Readers Choice Winner for August

Our August Readers’ Choice picks could be described as defining the yin and yang of science fiction – indeed, it’s almost possible to divide them straight down the middle and portray them as a battle between classic space opera and more modern, ‘soft’ science fiction (with the caveat that all generalisations are dangerous, even this one).

In the blue corner, representing big space ships, pulp adventure and the vastness of the galaxy: Jack Williamson‘s The Legion of Space and E. E. ‘Doc’ Smith‘s The Skylark of Space.  In the blue corner, representing ‘inner space’, and showing SF’s mastery of more subtle, literary techniques: Leigh Kennedy‘s The Journal of Nicholas the American and Daniel Keyes‘ Flowers for Algernon.

Of course, we’re not taking any sides – there are times when one wants to read serious, insightful works and other times when a planet or two exploding and a spaceship travelling infeasibly quickly is just what the doctor ordered. All of the above are worthy and excellent picks and we wouldn’t want to choose between them – that’s your job! And, so, without further ado, the Readers’ Choice submission that prompted the most interest from you, SF Gateway’s  loyal readers was  . . .

Flowers for Algernon  by Daniel Keyes. Stand forth, Shrike, from the SF Gateway forum, for your choice of the above Nebula Award-winning novel (based on the Hugo Award-winning novella) is victorious. Send us your postal address by email and we’ll dispatch your prize – a copy of each of August’s SF Masterworks: Time is the Fire: The Best of Connie Willis and Michael Bishop‘s No Enemy But Time.

If you have a personal favourite SF Gateway title that you’d like to see highlighted on the home page, just tweet us, email us or leave a message on the forum, giving us the title and why you love it in no more than 25 words and we’ll add you to the roster of Readers’ Choices.