Authors Favorite Authors - Harry Harrison

HARRY HARRISON - AUTHORS CHOICE

Harry Harrison - Author March 12, 1925 – August 15, 2012

 

As a young avid science fiction fan, the works of Harry Harrison were not only brilliant, but also inspiring and thought provoking. His books left a legacy and an imprint on my life that only the great Issac Asimov can rival.

The first of his books I remember reading was of course the infamous 'The Stainless Steel Rat'. However, it was his great variety of his works, his style of writing that I as a teenager fell in love with.

He was brilliant with his use of words, but economical with that talent. He never used twenty words where ten would do. Nevertheless, he still enabled the readers mind to picture his thoughts and the image he wanted us to see.

For me this has been a great inspiration. My writing has been described as Screen Play like. In that, I paint the scene well and encourage the reader to image that they are there.

For this ability, I have to thank Harry, an amazingly talented author who is greatly missed by me and by many others like me.

If Harry has inspired you either to read more science fiction or to even, pick up the pen yourself. It would be nice to hear from you.

Harry Harrison - Author and Inspiration

Jonathan O'Donnell

Author - Joanna's Dawn

http://joannasdawn.blogspot.co.uk/p/chapter-one-joannas-dawn-knights-of.html

Authors Favorite Authors - Issac Asimov

Isaac Asimov

I fell in love with Asimov's books when I was just twelve years old. My mother an avid bookworm and frustrated collector of all books. Gave me Foundation to read one rainy Sunday afternoon. Probably fed up with me saying I am 'bored' there is nothing to do.

Three hours later, I had finished the book. I wanted more, and to my delight, there was Foundation and Empire and then Second Foundation. But they with huge frustration I waited for Foundations Edge and Foundation and Earth. Then of course Prelude to Foundation.

Of course, this led to reading I Robot and about the fifty spacer worlds.

I admired Asimov, and I remember the day his death was announced, I was still in my teens and I was so struck I even recorded the radio announcement. I still have that tape recording to this day. I was as you can expect upset.

However, I also moved onto other authors to feed my passion for science fiction.

To this day Asimov inspired me, I have thought about space travel, the problems with it and have come up with my own solution to travelling between the stars. Gravitational Theories etc have fed that problem solving. Of course, all of it works in my mind and in my book, Joanna's Dawn. http://joannasdawn.blogspot.co.uk/p/chapter-one-joannas-dawn-knights-of.html

Asimov was still inspiring me in 2002. I read a collection of his short stories while on holiday in Lanzarote. At the end of the book, Asimov suggested to readers that they should try writing.

I was so inspired I picked up a pencil, grabbed some plain paper, and sat on the balcony, drinking coffee and smoking, writing my first short story. Samuel VI. This developed into my first book, which has now been placed neatly in a cupboard. Over 400 pages long and 36 chapters. It was a great exercise. Maybe one day that Asimov inspired book will be shared, but for now, it stays in its dusty cupboard.

Therefore, overall, Asimov is a great writer of science fiction, but his greatest gift was engaging young minds.



Thank you Isaac