First, a posthumous thanks to Arthur C. Clarke. 2001: A Space Odyssey was the first science fiction book I read, and within the first 10 pages, I was hooked. Clarke had a gift for making high concepts not only understandable, but entertaining. The science served his stories without overwhelming them, and gave the characters a vividly realized world in which to play. 2010 remains my favorite of the series, and sparked my enduring interest in planetary exploration. I'm still dying to know what's under the ice of Europa, and whether it bears any resemblance to Clarke's vision.

My second thank you goes to Clare Bell, a highly underrated author of young adult novels. I picked up a copy of Ratha's Creature at a R.I.F. fair during junior high, and spent the next seven years writing stories with big cats as the stars. Ratha's Creature, and its four sequels, tells the story of a clan of intelligent cats who learn to harness the power of fire. While the clan books are wonderful, my personal favorite is a stand-alone novel called Tomorrow's Sphinx. Sphinx features Kichebo, a black cheetah with the ability to mentally bond with humans, and to reach across time to communicate with others of her kind. While wandering through ancient building ruins, Kichebo manages to contact Asu-Kheknemt, the cheetah companion of King Tut. The story provides a fascinating glimpse at the life and intrigues surrounding King Tut, as seen through Kichebo and Asu-Kheknemt's eyes, and deftly skips between past and present narratives.

There are countless others I can thank for providing me with years of entertainment and daydreams, but I'll save them for next year's celebration. Which SF/F authors top your "thank you" list?
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