Comments on: MIND MELD: What Was Your Introduction to Fantasy and Science Fiction?

By: Mike Resnick

Mike Resnick — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 06:02:13 +0000

A couple of Groff Conklin anthologies and ERB’s A Princess of Mars, circa 1950 or thereabouts,

By: Van

Van — Fri, 27 Jan 2012 10:21:40 +0000

Like some others here my first taste of sci fi / fantasy was The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe. This was in the early 70s and I was in first grade where my teacher would a read a chapter or two of it every day to us since C.S. Lewis was a Christian author and at that time I went to a private Christian school. I loved the story and couldn’t wait to hear what was coming next each day. A year or so later I got hooked on a new sci fi series on TV called “Space: 1999″ which ran for a few years and was a cool show, Martin Landau starred as the capt. At the same time I began to watch the original Star Trek every day after school. They were syndicated reruns but brand new to me, I also watched a made for TV movie around the same time called “Logan’s Run.” I had to talk my mom into letting me stay up late just to finish it. This was mid 1970s by then and I was a full fledged sci fi fan. I saw Jaws, not sure if monster sharks count, and a few other movies but then.. I went to see a new movie with my brother and cousins called Star Wars. The rest is history and my addiction, affection, admiration was complete. Frak

By: Nora-Adrienne Deret

Nora-Adrienne Deret — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 22:13:12 +0000

I’d have to say my first taste of sci-fi was the Mushroom books, also Danny Dunn and whatever amazing thing he was in the middle of. I also read the Tom Swift books. All of this was during the 6th. grade, the late 50′s.

After that I got into Burroughs, and also the Lucky Star series by Asimov.

By: thekrazikat

thekrazikat — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 21:56:45 +0000

I have loved fantasy and SF since I can remember. The Lion, The Witch, and the Wardrobe; Alice in Wonderland; Startrek; V – I remember those so far back I believe they were my very first ones, followed by reading Enders Game (I can’t wait for the movie!!!Yes!!!!)and A Door Into Ocean by Joan Slonczewski. I was hooked. The thought of foreign worlds and people and powers and aliens is fascinating to me, and always has been. I also love the creativity required that so many of these authors have displayed with the technology and descriptions…and now have started my own SF books and have a fantasy on the brain (one done, 2nd one started…and wow do I appreciate now all the hard work that goes into these books and making them awesome!)

By: Chad

Chad — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 18:35:47 +0000

I can’t remember a time I hadn’t been exposed to fantasy/SF or didn’t like it. I remember watching the Star Wars Christmas special for crying out loud.

By: lorq

lorq — Thu, 26 Jan 2012 15:07:27 +0000

I remember being around 6 or 7 and finding my father’s SF books stored up in the attic. I was fascinated by them. Le Guin, Herbert, Simak… my dad had good taste.

But when I was around 10 or so, Howard Chaykin’s graphic novel collaborations and adaptations of the late ’70s were published, which introduced me to what are probably my three favorite SF writers: Bester, Moorcock, and Delany. So it was my love for comics and illustration (and Chaykin’s art in particular) which pointed me toward what became my own personal SF center.

By: Paul (@princejvstin)

Paul (@princejvstin) — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 21:19:02 +0000

I suppose, as Wrangler, I can give an answer?

My introduction to Genre was thanks to my older brother Greg. He (7 years my senior) was already a genre fan, and so helped introduce me to Asimov, Bradbury, Tolkien, Zelazny, Heinlein…and there was no turning back after that.

By: Jaq D Hawkins

Jaq D Hawkins — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 19:38:07 +0000

The Illustrate Man by Ray Bradbury was my first. I would lean more towards Fantasy than scifi soon after, but I still think about those stories and read a certain amount of classic scifi. Marion Zimmer Bradley’s Darkover books have been a lasting influence on me as well. My own Fantasy writing has taken a turn towards Steampunk most recently, what could compare with the adventures of an airship pirate?

By: John H. Stevens

John H. Stevens — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 18:03:45 +0000

I am amused that Ellen Datlow’s bio is longer than her response!

My own introduction occurred in multiple phases: http://www.forcesofgeek.com/2009/07/where-im-telepathically-projecting-from.html .

By: EMoon

EMoon — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 16:40:02 +0000

I started reading early, but came to SF and fantasy later than many here–I was in 9th grade, so probably 14-15. Early reading was mostly horse and dog stories (not the modern kind, but the kind available in the late ’40s and early ’50s, much more realistic. _Misty of Chincoteague_ was the first “real” book I read all by myself, at age six. By age 8, I was starting to read my mother’s Reader’s Digest Condensed Books (mostly boring grownup stuff, but it grew on me) and discovered one of my all-time favorite writers, Nevil Shute. I read magazine fiction (Saturday Evening Post, Colliers, Lady’s Home Journal) and nonfiction (Reader’s Digest, newsmagazines, later Flying–I was crazy about aviation as well as horses and dogs.) I also started reading paperback mysteries. Somewhere around 11, I started in on my mother’s older books–historicals, mysteries, political novels, psychological novels. That’s where I ran into Daphne du Maurier; I read _The King’s General_ before _Rebecca_ Library reading started with kids’ books (avoiding the gooey ones and fantasy for some reason, and sticking to horses, dogs, adventure tales) and then moving into nonfiction (history, war memoirs, science–esp. aviation and space, etc.)

So I arrived at 9th grade and the discovery of science fiction as an already reading-addicted, adventure-addicted, science-addicted person and it took me only about 1-2 years to read all the science fiction in the junior high library, high school library, and town library. In high school I could use my lunch money to buy paperbacks (2 days lunch money–one paperback, five books in two weeks) or extra paper for writing (1 day lunch money, 1 package of notebook paper.) Some days I was too hungry, but not many. Not all the books were SF/F. Some were aviation-related; some were science; some were spy stories (James Bond.)

By: Matthew Hyde

Matthew Hyde — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 14:22:19 +0000

My introduction to the genre was Doctor Who, but not so much the TV series as the Target novelisations. Those books actually helped foster a love of reading, as well as giving me a slightly different slant on the history of the show than if I’d only seen it on television…

By: TW

TW — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 06:45:04 +0000

I envy people that can reminisce on their “introduction” to the genre.

I cant, I have no memory of ever having such an introduction…It is just something that was always there.