SF by non-genre writers

[Grognardsw]

Though it is post-1970’s, John Updike’s Towards the End of Time would qualify. Updike is one of the more literary authors mentioned, and his prose can be quite dazzling. I remember when reading it, how much of a qualitative difference in style and characterization there was compared to the “literary” SF authors (be it Sturgeon, Disch, Delany, Silverberg, etc.) It was eye opening. On the other hand, the SF concepts and ideas of Updike and
other literary or mainstream authors are often weak or derivative. SF natives have the outsiders beat on pure ideas (which is why I read them.)

 

[Robert Zwilling]

Margaret Atwood says she doesn't write science fiction and has written plenty of good stories.

 

[Toby Frost]

Has anyone mentioned O-Zone by Paul Theroux yet?

 

[Bick]

Has anyone mentioned O-Zone by Paul Theroux yet?

Don’t think so - very good call. Funny I didn’t think of it as I have this on the shelf and read and enjoyed it, many, many years ago. Theroux was a favourite writer of mine back in the day (I read 6 or 7 novels and a similar number of travel books within the space of a few years in the late 80’s).

 

[AE35Unit]

Would Jurassic Park by Michael Crichton count? A lot of his stuff feels on the edge of SF.

Hmm he's done quite a few SF books (Jurassic Park and its sequels, Terminal Man, Sphere, Congo and Andromeda Strain)

 

[AE35Unit]

There's a female writer of crime fiction who wrote a book called Children of Men I believe, which became a film with Clive Owen

 

[Toby Frost]

P.D. James, I think.

 

[AE35Unit]

P.D. James, I think.

Yes, that's the one

 

[BAYLOR]

Michal Shaara whose who wrote Gods and Generals and The Killer Angels started out writing science fiction. Ive read only one his science fiction stories, All The Way Back , int was quite good.

 

[tachyon]

Dexter Palmer seems to be someone who's writing on the mainstream 'literary' side but whose books are all genre-inflected.

I've only read his 2nd novel Version Control which was marketed as SF but also got a lot of mainstream attention. Definitely less SFnal than I'd expected given the buzz I'd seen about it.

 

[hitmouse]

Has anyone mentioned O-Zone by Paul Theroux yet?

Yes. Me. March 2015.

 

[Randy M.]

Michael Chabon's The Yiddish Policeman's Union is s.f. of the alternative history variety.

 

[Rodders]

Stephen King's The Stand and The Tommyknockers certainly leans into science fiction and his Dark Tower series is a fantasy series.

I suppose Horror and SF are kind of linked, but still...

 

[BAYLOR]

Stephen King's The Stand and The Tommyknockers certainly leans into science fiction and his Dark Tower series is a fantasy series.

I suppose Horror and SF are kind of linked, but still...

In the case of the Tommyknockers, It sort of reminds me of Quatermass.

 

[AE35Unit]

Indeed, and Dean Koontz began as a SF writer

 

[Toby Frost]

I think back in the day there was a lot of cross-over between horror and SF, fantasy or even crime. Small American towns have been menaced by ghosts, vampires, aliens and serial killers, often in quite a similar way.

 

[Vertigo]

Stephen King's The Stand and The Tommyknockers certainly leans into science fiction and his Dark Tower series is a fantasy series.

I suppose Horror and SF are kind of linked, but still...

You could also add Dreamcatcher which is definitely SF horror as it's essentially about aliens.

 

[tobl]

philip kerr the second angel

 

[tachyon]

Arcadia by Iain Pears is another example.

ETA: Though I notice re-reading the OP that they were looking for historical, pre 1970's examples...

 

[Danny McG]

Crime thriller writer Patricia Cornwell has recently released (I've just had this pop up on my timeline in Facebook!) the sequel "Spin" to her sci fi book "Quantum"

I've never heard of either of them until about five minutes ago

Sorry, these are modern.