u/Glass_Sun3366

The perfect place to start in my opinion. I feel like he represents the final days of the golden age and the start of the new wave. Even though one could argue that he was technically a golden age writer as both of his most acclaimed books were written before the deaths of Kuttner and Kornbluth in 1958, he was by far one of the grittiest and wildest authors of the 1950s and had qualities that were typical of the new wave, and his work was pivotal in establishing the next chapter of Scifi lit.

That is why he's such an important writer. Once you read the Demolished man and Stars My Destination, through their use of wild psychedelic insanity and retro kitsch, they both act as a gateway drug, opening you up to works from the 40s, 50s and 60s.