Obscurorant 2.0 http://obscurorama.com ROBO is not free ROBO. The heart was produced by ROBO in much fighting. Thu, 02 Feb 2012 14:28:17 +0000 en hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 Movie Loves A Screen http://obscurorama.com/2012/02/01/movie-loves-a-screen/ http://obscurorama.com/2012/02/01/movie-loves-a-screen/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 23:37:25 +0000 The Silver Fox http://obscurorama.com/?p=930 I love Netflix. Love. It.

Was the price increase and the Qwikster affair handled in a fashion clumsy beyond belief? Sure, although if Future Me had appeared time travelled back to tell 1999 Me about the enormous amount of movies that would be delivered to his doorstep and made available online for $25 month, 1999 [...]]]> I love Netflix. Love. It.

Was the price increase and the Qwikster affair handled in a fashion clumsy beyond belief? Sure, although if Future Me had appeared time travelled back to tell 1999 Me about the enormous amount of movies that would be delivered to his doorstep and made available online for $25 month, 1999 Me would have been pretty well chuffed.

I love Netflix because of the ready access it has provided me not only to film but to film history.  I signed up in a fit of irritation over not being able to find a prominent John Wayne/John Ford (She Wore A Yellow Ribbon) film at Blockbuster and have since discovered and watched all sorts of movies I would not otherwise have seen. Some, like Touchez au grisbi, have become favorites. I Know Where I’m Going is another such film. This article prompted me to add the movie to my queue, and I watched it shortly thereafter when it became available to watch instantly.

I Know Where I’m Going reminded me of The Quiet Man. Both films are tales of outsiders finding love in remote, Gaelic communities, but I found the former to be a far superior film. If The Quiet Man is Ford’s love letter to Ireland, it is, like many such, too sweet and cloying, not too mention twee. The Innisfree depicted seems to me as articial and forced as any CGI-concotion one might find today.  The Archer’s vision of the Hebrides, and the Isle of Mull in particular, is undoubtedly idealized, glossing over the harshness and isolation that must have been part of life there in the 1940s, but it seems a real place, featuring real people who are rooted in that place.

I Know Where I’m Going also served as my introduction to the work of the abmove-mentioned Archers, the director-producer team of Michael Powell and Emeric Pressburger.  Since The Life and Death of Colonel Blimp was also available to watch instantly, I took it in over the course of several sittings (it’s a loooong movie and my time is limited these days.) Roger Livesey, who starred as Torquil MacNeil in  I Know Where I’m Going, stars here as Clive Wynne-Candy, the Colonel Blimp of the title.  It may have been my disjoinyed viewing schedule, but for me Colonel Blimp took a bit to find its footing, though by the time the Colonel arrived in Berlin I was properly hooked.

I’m currently watching (streaming again) Black Narcissus, which sadly does not feature Mr. Livesey (though I will see him again in A Matter of Life and Death) but does have Deborah Kerr as the head of a nunnery in the Himalayas. So far it is my least favorite Powell and Pressburger work, but it is still quite diverting, especially if you happen to be up late passing time with an infant. After this, I’ll make my way to Ill Met By Moonlight, a dramatization of Leigh Fermor’s wartime exploits in Crete, before giving the Archers a rest for a while. I’m sure Netflix will have something else to offer me.

]]> http://obscurorama.com/2012/02/01/movie-loves-a-screen/feed/ 0 Winter Beats http://obscurorama.com/2012/01/31/winter-beats/ http://obscurorama.com/2012/01/31/winter-beats/#comments Wed, 01 Feb 2012 01:44:58 +0000 The Silver Fox http://obscurorama.com/?p=928 Here are two things you may not know about me.

1. I love Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It is my absolute, favorite holiday story, a position formed by multiple viewings of multiple versions of the tale courtesy of the UHF stations of my youth. It seemed then that at any point of the Christmas season [...]]]> Here are two things you may not know about me.

