Likes and dislikes in current SF/F

What trends in SF/F, especially debut SF/F do you really like or really hate?

What things do you wish that authors would do more or quit doing?

And which authors would you really love to see make it big and become popular?

Alternately, which authors would you love to see put down their pens and quit the game?

I dislike formula books... where the characters fit popular stereotypes and you can figure out the entire scenario and ending by the first chapter... (there's this dragon see, and then there's this unlikey girl who becomes a hero, see, and...)

I also dislike the transposing of pseudo-medieval culture onto a "different" world. Marion Zimmer Bradley comes to mind in the Darkover series. (Although I enjoyed the Avalon series)

I love books that twist the expected out of all probability, and those that project in nightmarish technicolor the direction our society is going...

favorites: Neil Gaimon, Charles DeLint, Margaret Atwood, Ray Bradbury...

>2 theblindlibrarian:

Wasn't Darkover supposed to be a degenerate technical society, like the Pern series? I haven't read them in a long time, but I seem to remember some kind of technology/magic clash.

I have trouble with sci fi that is so outlandish or impossible to follow that it doesn't make it worth it. Yes, science fiction is suppose to push the envelope. But I like to know where the envelope is its playing with.

These are greats in my mind:

Stranger in a Strange Land by Robert Heinlein
The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov

Whereas the entire premise of Star Trek New Frontiers is based on the idea that the Greek pantheon were super powerful beings, and liked being worshiped. And a few other incredibly ridiculous things. I will give Peter David credit with his characters. I liked the crew. Captain Calhoun is definitely Kirk for this generation. I'm envious of Shelby.