Guy on left has written 75 novels, 50 Short stories and has been a best selling author for more than 30 years.

Guy on the right has written 2 books.

I've been reading L E Modesitt Jr's work since 1997 (and got Sharon into his work in the early 2000s).  What drew me to him, initially, was just the names of the books:

The Magic Engineer (how could I not, as a Software Engineer myself, who created digital miracles in my day job...)

The Magic Of Recluce (a teenage boy comes of age and is kicked out of his home for being a lazy smartass)

The Parafaith War (a wonderful story about conflict between technologists vs the religious-fascists)

etc.

A large part of my world-view, and who I am as a person is derived from Star Trek + Robocop (the original!) + Issac Asimov + Arthur C Clarke + Ben Bova + William Gibson + Twin Peaks + Max Headroom + a HUGE helping of L E Modesitt's writings. 

In 2016, Sharon & I drove to a science-fiction & Fantasy conference called Philcon (in Philadelphia) with the largest suitcase we owned, full of 40 novels.

I hoped/expected that the author would sign1 or 2 of them.  He ended up signing all 40 of them.  Leland & I also ended up having a fantastic, multi-hour discussion on politics, economics, Trump, etc.

Memorial day weekend, 2024, Sharon & I attended Balticon (in Baltimore) where we again met Lee and he graciously signed the 23 novels we owned that he hadn't signed yet.

Modesitt is the only author we buy sight-unseen.  He announces a hardcover and we buy it on Amazon asap.  And months later, a wonderful gift arrives in the mail.

What makes Modesitt special, is his biography.  He was  a Navy pilot, lifeguard, delivery boy, unpaid radio disc jockey, real estate agent, market research analyst, director of research for a political campaign, legislative assistant for a Congressman, staff director for another, Director of Legislation and Congressional Relations for the United States Environmental Protection Agency, a consultant on environmental, regulatory, and communications issues, and a college lecturer and writer in residence.  He brings his deep expertise in economics and politics to the table.

One of his earliest books is THE GREEN PROGRESSION - a story set in the 1980s that details how the oil companies, Dupont, 3M, etc hijacked green legislation through lobbying, influence peddling and plain old corruption.  If you want to see how the Heritage Foundation, The Republican Study Group, AT&T, Exxon, etc influence our lives to this day, It is a fun, but disturbing book.

His work is deeply philosophical and he brings each character and viewpoint to life.  There are no cardboard heroes, villains or societies.  The economics has to work.  The politics has to work.  Societal structures have to work...or they get destroyed.

Here's a sampling of his works and characters:

The Magic Of Recluce - unhappy nepobaby teenager and other malcontents get exiled from their home.  As a young man, I identified with the protagonist.  As a parent, I empathize with the parents :-) 

The Magic Engineer - A young blacksmith is forced to build weapons, and engage in war to save the woman he loves.

Fall Of Angels - a female commander must save her crew on a hostile world when women are seen as nothing more than chattel.  

Wellspring of Chaos - told from the perspective of a middle aged, married cooper (barrel maker) who saves a young woman from a well-connected rapist, and pays a heavy price.

The Spellsong Cycle - a middle aged, married Opera singer is teleported into a world where music IS magic.  She has to figure out the rules of music & magic in this world, find a way to survive the sexist patriarchy, and rebuild her life.  Modesitt's wife is a Soprano singer & teacher in the Cedar City Utah Orchestra and this is his love letter to her (and anyone else who enjoys music)

The Parafaith War - the book that got me into Modesitt

Quantum Shadows - Lee spent 6 years creating this book.  On a world where each religion is real, gods are real, and an AI enforces the "no fighting amongst religions" rule, how do you get away with killing a god?

p.s. a character named after me is on PAGE 273.

I could talk about Modesitt's works for hours. If you want recommendations, message me.

What you should take away from this is, all our heroes are getting old - and we owe it to ourselves to go meet them before they are gone.  Authors, bands, singers, artists, etc.

Go ahead BUY that ticket.

Why YES, you should get the VIP package.

Splurge for that meet-and-greet

Treat yourself to that Cameo for your birthday.