The Sci-Fi Discussion Thread [Archive] - Page 2

D_Davis

02-18-2008, 11:42 AM

The Cosmic Puppets is pretty good. It's minor Dick, to be sure, but really fun. It totally reminds me of a Stephen King story, and I couldn't help but wish that King would have written more novels clocking in at 150 pages.

Imagine waking up and going to work. While driving to work, you begin to notice that things feel slightly different. You get to your work only to discover that your business is gone, it has been replaced with another and nobody around you seems to notice, nor have they ever heard of your work. You get back home to discover that your house key no longer works. You find yourself in a world that is similar to the one you lived in but altogether alien, and, what's more, you find out that you actually died years ago. You then discover that the town you live in is a battleground for the eternal struggle between good and evil, and find yourself caught in the middle trying to change things back to how they were.

This story has more in common with the horror genre than it does the sci-fi genre. It has ghosts, giant eternal ones, rampaging animals, clay golems, and evil little kids. It feels more like a creepy episode of the Twilight Zone or Tales From the Dark Side.

There is not a lot going on below the surface here, but it is a fun, spooky, and entertaining read.

megladon8

02-18-2008, 04:53 PM

That sounds cool, D.

"Giant eternal ones" - do you mean Lovecraft references??

D_Davis

02-18-2008, 06:31 PM

That sounds cool, D.

"Giant eternal ones" - do you mean Lovecraft references??

The gods are kind of Lovecraftian. This story reminded me of a mix between Lovecraft and sci-fi. It is far more plot and action driven than most of the Dick I've read.

D_Davis

02-18-2008, 07:47 PM

I started reading some Sturgeon short stories this morning. I finished one called "Derm Fool," and it is really good.

You know the saying, when life gives you lemons, make lemonade? Well, when life gives you reptile-like skin that sheds every 24-hours, make belts, jackets, and insanely realistic stuffed mannequins. Yes, a dream come true for a slightly disturbed taxidermist!

This story is awesome. It's got some great humor, too.

At one point, someone knocks on the door of the main character's house. He says, "There is only one animal stupid enough to knock when there's a bell - a policeman."

The cop comes in, and introduces himself to the reptile-skinned man and his girlfriend. He says his name is Brett H. Brett.

The dude's girlfriend winces and asks if the H stand for halitosis.

Good stuff. I can tell Sturgeon was having a lot of fun with this one.

megladon8

02-18-2008, 10:13 PM

D_Davis

02-18-2008, 11:18 PM

:) That sounds brilliant.

Which collection is that found in?

It's in a collection called Starshine.

megladon8

02-18-2008, 11:24 PM

It's in a collection called Starshine.

Cool, I'll see if the library has that one.

I really enjoy good short fiction. That Lansdale collection "High Cotton" has some absolute gold in it.

D_Davis

02-18-2008, 11:28 PM

Cool, I'll see if the library has that one.

I really enjoy good short fiction. That Lansdale collection "High Cotton" has some absolute gold in it.

Oh yeah - High Cotton is amazing.

Starshine is pretty good. The stories are mostly straight-up, old school, "Astonishing Tales" kind of stories. Just classic little horror and sci-fi stories made to entertain.

megladon8

02-18-2008, 11:36 PM

Oh yeah - High Cotton is amazing.

Starshine is pretty good. The stories are mostly straight-up, old school, "Astonishing Tales" kind of stories. Just classic little horror and sci-fi stories made to entertain.

I love those.

Not everything we read can expand our minds. Much like movies, some stuff out there is just meant to entertain - it doesn't make it any "lesser", and it can still be very well done...it just has a different goal in mind.

I love those old "Weird Tales" stories. It's like "Tales From the Crypt", but in prose.

D_Davis

02-19-2008, 03:01 AM

I love those.

Not everything we read can expand our minds. Much like movies, some stuff out there is just meant to entertain - it doesn't make it any "lesser", and it can still be very well done...it just has a different goal in mind.

I love those old "Weird Tales" stories. It's like "Tales From the Crypt", but in prose.

Yeah - these stories are totally like Tales From the Crypt, Tales From the Darkside, and The Twilight Zone. Of course, it is stories like these that gave birth to these shows.

Good stuff. Just little gems of creative entertainment.

I started Poul Anderson's The Enemy Stars today. First time I've read Anderson. It's a tiny little book, less than 150 pages. It was nominated for a Hugo in the late 1950s. It's pretty good. Reminds me a little of the film Sunshine. It's a survival sci-fi story. It's about a generations ship that breaks down while en route to a dead star, leaving its small crew stranded. The crew consists of a Japanese pilot and Zen Buddhist, Nakamura; an outer-system colonist and anti-Earth revolutionary, Chang Sverdlov; a rich, eccentric physicist, Terangi Maclaten; and a young man, Ryerson, son of space-faring father, who is afraid of space flight.

D_Davis

02-19-2008, 04:12 AM

The Cosmic Puppets - Philip K. Dick

The Cosmic Puppets is one of the most straightforward, purely entertaining books I've yet to read by Philip K. Dick. It is super short, to the point, and zips along like a bat out of hell. While reading it, I was constantly reminded of Stephen King (oh, if only King could write shorter novels!), H.P. Lovecraft, The Twilight Zone, Tales From the Dark Side, and other “Astonishing Tales.” This is an example of driving plot, and exists only to convey an engaging read.

Even though the premise is purely Dickian, The Cosmic Puppets has more in common with strange horror than it does science fiction. It tells the story of a small town's unwilling participation in the timeless struggle between the very forces of Good and Evil. While on vacation with his wife, Ted Barton finds himself compelled to visit the town of his birth, Millgate, Virginia. Nestled in a secluded valley, Millgate is a town stuck in time, a living anachronism, rarely visited, hardly noticed. But in typical Dick fashion, things are never as simple as they seem.

Barton reluctantly discovers that too much has changed since his exodus nearly eighteen-year ago. For one, nothing is how he remembers it: the streets all have different names, the stores have all been changed, and no one seems to be the wiser. Secondly, Barton discovers that he actually died as a young child! From here, things just get more and more strange. Soon, Ted finds himself caught in the middle of a struggle between two giant gods (think Lovecraft's Elders), Ahriman, the Lord of Evil and Chaos, and Ormazd, the Lord of Order and Truth (both of these gods feature prominently in Zoroastrianism).

While the two gods fight for control in the hyperspace around the Earth, in Millgate a smaller battle is being waged. The spiritual war has cast a field of distortion around the town, and has changed things considerably; it has caused a strange juxtaposition between the real world and another, alien one. Leading the forces in Millgate is Peter, an evil little boy, and Mary, a benevolent little girl. Peter is able to control an army of tiny clay golems, spiders and snakes to do his bidding, while Mary uses bees, moths, and the Wanderers, apparitions from the real pre-changed world who have partially crossed over. As the tension escalates and the battle becomes more ferocious, the two sides clash in melee of magic and fisticuffs.

While the narrative does deal with themes common to Dick, those of identity, reality, and spirituality, the execution of the themes is all together different and lighter. It reminds me of a Dick story translated into an alien language and filtered through the mind of a more horror-orientated author before being committed to the page. That is, it's familiar and I recognize Dick's touch, but it is also strangely alien. It is a slight work, more fluffy than I am used to from good old Phil. It doesn't dive into the cracked psyches of its characters, or examine their depression in light of the absurd situations surrounding them, but, instead, it is far more heroic in nature.

Although The Cosmic Puppets is not on the same level as Dick's great novels, far from it really, I can't help but be compelled to recommend it. It's just too much fun. I tore through it in a matter of hours, and thoroughly enjoyed every minute of it. It is a very cinematic book, and if you enjoy envisioning great genre fiction in your mind, The Cosmic Puppets makes for an amazing “theatrical” experience. Just don't expect any of Dick's more subtle explorations of humanity, and don't think that the book represents the author as a whole. As far as a diversion into the realms of pure entertainment goes, it doesn't get much better. It is simple, concise, and heck of a lot of fun.

D_Davis

02-20-2008, 12:30 AM

Finished Anderson's The Enemy Stars today. It was okay. It's a pretty simple and straightforward space exploration/survival story. It actually reminded me quite a bit of Sunshine, although it didn't turn into a slasher/horror thing.

Next up is Lem's Solaris. I am really looking forward to this.

megladon8

02-20-2008, 12:42 AM

D_Davis

02-20-2008, 12:49 AM

"Solaris" is one I've (shamedly) avoided, because I adore the Soderbergh film so much.