1. I love Dickens’ A Christmas Carol. It is my absolute, favorite holiday story, a position formed by multiple viewings of multiple versions of the tale courtesy of the UHF stations of my youth. It seemed then that at any point of the Christmas season one could sit down, turn on the tube, twist the dial, and tune into a Christmas ghost story, with dark and scary moments that stood out against the Rankin and Bass productions that littered the 70s.  My 7th grade English teacher made the actual text assigned reading and I discovered I loved it as much as the movies, more in some cases, as I had never much cottoned to the musical adaption with Finney and Guinness.  A  few years later George C. Scott’s turn as Scrooge in the 1984 television film became for me the perfect Christmas special, not least because it adheres faithfully to Dickens’ original story.

2. Apart from A Christmas Carol, I have never read any of Dickens’ work. Not a single one of his books was ever assigned to me again, not in high school and not in college.  Ten or so years ago I attempted Oliver Twist, but made it only halfway before succumbing to boredom and the allure of other, more appealing titles.

I offer up these two facts so that you might understand how it is I came to be wrestling with a copy of the Oxford Illustrated edition of Christmas Stories as we head into February. The book was on display at the library and I thought ‘Oh, I love A Christmas Carol. Surely I will love these other Christmas stories Dickens wrote.’

So far I can only say ‘not so much’. Over the course of several weeks I trudged through The Chimes, the second Christmas tale Dickens wrote (after A Christmas Carol.) It contained all the moralizing and none of the magic his first effort, failing to fulfill the story-teller’s first obligation: to entertain. The goblins (or ghosts – I’m still not sure who was doing what) of the Chimes are not the least bit interesting and pale in comparison to the Ghosts of Christmas Past, Present and Future.

Christmas Stories remains on my nightstand and I tell myself I will continue the struggle, at least to the extent of attempting The Cricket on the Hearth, the next story in the book,  but I do have piles of other books that are far more tempting. I think Dickens and I might just call it quits.

N.B. I have a tumblr blog, at least for now. We’ll see where it takes us.

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We invoke the Deep Magic.

“Hail Queen of Heaven, the ocean star, Guide of the wand’rer here below: Thrown on life’s surge, we claim thy care- Save us from peril and from woe. Mother of Christ, Star of the Sea, Pray for the wanderer, Pray for me.”

[...]]]> Dashiell Robert, born 30 December 2011.

20111230-200725.jpg

We invoke the Deep Magic.

“Hail Queen of Heaven, the ocean star,
Guide of the wand’rer here below:
Thrown on life’s surge, we claim thy care-
Save us from peril and from woe.
Mother of Christ, Star of the Sea,
Pray for the wanderer, Pray for me.”

]]> http://obscurorama.com/2011/12/30/song-of-joy/feed/ 0 Land Of 1,000 Girls http://obscurorama.com/2011/10/16/land-of-1000-girls/ http://obscurorama.com/2011/10/16/land-of-1000-girls/#comments Sun, 16 Oct 2011 13:42:51 +0000 The Silver Fox http://obscurorama.com/?p=904

Today is my daughter’s second birthday. In the words of parent’s everywhere, it goes by fast. Very fast.

For two years I’ve watched her create herself from the ground up. My wife and I provide food, shelter, and of course lots of love, but Madeleine has done the hard bits herself: sitting up, crawling, [...]]]>

Today is my daughter’s second birthday. In the words of parent’s everywhere, it goes by fast. Very fast.

For two years I’ve watched her create herself from the ground up. My wife and I provide food, shelter, and of course lots of love, but Madeleine has done the hard bits herself: sitting up, crawling, standing up, walking. Talking. It’s been amazing to watch. She is, in my extremely biased opinion, amazing.

