Robert J Sawyer

[tylenol4000]

Is anyone here a big fan of Robert J Sawyer? I ask because when I read about SF or talk to others I never hear mention of him, despite the fact that he's won many SF awards including the Hugo and Nebula.

I like his work. I like to consider him the Canadian Michael Crichton. This is because he writes more mainstream style SF thrillers, much like Crichton. His writing style is much more "pedestrian", meaning he doesn't waste time writing super stylized prose and just gets to the point in a "workmanlike" writing style. I believe this to be one of the main reasons he's not so popular among people on sites like this. And maybe the other reason is the fact that he doesn't write big sprawling space opera which is so popular today (although he wrote Space Opera in his earlier days. Starplex anyone?).

Anyways, its just an observation. I'm just surprised he doesn't seem to be talked about much even though he's one all these awards, has had a TV show based on his novel on ABC, and has another series in production based on Triggers.

So is there any fans on here? What do you like or dislike about Robert J Sawyer?

 

[Mark Ragland]

Is anyone here a big fan of Robert J Sawyer? I ask because when I read about SF or talk to others I never hear mention of him, despite the fact that he's won many SF awards including the Hugo and Nebula.

I like his work. I like to consider him the Canadian Michael Crichton. This is because he writes more mainstream style SF thrillers, much like Crichton. His writing style is much more "pedestrian", meaning he doesn't waste time writing super stylized prose and just gets to the point in a "workmanlike" writing style. I believe this to be one of the main reasons he's not so popular among people on sites like this. And maybe the other reason is the fact that he doesn't write big sprawling space opera which is so popular today (although he wrote Space Opera in his earlier days. Starplex anyone?).

Anyways, its just an observation. I'm just surprised he doesn't seem to be talked about much even though he's one all these awards, has had a TV show based on his novel on ABC, and has another series in production based on Triggers.

So is there any fans on here? What do you like or dislike about Robert J Sawyer?

Heard of him, but never read him. He does look interesting, though.

 

[Dennis E. Taylor]

I like most of his stuff. Couldn't get into the WWW trilogy, though. Factoring Humanity was my fave.

 

[biodroid]

I like the TV show Flash Forward with Joseph Fiennes and John Cho which is based on the book with the same name. Pity it got cancelled coz it was good. But haven't read his books yet.

 

[tylenol4000]

Would the WWW be classed as Post-Cyberpunk? Because I think it is.

 

[Dennis E. Taylor]

Flash Forward was only loosely based on the book. But I agree, I enjoyed the series, and I thought the writing was good. Would have liked to know how they were going to resolve it.

 

[PipM]

What do you like or dislike about Robert J Sawyer?

Well, you've summed him up for me: pedestrian and workmanlike. Those aren't things I look for in a book.

 

[tylenol4000]

Exactly why I'm so surprised why he's won so many awards

 

[Ashaman]

Anyone knows if there is any book(s) resolving the Flash Forward series? I am reading the Flash forward book now but it is very loosely related to the series and I'd like to find out the serie's resolution.

 

[Dennis E. Taylor]

Yeah, it's too bad that series got canned. I think it was too cerebral for the average viewer.

 

[BrianD]

I know I am late to the gate on this thread, but Robert J Sawyer is someone whose books I sincerely love. He writes his novels with a straightforward, simple clarity, but his concepts are clever and provocative. In his Humans/Hominids/Hybrids trilogy he imagines a visitor from an alternate earth who is not only an intelligent Neanderthal, but they have almost eradicated violence by neutering the bloodline of any citizen guilty of a violent crime. In Calculating God two alien species suddenly arrive to examine evidence that God not only exists, but He has purged our planets of life at least twice before to provoke the growth of higher species. In Flashforward our whole planet falls suddenly asleep for over two minutes and "sees" themselves two decades in the future. Think of his novels of the best Star Trek episodes you can remember: accessible, stimulating stories you think about long after you finish tbem.

 

[Montero]

I believe this to be one of the main reasons he's not so popular among people on sites like this.

I am going to take very polite exception to this remark.... "like this" is the kind of generalisation that tends to um, provoke heated discussion........ as it so happens I like direct prose. The other month I was recommended Michael J Sullivan and really enjoyed it, in part because of the direct prose style.
Having said that, as far as I can see I haven't read Robert Sawyer but will go looking for him. I did watch Flash Forward.
After quite a lot of years reading sff, it is amazing the number of authors I come across, who I've never heard of, or never read and yet are really well known........and equally I make recommendations on authors I've been reading for years and other people say "oh never heard of them"