Although I'm generally known as a mystery and thriller critic, I got my start as a reader in the science fiction and fantasy genres, and that is where my interest remained until I reached my early-20s. Only then did I start to read crime fiction.
These days I don't read much SF/Fantasy, although I have written a couple of reviews in the genre over the last year or two. (I reviewed John Sladek's The Complete Roderick for the Philadelphia Inquirer, and wrote about Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince for National Review Online.)
Despite that shift in my focus, the SF/F genre remains dear to my heart, and I have many fond memories of the books I grew up with.
Author James Reasoner shared a link on his blog to 100 Science Fiction Novels You Just Have to Read. I went over the list and found that I'd read 22 of the books, to the best of my recollection.
Some of my favorite authors are listed, including Roger Zelazny, Robert Heinlein and Douglas Adams. There are also some big names I never cared for, like Ray Bradbury, Arthur C. Clarke and Isaac Asimov -- although I have to confess that I only tried a few of their books before giving up.
A handful of more contemporary writers are included as well, showing that the genre is still capable of producing great work today. Some of the current generation of authors listed, although they're hardly new anymore, are Orson Scott Card, William Gibson and Neal Stephenson, all of whom have written books that I've really enjoyed.
I wish I had the time to read more science fiction or fantasy. I can't even keep up with a fraction of the crime fiction, though, which makes me feel guilty whenever I read anything else.