Seemingly overnight Madeleine has morphed from milk-demanding bundle of limbs with a shrill cry, to her own little person. She busts out the complete sentences, difficulties with pronouns and prepositions aside, and enjoys carrying on conversations.  Anything she likes is described as ‘perfect’ and the next step up from that is ‘love.’ She loves Mommy and Daddy, Nana, Gramma, both Papas, and her Aunties and Uncles. She also loves her hands and squash soup so we try not to get too flattered.

One of my favorite things to do watch her play. I have no idea how imagination fits into the developmental schema, but Madeleine’s is in full force. It is very entertaining to observe what I call the ‘Horse and Cow Dialogues’ as she plays with her Fisher Price toys. It is like having a front-row seat at a very avant-garde play.

One night this past week Madeleine woke in the small hours from a bad dream.  When it became obvious she wasn’t going to settle herself back to sleep, I went in and picked her up out of the crib. I wrapped her in her blanket and together we sat and rocked in the chair. Madeleine’s default mode these days is ‘busy-too-busy-to-cuddle’ and she has never been overly mushy, so increasingly I treasure these moments to simply STOP and hold her and drink in the moment.

Happy birthday mo chuisle mo chroí.

]]> http://obscurorama.com/2011/10/16/land-of-1000-girls/feed/ 1 Say It Isn’t So http://obscurorama.com/2011/10/15/say-it-isnt-so-2/ http://obscurorama.com/2011/10/15/say-it-isnt-so-2/#comments Sun, 16 Oct 2011 02:02:22 +0000 The Silver Fox http://obscurorama.com/?p=910 “The nation’s eyes widened at the sheer sexiness of the show called Solid Gold. But when the lights dimmed, and the dancing stopped, their real lives ranged from triumph to tragedy.

They were the sexiness bunch on television – dancing, writhing, wriggling and juggling to the top hit songs of each week. For a decade, [...]]]>

“The nation’s eyes widened at the sheer sexiness of the show called Solid Gold. But when the lights dimmed, and the dancing stopped, their real lives ranged from triumph to tragedy.

They were the sexiness bunch on television – dancing, writhing, wriggling and juggling to the top hit songs of each week. For a decade, they were America’s swingingest sweethearts – American Bandstand for grown-ups. Their sultry dance numbers sent the ratings to the top of the charts. And overnight, these unknown chorus line gypsies had become cult figures.”

The above is from a transcript of the Hard Copy episode featuring the Solid Gold Dancers. Study the material – there will be a test later.

Question: is the word juggling above a transcription error? You know, like the ‘sexiness bunch?’  Or was there actually juggling on Solid Gold? I generally favor the ridiculous, and so would prefer to believe there was a slinky dance routine that really featured some juggling, to go along with the flashpots.

Also – sexiness bunch? Would make an excellent name for a band.

]]> http://obscurorama.com/2011/10/15/say-it-isnt-so-2/feed/ 0 Comprend Qui Peut http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/25/comprend-qui-peut/ http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/25/comprend-qui-peut/#comments Fri, 26 Aug 2011 02:50:43 +0000 The Silver Fox http://obscurorama.com/?p=898 Your awesomeness for the day is this collection of fake Tintin covers, including the one below by Yves Rodier, which is my favorite of the lot, probably due to its strong similarity to Herge’s own work. I have several of the original adventures of Tintin, in the large format I remember from my childhood and [...]]]> Your awesomeness for the day is this collection of fake Tintin covers, including the one below by Yves Rodier, which is my favorite of the lot, probably due to its strong similarity to Herge’s own work. I have several of the original adventures of Tintin, in the large format I remember from my childhood and not the horrible tiny and cramped hardcovers I’ve seen in bookstores. When the time comes I’ll share them with Madeleine.  I hope to spare her from the upcoming movie, which I expect will be dreadful.

