Monday, February 4, 2008

Top Ten Writing Teams

February is Romance month at the SFSNNJ, and to celebrate I am going to do a top ten list of the best pairs ever in the writing field! Socrates defined love in many terms, and some of these couples are romantic, some are familial, and some are the love of friendship.

10) Lily and Dash: Yes, Dashiell Hammett and Lillian Hellman. They were a great couple and brought us some of the greatest mystery stories, and that is that!

9) Stephen and Dal Perry: Not a romantic couple, but a great father/daughter team who have separately brought us some fantastic SF novels, and are now collaborating on a number of other projects. Check out The Gangster Conspiracy if you don't believe me.

8) Susan Cooper and Hume Cronyn: Although they have many collaborated on stage plays, this husband/wife team is responsible separately for a number of great SF items. Susan Cooper's Dark is Rising series is still a classic, and Hume Cronyn's roles in Batteries Not Included and Cocoon rate up there as great science fiction films.

7) Verner and Joan Vinge: Although they have never actively worked on the same project together, this husband and wife team have separately brought us some amazing Science Fiction stories. Check out Joan's Winter Queen and Vernor's A Fire Upon the Deepas great examples of this couple's talent.

6) Frank and Brian Herbert: This father/son duo worked together to bring us the later books in the Dune series, and Brian later completed his father's grand vision of work. Each worked separately on the Dune series but it was truly a generational labor of love.

5) J.R.R. and Christopher Tolkien: Another pair filled with familial love, Christopher Tolkien continues to edit and work on his father's work. As a side note: I personally dislike the way Christopher Tolkien handles J.R.R.'s works, but there is no doubting that the Chris Tolkien editions are valid.

4) David & Leigh Eddings: This couple made high fantasy soar far above the clouds with their epic series and stories. From the Belgariad to their recent Elder Gods series, this husband and wife team know how to tell a great story. I highly recommend both the Elenium series and the stand alone novel The Redemption of Althalus.

3) Chris Bunch and Alan Cole: One of the best writing teams in the history of Science Fiction, these two friends collaborated on everything from episodes of Quincy MD to pornography to some of the best loved SF and Fantasy adventure series ever. From The Far Kingdoms to the realm of the Eternal Emperor in Sten, Bunch and Cole have created some true classics of adventure SF.

2) David Weber and John Ringo: another pair of good friends writing great stories. These two cannot work together often enough for me. Though their output is infrequent, it is always worth the wait. Separately they are great writers, and together they are a juggernaut. I dare you to read March Upcountry and disagree with me.

1) W. Michael & Kathleen O'Neal Gear: This husband and wife are the featured writers for this month's Tripping the Write Fantastic, and they are a fabulous team. From historicals to mystery, fantasy to Science Fiction, these two represent the best that the genre has to offer. Pick up a copy of Requiem for the Conqueror and tell me I am wrong. Try reading the People of Spider and tell me that it is not brilliantly written and ingeniously imaginative.
I guarantee you will love these two writers and all of their works from The Bone Walker to Raising Abel to Dark Inheritance.

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