Oh, man...my favorite SF? Can I broaden this out to include the
alternative, Speculative Fiction, and toss some other stuff in as well?

Loved the Foundation books, the Lensman series by Doc Smith, Stranger
in a Strange Land...a lot of Eric Frank Russell's work (esp. Men, Martians
and Machines), lots of Matheson's work, everything by Ellison (natch),
much of Bradbury's early work (R is for Rocket, Martian Chronicles,
Dandelion Wine, Golden Apples of the Sun)...I suppose when you come down
to it, my favorite reading has generally been in the mainstream of SF;
I've tried to get into the cyberpunk stuff, and enjoy a little of it, but
the whole field just seems a trifle cold for my tastes.

I reread Pat Frank's "Alas Babylon" every couple of years just to
savor it; same with Lord of the Rings. Tried "Dune" and got through the
first book but not the rest. Seen one sandworm, seen 'em all. Probably
the only author I make it a point to seek out as soon as a new title hits
the stands is Jonathan Carroll, who if you don't know his work I commend
to you *highly*. He's a contemporary dark fantasist, and nothing short of
absolutely *brilliant*. His first book, "The Land of Laughs," which may
be found at some libraries, still puts me away. "Bones of the Moon" was
also terrific. The next two weren't quite up to the first two, but still
very good. Just bought his latest, "From the Teeth of Angels," and plan
to start reading as soon as time allows.

jms