The First Men in the Moon

When it comes to written science fiction, the 50s onwards was a period of incredible richness. But before delving into the classics of that time, I ought to skip back to H. G. Wells. His second great, The First Men in the Moon, is very much of this class. With tongue-in-cheek humour and exciting adventure, it bypasses Space Opera and is good reading to this day. Picking a handful of classics is almost impossible. But there are some names that can't be ignored. First on many lists is liable to be Isaac Asimov. With a prodigious output in fiction and non-fiction, Russian born but American to the core, Asimov typified the new breed of writer. His characterisations might have been weak, his love interest minimal, but his science and rich spattering of ideas were wonderful. Probably best to illustrate this particular period are Asimov's trilogy Foundation, Foundation and Earth, and Second Foundation.