I've only seen parts of the original film. I've wanted to read this for years, so I am really looking forward to it.

I think I'll check out the Soderbergh film after I'm done with the book.

megladon8

02-20-2008, 12:51 AM

I've only seen parts of the original film. I've wanted to read this for years, so I am really looking forward to it.

I think I'll check out the Soderbergh film after I'm done with the book.

Cool. I hope it's not a huge disappointment. (The book or the film).

I also love Tarkovsky's film, but it and Soderbergh's are so different that it's like comparing apples and oranges. Same very basic story, executed in totally different ways, and with very different end messages and philosophies.

I prefer Soderbergh's version. It's tighter, freaking gorgeous to look at and listen to (my second favorite musical score of the new millennium, before The Fountain), and George Clooney's performance is just freaking wow.

monolith94

02-20-2008, 03:10 AM

D_Davis

02-20-2008, 03:19 AM

If you do decide to tackle the book of the new sun, d, make sure you set aside some time for it. It isn't the sort of text you can pick up and blaze through. To quote: one does not simply walk into Urth.

Yeah, I'm not sure I am in any hurry to pick of Wolfe again. I just don't get along with overly dense, flowery prose.

He intrigues me, and I like his ideas, but there are a lot of books in the stack to get through before his turn comes up again.

D_Davis

02-20-2008, 01:41 PM

So, Solaris totally hits the ground running. The mystery strange atmosphere is established in the first few pages. I am actually a bit surprised. I thought it would feature a much slower build.

So far I love the way Lem is establishing the presence of the sentient ocean. It is beautiful, haunting, and ominous.

Kurosawa Fan

02-20-2008, 02:17 PM

Next up is Lem's Solaris. I am really looking forward to this.

I didn't care for this much at all. I love Soderberg's film, but the novel moved at a snail's pace and never really pulled me in. I agree that the beginning establishes the mood nicely, but from there it loses that atmosphere through tiresome descriptions. Every time I'd think it was going to start picking back up, it would detour into another distracting description, curtailing the buildup and ruining the effect of the story.

D_Davis

02-20-2008, 03:08 PM

I didn't care for this much at all. I love Soderberg's film, but the novel moved at a snail's pace and never really pulled me in. I agree that the beginning establishes the mood nicely, but from there it loses that atmosphere through tiresome descriptions. Every time I'd think it was going to start picking back up, it would detour into another distracting description, curtailing the buildup and ruining the effect of the story.

There is a lot of infodump, that's for sure, but I am loving it so far. I am only about 50 pages in, so I can't say for sure. God knowns I've loved some books only to have them completely peter out by the 200th page.

Lem is an incredible writer though, and so I imagine that even if the story isn't super interesting I will still find a lot to admire in the prose and the way he sets up situations.

I just read one passage that was absolutely brilliant. Lem builds up the tension while Kelvin is searching through another scientist's office. Kelvin reaches out to open a door, opens it, and says that he was staring into a black, empty, abyss...and thats when he realized he should take off his sunglasses. Brilliant! I love the way Lem plays with genre conventions here.

megladon8

02-20-2008, 10:01 PM

So "Prodigy" is pretty good so far. An admittedly unoriginal plot, but done with style and some interesting twists.

Maybe it's because I've been reading shorter novels lately, but damn does it seem overlong.

Descriptions of details that just don't seem necessary at all. It feels like where I am in the plot I could have been at 50 pages ago if he had just written with more brevity.

D_Davis

02-20-2008, 10:58 PM

Descriptions of details that just don't seem necessary at all. It feels like where I am in the plot I could have been at 50 pages ago if he had just written with more brevity.

Ugh. This is my biggest literary pet peeve.

If I can rip many pages out of a novel and not have the plot or any of the character development hindered, I've got to question the author's ability to tell a story, his editor's ability to edit, and the publishers motives.

The best example I can think of right now is The Ruins by Scott Smith. You could actually rip 2/3 of the book out, throw it away, and not only have the same story, but a better one!

megladon8

02-20-2008, 11:06 PM

Ugh. This is my biggest literary pet peeve.

If I can rip many pages out of a novel and not have the plot or any of the character development hindered, I've got to question the author's ability to tell a story, his editor's ability to edit, and the publishers motives.

The best example I can think of right now is The Ruins by Scott Smith. You could actually rip 2/3 of the book out, throw it away, and not only have the same story, but a better one!

I completely agree.

Though, at the same time, more descriptive - even "flowery" - language can be very appropriate.

It just depends on the story, and the author's ability to use the language to his/her advantage.

"Atonement" by Ian McEwan uses huge shifts between succinct, to-the-point language, and flowery, more descriptive prose in order to evoke changes in tone, time and overall atmosphere in the book.

It's quite brilliant, and uses both styles to great effect.

But generally, I find an author's ability to convey an image effectively and accurately with just a few words is more impressive than being able to write six paragraphs of description.

A great example of this is how you, D. Soler and I all saw the character of Jason in "Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said" as Cary Grant. PKD never gives a hugely in-depth description of the character's appearance, but through his actions and the small amount of description we get, we all got the same mental picture. I think that is very skillful writing.

Then again, H. P. Lovecraft is one of my favorite authors, and his stories pretty much rely on his ability to describe things in minute detail.

D_Davis

02-21-2008, 04:14 AM

The Enemy Stars - Poul Anderson

The Enemy Stars is a prototypical example of survival science fiction. It takes a small cast of characters and throws them into a harrowing situation, and then examines what happens, how (if) they escape, and what the situation does to the relationship of the group. It is a very simple story in every way, and Poul Anderson handles it well. There really isn't a lot going on here, but it is, for the most part, an entertaining, short, if forgettable read.

The bulk of the narrative takes place on a generational ship called, the Southern Cross. It's mission: to travel the furthest away from human civilization a ship has ever traveled, straight into the heart of a dead-star system. The journey is light years in distance, and thus it takes hundreds of Earth years to complete. The ship is equipped with a teleportation device used to teleport different crews to and from the ship. The ship only supports a small crew of four, and every month or so the crew is rotated.

The crew for this, the final leg of the journey, and the focus of our story, consists of: Terangi Maclaren, a rich, sophisticated physicist; Seiichi Nakamura, the pilot, a Zen Buddhist, and martial arts expert; David Ryerson, the son of an astronaut, and the follower of a Nordic-like religion; and Chang Sverdlov, the engineer, and a rebellious colonist with a hidden agenda (that, unfortunately, goes nowhere).

What is most interesting is how each of these characters represents a different facet of humanity. Maclaren represents the upper-class; he is formally educated, an atheist, a womanizer, and a suave jet setter. His antithesis is Sverdlov, a sullen, brutish man, hot headed and a representative of the lower working class. Nakamura represents the Eastern philosophy, and brings a wise and peaceful balance to the ship. Finally there is Ryerson who represents the West with his more Christian-like religion, while also possessing an innocence quality that offsets Maclaren's “do what thy will” attitude.

The entire story focuses on how these characters cope with a dour situation. Something goes wrong with the Southern Cross, and the small crew finds itself stranded. The radio equipment goes haywire and so they are without communication and left without the ability to teleport away from the ship. They are stuck on a sinking ship, with little food, little water, and a host of other problems.

While this allows for some intense and exciting situations, I couldn't help but want for more. The actual purpose of the Southers Cross's journey is never fully explored, and it seems as if the space-flight premise was nothing but a Macguffin to get these characters together. This would be fine if something more interesting occurred, or if the characters were explored in greater detail and nuance, but since they are not, the entire things feels slight and unremarkable.

What's more, and briefly mentioned above, Sverdlov's colonial-espionage sub-plot is completely forgotten about. Why bring up the fact that he is a rebellious colonist who hates Earthmen if nothing much comes of this ideology? This seems to be a problem throughout. Nothing is ever fully explored or executed with much detail. The characters and their personalities are never given a chance to really shine beyond the dimness of their stereotype, and more than a couple of sub-plots are left floundering, ultimately amounting to nothing.

The Enemy Stars is not a bad book, it's just doesn't pack a solid punch. Anderson's prose is satisfactory, and he handles the tech and infodump just fine. What's missing is a sense of awe and purpose. Like a boat stranded at sea, or a spaceship stranded in the stars, the narrative just pokes along and ignores too many opportunities for greatness. I will give the ending credit; I found it brave and satisfactory, but it wasn't enough to elevate the entire thing above mediocrity. It did, however, pique my interest in Anderson's other work, and this is always a good thing.

