Below is a list of fiction that has, from the age of about ten years old to the present day, made a notable impression on me both as a writer and a human being. These novels and stories are critically seminal in my early adolescent aspirations and adult growth and stabilization as a professional writer.

These books and stories have one other thing in common. Their innate literary power and other-worldly magic stoked and fed the desire inside me to write.

And, to write well.

1. Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller, 1961
2. Time Enough for Love, by Robert A. Heinlein, 1973
3. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman, 1974
4. Dhalgren, by Samuel R. Delany, 1974
5. Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov, 1955
6. 1984, by George Orwell, 1949
7. Inferno, by Dante Alighieri
8. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, 1929
9. The First Men in the Moon, by H.G. Wells, 1901
10. Dracula, by Bram Stoker, 1897

1. Time Enough for Love, by Robert A. Heinlein, 1973
2. The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman, 1974
3. Dhalgren, by Samuel R. Delany, 1974
4. Flowers for Algernon, by Daniel Keyes, 1959, 1966
5. A Canticle for Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller, Jr., 1959
6. Frankenstein, or the Modern Prometheus, by Mary Shelley, 1816
7. Gateway, by Frederick Pohl, 1977
8. Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis, 1992
9. Dune, by Frank Herbert, 1965
10. The First Men in the Moon, by H.G. Wells, 1901

(Some of these are anthologies. The dates of publication are for the anthology, and not necessarily the individual stories contained therein.)

1. Tales of Mystery and Imagination, by Edgar Allan Poe, 1993
2. Lord of the Rings, by J.R.R. Tolkien, 1965
3. The Essential Conan, by Robert E. Howard, 1977
4. Black Seas of Infinity, by H.P. Lovecraft, 2001
5. Jungle Tales of Tarzan, by Edgar Rice Burroughs, 1916, 1917
6. The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien, 1977
7. The Metamorphosis, by Franz Kafka, 1912
8. The Iliad, by Homer (9th? Or 8th? century B.C.)
9. Inferno, by Dante Alighieri (1265 - 1321 A.D.)
10. Dracula, by Bram Stoker, 1897

1. The Hound of the Baskervilles, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1902
2. Doctor No, by Ian Fleming, 1958
3. The Spy Who Came in from the Cold, by John Le Carré, 1963
4. I, the Jury, by Mickey Spillaine, 1947
5. The Human Factor, by Graham Greene, 1978
6. From Russia with Love, by Ian Fleming, 1957
7. The Rhinemann Exchange, by Robert Ludlum, 1974
8. The Mandarin Cypher, by Adam Hall (Elleston Trevor), 1975
9. Curtain, by Agatha Christie, 1976
10. A Study in Scarlet, by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, 1892

1. Tropic of Cancer, by Henry Miller, 1961
2. The Rosy Crucifixion (includes Sexus, Plexus and Nexus), by Henry Miller, 1965
3. Lolita, by Vladimir Nabokov, 1955
4. A Farewell to Arms, by Ernest Hemingway, 1929
5. The Adventures of Huckleberry Finn, by Mark Twain (Samuel Clemens), 1885
6. Macbeth, by William Shakespeare, (1605 - 1606)
7. Les Miserables, by Victor Hugo, 1862
8. The Sound and the Fury, by William Faulkner, 1929
9. Medea, by Euripides (480 - 406 B.C.)
10. For Whom the Bell Tolls, by Ernest Hemingway, 1940

1. “The Cold Equations”, by Tom Godwin, 1954
2. “Rogue Moon”, by Algis Budrys, 1960
3. “The Ballad of Lost C’Mell”, by Cordwainer Smith, 1962
4. “Mother to the World”, by Richard Wilson, 1968
5. “Light of Other Days”, by Bob Shaw, 1966
6. “Nightwings”, by Robert Silverberg, 1968
7. “Neutron Star”, by Larry Niven, 1966
8. “Souls”, by Joanna Russ, 1981
9. “Sandkings”, by George R.R. Martin, 1979
10. “Behold the Man”, Michael Moorcock, 1967
11. “Passengers”, by Robert Silverberg, 1968
12. “Surface Tension”, by James Blish, 1952
13. “Born of Man and Woman”, by Richard Matheson, 1950
14. “At the Mountains of Madness”, by H.P. Lovecraft, 1939
15. “He Who Shapes”, by Roger Zelazny, 1965
16. “24 Views of Mount Fuji, by Hokusai”, Roger Zelazny, 1985
17. “A Dry, Quiet War”, by Tony Daniel, 1996
18. “I Have no Mouth and I Must Scream”, by Harlan Ellison, 1967
19. “Gilgamesh in the Outback”, by Robert Silverberg, 1986
20. “Aye, and Gomorrah...”, by Samuel R. Delany, 1967

Upon completion of these lists I was drawn to a couple of fairly inescapable facts and sundry conclusions. My ‘10 favorite books’ is somewhat eclectic, but heavily weighted towards science fiction. No surprise there. The majority of my favorite science fiction books are comprised of love stories and themes of honor and strength ameliorated by human frailty. Concomitant themes which often appear in my own fiction.

In the list of my favorite fantasy books, however, there are few singletons but many, many anthologies of short stories. This is indicative, I think, of the marketing influence of LOTR, despite the fact it was originally conceived by Tolkien as a single mammoth work.

