EDGAR PANGBORN
A writer who consistently championed character, art, and humanism over technology and hard SF.
Davy (1964): This Hugo-nominated post-apocalyptic novel follows a young man, Davy, as he travels through a theocratic northeastern U.S. centuries after a devastating nuclear war. Praised for its warmth, humor, and optimism amidst its dire backdrop.
A Mirror for Observers (1954): Two long-hidden Martians — one guiding humanity toward its better nature, the other a renegade bent on i
ts destruction — contend for the soul of a gifted boy. This International Fantasy Award winner is a moving exploration of mentorship, ethics, and free will. West of the Sun (1953): Pangborn’s first SF novel details the journey of a small crew whose ship crash-lands on an alien world where they mus
t navigate relations between two very different sentient species. A thoughtful study of cultural conflict, environmental balance, and human adaptability. Still I Persist in Wondering (1978): A posthumous collection of Pangborn’s late “Tales of a Darkening World” stories set in the same universe as Davy. It offers a mosaic of Pangborn’s recurring themes of compassion, resilience, and wonder.
R.A. LAFFERTY
An author whose idiosyncratic style blended surrealism, mysticism, word play, and humor.
Past Master (1968): One of Lafferty’s most influential novels sees Thomas More yanked forward in time to the planet Astrobe, a seemingly perfect but ultimately flawed utopia. A brilliant exploration of human nature, technology, and corruption. Nominated for both the Hugo and Nebula.
Nine Hundred Grandmothers (1970): This definitive short fiction collection contains tales both wickedly funny and deeply haunting, including the title story about an alien race that, rather than die, simply shrinks away.
Fourth Mansions (1969): Ambitious, structurally daring, and downright bizarre, this Nebula Award-nominated novel’s focus is a cosmic battle for the future of human evolution between four secret factions.
Space Chantey (1968): A raucous retelling of The Odyssey in space opera form.
WILLIAM TENN
One of the finest satirists of SF’s Golden Age.
“The Liberation of Earth” (1953): Two warring alien empires “liberate” Earth back and forth until civilization is destroyed. Written during the Korean War and the height of the Cold War, it remains one of the most devastating anti-war satires the genre has produced.
Of Men and Monsters (1968): This novel is a neat inversion of the alien invasion trope. Following Earth’s conquest by a race of giant aliens, humans are reduced to a vermin-like existence, living inside the walls of its conquerors’ gargantuan homes.
“The Brooklyn Project” (1948): Reporters are summoned to bear to witness a government-sanctioned time travel experiment. Each activation of the time machine subtly shifts reality, but in doing so rewires human perception so that everyone in attendance assumes absolutely nothing has changed. A brilliant skewering of institutional arrogance.
Time in Advance (1956): In a future society where criminals can serve their prison time before actually committing their crimes, a man walks free after a 7-year sentence, intent on committing the murder he’s already done time for. A caustic critique of bureaucracy and punitive justice.
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The search for our ship’s shuttle concludes! Choose!
Neither have faced tough competition to get to the finals, so interested to see how this one plays out. But, for what it’s worth…Puddle Jumper!
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