D_Davis

02-21-2008, 01:01 PM

So, KF, when does Solaris start to get dull?

I am over 1/2 way through, and it just keeps on getting better. The mystery and the atmosphere continue to build, and the way Lem dishes out the reveals is incredible. At its core, it is a haunted house story, set on another planet, but with a pseudo-scientific premise for the haunting. It has the creepy, slowly building tensions of a good horror story, and the scientific pondering and mystery of classic science fiction, plus the psychological examination of the characters reminiscent of the new wave movement, although this was written a decade before.

I love how Kelvin keeps discovering things about the planet from books, scraps of paper, and little conversations he has with two other scientists. I love the way Kelvin tested his sanity by comparing his math with that of a satellite's coordinates, and how this led him to discover a that others had done basically the same thing.

So far, this is a fantastic book, and I feel like punching myself for not getting into Lem sooner. I'll probably still with Lem for a bit, and read The Cyberiad next.

I still have about 100 pages left, and I've read some books that completely fall a part in less time, but...

Kurosawa Fan

02-21-2008, 01:11 PM

To be honest, I don't remember. I read it over two years ago. You're liking it better than me already, so perhaps we just differ in opinion on what constitutes "distracting descriptions". That could have something to do with your fondness of the genre. I thought that too often he broke from the story to get into the science behind each and every little thing, and to me that wasn't terribly interesting most of the time.

D_Davis

02-21-2008, 01:21 PM

Usually I am anti-infodump, at least to a degree (discussion on this a couple pages back). I like the humanity found in science fiction, and I think it is the most humanitarian of all genres. It can examine any facet of humanity without any limitations whatsoever.

I don't like infodump just for the sake of tech, or when it doesn't push the narrative along. But here, Lem is constantly building the mystery - with each discovery, Kelvin learns something about the planet and about how or why the sentient ocean is doing what it is doing. Everything is used to build the atmosphere or to develop the mystery, and I like it.

D_Davis

02-21-2008, 01:40 PM

I love the passage in which Kelvin discovers the first account of mankind's interaction with the ocean. The way Lem describes the giant baby in the fog, moving like some deranged puppet, as if the limitations of the movements were being tested, is incredible. This is the genesis of the ocean's ability to create human simulacra. Just as the human scientists are trying to figure out the alien life form, so too is the alien life form trying to figure out the humans.

We know that Kelvin knows that Rheya's simulacra is just that - a fake. He doesn't believe that this is really Rheya. But I wonder if he will end up convincing himself that it is real? Mankind has the uncanny ability to believe in things that our beyond the scope of reason. Call it faith, call it hope, call it desire...we are driven by forces which cause us to wish, to explore, and to find the answers we want to find.

megladon8

02-21-2008, 05:00 PM

It sounds like the book could be quite different from the Soderbergh film, which is essentially a romance.

Though I like how you described it as a "haunted house story in space". One thing that struck me with the Soderbergh film is that - despite the outer space setting - it is not really a science fiction film. It is a romance, and a psychological drama, which just happens to take place in the future, and on a space station.

D_Davis

02-21-2008, 05:17 PM

SpaceOddity

02-21-2008, 07:38 PM

*liked Solaris*

It's very concerned with the anthropomorphization of the divine.

"We are only seeking Man. We have no need of other worlds. We need mirrors."

D_Davis

02-21-2008, 07:51 PM

*liked Solaris*

It's very concerned with the anthropomorphization of the divine.

"We are only seeking Man. We have no need of other worlds. We need mirrors."

Yes - this exchange is fascinating.

megladon8

02-21-2008, 07:52 PM

*liked Solaris*

It's very concerned with the anthropomorphization of the divine.

"We are only seeking Man. We have no need of other worlds. We need mirrors."

That line is used nearly verbatim in the Soderbergh film :)

SpaceOddity

02-21-2008, 07:54 PM

That line is used nearly verbatim in the Soderbergh film :)

*hasn't seen either of the films*

D_Davis

02-22-2008, 02:27 PM

Man, I've got a lot to say about Solaris.

Right now, what I find most interesting is how ill-equipped the scientists are to deal with a problem having more to do with philosophy than natural science.

Kelvin is constantly turning to his books, the library, and scouring through volumes of heady, scientific knowledge, and tries to explain things through chemistry, biology, and math. And while the sciences give him insight into the inner-workings of the planet and the simulacra, they don't help him understand the most important question:

Why?

It would be fascinating to rework this novel, but instead of three scientists have three philosophers or theologians.

It's a great book, for sure.

D_Davis

02-24-2008, 10:55 PM

Finished Solaris.

Good stuff. A couple of the chapters get a little tedious, but overall I enjoyed the heck out of it.

It is a bold and powerful example of science fiction. I chronicles humanity's futile attempts at understanding a totally alien entity. All too often, in science fiction stories, an author introduces an alien race, has mankind make contact with it, and then by the end of the book there is a general sense of understanding between the two. It is often assumed that other alien races have evolved and developed in a fashion similar to mankind (and they often end up looking just like us except for a strange growth at the bridge of the nose, an enlarged forehead, or a crazy hair-do), or in a fashion close enough so that we are able to comprehend their physiological and psychological make-up. This is not so in Lem's book.

More thoughts to come...

Today I started, Master of Space and Time by Rudy Rucker.

Mr. Rucker is totally flippin' gonzo. The first chapter of the book is called, This is the Name of This Chapter. It illustrates how the main character gets put into a state of infinite regress, like when you look in a mirror reflection through a mirror's reflection. It's totally wild the way he writes about these crazy concepts.

At one point, the main character's friend, the master of space and time, says to him, "I remember that when you showed up tomorrow you'd seen me tiny in your car."

:shock:

Present, past, and future tense, all in the same sentence.

Reading Rucker is often like reading a crazy puzzle, it's so fun to figure out, because the dude just has fun, he lets it rip.

Kurosawa Fan

02-25-2008, 01:25 AM

Finished Solaris.

Good stuff. A couple of the chapters get a little tedious, but overall I enjoyed the heck out of it.

Well, at least I'm not totally off on this one.

megladon8

02-25-2008, 02:08 AM

"Solaris" sounds intriguing, D_Davis.

I want to read it, but I'm still weary because of my deep love of the '02 film.

D_Davis

02-25-2008, 03:21 AM

Well, at least I'm not totally off on this one.

Yeah, I could see someone who wasn't totally into the idea of this being put off by some of the stuff. However, I was pretty much sold, and in the end, even the tedious moments are there for a very important reason. That is, everything serves the narrative's purpose. It's not just infodump for the sake of exposition, it is infodump for the sake of the entire theme of the narrative.

D_Davis

02-25-2008, 02:11 PM

Master of Space and Time is totally wild, holy cow, what a trip!

They prove that Fred Hoyle was right, and everything in the universe is shrinking at the same rate. So, if you were to travel from the future to the past, you would be much smaller when you arrived.

The inverse is also true, and by sending a pet lizard into the future, the characters create Godzilla!

One of the characters attends the Church of Scientific Mysticism, a vaguely
Christian-like religion influenced bu Einstein and Godel.

Then they open up six magical doorways into:

1. The Here and Now
2. The Microworld
3. Infinity
4. The Future
5. Hyperspace
6. Looking-glass World

All of this, and so much more, within the first 60 pages.

No one lets it rip like Rucker lets it rip, and that it's all grounded by his scientific expertise on such things as hyperspace, the fourth dimension, and geometry, it's even more fascinating.

monolith94

02-25-2008, 03:31 PM

But - I thought the universe was expanding.

D_Davis

02-25-2008, 03:36 PM

But - I thought the universe was expanding.

Because objects are shrinking, but the total space that contains the objects is not, it only appears that the universe is expanding, or something like that.

Of course this is just a wild theory, it's just funny how Rucker "proves" it in his book. A character time travels to the past and he's tiny, so he's like, "Wow, I guess Hoyle was right!"

Rucker is always doing crazy stuff like this. He just has fun with his theories, and those proposed by others.

For instance, when the dude travels to the past, he tells his friend to meet him tomorrow at noon because they are going to build a time machine.

The two friends meet up the next day, and they go to the story to buy a bunch of random things.

It doesn't really matter what they buy, or do, because whatever they build obviously works.

