I learned to read on my father's science fiction collection — the masters: Poul Anderson, Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert Heinlein, Chad Oliver, Frederick Pohl, and on and on. They formed my sense of what a story was: a main character who has enough strengths to be likable and enough weaknesses to be believable, coming up against an obstacle that tests a weakness, overcoming the obstacle and in the process strengthening his or her (usually his) character. The overcoming was a given, but it was still thrilling.

Science fiction and fantasy still fascinate me. It is a literature of ideas — which does not mean that I agree it is weak in characterization or style or anything else.

I have branched out: to women authors, stories that don't always end victorious, the ambiguous characters of cyberpunk, and always treasuring the rare and wonderful comic writers who don't take anything in the genre as sacred. I find a lot of good writing in many different styles.

Science fiction seems to be one of the best genres for asking, "What does it mean to be human?" as well as "What if?" and "hmmm... so what can we do with this?"

All literature draws on archetypes, but fantasy most of all. At its best, fantasy is a type of lucid dreaming, explaining us to ourselves by using metaphor and symbol. It can also be sheer play.

H.P. Lovecraft was included in my father's collection, although a little of him went a long way for me personally. But I do enjoy the horror novels of writers like S.P. Somtow and Charles de Lint, who explore the Shadow in humanity.

Fantasy & Science-Fiction Magazines

	Analog Science Fiction became one of the first and most influential science-fiction magazines when John W. Campbell took over in 1938 while it was still called Astounding . Learn more at Analog's Web Site
	Asimov's Science Fiction, the newest science-fiction magazine, begun in 1977, has come to be "the most prestigious publication the genre has to offer." (John O'Neill of sfsite.com)  Asimov's SF homepage.
	Fantasy & Science Fiction founded in 1949, is the award-winning SF magazine which is the original publisher of SF classics like Stephen King's Dark Tower, Daniel Keyes's Flowers for Algernon, and Walter M. Miller's A Canticle for Leibowitz.

	Read and write opinions on: Analog Science Fiction Magazine Asimov's Science Fiction Magazine Fantasy & Science Fiction Magazine Realms of Fantasy Magazine Sci-Fi Entertainment Magazine Science Fiction Age Magazine Bicentennial Man Movie Fantasia 2000 Movie Galaxy Quest Movie Memory by Lois McMaster Bujold The Rise of Endymion by Dan Simmons To Say Nothing of the Dog : Or How We Found the Bishop's Bird Stump at Last by Connie Willis Science Fiction and Fantasy Books Folklore & Mythology Books

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