did a quick count, and discovered that I had already read 13 books from it before it was published. I was encouraged by the fact that on that list were many books I had loved: Neverness, Under The Skin, Grass, A Fire Upon the Deep, Altered Carbon, The Sea and Summer, and a few more. Now the brutal news…I will now list all the books I read because they are mentioned in Science Fiction, The 101 Best Novels: 1985-2010 that I either dislike, or actively despise: Glimmering, Cyteen, Light, Counting Heads, Boneshaker, Synners, In War Times, Zero History, The Fortunate Fall, and Distant Haze. Oh, and The White Queen. What can I tell ya, this has been a spotty, bumpy list of books, at least as far as my tastes go. Further, Bloom and Transmigration of Souls were only average reads for me, but I really hope they click with you. You are focusing on books from that list that, unfortunately, don’t excite me…except for one; I thoroughly enjoyed Cave of Stars! Needless to say, I perked up right at the end of your roll call of TBR choices (Growing Up Weightless is not an “SF Masterwork, IMO, but was okay as non-challenging 1990s YA that did not manage to involve me emotionally). The supremely good news (from my selfish perspective): Broderick & Di Filippo got me to read Blindsight. It was not on my radar, until that reading guide. And now it’s my second favourite SF novel (or maybe tied with Orbitsville). And there have been other winners, for me, from that reading guide: The Time Traveler’s Wife is a huge favourite; The Shore of Women; Steal Across the Sky still haunts me; Holy Fire (I finally found something by Sterling I enjoyed! Did not think that would happen, after Schismatrix Plus and The Difference Engine); Ventus; Parable of the Sower; Shadow of the Scorpion. These are the ones I’m glad the list made me read. So, Cave of Stars…yeah, good, I hope that goes well!

I'm sad to say Stephen,I know none of those Authors,so I will be looking forward to your reviews.The 90's and 00's are somethimg of a blnd spot for me,and I can't say I would go out of my way to track any books from this period down,not due to any particular dislike of the period,But simply because my own TBR is frighteningly large and there are only so many books one can read in a lifetime(especially at my age),so unless I hear a rave review,that will remain the case,for me

Hi - interesting talk & look forward to any follow-up. Having been away from the SF scene for so long, none of these names were familiar (don't burn me as a heretic). I do agree that I would rather read a short good book than an average long one.I think that is why I enjoyed short stories when young plus if you didn't like one then there was always the next. Is that shelf behind you sagging under the weight or is it an illusion by the camera?

I'd love to hear more of your thoughts on cyberpunk and on steam punk. I accidentaly came across a steam punk meet up in a pub recently. I said to to my mate. I think, THEY think it's about goggles on hats. Great minds. 😀

Another great video... I look forward as these to wrap up long days before I read myself to sleep (both because they're relaxing and that they're so long I can't watch them during a normal day). I've only been reading adult fiction for four or five years and have only read somewhere around 300 SF novels/collections, but I've grown to view the 90s as... the decade where decades could no longer be largely classified by big movements in the genre (such as the Golden Age, or 70s Hard SF, or 80s cyberpunk). The decade where a little bit of everything was produced and retailed all at once, where the subgroups started by mix more freely. Is that just my conjecture, or is that a backable noticing? (Also, PS, I'm happy to say it's not just older people who have caught the A Format fetish!)

I enjoyed Queen City Jazz and I started Bloom once but couldn't get into it, still looking forward to reading it eventually. It definitely reminds me of Blood Music as well. I also enjoyed the Omega Point trilogy by George Zebrowski when I read it but in hindsight its probably not that great lol. I've always been on the lookout for more of his stuff though, I just never see it or even see anyone talk about him.

Who else nearly zoned out by just staring at that virtual zen cover?

I'm over a certain age, but I don't have an A format fetish, does that mean I'm a failure as science fiction book collector? You're right about authors not being valued by publishers these days. Publisher such as Faber and Gollancz used ro invest in their authors and allow them years to develop. In the UK familiar names, Aldiss and Ballard for example, were allowed that time to develop and went on to became substantial writers; they also made money, both leaving estates worth millions.

Are you familiar with Richard Calder, author of the Dead Girls trilogy? As far as I can tell, he's pretty obscure here in the states. I always felt he didn't get the attention he deserves. He's a very interesting writer, but maybe too stylish for most readers.

Considering some of these authors as potential new-era (to me) reads has me nervous. Why? Because I've already found my comfort zone with their predecessors and also, as you stated, OB, it's all been written and anything newer is just rehashing long-established premises. I feel there is a rush by contemporary authors (and the bottom line driving the publishing industry to push push push new perspectives and strive to be noticed) into, well, silliness, they'll say anything to stand out from the din, and I don't relish spending money and time finding out I was right. I suppose I'm hardcore. Plus, intellectually, I'd rather hang out with my contemporaries than a bunch of newbs I suppose. All that aside, thanks much for sharing your insight and experience. It has really helped me rekindle my interest in sci fi and sci fantasy. Cheers.

Hi Stephen have you read The Gormenghast trilogy by Mervyn Peake?

Paul de Fillipo did the book reviews for Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine for a while so I'm sure he found plenty of material for his book there.

Agree that the trend of long, padded novels is awful. I don’t get it. I remember reading The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo when it was the hot thing, and wondered why the author felt the need to include so many details about what the main character had for breakfast. The plot could have been contained in a 250-page book instead of nearly 700.

What book or websites is the equivalent of the science fiction the 101 best novels book. As someone just diving into the genre there is so much and difficult to decipher the cream of the crop.

Ha ha. Then, of course, there is, want to read (Goodreads)

Stephen could you please tell me the name of the book at your right shoulder on the stand. The one with the lady in white and the castle in the distance. I had the same one as a teen in the 80ies and I just can’t think what it was.