D_Davis

02-28-2008, 04:29 AM

Just got...

Spacetime Donuts - Rudy Rucker
The Hacker and the Ants - Rudy Rucker
Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Jack Finney
Special Deliverance - Simak
Earthsea 1-3 - Le Guin

D_Davis

02-28-2008, 04:29 PM

Just finished Master of Space and Time.

It's good. It's like the Stainless Steel Rat meets Dr. Seuss in Wonderland.

Pure Rucker wackiness.

While it doesn't offer up as much to ponder as in White Light, it is still an entertaining romp.

Rumors have been flying around that Gondry is attached to do a film of this with Jack Black as Harry Gerber. I don't know if this is true or not, or if people are just hoping, but I think it would be a perfect fit. I am not a huge fan of either of these two filmmakers, but the material seems to fit their styles. Black was born for this role.

Next up...

The Hemingway Hoax by Joe Haldeman

lovejuice

02-28-2008, 04:59 PM

Master of Space and Time is totally wild, holy cow, what a trip!

oh, my! gondry is going to make a movie about of it, right?

D_Davis

02-28-2008, 05:02 PM

oh, my! gondry is going to make a movie about of it, right?

Rumors have been flying around that Gondry is attached to do a film of this with Jack Black as Harry Gerber. I don't know if this is true or not, or if people are just hoping, but I think it would be a perfect fit. I am not a huge fan of either of these two filmmakers, but the material seems to fit their styles. Black was born for this role.

Possibly! :)

megladon8

02-28-2008, 06:53 PM

Just got...

Invasion of the Body Snatchers - Jack Finney
Earthsea 1-3 - Le Guin

I have these two, but haven't read them yet.

I've read one Le Guin book, called "The Word For World is Forest", and it was pretty good.

D_Davis

02-29-2008, 02:07 PM

The Hemingway Hoax is really good.

It's about a Hemingway scholar, his wife, and a con-man who decide to produce a Hemingway pastiche and pass it off as one of the master's lost manuscripts. However, the scholar is soon visited by Hemingway, who says he is from the future. Hemingway warns the scholar to stop the project; he ways the very fabric of space and time will unravel if he completes his con.

Joe Haldeman continues to impress the hell out of me. First The Forever War, then Mindbridge, and now this. The dude is just amazing.

megladon8

03-04-2008, 06:08 PM

I finally finished "Prodigy" today, and my god was it disappointing.

It's 323 pages, and by about page 200 I just didn't care anymore - which is why it took me so long to finish it.

It has pointless plot twists, and one of the main villains just disappears for a huge section of the book without any explanation, only to suddenly reappear and be killed by a stray bullet in a single paragraph about 10 pages from the end.

This book couldn't decide whether it wanted to be an important coming of age story, or mindless sci-fi entertainment - and it failed at both.

It's a very generic "The Man is evil!!" story, and an overlong one at that.

D_Davis

03-04-2008, 06:09 PM

megladon8

03-04-2008, 06:19 PM

Sounds awesome!

Stay far away unless you're feeling masochistic.

D_Davis

03-05-2008, 08:57 PM

thought you guys might like to listen to something that is really interesting.

It's an interview with Rudy Rucker, in which he discusses his ideas of transrealism, math, logic, gnarly computation, and sci-fi power chords, and how all these things go into his books.

Rucker is fascinating. He is a living example of just how awesome and passionate a science fiction author can be.

http://www.gigadial.net/public/station/17434

Look for Interview #8: Rick Kleffel Interviews Rudy in Santa Cruz, Jan 11, 2007

megladon8

03-06-2008, 01:57 AM

"Prodigy" by Dave Kalstein

a review by Braden Adam

Growing up is hard - even when you’re a purebred ninja assassin genius representing both physical and mental perfection. This is the message that Dave Kalstein tries to get across with his novel “Prodigy”, which has been compared to such legendary coming-of-age tales as “The Catcher in the Rye” and “The Giver”. It tells the story of a group of students getting ready to graduate from Stansbury - a high school in the not-too-distant future which trains children in everything from combat philosophy to biological engineering. Most of them have blonde hair and blue eyes, and they all encompass what the world has come to see as the pinnacle of human conditioning - the males are muscle-bound, athletic, agile and deadly; the females are big-breasted, slim, and equally dangerous. They mindlessly go through each day at school, eating food through syringes and taking monumental amounts of medications and vaccinations to keep them awake for days at a time without decreasing their mental or physical readiness. Kind of sounds like my high school, without all the huge breasts.

The main plot of the story involves a murder mystery. Several of the school’s graduates have died under mysterious circumstances, and the current year’s valedictorian (Goldsmith) is beginning to see a pattern in their deaths. Goldsmith is the subject of great resentment by his peers, as he is the typical suck-up, goody-two-shoes. He has perfect attendance, perfect grades, and has a “holier than thou” aura so thick it practically reeks off him. He has a reputation for always doing right by the school and faculty, by ratting out peers who use drugs (or who refuse to take the drugs the school requires them to), and is generally just a real party-pooper. Herein lies one of the greatest conflicts in the novel, as he tries to gain back the trust and respect of his peers as he unravels more and more of this possible conspiracy.

It’s an intriguing concept, and I have to admit that I was floored when I read the book’s one-line premise of “students trained to be ninja assassin geniuses”. Surely a novel containing this golden concept couldn’t possibly be bad. But no, unfortunately this has been one of the most disappointing reads I have experienced in some time. There are no likable characters, it is unclear who the main antagonist really is, and it all just feels very unfocused. There is an anti-hero type character - the “bad ass” of the school, who doesn’t take his medication and deals illegal drugs - but he is such a smug jerk that the strongest feeling one may feel towards him is a desire to give him a swift kick in the behind. Similarly, Goldsmith’s complete lack of honor or loyalty towards his peers makes him quite loathsome, to the point where his inevitable reformation is not enough to redeem his heartless acts earlier in the novel.

The book’s biggest problem is its length - it’s about 150 pages too long. Clocking in at 322 pages, it’s a story which could have easily been told more concisely (even as a short story of 100 pages or less). So much time is spent on describing the “tower” that is Stansbury, that by the fifth or sixth time we are told how it has no windows and that the atrium is enormous, it becomes infuriating. Okay, perhaps “infuriating” is going a little far, but the repetition of these descriptions seems redundant. Do we really need to be told these things over and over, sometimes once or twice in every chapter, for several chapters in a row? There is also the book’s disturbing trend of describing teenage girls with enormous breasts, but that’s a whole other can of worms...

“Prodigy” just isn’t as revelatory is it seems to think it is. All of the messages about growing-up have a “been there, done that” feel to them, and the science fiction elements feel no more original. The whole dystopian future element is never fully explored, and while this would have been acceptable had the novel been shorter, too much time is spent on details which are of little-to-no importance, while other more interesting plot points and ideas are left out in the cold.

One of the most disappointing parts of the book is its conclusion, where Kalstein seems to have run out of steam. One of the main antagonists in the story suddenly disappears from the story without notice, before suddenly reappearing and being killed in the space of one paragraph about 10 pages from the end of the book. This just isn’t good writing, and it makes it even harder to appreciate the bits of material at the beginning of the book which showed promise.

The science fiction genre is one which is very tricky to write in. It revolves around concepts, philosophies and ideas. “Prodigy” had the opportunity to be a very strong science fiction story and entry into the Blade Runner-esque sub-genre of bleak futuristic societies, but this part of the story is just not explored to its full potential. Similarly, its attempt at a timeless story of teenage angst and identity crisis feels rehashed and as unsure of itself as some of the characters involved within it. All this being said, though, I look forward to further efforts from Kalstein, and I hope he develops better focus with future work.

D_Davis

03-06-2008, 03:18 PM

Nice review meg. Looks like another pretty good story got ruined by modern publishing's want for length.

Check out this blog post by Rudy Rucker, Fundamental Limits to Virtual Reality.

http://www.rudyrucker.com/blog/2008/03/03/fundamental-limits-to-virtual-reality/

It's quite good.

As are the responses he posts to the comments:

http://www.rudyrucker.com/blog/2008/03/05/limits-to-vr-2-answers-to-comments/

Stay Puft

03-06-2008, 11:21 PM

Check out this blog post by Rudy Rucker, Fundamental Limits to Virtual Reality.

http://www.rudyrucker.com/blog/2008/03/03/fundamental-limits-to-virtual-reality/

It's quite good.