]]> http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/25/comprend-qui-peut/feed/ 0 Bolero http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/17/bolero/ http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/17/bolero/#comments Thu, 18 Aug 2011 02:34:51 +0000 The Silver Fox http://obscurorama.com/?p=893 A particular video was immensely uplifting today. Have a gander yourself. (via)

]]> A particular video was immensely uplifting today. Have a gander yourself. (via)

]]> http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/17/bolero/feed/ 2 Summertime http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/11/summertime-2/ http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/11/summertime-2/#comments Fri, 12 Aug 2011 01:21:48 +0000 The Silver Fox http://obscurorama.com/?p=885 I’m sure that at some previous point on this blog I’ve made mention of Shorpy, the historical photograph blog.  I enjoy the site for many reasons, not the least of which is that occasionally a pictures or pictures of local interest will be posted.  This past week there was a photo of Nantasket Beach,  as [...]]]> I’m sure that at some previous point on this blog I’ve made mention of Shorpy, the historical photograph blog.  I enjoy the site for many reasons, not the least of which is that occasionally a pictures or pictures of local interest will be posted.  This past week there was a photo of Nantasket Beach,  as well as several shots of Paragon Park and the roller coaster that once resided there. Paragorn Park was dismantled in 1984, the only remnant the carousel that both intrigues and terrifies my daughter.

I have to confess that I never visited Paragon Park. Apart from the Salem Willows, the only one of these places still remaining, the local attraction that loomed largest in my childhood was Lincoln Park.  I went there for a neighbor’s birthday several years running, and I went there through school, as a reward for being a crossing guard.  The park was on its last legs during these years, with a rickety wooden coaster that eventually killed someone ,and decrepit dark rides such as the Pirate’s Den and the Monster Ride, filled with paper mache figures that we, in a fashion typical of horrible little boys, enjoyed mocking and spitting on, in between hopping out of the cars.

]]> http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/11/summertime-2/feed/ 1 Jukebox Hero http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/08/jukebox-hero/ http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/08/jukebox-hero/#comments Tue, 09 Aug 2011 01:37:48 +0000 The Silver Fox http://obscurorama.com/?p=883 Since I’ve been badgering her about it for, oh, about eight years or so, it’s only fair to note that this past weekend, from out of left field, Heather gifted me for my birthday six CDs comprising all the songs from the long awaited 80s list compilation. The page with the track list no longer [...]]]> Since I’ve been badgering her about it for, oh, about eight years or so, it’s only fair to note that this past weekend, from out of left field, Heather gifted me for my birthday six CDs comprising all the songs from the long awaited 80s list compilation. The page with the track list no longer exists at her joint, but I assure you it is impressive and eclectic.

Except for that Journey track. It burns.

]]> http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/08/jukebox-hero/feed/ 2 Knockin On Mine http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/05/knockin-on-mine/ http://obscurorama.com/2011/08/05/knockin-on-mine/#comments Sat, 06 Aug 2011 01:25:54 +0000 The Silver Fox http://obscurorama.com/?p=881 First order of business: today is International Beer Day. I trust you are all intent on doing your part.

Second order of business: NPR’s annual summer reading poll concerns fantasy and science fiction.  You can help them whittle down the field to the top 100.  Carl V. covers the flaws of the list pretty well, [...]]]> First order of business: today is International Beer Day. I trust you are all intent on doing your part.

Second order of business: NPR’s annual summer reading poll concerns fantasy and science fiction.  You can help them whittle down the field to the top 100.  Carl V. covers the flaws of the list pretty well, and also turns it into a meme of sorts, which I will indulge in.  Play along at home if you’d like.

The entries I’ve read are in bold, with an * to indicate where I haven’t read all the extant titles in series. Anything underlined means the book in question in sitting in my vast to-be-read pile.

