Baen Authors - Opinions Please

[Bick]

I'm sometimes in the mood for quite light, pacy, SF reads that don't tax the mind so much, and this seems to be what Baen specialise in. The books from this publisher also have the advantage of being very reasonably priced. Baen authors seem to come into one of two camps:

(I) Classic SF authors I know, for which they have obtained publishing rights for some of their back catalogue (e.g. Heinlein, Norton, Anderson, Smith, etc);

(II) Current SF authors writing now.

Now, in camp II there are a few authors I know well, such as David Weber and Bujold, but a whole heap I know almost nothing about. Yet, I get the impression from their prominence in book stores and general presence that they must sell well, and be popular. But are they any good? Has anyone much experience of these authors, and for those who have read more than one of the following list, could you please be so kind as to list them in order of merit as you see it? The authors I'm curious about seeing compared (perhaps relative to Weber and Bujold) are:

David Drake *
Elizabeth Moon *
John Ringo *
Eric Flint *
Catherine Asaro
Michael Z Williamson
Charles E. Gannon
Tom Kratman
Frank Chadwick
Larry Correia
Sharon Lee / Steve Miller
Steve White

(* I've heard of these four of course, but I've not read them much)
Thanks people.

 

[J-Sun]

Sorry I can't help more specifically with your list. If you want to read me blather in the vicinity of the topic, here it is and, if not, you can safely skip it. But if you go to fifthimperium (if it's still up) you can find samples of most everyone on your list to try for free. Baen publishes a lot of series stuff and very sensibly gave away a lot of that (and more) in non-DRM ebooks to hook readers into then buying the newest in the series.

So:

I keep meaning to read Drake - I've started to read some but only in a sampling way. Seems interesting. He's got a sort of reputation as gung-ho military SF but he's actual ex-military (Viet Nam vet) and I get the feeling he's much more nuanced than that.

I read an Elizabeth Moon that I didn't like and don't recall well but she's well-regarded by many. Hers was a kind of female space marine story or something like and didn't do anything very wrong that I recall but just wasn't compelling.

From observation, I don't personally like Tom Kratman's "non-fiction" writing at all (he was active in the "basement" of the Asimov's board and troubles there brought down both it and the Analog board) but I haven't read his fiction. (And never will, but that doesn't mean it can't be good. In theory.)

I read Larry Correia's Monster Hunters International. It's kinda terrible (military fantasy/horror instead of military SF) and I felt kind of silly for having read it but it was strangely fun in the early-middle area of the book, at least. It's incredibly long but reads really fast. Very amateurish, really - marysue stuff. But he certainly has fun with what he's writing and does display some humor and descriptive power.

Not on your list, but I'd recommend Tony Daniel's Guardian of Night. It's a great combo of popcorn space opera that yet has much good, imaginative thought in it and is just great for scratching the kind of itch you're talking about without being a "guilty pleasure" or anything. He doesn't have much of a body of work, though and much of it is non-Baen (though I think he's actually a Baen sub-editor.) I like Brad Torgersen's short fiction and he's just had his first "novel" (fixup/expansion of a couple of stories) published by Baen. He's probably more serious than what you're wanting here, though, and he's not easy to pigeonhole - a mostly hard SF, mostly optimistic but not often space opera or milsf guy. Kind of between classic and modern (I guess they are classic (or at least old) now) are Tim Zahn's stuff and, different from what you're describing because hard SF, Charles Sheffield and Robert L. Forward had a lot of stuff published by Baen.

(Baen's actually pretty diverse all things considered, thought there's a definite primary sensibility as well - they've published/reprinted George RR Martin before the GoT madness and reprinted the occasional Sturgeon or Farmer or others you wouldn't really think of as typically "Baen".)

Jack Campbell's Lost Fleet/Stars stuff is published by Ace rather than Baen but it seems almost like it ought to be by Baen. Steadfast should be hitting US MMPB soon. Looking forward to it.

