Path the Course to the Future

Where sf will go in the future is up to those participating in the field: the writers, publishers, active fen, editors and all the readers. Heroic books of the Conan type sell well which indicates a liking for the hero and a dislike of the 'downer' style. Those writers with a wide range of entertaining writing have never disappeared off our shelves: Asimov, Heinlein, Harrison, Brunner, Farmer, Niven, Vonnegut, Bester, Sturgeon, and as long as they keep writing then they will stay on for longer and also produce a need for more room for sf. They will never force other writers off the shelf unless they are particularly bad. So give sf more room.

Bruce Ferguson