1632, by Eric Flint
1984, by George Orwell
2001: A Space Odyssey, by Arthur C. Clarke
20,000 Leagues Under The Sea, by Jules Verne
The Acts Of Caine Series, by Matthew Woodring Stover
The Algebraist, by Iain M. Banks
Altered Carbon, by Richard K. Morgan
American Gods, by Neil Gaiman
Anansi Boys, by Neil Gaiman
Anathem, by Neal Stephenson
Animal Farm, by George Orwell
The Anubis Gates, by Tim Powers
Armor, by John Steakley
The Baroque Cycle, by Neal Stephenson
Battlefield Earth, by L. Ron Hubbard
Beggars In Spain, by Nancy Kress
The Belgariad, by David Eddings
The Black Company Series, by Glen Cook
The Black Jewels Series, by Anne Bishop
The Book Of The New Sun, by Gene Wolfe
Brave New World, by Aldous Huxley
Bridge Of Birds, by Barry Hughart
The Callahan’s Series, by Spider Robinson
A Canticle For Leibowitz, by Walter M. Miller
The Cat Who Walked Through Walls, by Robert Heinlein
Cat’s Cradle , by Kurt Vonnegut
The Caves Of Steel, by Isaac Asimov
The Change Series, by S.M. Stirling
Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke
Children Of God, by Mary Doria Russell
The Chronicles Of Amber, by Roger Zelazny*
The Chronicles Of Thomas Covenant, The Unbeliever, by Stephen R. Donaldson
The City And The City, by China Mieville
City And The Stars, by Arthur C. Clarke
A Clockwork Orange, by Anthony Burgess
The Codex Alera Series, by Jim Butcher
The Coldfire Trilogy, by C.S. Friedman
The Commonwealth Saga, by Peter F. Hamilton
The Company Wars, by C.J. Cherryh*
The Conan The Barbarian Series, by R.E. Howard
Contact, by Carl Sagan
Cryptonomicon, by Neal Stephenson
The Crystal Cave, by Mary Stewart
The Culture Series, by Iain M. Banks*
The Dark Tower Series, by Stephen King
The Day of Triffids, by John Wyndham
Deathbird Stories, by Harlan Ellison
The Deed of Paksennarion Trilogy, by Elizabeth Moon
The Demolished Man, by Alfred Bester
The Deverry Cycle, by Katharine Kerr
Dhalgren, by Samuel R. Delany
The Diamond Age, by Neil Stephenson
The Difference Engine, by William Gibson & Bruce Sterling
The Dispossessed, by Ursula K. LeGuin
Do Androids Dream Of Electric Sheep?, by Philip K. Dick
Don’t Bite The Sun, by Tanith Lee
Doomsday Book, by Connie Willis
Dragonflight, by Anne McCaffrey
Dreamsnake, by Vonda McIntyre
The Dune Chronicles, by Frank Herbert
Earth, by David Brin
Earth Abides, by George R. Stewart
The Eisenhorn Omnibus, by Dan Abnett
The Elric Saga, by Michael Moorcock*
Ender’s Game, by Orson Scott Card
Eon, by Greg Bear
The Eyes Of The Dragon, by Stephen King
The Eyre Affair, by Jasper Fforde
The Faded Sun Trilogy, by C.J. Cherryh
Fafhrd & The Gray Mouser Series, by Fritz Leiber
Fahrenheit 451, by Ray Bradbury
The Farseer Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
The Female Man, by Joanna Russ
The Fionavar Tapestry Trilogy, by Guy Gavriel Kay
A Fire Upon The Deep, by Vernor Vinge
The First Law Trilogy, by Joe Abercrombie
Flowers For Algernon, by Daniel Keys
The Foreigner Series, by C.J. Cherryh
The Forever War, by Joe Haldeman
The Foundation Trilogy, by Isaac Asimov
Frankenstein, by Mary Shelley
The Gaea Trilogy, by John Varley
The Gap Series, by Stephen R. Donaldson
The Gate To Women’s Country, by Sheri S. Tepper
