Dedication for AWoM

[Tuttle]

Two things about this immediately came to mind when I saw this.

One, I just like the dedication to PM. It also made me miss him again though.

Two, and more relevantly. I immediately read this list of names as mostly a list of science fiction authors. I don't know if anyone else did this, or if they did, then if this is purposeful. But it strongly felt that way to me immediately. Is this true for other people?
I read it as:
Orson = Orson Scott Card (But he doesn't connect to Mars, just SciFi in general)
Jules = Jules Verne (Duh, Journey to Mars)
ERB = Edgar Rice Burroughs (John Carter and Barsoom is a rather strong connection to Mars specifically)
Ray = Ray Bradbury (The Martian Chronicles)
Robert = Robert A. Heinlein (Other Roberts could be likely as well, but with Stranger in a Strange Land and on top of that the Barsoom references in Number of the Beast and Red Planet..., Heinlein was the immediate response to my brain)

[Ardub]

Orson = Orson Scott Card (But he doesn't connect to Mars, just SciFi in general)

Orson is most likely Orson Welles, who adapted and directed the famous, panic-inducing radio play of War of the Worlds that was mentioned in this book. (Not to be confused with H.G. Wells who wrote the original story). I agree that Ray is almost certainly Bradbury, but there's a slim chance it could be Ray Walston, who stared in the 60's sitcom "My Favorite Martian" as Martin the Martian.

Here's a fun Bradbury anecdote, which I heard him tell when he came to speak at my college: When he was a teenager, he'd hang out with friends outside the studio where George Burns' radio comedy show was recorded. And he'd talk to Burns whenever he could, pester him to be let inside to watch them record, and eventually convinced Burns to buy a joke off him to use on the show. Burns occasionally gave him writing tips, and if I remember correctly, Bradbury credited this association with encouraging him to become a writer. Now jump forward many (60?) years -- George Burns was receiving a lifetime achievement award from of some sort, and by coincidence, the now-famous Bradbury, who hadn't seen Burns since he was a teen, had been asked to present it. He started reading his prepared presentation speech, paused and decided to improvise instead. He told the whole story of how he got his start from talking to Burns, and Burns went up on stage, saying, "That was you!? THAT was YOU!? I remember you!!" and the two men tearily embraced.

[Tuttle]

Oooh. Thanks. I always think just "Welles" for War of the World, so it didn't connect to a first name. That also solves the "But, I can't come up with anything for Mars which is really confusing me". People here have been on an Ender's Game high lately so I couldn't think of anything else but it felt wrong.

That is approximately why I brought this up here, because it was so close to a strong obvious pattern, but it wasn't fitting together quite right.

Also, the other three names
Kim
Ben
Greg

The some early books which had came to mind to my boyfriend were "Red Mars" "Green Mars" "Blue Mars" which were written by Kim Stanley Robinson.

[Nights Mistress]

Kim Stanley Robinson
Ben Bova
Greg Bear

maybe?

[Kathy Li]

Yeah, those three would be my guess.

Kim Stanely Robinson most definitely for the Red Mars/Green Mars/Blue Mars trilogy.

[Nights Mistress]

Yeah, Ben Bova: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Grand_T...ovel_series%29 (my goodness, he's still writing? Both my father and I read his books as teenagers!)

Greg Bear's Queen of Angels: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Greg_Bear#Queen_of_Angels

I really need to reread slant and Blood Music again.

[magicalmike]

It was beautiful, that dedication, made me sad to, and a small chuckle. As for the names i always assumed family and friends. Great now im paranoid about all dedications. Time to search through all my books researching all dedications. See you all in 3-4 years. Blame tuttle.

[Kathy Li]

Y'know, one of the funnest dedications to research (well, at least to me), would be George R.R. Martin's dedication in Armageddon Rag (a rock'n'roll fantasy):

To the Beatles,
to the Airplane and the Spoonful and the Dead,
to Simon and Garfunkle, Joplin and Hendrix,
to Buffalo Springfield and the Rolling Stones
to the Doors and the Byrds, the Mamas and the Papas,
to Melanie, to Donovan, to Peter, Paul, and Mary,
to the Who, and the Moody Blues, and Moby Grape,
to Country Joe and the Fish, Paul Revere and the Raiders,
to Bob Dylan and Phil Ochs and Joan Baez and Joni Mitchell,
to the Mothers of Invention and the Smothers Brothers,
to the Hollies and the Association and the Beach Boys
and even Herman and the Hermits,
to Creedance Clearwater Revival,
to lost innocence and bright, shining dreams,

and, especially, to Parris:
looking at you, I hear the music.

Although, I do also have to say that Neil Gaiman's dedication in Anansi Boys has a rare charm:

YOU KNOW HOW IT IS. You pick up a book, flip to the dedication, and find that, once again, the author has dedicated a book to someone else and not to you.

Not this time.

Because we haven't yet met/have only a glancing acquaintance/are just crazy about each other/haven't seen each other in much too long/are in some way related/will never meet, but will, I trust, despite that, always think fondly of each other...

This one's for you.

With you know what, and you probably know why.

NOTE: the author would like to take this opportunity to tip his hat respectfully to the ghosts of Zora Neale Hurston, Thorne Smith, P.G. Wodehouse, and Frederick "Tex" Avery.

Oh, btw, if you want a good disastrous-dedications story, go look up Jane Eyre to Thackeray.