SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

I read Dune for the 1st time so long ago I cannot remember a time I did not know how important Spice is.

I know it was about the same time I was reading many of the other Classics in Science Fiction and Fantasy canon. What strikes me now, some maybe forty years later is how much this book had an impact on my life and way of thinking - not just about the world around me but also looking inward towards my own motivations and identity.

It has also made a great influence on my writing - A positive one - or at least I hope it has been. It has made me think broadly about the world and setting I am writing in, even if it does not always make it to the page.

And today, as I look through the landscape of what is our modern reading material I am hard pressed to find anything with as much depth or resounding thoughtfulness. Can anyone point me to a more contemporary writer who has been influenced enough by Frank Herbert's work to be worthy of reading?

Not exactly contemporary, but *more* contemporary, the first thing that comes to mind is Dan Simmons' Hyperion series.

I read Dune when I was quite young. Now I work in the electrical utility industry and I was amazed to learn about "Thumpers" used for cable fault locating. Thumpers test underground cable by "thumping" them with high voltage. It causes the earthworms in the area to come to the surface. I've wondered if that was where Herbert got the idea.

I don't know how you could prove any author has been influenced by Dune other than if they say so.

But if you're looking for epics which are multifaceted with complex characters, there are quite a few of those. The Vorkosigan saga by Bujold, the Culture series by Banks, anything by Octavia Butler... and those are just the authors starting with B!

I highly recommend the Nine Worlds books by John Varley. Varley is as good as it gets. Then there's Vernor Vinge's work, also amazing. See also: Kurt Vonnegut. V for Victory! Or W for Win: Willis, Wolfe, Williams...

If we're just talking about the 21st century, then I think the Three Body trilogy by Cixin Liu is a contender. Also Cloud Atlas by David Mitchell. Lots, really.