Going Postal, by Terry Pratchett
The Gone-Away World, by Nick Harkaway
The Gormenghast Triology, by Mervyn Peake
Grass, by Sheri S. Tepper
Gravity’s Rainbow, by Thomas Pynchon
The Handmaid’s Tale, by Margaret Atwood
Hard-Boiled Wonderland And The End of The World, by Haruki Murakami
The Heechee Saga, by Frederik Pohl
The Hitchhiker’s Guide To The Galaxy, by Douglas Adams
The Hollows Series, by Kim Harrison
House Of Leaves, by Mark Danielewski
The Hyperion Cantos, by Dan Simmons
I Am Legend, by Richard Matheson
I, Robot, by Isaac Asimov
The Illuminatus! Trilogy, by Robert Shea & Robert Anton Wilson
The Illustrated Man, by Ray Bradbury
The Incarnations Of Immortality Series, by Piers Anthony
The Inheritance Trilogy, by N.K. Jemisin
Jonathan Strange & Mr Norrell, by Susanna Clarke
A Journey To The Center Of The Earth, by Jules Verne
Kindred, by Octavia Butler
The Kingkiller Chronicles, by Patrick Rothfuss*
Kraken, by China Mieville
The Kushiel’s Legacy Series, by Jacqueline Carey
Last Call, by Tim Powers
The Last Coin, by James P. Blaylock
The Last Herald Mage Trilogy, by Mercedes Lackey
The Last Unicorn, by Peter S. Beagle
The Lathe Of Heaven, by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Left Hand Of Darkness, by Ursula K. LeGuin
The Legend Of Drizzt Series, by R.A. Salvatore*
The Lensman Series, by E.E. Smith
The Liaden Universe Series, by Sharon Lee & Steve Miller
The Lies Of Locke Lamora, by Scott Lynch
Lilith’s Brood, by Octavia Butler
Little, Big, by John Crowley
The Liveship Traders Trilogy, by Robin Hobb
Lord Of Light, by Roger Zelazny
The Lord Of The Rings Trilogy, by J.R.R. Tolkien
Lord Valentine’s Castle, by Robert Silverberg
Lucifer’s Hammer, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
Lud-in-the-Mist, by Hope Mirrlees
The Magicians, by Lev Grossman
The Malazan Book Of The Fallen Series, by Steven Erikson*
The Man In The High Castle, by Philip K. Dick
The Manifold Trilogy, by Stephen Baxter
The Mars Trilogy, by Kim Stanley Robinson
The Martian Chronicles, by Ray Bradbury
Memory And Dream, by Charles de Lint
Memory, Sorrow, And Thorn Trilogy, by Tad Williams
Mindkiller, by Spider Robinson
The Mistborn Series, by Brandon Sanderson
The Mists Of Avalon, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Moon Is A Harsh Mistress, by Robert Heinlein
Mordant’s Need, by Stephen Donaldson
More Than Human, by Theodore Sturgeon
The Mote In God’s Eye, by Larry Niven & Jerry Pournelle
The Naked Sun, by Isaac Asimov
The Neanderthal Parallax Trilogy, by Robert J. Sawyer
Neuromancer, by William Gibson
Neverwhere, by Neil Gaiman
The Newsflesh Triology, by Mira Grant
The Night’s Dawn Trilogy, by Peter F. Hamilton
Norstrilia, by Cordwainer Smith
Novels Of The Company, by Kage Baker
The Number Of The Beast, by Robert Heinlein
Old Man’s War, by John Scalzi
On Basilisk Station, by David Weber
The Once And Future King, by T.H. White
Oryx And Crake, by Margaret Atwood
The Otherland Tetralogy, by Tad Williams
The Outlander Series, by Diana Gabaldan
Parable Of The Sower, by Octavia Butler
The Passage, by Justin Cronin
Pattern Recognition, by William Gibson
Perdido Street Station, by China Mieville
The Prestige, by Christopher Priest