As are the responses he posts to the comments:

http://www.rudyrucker.com/blog/2008/03/05/limits-to-vr-2-answers-to-comments/

That was a fun read. Thanks for sharing.

I've been making plenty of notes reading through this thread. My summer reading list is going to be immense.

D_Davis

03-07-2008, 04:31 AM

That was a fun read. Thanks for sharing.

I've been making plenty of notes reading through this thread. My summer reading list is going to be immense.

Glad you enjoyed it. Rucker is awesome. The real deal you might say.

His podcasts and interviews I posted above are amazing. Especially his series on the Life Box, of which there are four.

Finally finished this...

Solaris - Stanislaw Lem

Solaris - Stanislaw Lem Solaris chronicles humanity's futile attempts at understanding a totally alien entity. Often, in science fiction stories, an author introduces an alien race, has mankind make contact with it, and then by the end of the book there is a general sense of understanding between the two. It is often assumed that the alien races have evolved and developed in a fashion similar to mankind, so that we are able to comprehend their physiological and psychological make-up. This is not so in Lem's book.

We experience the story through the eyes of Kris Kelvin. Kelvin is a scientist sent to a research station on Solaris, a planet naturally inhabited by a vast, sentient ocean. When he arrives at the station, he is immediately bombarded by a set of bizarre situations. He first meets (in a round about way) Dr. Snow, and also discovers his first inclination that something is amiss. Snow acts paranoid and afraid, and avoids direct communication, offering obtuse answers to Kelvin's inquires. Soon, Kelvin learns of Dr. Sartorius, the other scientist at the base. But what he learns doesn't answer a single question - it only raises more concern about the exasperating occurrences seemingly birthed from the planet itself.

As the story progresses, things go from strange to totally messed up. Corporeal entities begin to appear before the small crew, each one conjured directly from the minds of the scientists. Kelvin soon finds himself haunted by a simulacrum of his dead wife. Down to the smallest detail, she is an exact copy. But what is she, really? Where does she come from? Where does she go? Is she really a fake? Does she know she is a fake? Can Kelvin have emotions for her even though he knows what happened to his real wife? And, most importantly, why is she here? Here lies the main drive of the narrative. At its heart, Solaris is a scientific mystery novel to be solved through a biological and scientific investigation.

Time after time, Kelvin retreats to the station's library and hides his nose in the books and records. Lem illustrates two important factors through this character's actions. First, I found it interesting that Kelvin and the other scientists chose to stay inside and learn about the planet through books and second hand experience. It is odd that they would do this. It's almost as if they were afraid to have a real, personal experience with the planet, and so they chose to learn from the safety and comfort of the station. Kelvin reads, and reads, and reads some more about people who have had experiences with the sentient ocean, and with this knowledge he tries to synthesize a hypothesis. However, without real experience, what kind of insight can he possibly gain?

The second factor is directly related to the first. Kelvin, and those who have come before him, cannot possibly understand this planet or the entities it has sent as emissaries. The sentient ocean is so vastly different than humankind, and so far beyond the realms of human comprehension, that it exists completely outside of humankind's jurisdiction. No matter how much they discover, and no matter how much minutia they parse through, without the proper frame of reference, and without the proper language to even begin to formulate the right questions, Kelvin and the other scientists don't stand a chance at comprehending what is going on, or why.

And this is why Solaris is so interesting. Nothing is ever solved; this is a mystery without a solution, because the detectives don't even know what it is they are really looking for. Imagine being on a scavenger hunt without a list, in another country, blind folded, and gagged. Through his wonderfully written prose, thick with detail and nuanced character interactions, Lem presents to his readers a world that is totally inhuman. In most other science fiction novels, the author would have his characters reach a mutual understanding with the aliens; human ingenuity would prevail, there would be a scientific breakthrough, and enough would be known to arrive at a satisfactory conclusion.

But Lem keeps us, and his characters, in the dark. He doesn't do so to frustrate, although I am sure some readers might disagree; he does so to illustrate a fascinating detail about humanity. For all that we are, we are only human, and there may be some things out there that we will never understand - and this is okay.

megladon8

03-07-2008, 11:27 PM

Great review, D, and I particularly like the final paragraph.

D_Davis

03-08-2008, 01:16 AM

Great review, D, and I particularly like the final paragraph.

Thanks man. This took me a long time to write. It was really hard to parse through my thoughts on this one.

Solaris is a dense book, one that can be evaluated dozens of different ways.

D_Davis

03-09-2008, 04:41 PM

So last night, while suffering from insomnia, again, I got up and read about 1/2 of William Peter Blatty's The Ninth Configuration.

Holy crap.

I had always heard that this was a masterpiece of fiction, and by God, it is.

Blatty's prose is incredible, and his humor impeccable. I cannot believe how funny this book is, while at the same time presenting themes of religion and the horrors of war.

Reading this has been like being introduced to a new friend, one that I know I am going to totally hit it off with.

D_Davis

03-10-2008, 02:14 PM

Wow - The Ninth Configuration is blowing my mind.

I need to rewatch the film to see if it is half as good. I remember liking it, but it's probably been over 10 years since I've seen it.

megladon8

03-10-2008, 02:24 PM

D_Davis

03-10-2008, 03:57 PM

I actually was not aware that Blatty wrote sci-fi.

I guess it's because the only title I know by him is "The Exorcist", and he also wrote and directed the third Exorcist film, so I thought he was all about the horror.

It's not really "sci-fi," but it is definitely speculative fiction. It covers many of the same topics that my favorite PKD books do, mainly religion and mental health.

It's an amazing book, and I so glad I finally picked it up.

D_Davis

03-10-2008, 06:35 PM

A couple of weeks ago I ordered Rudy Rucker's The Secret of Life, off of the Amazon marketplace. I paid $8, including shipping, for an old copy.

What I got was something quite different:

A mint edition, hardback, signed by the author.

Nice!

D_Davis

03-11-2008, 02:14 PM

The Ninth Configuration is one of the best books I've ever read. In 135 pages, it deals with themes of self-sacrifice, Christianity, the existence of God, the horrors of war, the crippling effects of dreams, and broken human psyches.

The finale is powerful and moving, mirroring the story of Jesus but without the resurrection.

This book made me laugh, wince, and cry.

It is perfect.

I recommend it to all.

D_Davis

03-12-2008, 04:44 AM

The Ninth Configuration - William Peter Blatty

I've been meaning to read this book for some time. I enjoyed the movie, and I have heard many times that the book is a fantastic work of fiction. I am incredibly happy that I recently found a copy, purchased it, and read it. From the very first chapter, I knew I was going to love it. While reading the opening pages, I felt like I was being introduced to a new friend; a friend that I would totally get a long with.

The Ninth Configuration is a thriller to its very core. I don't know about you, but sometimes (perhaps all too often) when I read a “thriller” I am less than thrilled. Usually this has to do with the length of the book. It's hard to stay thrilled for 300-plus pages. I believe that thrillers should be boiled down to their barest essentials. Get in, thrill the hell out of me, and get out - wham, bam, thank you ma'am. Blatty does this, and he does it incredibly well. But he also does more, oh so much more, and in less than 150 pages.

Within the length of this tersely written tome, Blatty examines topics such as Christianity, the existence of God, the horrible effects of war, the crippling power of dreams, and the psychology of those messed up by a system that uses and abuses. And as heavy handed as all this sounds, Blatty never forgets to illustrate the comedy found in the absurd situations. The Ninth Configuration is as funny as it is relevant, and it is as entertaining as it is thought provoking.

Because of it's short length, Blatty expertly conveys feelings of immediacy. The reader is aware that there is only a short amount of time for the author to get to the point, and so every moment carries with it weight and meaning. Each page is jam-packed with plot and characterization. Blatty wonderfully illustrates his characters' personalities through their actions, and through their actions and dialog he tells the story.

The narrative deals with a group of psychologically damaged military officers stationed in a remote mental hospital. One of the patients is adapting Shakespeare for dogs. Another patient punishes the atoms in the walls with a sledge hammer for not granting him passage. And yet another believes he is actually on an alien planet, and that everything he is experiencing is some kind of hallucination. Blatty does an excellent job at making these crazy characters come alive, and he conveys them in such a way that they become more than a collection of quirky idiosyncrasies.

