The Real Big Three

There are three giants in the field of science fiction writing: Asimov, Clarke and Heinlein. Each of these men wrote sci-fi stories when sci-fi was a totally new genre, and just tons of of stories have been based off of their foundational (no pun intended) work. In Clarke's case, his idea for a geosynchronous orbiting satellite has profoundly affected the real world.

Isaac Asimov began writing in the 1940's and although he began writing science fiction, he was much more prolific in his non-fiction with a lot of textbooks as well as books about a wide range of topics ranging from science to religion. Still, I think he is best loved and known for his science fiction than anything else.

Asimov's writing has a conversational tone that is very pleasing, comparable to listening to a good storyteller. His stories progress through dialog which is really a nice alternative to other authors who progress their stories through tech, or action, or even detail. Some of his stories do seem to be over before they've begun, but since they are about concepts, the pacing is just about right.

Clarke has a different approach to his novels. His stories seem to be more tech driven. Whether it's about a unique type of spaceship, or a space elevator, a theory for interstellar travel, or planetary colonization, his stories tend to be centered around technology. The Rama series centers around cylindrical mini-worlds created by aliens. The 2001 series revolves around alien built monoliths.

Clarke's character development is a little bit lacking, but that was also helped by some of the collaborators he's written with, like Gentry Lee. All of a sudden, his stories become about character development, and technology become a tool to drive that, not the story itself. It's an interesting progression.

I've read fewer Heinlein books than Asimov or Clarke, but I've still got a good bead on his work, which is kinda interesting. Heinlein attempts to predict what people will be like in the future. Sure his stories are all pure sci-fi, but with a sociological slant. The social morays have changed in all of his stories, and it can throw you a bit, because you aren't expecting something to be normal that is. He introduces interesting concepts that make you ask yourself what is normal anyway. He screws with your head.

A good example of what I'm talking about is in the book, "The Moon is a Harsh Mistress". A central premise is a computer that has become sentient, but the story isn't about how cool that computer is, but more so how people react to it, and how it interacts with people. It's very much about social interaction.

One travesty about these three great authors is that you don't see much of their work in print anymore at your local bookstore. Sci-Fi is already kinda already the ugly step-daughter bookstores and publishing companies don't want to draw much attention to, but it's just truly sad that the last time I walked into a local bookstore, there were 4 Asimov books, 5 Clarke books, and no Heinlein books on the shelf. It's a shame is what it is, and I don't like it.