The Pride Of Chanur, by C.J. Cherryh
The Prince Of Nothing Trilogy, by R. Scott Bakker
The Princess Bride, by William Goldman
Rainbows End, by Vernor Vinge
Rendezvous With Rama, by Arthur C. Clarke
Replay, by Ken Grimwood
Revelation Space, by Alistair Reynolds
Riddley Walker, by Russell Hoban
The Riftwar Saga, by Raymond E. Feist*
Ringworld, by Larry Niven
The Riverworld Series, by Philip Jose Farmer
The Road, by Cormac McCarthy
The Saga Of Pliocene Exile, by Julian May
The Saga Of Recluce, by L.E. Modesitt Jr.
The Sandman Series, by Neil Gaiman*
The Sarantine Mosaic Series, by Guy Gavriel Kay
A Scanner Darkly, by Philip K. Dick
The Scar, by China Mieville
The Shannara Trilogy, by Terry Brooks
The Shattered Chain Trilogy, by Marion Zimmer Bradley
The Silmarillion, by J.R.R. Tolkien
The Sirens Of Titan, by Kurt Vonnegut
Slaughterhouse-Five, by Kurt Vonnegut
Small Gods, by Terry Pratchett
Snow Crash, by Neal Stephenson
The Snow Queen, by Joan D. Vinge
Solaris, by Stanislaw Lem
Something Wicked This Way Comes, by Ray Bradbury
Song for the Basilisk, by Patricia McKillip
A Song Of Ice And Fire Series, by George R. R. Martin*
The Space Trilogy, by C.S. Lewis
The Sparrow, by Mary Doria Russell
The Stainless Steel Rat Books, by Harry Harrison*
Stand On Zanzibar, by John Brunner
The Stand, by Stephen King
Stardust, by Neil Gaiman
The Stars My Destination, by Alfred Bester
Starship Troopers, by Robert Heinlein
Stations Of The Tide, by Michael Swanwick
Steel Beach, by John Varley
Stranger In A Strange Land, by Robert Heinlein
Sunshine, by Robin McKinley
The Sword Of Truth, by Terry Goodkind
The Swordspoint Trilogy, by Ellen Kushner
The Tales of Alvin Maker, by Orson Scott Card*
The Temeraire Series, by Naomi Novik
The Thrawn Trilogy, by Timothy Zahn
Tigana , by Guy Gavriel Kay
Time Enough For Love, by Robert Heinlein
The Time Machine, by H.G. Wells
The Time Traveler’s Wife, by Audrey Niffenegger
To Say Nothing Of The Dog, by Connie Willis
The Troy Trilogy, by David Gemmell
Ubik, by Philip K. Dick
The Uplift Saga, by David Brin
The Valdemar Series, by Mercedes Lackey
VALIS, by Philip K. Dick
Venus On The Half-Shell, by Kilgore Trout/Philip Jose Farmer
The Vlad Taltos Series, by Steven Brust
The Vorkosigan Saga, by Lois McMaster Bujold
The Vurt Trilogy, by Jeff Noon
The War Of The Worlds, by H.G. Wells
The Watchmen, by Alan Moore
Watership Down, by Richard Adams
The Way Of Kings, by Brandon Sanderson
Way Station, by Clifford D. Simak
We, by Yevgeny Zamyatin
The Wheel Of Time Series, by Robert Jordan*
When Gravity Fails, by George Alec Effinger
Wicked, by Gregory Maguire
Wild Seed, by Octavia Butler
The Windup Girl, by Paolo Bacigalupi
World War Z, by Max Brooks
The Worm Ouroboros, by E.R. Edison
The Xanth Series, by Piers Anthony*
The Yiddish Policeman’s Union, by Michael Chabon

My votes? Well certainly Tolkien (The Lord of the Rings), Howard, Martin, Leiber and Heinlein (Starship Troopers). Still undecided about my remaining five votes. Some work I would consider essential to the genre (Poul Anderson’s The Broken Sword) is missing from the field, and as Cal pointed out some authors have multiple works listed.

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