Things begin when Colonel Hudson Kane arrives at the hospital. Kane is a psychologist and a religious man. He possesses more than a few unorthodox beliefs, and opens himself up to the officers. He makes himself available at all hours of the day and night, for whatever someone might need. However, he soon beings to feel the effects of his open door policy. Headaches, bad dreams, and physical malaise creep in to his life, finally revealing a terrible truth, and, at the same time, revealing a deeply rooted compassion for humanity.

With Kane, Blatty illustrates a number of strong Christian themes. Many of the religious ideas presented in the book are also reflected in C.S. Lewis' classic of Christian apologetics, Mere Christianity. Kane examines, exemplifies, and demonstrates many of the arguments Lewis makes for the existence of the Christian God. Through selfless altruism, self-sacrifice, action, love, and compassion, Kane becomes the embodiment of a Christ-like life, and he wants nothing more than to save those who need to be saved.

The Ninth Configuration is now one of my favorite books. I devoured it. I want to read it again, soon. I want to study its message. Blatty knocked my socks off with this one. It conveys a number of incredibl and important ideas, and does so in a way that is totally engaging and endlessly entertaining. With each passing page I grew more impressed with the narrative and more sympathetic to the characters and the wild situations they found themselves in. Blatty made me laugh, wince, gasp, and cry, and all within less than 135 pages of text. This is a good novel.

D_Davis

03-12-2008, 03:18 PM

I started Phil Dick's Dr. Bloodmoney yesterday. It's really good so far. At 300 pages, it's Dick's longest novel, and it is easy to tell that he took his time with the narrative. He weaves a complex tapestry of characters and situations.

D_Davis

03-13-2008, 02:22 PM

Dr. Bloodmoney is really strange. Really strange. It tells a story rich in detail and character about life after an nuclear war. The war is fought by unknown entities. The only thing seen are the bombs falling from the sky.

It follows the lives of a handful of survivors scattered around the cities and country side of California's bay area - Marin county, San Francisco, Berkley, Oakland, and Napa Valley.

There about 10 main characters that Dick focuses on, each one trying to get by the best he or she can.

There's Hoppy Harrington - a phocomelus. He possesses telekinetic powers and is an expert engineer.

There's Walt Dangerfield, a lone astronaut orbiting the earth in a ship. He is trapped in orbit, and he uses the satellite's communications system to broadcast music and book readings down to the earth. He represents the voice of the past, and people dial in his signal in wistful remembrance.

Very interesting stuff here.

lovejuice

03-13-2008, 08:35 PM

ok guys, i want something "escapist". preferably not too dark. gimme titles.

D_Davis

03-13-2008, 09:11 PM

ok guys, i want something "escapist". preferably not too dark. gimme titles.

A Stainless Steel Rat is Born, by Harry Harrison.

Some of the best, lighthearted pure-pulp fun money can buy.

You can get an Omnibus of the first 3 SSR novels for super cheep, and each novel is only about 130 pages.

D_Davis

03-14-2008, 02:31 PM

If you've ever wondered what kind of stories Garrison Keillor might write if he were a drugged-out, paranoid, new wave science fiction author living in Berkley, California, well I reckon old Phil Dick's Dr. Bloodmoney is a close approximation.

It's a post-apocalyptic home companion.

A slice of this post-nuclear American life.

It's among Dick's richest books in terms of character, but it lacks a driving plot. This isn't a bad thing, but it does take a little time to really get going. The first half is okay, and the second half is as brilliant as anything I've ever read. It is very literary in the way it deals with its characters and the drama.

The first half does have some problems though - namely chapter 4. It's almost as if my book is broken, because this chapter does not belong at this point in the narrative. It's either a flash forward or a premonition, but it is never made clear and it make no sense at all. None. I am still flabbergasted at its inclusion. I reread it dozens of times trying to place it within the time line of the narrative, but I could not. It is extremely puzzling, and I suggest skipping it to anyone picking this book. Read it between chapters 7 and 8.

There are also a couple of points in the book that should include a line spacing to suggest the passage of time...

I don't know if this is due to a printing error, or an editing error, but it makes for a couple of confusing transitions.

However, even with these little problems, Dr. Bloodmoney is a great read. Truly a fascinating example of Dick's imagination. It captures his dim optimism for humanity and exemplifies his ability to create memorable situations built around memorable characters. There are more than a few moments from this book that I will never forget, namely those involving Hoppy Harrington, Edie, and Bill.

Stay Puft

03-14-2008, 10:31 PM

Dr. Bloodmoney sounds awesome. I've been thinking about which Dick novels to read this summer, but I think I'll prioritize this one, and maybe Ubik.

D_Davis

03-14-2008, 10:49 PM

Dr. Bloodmoney sounds awesome. I've been thinking about which Dick novels to read this summer, but I think I'll prioritize this one, and maybe Ubik.

I would rank Ubik over Dr. Bloodmoney. However, I will say that Ubik is more "typical" of Dick. Dr. Bloodmoney is pretty unique, and while the first half is kind of clunky (which seemed to be typical of Dick's work from this era), the second half is amazing. It contains some truly haunting moments.

monolith94

03-19-2008, 02:48 AM

This seems germane to the conversation:

Arthur C. Clarke is dead. One of my favorites. His books were the source of my very first email adress: monolith94@hotmail.com. And from then on in perpetuity. I had always hoped I might be able to meet him, but with his living in Sri Lanka I obviously knew that it couldn't be very likely. Still, this is very sad.

RIP.

D_Davis

03-19-2008, 03:05 AM

It is sad. He was among the last of the golden age authors still alive.

That's cool that you got your user name from his story.

It's also sad that most of my favorite authors are dead or close to dying.

At least they've left us with a wealth of material to parse through, appreciate, and revisit.

megladon8

03-19-2008, 03:13 AM

Such terrible news.

At least he lived a full life, and leaves behind quite an incredible legacy.

monolith94

03-19-2008, 03:38 AM

D_Davis

03-19-2008, 03:55 AM

Well... most authors in general are dead.

At least most worth giving a damn about, or so it seems.

Stay Puft

03-19-2008, 04:31 AM

At least most worth giving a damn about, or so it seems.

Strength in numbers.

Russ

03-19-2008, 10:30 PM

D, have you ever read Robert Stallman's Book of the Beast trilogy? If not, I'd implore you to track down the first volume, The Orphan. I guarantee you won't regret it.

EDIT: This probably should have gone in the non-sci-fi genres thread, although it does have sci-fi elements, and scored a 1980 Nebula award nom. Oh well.

D_Davis

03-19-2008, 10:43 PM

D_Davis

03-24-2008, 02:01 PM

I started Simak's Cemetery World yesterday.

It's good, and it has a cool premise: thousands of years in the future, after the final war, mankind has left the Earth. The Earth has been made into one giant cemetery, owned and operated by Mother Earth, Inc. Wealthy humans ship their loved ones back to be buried on Earth, even though none of them were even born there. Why? Why does humanity feel a connection to a planet they have long sense left?

The book focuses on an artist and a treasure hunter who have come to Earth. The artists comes with his sentient robot mechanic, Elmer, and his robotic compositor, Bronco, to work on an art project. A compositor is a device that "records" the milieu of a place, thus allowing the artist to make a multi-media composition of sight, smell, audio, and touch. The treasure hunter is working for a university, and she is looking for a treasure left by an alien race called the anachronians.

Lots of interesting stuff going on, and I hope that Simak can pull it all together.

D_Davis

03-26-2008, 03:36 PM

Cemetery World is a good book. It reminded me of parts of the Dark Tower in places, and in others it reminded me of Westworld. It takes a different path than I expected, one that is not as interesting as I had hoped, but one that is enjoyable all the same. It's not my favorite Simak, but it is also not my least favorite. It is basically a SF adventure story with a high concept setting, not unlike Farmer's To Your Scatter Bodies Go.

D_Davis

03-26-2008, 07:09 PM

I just got a book called, On Philip K. Dick: 40 Articles From Science-Fiction Studies.

SFS is a journal that has been published 3 times a year since 1978 I believe, and in this book they collect all of the articles on PKD.

It looks very good and comprehensive.

D_Davis

03-28-2008, 01:59 PM

I started Theodore Sturgeon's Venus Plus X yesterday. It's good so far, and I can see how it would have been highly provocative in 1960 when it was published. It deals, quite directly, with gender issues and women's rights. Sturgeon was always at the forefront of issues such as these, including rights for homosexuals.

