Guardian SF Feature

The Guardian recently published a feature in which leading figures in modern science fiction nominate favourite works from the genre. It's more than just a list: each contributor has written a short essay on their chosen work. Among the leading figures are Ursula LeGuin, Brian Aldiss, William Gibson, Margaret Atwood, Michael Moorcock and John Clute.

Atwood's choice seems highly appropriate for the author of The Handmaid's Tale: Ray Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451.

Among other interesting choices are both Gibson and Moorcock nominating Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination, one of the classics of the 1950s era. I'm not sure that Bester is too well known today, but this novel and The Demolished Man are among my favourites. I also have a soft spot for The Rat Race, a non-SF Bester novel set against a background of 1950s television production.

The Guardian article was prompted by a new exhibition at the British Library. Read the article here and read more about the exhibition here.