 

[Vince W]

The only Baen I have any real experience with, outside of Weber and Bujold, is Larry Niven's Man-Kzin War series. Set in Niven's Know Universe during the conflicts between the Man and Kzin (instigated by the Puppeteers I guess), these are military stories, but not your typical shoot outs and ultra jingoistic stuff. Definitely worth reading imho.

The only Moon I've read is her Paksenarrion trilogy. I enjoyed as a teen, but I couldn't say whether I'd like it now. Although I have the Herris Serrano onmibus somewhere...

 

[Timba]

I'm sometimes in the mood for quite light, pacy, SF reads that don't tax the mind so much, and this seems to be what Baen specialise in. The books from this publisher also have the advantage of being very reasonably priced. Baen authors seem to come into one of two camps:

(I) Classic SF authors I know, for which they have obtained publishing rights for some of their back catalogue (e.g. Heinlein, Norton, Anderson, Smith, etc);

(II) Current SF authors writing now.

Now, in camp II there are a few authors I know well, such as David Weber and Bujold, but a whole heap I know almost nothing about. Yet, I get the impression from their prominence in book stores and general presence that they must sell well, and be popular. But are they any good? Has anyone much experience of these authors, and for those who have read more than one of the following list, could you please be so kind as to list them in order of merit as you see it? The authors I'm curious about seeing compared (perhaps relative to Weber and Bujold) are:

David Drake *
Elizabeth Moon *
John Ringo *
Eric Flint *
Catherine Asaro
Michael Z Williamson
Charles E. Gannon
Tom Kratman
Frank Chadwick
Larry Correia
Sharon Lee / Steve Miller
Steve White

(* I've heard of these four of course, but I've not read them much)
Thanks people.

I enjoy Drake quite a bit, his Hammer's Slammers is pretty good military SF.
I can't get enough of Moon, both her fantasy and her SF. Solid characters, good plots and plenty of action.
I have enjoyed a lot of Ringo's work, the man himself a bit of a jerk it seems to me but his writing is quite entertaining.
Flint is great, the 1632 series is awesome. When he combines with Weber in the HH universe it is special.
I have found Steve White quite enjoyable also.
Sharon Lee / Steve Miller's Liaden Universe is sublime. I got started on it and ended up blasting through it all. Very worthwhile.

I have a couple of the others on my tbr pile but have not gotten to them yet.
If I were going to rank them I would say:
1. Flint
2. Lee & Miller
3. Moon
4. Drake
5. White
6. Ringo (I may be too harsh on him due to my perception of the man himself though)

 

[Randy M.]

I've seen they put out a story collection by Drake. I've read a few of those and they are good time-passers, maybe especially if you enjoy hard-boiled narration. "The Barrow Troll" is probably his best known story, it's S&S. "The Hunting Ground" & "Something Had to Be Done" are solid horror stories.

Randy M.

 

[Extollager]

Some readers become immediately uncomfortable if an author seems like he or she might be a Christian. These readers will shy away from Baen author Lars Walker, author of The Year of the Warrior, Wolf Time, and Blood and Judgment. I've enjoyed these very much, in multiple readings, but then I believe the same things Walker believes. I think he has written a lot of fantasy that's akin to Poul Anderson's Three Hearts and Three Lions, etc. I'd encourage Chronsfolk to give him a try. Start with Blood and Judgment.

"All Will Sverdup wanted was to play Hamlet in an amateur production. He never counted on getting sucked back in time and into the body of the original, historical Hamlet in sixth-century Denmark. His fellow actors (along with the real Hamlet) never expected to be transported to an alternative universe where Shakespeare's play was real--with them perfectly placed to live (and die) their parts. But now that the impossible has occurred, they must decide--do they dare play out their roles until the blood-soaked climax?" Fast-paced, lively, inventive fantasy excitement.

 

[Bick]

Many thanks for all the commentary, guys. I'll perhaps check out the Daniel and Flint.