It's an oddly constructed novel. No chapter breaks, but there are narrative breaks. It consists of two alternating narratives, one dealing with a man who wakes up on a planet of what seem to be hermaphrodites, while the other is apparently set on Earth, in the '60s, and deals with two fathers coming to terms with the expanding roles around the house - taking care of the babies, washing dishes, and so on.

D_Davis

03-29-2008, 04:04 PM

Cemetery World - Clifford D. Simak

It's thousands of years in the future, and mankind has left the Earth for the stars. Hundreds of new planets have been colonized by small groups of human beings; the Earth, for most, is only a distant relic of their humanity. However, some do return to the Earth, and others never left. A large corporation, called Mother Earth, Inc., has turned the Earth into a vast cemetery, a place where the rich can “return home” to be buried, a place where religious pilgrimages are taken by others, and a place caught in turmoil because of the small pockets of humanity who continue to live on the planet in primitive, but not barbaric, settlements.

Clifford D. Simak's Cemetery World possesses a fascinating setting and hits the ground running with a interesting premise. The central character of the story is Fletcher Carson, an artist. Carson journeys to the Earth to make an artistic composition, a kind of multi-media art project that truly captures the milieu and essence of the subject. Joining him on his creative sojourn are Elmer, a sentient robotic mechanic, “born” on Earth in the distant past, and Bronco, the mechanical, insect-like robot the aids Fletcher in his composition. These three are soon joined by a young woman named Cynthia Lansing. Cynthia has been sent to the Earth by a university to search for a lost human treasure. The four adventurers set out on their journey, but quickly find themselves on the run for their very survival.

At times, Cemetery World reminded me of Stephen King's The Dark Tower series (especially books III and V) and of Harry Harrison's Westworld. The world Simak creates is a hodgepodge of genres, anachronisms, and worlds. It feels like a theme park not unlike Disneyland; while one moment the characters find themselves in an old western-style town, the next moment they are being chased by mechanic wolves with long, sharp metal teeth. Add in a couple of gigantic cyborg war-machines, relics of the Final War, an immortal alien, and a group of shades (ghosts), and you have the makings for a very colorful adventure.

Cemetery World is a strange book, one that left me with mixed emotions. On one level it disappointed me, but on another level I felt satisfied with it. Simak creates a high-concept setting with a premise - the artistic composition - that could have been used to tell a thought provoking and intensely personal narrative of mankind's longing for the past. I expected a more subtle, introspective narrative closer to Simak's Way Station.

What I got is something more along the lines of Philip Jose Farmer's To Your Scattered Bodies Go, and this is not a bad thing. Cemetery World is really just a rip-roaring adventure yarn, one full of cliffhangers, double-crosses, and action. The narrative is quickly and expertly paced, the characters are interesting, and the scenarios are inventive and engaging. It is a quick, fun, and exciting read.

However, I really did want more substance from it. I wanted more out of the setting and more out of the idea of the artistic composition. At the end of the day, Fletcher's being an artist is not important at all. It doesn't temper his personality in any way, nor does he ever really ponder about things in a creative manner. The composition itself is almost never considered, and Bronco is used more as a pack-mule and mount than a creative tool. He's like a great big awesome synthesizer that never gets used.

While the entire artistic premise is wasted in lieu of a more typical action-adventure, I would be lying to say that I didn't thoroughly enjoy my time with the book. It just didn't offer me what I was expecting. There were more than a few moments that brought a great big grin to my face (usually involving Elmer - Simak knows how to make cool robots - and the giant war-machines), and I was consistently impressed with all the stuff Simak threw my way; it really is a wild ride. So while part of me longed for a more introspective and intellectual story, another part of me was satisfied with what I got, and at the end of the day, this is what really matters.

D_Davis

03-30-2008, 01:48 AM

When did Michale Chabon become the literary spokesman for sci-fi? Today at the bookstore, I saw at least 5 newer SF books with buy-this-book quotes from Chabon. He's like the new Neil Gaiman.

I swear, if I see Gaiman's name one more time on a book I like, I'm going to puke.

Word to publishers: not all genre fans like Neil Gaiman.

D_Davis

03-31-2008, 03:49 PM

Venus Plus X ended up being rather half-baked, and is easily my least favorite Sturgeon novel. It seems as if it was a trial run for Godbody, a much better novel which tackles some of the same themes.

The problem with the novel is that it lacks any kind of dramatic drive - nothing is every at stake, the mystery, as it were, is totally flaccid, and the characters just aren't interesting enough.

It is a pretty big misstep for Sturgeon. However, I cannot dismiss it completely simply because of its subject matter and the strength of the prose. There are more than a few sequences in which Sturgeon's writing shines brightly.

I wouldn't recommend this to anyone except for the most die hard Sturgeon reader.

I started Fritz Lieber's The Big Time last night. It sounds like it is going to be awesome. It's a kind of time travel mystery novel that could easily be a play. The entire thing takes place in a single setting, known only as The Place. The Place exists outside of space and time. It is a place for time warriors - soldiers who have been fighting a war spanning hundreds of millions of years - to recoup with some R&R and medical attention before being sent out on a new mission. Something strange happens in The Place, and it's up to those who are there to figure it out.

D_Davis

04-02-2008, 01:32 PM

I put The Big Time on hold - I was struggling with it. It just wasn't holding my interest at all.

I think I'll start Olaf Stapledon's Sirius, and see how it goes.

D_Davis

04-03-2008, 12:32 AM

Sirius is amazing.

I can see now why it is sometimes called the best novel ever written with a non-human protagonist.

In only 65 pages I've already been profoundly moved by the dog's story. I've laughed out loud, almost cried, and thought deeply about many of the situations Stapledon presents.

This is truly a classic, and deserves to be read by more. Stapledon is often cited as a "writer's writer." He's one of the often forgotten masters of classic SF.

If you love dogs, or just love powerful and moving fiction, add Sirius to your short list.

megladon8

04-03-2008, 01:55 AM

Wow, that wounds great, D.

I noticed there's a book which contains both "Odd John" and "Sirius".

I think I might pick that one up.

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/61023Q9393L._SS500_.jpg

D_Davis

04-03-2008, 02:12 AM

I wish I would have gotten that version.

I hear Odd John is amazing as well. Actually, I hear that everything Stapledon wrote is amazing and genre defining.

His book Last and First Men is supposed to be incredible - it's a history and future history of our species. I've heard it is incredibly dense and rewarding. It's coupled with Star Maker, which is a history of intelligence.

He definitely has an old-school style - more like telling the story rather than showing it. He died in 1950, and most of his SF was written between 1930 and 1947. He won't win any points for style, but that's cool.

He also wrote non-fiction - he was a philosophy professor at the University of Liverpool.

He directly influenced the first generation of SF authors, including such authors as Clarke, C.S. Lewis, and Stanislaw Lem.

He's one of the true heavy hitters, and I can't believe I've waited this long to get into his stuff.

My friend who really turned me onto to PKD (after my brush with Blade Runner) loved Stapledon as well.

With you loving dogs the way you do, I can see you digging the heck out Sirius. It's actually made me look at my own dogs in a slightly different light.

megladon8

04-03-2008, 02:14 AM

Cool. I ordered it, so thank you for the recommendation.

Also, I can't seem to find your post so I apologize for making you repeat yourself, but what is the title of the Lansdale book you recently purchased?

You said it was a more recent collection of short stories?

For some reason I think it was "Bumper Crop", but maybe not...

D_Davis

04-03-2008, 02:40 AM

Mad Dog Summer.

I got the signed hardback, but it is also available in a cheaper trade paperback.

I think you'll dig the heck out of Sirius.

I'm anticipating lots of crying on my end...

D_Davis

04-04-2008, 01:13 PM

I am over half way through Sirius now, and I can't remember the last time I felt more empathy with and sympathy for a character as I do with Sirius.

D_Davis

04-04-2008, 02:18 PM

Stapledon does an incredible job of portraying Sirius as a truly different kind of being.

Sirius is not, simply, a dog with the mind of a man shoved in his head.

He is a dog with the ability to think, reason, emote, and dream in the same capacity as a man.

Two very different things.

Everything Sirius learns from his filtered through a human perspective, and while he appreciates it he doesn't get all that he could out of it because he is uniquely canine. He is learning the "humanities" when he really wants to learn the "caninities."

So far, my two favorite sequences have dealt with his desire to express himself musically, and in his search for God, or "the fragrance of the universe," as he calls it. And as a believer in the notion that creativity is a direct connection with God, I find these two subjects very interesting.

