"In Bed" with Hitchhiker Eoin Colfer
October, 2009
Eoin Colfer
In the beloved science fiction series, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, poor Arthur Dent can't get a break. He's banished to a dangerous and disorienting life of galaxy hopping and can never find a good cup of tea. Author Douglas Adams once remarked that he'd like to pen a sixth book for the perversely named "trilogy," but he died in 2001. Now, 30 years after the original, Irish author Eoin Colfer has stepped in to beleaguer Dent one more time. Colfer is the author of his own droll fantasy, the best-selling Artemis Fowl series. In celebration of Hitchhiker Book 6, And Another Thing..., we asked Colfer to list his top five science fiction books. Curl up with a bottle of that Old Janx Spirit and your trusty towel, and get started.
Eoin Colfer
In the beloved science fiction series, The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, poor Arthur Dent can't get a break. He's banished to a dangerous and disorienting life of galaxy hopping and can never find a good cup of tea. Author Douglas Adams once remarked that he'd like to pen a sixth book for the perversely named "trilogy," but he died in 2001. Now, 30 years after the original, Irish author Eoin Colfer has stepped in to beleaguer Dent one more time. Colfer is the author of his own droll fantasy, the best-selling Artemis Fowl series. In celebration of Hitchhiker Book 6, And Another Thing..., we asked Colfer to list his top five science fiction books. Curl up with a bottle of that Old Janx Spirit and your trusty towel, and get started.
Neuromancer by William Gibson
"When I read this book I realized that sci-fi could be literature. There are no boundaries that we cannot explore or indeed break through. Gibson brought and continues to bring science fiction to the mainstream market. Everybody loves him. Also a helluva storyteller."
"When I read this book I realized that sci-fi could be literature. There are no boundaries that we cannot explore or indeed break through. Gibson brought and continues to bring science fiction to the mainstream market. Everybody loves him. Also a helluva storyteller."
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
"Not a fun read, in fact brimming with unspeakable horror, but genius all the same. Brilliantly written and compelling. By the time you have finished this book, you will know the pilgrims better than you know your own family."
"Not a fun read, in fact brimming with unspeakable horror, but genius all the same. Brilliantly written and compelling. By the time you have finished this book, you will know the pilgrims better than you know your own family."
The War of the Worlds by H.G. Wells
"One of the originals and best. A dark tale of alien invasion with a truly unexpected ending. The father of modern sci-fi and a must-read for anyone who calls themselves a fan of the genre."
"One of the originals and best. A dark tale of alien invasion with a truly unexpected ending. The father of modern sci-fi and a must-read for anyone who calls themselves a fan of the genre."
1984 by George Orwell
"First and foremost not a comedy. I read this in college and was depressed for weeks and could not bring myself to trust anyone with a tie. A small, dark, beautiful book without the traditional hero and happy ending structure. Politically prescient and not just for sci-fi fans."
"First and foremost not a comedy. I read this in college and was depressed for weeks and could not bring myself to trust anyone with a tie. A small, dark, beautiful book without the traditional hero and happy ending structure. Politically prescient and not just for sci-fi fans."
The Postman by David Brin
"A harsh voyage across post-apocalyptic America that somehow manages to sustain a thread of hope."
"A harsh voyage across post-apocalyptic America that somehow manages to sustain a thread of hope."
