Heinlein. Haven't been disappointed yet.
A few years ago, I'd have said Piers Anthony. But now that the publishers won't buy anything from him except more Xanth, and he's sick and tired of writing Xanth, his latest ten or so Xanth books really suck. Any of the first six or eight Xanth books, and any non-Xanth Anthony, is usually pretty good.
Douglas Adams. I've already read everything he's written, multiple times. Listened to the radio series, many times, watched the TV series, many times, played the video games, many times. Including Bureaucracy. Would Mary Poppins please pick up the White Courtesy Phone?
David Weber is quickly becoming one of my new favorites. I loved the Honor Harrington series, and I'm eagerly devouring the March Upcountry series he co-wrote with John Ringo.
OK, I find myself rambling a bit while I write this, so here goes...
The gent who runs my favorite used bookstore in town recommends anything by Philip K Dick, anything by Harlan Ellison, anything by A.E. Van Vogt... Last time I went in there, I got off easy. Came out with a copy of Heinlein's "Door Into Summer" (Read it, want my own copy), Douglas Adams/Terry Jones "Starship Titanic" (Ditto), HP Lovecraft "The Shadow Over Innsmouth and Other Stories of Horror", the June '03 issue of Asimov's Science Fiction magazine, and the January '00 issue of Analog. Usually I end up hauling more paper home. Couple visits ago, I found myself leaving with no fewer than SEVENTEEN books. Bleh. 'Course, it's my favorite bookstore because those seventeen books cost me a whole $8... He sells most of his paperbacks for 5/$1 and most of his hardbacks 3/$1... His priced stuff is usually $0.50 to $1.50 each. Although he's soon going to have a SIGNED COPY of "Stranger in a Strange Land", he's probably going to price it between $300 and $500. He'll be bringing a *FULL SET* of EE Doc Smith (all the books, all the posters, everything) to
Fandemonium to sell in the dealer's room, so if you're a Smith fan, you might want to show up.
_________________
Fandemonium 2010 -- No Boundaries.http://www.fandemonium.orgFriday - Sunday, August 6th - 8th, 2010
Nampa Civic Center - Nampa, Idaho (Only 20 minutes from the airport!)
(Idaho: It ain't just potatoes anymore.)