While my opinions are my own, I can’t help but think this may not necessarily be a good thing for the fantasy field. One only has to walk past the fantasy section in any bookstore and see trilogy after trilogy after never-ending watered-down series. It’s as if the writers themselves do not concentrate on single novels, but purposefully bend their efforts into trilogies and series. Not that I’m against series. In fact, I love ‘em, if they’re written well. (Tarzan, Barsoom, and early John Norman.) And fantasy, like science fiction, is perfectly suited to the short story form so collection into anthologies is only appropriate from the view of the publisher. At any rate, more and more serials and trilogies are also appearing in science fiction. My only gripe is that few of them are worth pursuing, in any genre.

One last point about my favorite fantasy list. I expect there are high-minded purists who object to me labeling Kafka’s novella as fantasy and not viewing it instead as a groundbreaking literary treatise on human alienation. Well, can’t it be both?

The biggest surprise came when I critically examined the final list of my favorite short stories. They’re all science fiction! And over half are from the ‘60s, with the balance of stories serving as capstones on either end of that decade. Nothing ‘modern’ in the sense of SF currently being published.

This really surprised me, because there’s a lot of recent SF which I like quite a lot, including work by some fantasists. The only excuse I can offer is these are the stories which most impressed and shaped me as a writer. While I absolutely love the short story work of a lot of other SF/F writers, it’s the stories from the New Wave literary movement that speak most deeply to me.

One final thought. At no time do I mean to imply my literary skills are anywhere near those of the writers I’ve listed. I’m arrogant, but not that arrogant. Instead, it is their stories, these wonderful jewels which, throughout my lifetime, have instilled inside me not only the desire to write, but to be a writer.

And for that gift I thank each and every one of them. It was their work that gave me a soul.

- -K.M.H., Mississippi, ‘05

I wanted this list separate for a variety of reasons. It is these writers who, through their work, have drawn me into unforgettable imaginative worlds and filled me with an overwhelming sense of wonder. These are the writers I enjoy reading purely for the pleasure of basking in their natural ability to tell a gripping, memorable story.

1. Harlan Ellison

Ellison, the perennial “angry young man”, is also the preeminent storyteller of our age. His short stories are cutting and incisive, and often filled with bold, haunting imagery pulled from his own personal experiences. A must read for anyone who loves good short fiction.

2. Robert A. Heinlein

It’s impossible to calculate the incredible influence R.A.H. had, and continues to have, on our field. While his last few novels paled, his main body of work stands head and shoulders above that of every other SF writer, living or dead. Anyone who wants to write credible science fiction must read and study Heinlein, in my opinion.

3. Samuel R. Delany

The best of the “New Wave” writers. Delany made it a point to inject full-blown literary talent into mainstream science fiction. Enigmatic, controversial and strangely provocative, Delany was willing to push the staid edge of the SF envelope. Sadly, too many SF writers have failed to take up Delany’s challenge, and continue to “play it safe.”

4. James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice Sheldon)

The best of the “feminist” writers. (Joanna Russ is a close second.) Sheldon wrote under a pseudonym, which also reflects the dual nature of her stories. Dig deeply and you will find moral treasure. Her loss to the SF community was all too tragic, but her memorable work set irreversible trends and even heralded a literary movement, Cyberpunk.

5. Ursula K. Le Guin

Morality runs deep through Le Guin’s work, along with the exploration of human nature, gender, ethics and politics. But never at the expense of the main question: What does it really mean to be human? It’s impossible to put down a finished Le Guin story and not think about it afterwards for days.

6. Edgar Rice Burroughs

Adventurous and downright fun, E.R.B. has given us icons that are deeply ingrained in our cultural heritage and social consciousness. Arguably the best of the Golden Age writers, in basic terms of adventure anyway. His fantastic alien worlds are populated by brave, strong characters, loyal and steadfast friends, and cruelly manipulative villains. Always fun and never dull, E.R.B. shows us how to keep a story moving and the reader interested.

7. Arthur C. Clarke

Probably the best Hard Science Fiction writer, at least in terms of story idea and deft handling of knowledgeable science. His novels never degenerate into dry factual textbooks or jingoistic right-wing political harangues, the bane of most hard SF writers who toil in Clarke’s shadow. While too often short on characterization, his grand thematic ideas more than make up for that deficiency.

8. Joe Haldeman

Joe Haldeman continues to surprise and amaze us. Not with his talent, he has that in spades. But his ability to engage the reader, and have him adapt and evolve with his characters as the story moves to its inexorable conclusion, is nothing short of masterful. Deeply moving and tragic events unfold until his characters, always struggling both physically and emotionally, win out. And the reader, who has held his breath, can finally let it out with a relaxed and contented sigh....

9. Ray Bradbury

While Bradbury’s work is short on scientific accuracy, it’s long, very long, on beautiful poetic imagery and emotive content. More of an artist than a writer, really, but no less wonderful for all of that. Even with his short stories, Bradbury writes full-blown symphonies and speaks to the child inside us all.

10. Connie Willis

Probably the best overall science fiction writer in the field today. Short story, novels, novelettes and novellas, they are all her métier. Her imagination is unlimited, her characterization masterful, and her themes poignant. Any writer who wants to know how to explore the deepest strata of the human condition must read Willis, and read her often.

- - K.M.H., Mississippi, ‘05