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Originally Posted by Fat Abe
Certainly Asimov belongs in the same class of writers as Heinlein, del Rey, Bester, etc. Isaac may not be in the same league as Sturgeon, but, that is a matter of personal preference. Because SF does not aspire to the lofty ideals of great literature, the average fan is satisfied with a good plot and mild amusement.
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*Asimov* didn't, and many other SF writers don't - but that doesn't mean that "SF" doesn't, or that no writers in SF do. As for aspiring to the ideals of great literature, you could look at "Gravity's Rainbow," at "The Handmaiden's Tale," at "The Sparrow," at "The Time-Traveller's Wife," at "Never Let me Go", or at "Fahrenheit 451", and at many things written by Ursula LeGuin, and at Ted Chiang's short stories. Whether these works have achieved the lofty goals of great literature is, of course, a different question.
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SF was not haute cuisine, nor was it nouvelle cuisine. That was the credo Asimov followed, and who can blame him? Was the world ready for esoteric, new wave Sci Fi when he was writing? Yes, and no. Thomas Disch was brilliant and ahead of his time. But not in a commercial sense, meaning he never raked in the big bucks like Asimov or Bradbury. Possibly, the operative word was accessible. Drift a little, but not too far afield. If China Mieville were writing in 1950, he would have been shunned. Incomprehensible, way too avant garde. Could Asimov have altered his writing style over the years? Not after he tasted fame and publicity. That would be like asking Stephen King to pen The Brothers Karamazov. Rather than critique Asimov for what he wasn't, let's just say there are many writers in the universe to read besides this one man. Asimov is neither overrated or underrated. After all, he did not get a Nobel prize, did he? Try other authors, even Doris Lessing. No comment on her. Why? Because it takes a lot of reading to tell how good or important a writer may be, in his/her lifetime.
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I've always thought it interesting that Asimov significantly cut back his SF production in the late 50's, focusing instead on non-fiction.
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Originally Posted by HomeInMyShoes
I don't know, I'm reading Golem100 by Alfred Bester and its plenty exploitative in a cheesy B-science fiction movie way. I have to say, I picked it for a laugh and it's been a quality selection based on that requirement.
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Yeah, that was kind of his "comeback novel after 25 years or whatever of not writing SF; I like his earlier stuff better.