This week, on Booking Through Thursday:
One of my favorite sci-fi authors (Sharon Lee) has declared June 23rd Fantasy and Science Fiction Writers Day.
As she puts it:
So! In my Official Capacity as a writer of science fiction and fantasy, I hereby proclaim June 23 Science Fiction and Fantasy Writers Day! A day of celebration and wonder! A day for all of us readers of science fiction and fantasy to reach out and say thank you to our favorite writers. A day, perhaps, to blog about our favorite sf/f writers. A day to reflect upon how written science fiction and fantasy has changed your life.
So … what might you do on the 23rd to celebrate? Do you even read fantasy/sci-fi? Why? Why not?
Considering 23rd is a Tuesday, I'll probably be working, and the day will pass me by. I am reading a fantasy book at the moment (Terry Pratchett - A Hat Full Of Sky), but I reckon I'll be done with it by tomorrow. I do have a couple of books of Garth Nix's The Abhorsen Chronicles lined up (only read Sabriel), so I might end up reading that. I also intend to read Orson Scott Card's Ender's Game, as part of the Take A Chance challenge.
I don't read as much sci-fi/fantasy as I'd like to, to be honest. It's a genre I enjoy, and it's incredible to lose myself in a fantastic world, of endless possibilities and infinite magic. Of course, at the same time, you have a full range of dystopian/post-apocalyptic books, which is something I'm quite fascinated by. From Orwell's 1984 to Bradbury's Fahrenheit 451, from Atwood's The Handmaid's Tale to McCarthy's The Road.
My dabble with fantasy has not been extensive; focusing mostly on the usual suspects, like Philip Pullman's His Dark Materials, The Chronicles of Narnia, The Hobbit, and Harry Potter. As a teenager, I loved RL Stine, Enid Blyton and the like; and like any child, adored fairy tales, which are essentially fantasy, no?
Sci-fi, again, there's The Hitchhiker's Guide To The Galaxy, which I absolutely adored, from the first page. I quite like the Star Wars series, and there was a time I used to read Michael Crichton religiously. Of course, you've got Arthur C. Clarke and Carl Sagan as well. Unfortunately, I don't think I've done much experimental reading here, so.... it's a shame. Maybe something I should do?
How about you? Do you have any favorite sci-fi/fantasy book? Do you enjoy the genre? And, are you planning on doing something special to celebrate the Science Fiction and Fantasy Day?