Stapledon was an agnostic himself, and Sirius definitely has a more humanistic outlook than a religious one, but the dog's longing for something more, something spiritual, rings with truth and reverence.

D_Davis

04-05-2008, 02:36 AM

Sirius totally made me cry on the bus today.

Stupid book.

megladon8

04-05-2008, 02:49 AM

Sirius totally made me cry on the bus today.

Stupid book.

Did you finish it?

Jeez...a story about a dog, which is going to make me cry. :cry:

D_Davis

04-05-2008, 04:02 AM

Did you finish it?

Jeez...a story about a dog, which is going to make me cry. :cry:

I'll be finished with it tonight.

It is really good.

megladon8

04-05-2008, 04:11 AM

I'll be finished with it tonight.

It is really good.

It sounds it. I'm looking forward to reading it.

I'm loving the heck out of these Ligotti stories. He's great at writing really twisted, grotesque images into the reader's mind.

D_Davis

04-05-2008, 05:35 AM

Finished Sirius...

Stapledon takes a Frankenstein-like story and elevates it to a higher level of emotional, physical, spiritual, and sociological maturity and complexity.

Sirius is a masterpiece.

Brilliant in every way a book can be.

This is truly a work of art.

D_Davis

04-06-2008, 10:24 PM

Dr. Bloodmoney - Philip K. Dick

If you've ever wondered what kind of stories Garrison Keillor might write if he were a drugged-out, paranoid new-wave science fiction author living in Berkley, California, during the 1960s, well I reckon old Phil Dick's Dr. Bloodmoney is a close approximation.

It's a post-apocalyptic home companion.

A slice of this post-nuclear American life.

It has a pastoral feel to it, bringing to mind the works of William Saroyan and John Steinbeck, if, of course, these authors wrote about deformed characters with powerful mental abilities, mutant animals, botched space flight, and nuclear war.

It's among Dick's richest books in terms of character; it is quite “literary” in the way it deals with the drama. This book is not driven by a thrilling plot or any kind of strong SF impetus beyond the end of the world scenario and some mutant-like things born from the destruction. Instead, Dr. Bloodmoney is entirely character driven, and each character, out of a very large cast, is given the time and room to grow.

Dr. Bloodmoney is a post-apocalyptic novel, although one that is as different from Mad Max and other more mainstream examples as is Walter M. Miller Jr.'s A Canticle for Liebowitz. It is most definitely a product of its time; the fear of the Cold War hangs heavy over Dick's narrative, and the constant threat and promise of nuclear devastation is demonstrated expertly. Dick creates a frightening sense of chaos and destruction once the bombs start dropping, and then he illustrates his post-apocalyptic society with an equal amount of skill.

While Dick's version of the scenario is bleak and rife with turmoil, he does not predict a total breakdown of human society or our capacity to live with one another. Instead, he takes a decidedly optimistic approach to the tragedy of a nuclear-war torn world. Dick presents a group of survivors who retain their humanity towards one another even when faced with outlandish and dire circumstances. Not all of the characters are as eager to get along as the best of them, but enough are that I would place the book among Dick's more hopeful and positive works. There is actually a gleam of hope in the book, one that rings with strong emotional truth.

Many of Dick's more important works (which this is) deal with God, religious mysticism, and Gnosticism. I find it strange that here, in his only truly post-apocalyptic offering, Dick seems to skirt the subjects all together - he focuses only on humanity, not offering any kind of divine intervention. It is as if in Dick's mind, the destruction of the world has divorced his characters from any kind of Godly influence - the characters never even mention God; out of sight, out of mind. The characters in this novel seem to be in some kind of purgatory, one where only their physical selves have survived.

The closest thing we get to a God-like figure is Walt Dangerfield, an astronaut stranded in high-atmosphere orbit who witnesses the near destruction of the planet. Walt represents a God-like presence even if he does not posses any divine powers. He is “out there” looking down on humanity, and he speaks to the characters through a disembodied voice via radio waves (the God-in-a-satellite motif was something important to Dick: see VALIS and Radio Free Albemuth). As a cosmic deejay, Walt reads books and plays records and broadcasts the audio down to the Earth's survivors; he becomes an important link to humanity's past.

Hoppy Harrington, a phocomelus (a “flipper-baby,” born with no arms and legs) with telekinetic powers, and the novel's true antagonist, tries to usurp control of Walt's satellite and use it for his own selfish desires. Here Dick illustrates how mankind tries to co-opt God and religion, and has thus used these good and benevolent forces for our own selfish and unrighteous desires. This is as close as Dick gets to any kind of religious or spiritual metaphor.

Dr. Bloodmoney is an anomalous book. It doesn't neatly fit in with any of Dick's other books. It's not about drugs or personal paranoia; it is not about technology run amok; it is not about depression or mental disorders; and it does not deal with simulacra or the authenticity of human emotion. Most of Dick's work can be categorized into different periods, each with its own central theme. Dr. Bloodmoney is a unique book from an author with a unique body of work. It is a powerful work of character-driven science fiction that demands to be read.

megladon8

04-08-2008, 10:44 PM

"Sirius" arrived today.

Will get to it after I'm done with Ligotti's collection.

I'm hoping that despite its tear-inducing parts, it is overall positive. Because really, I am falling into a deep depression right now, and I don't know how well a book would sit with me if it makes me want to kill myself.

D_Davis

04-08-2008, 10:50 PM

megladon8

04-08-2008, 10:51 PM

It's enlightening and passionate, but I can't promise you it is positive.

It's sad, but it's not depressing.

OK well as long as it doesn't make me feel like pulling a Brooks (rep to anyone who gets the reference), then it should be fine.

D_Davis

04-09-2008, 01:36 PM

After tearing through The Exorcist and Legion, I'm back to some SF, with Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Looking forward to it.

megladon8

04-09-2008, 06:54 PM

After tearing through The Exorcist and Legion, I'm back to some SF, with Invasion of the Body Snatchers.

Looking forward to it.

The Jack Finney book?

I have this on my shelf, as well.

D_Davis

04-09-2008, 07:03 PM

The Jack Finney book?

I have this on my shelf, as well.

Yeah. It's awesome so far.

D_Davis

04-10-2008, 01:29 AM

So even beyond the red scare impetus of the Body Snatchers, the book offers a genuinely chilling and haunting account of a strange alien invasion. It's quite good, and well written.

D_Davis

04-11-2008, 02:21 AM

Sirius - Olaf Stapledon -1944

I've known of Olaf Stapledon for many years, for well over a decade, and yet up until a short while ago (as of 4-2008) I had never read any of his books. Whenever SF fans discuss the great-grandfathers of the genre, or whenever they mention all-time classics, Mr. Stapledon's name and books are usually among those conjured. However, I rarely come across anyone actually reading him, nor do I often stumble upon his books in used or new book stores. He seems, at least to me, to be an author talked about and name-dropped more than he is read.

I have now read him. And after reading Sirius, I immediately went on to Amazon.com and ordered every piece of fiction I could click my mouse on.

Sirius is a profound work of fiction. It actually made me cry in public - on the bus on the way home from work one night. This stupid book made me cry - in public. Damn this book. When I told my wife this anecdote, she called me a woman. Thanks a lot Olaf.

Sirius is an exquisite book. Stapledon presents to his reader a Frankenstein-like story, but he elevates the emotion and humanity to an all new level. While I like Shelley's original tale, it never really resonated with me on deep emotional level. I didn't feel for the monster like I thought I was supposed to. Such is not the case with Sirius. I have never felt as much empathy with and sympathy for a character as I did here.

This is because Sirius, the title character, the “monster,” is a dog. Yes, Stapledon plays the canine card. Old Yeller and Where the Red Fern Grows have met their match.

The book tells the story of a dog named Sirius, a new breed of super-canine created by a scientist named Thomas Trelone. Sirius is a very special kind of sheep dog. He has the ability to think, reason, and emote at the same level as a human being. However, he is not simply in possession of a human mind - that is, he is not a man trapped in a dog's body. No, he is more complex than this. He is actually a dog capable of complex thought, all filtered through his unique canine perspective. This grants Stapledon the ability to examine us, humankind, through a different lens, and he uses this SF impetus to great effect.

This is basically a biography of Sirius; it chronicles his entire life, or at least all of the major events in it. Sirius is born at the same time as the Trelone's own biological daughter, Plaxy. Together, the human and canine infant grow and learn. The family treats them both as equals, and encourages them to grow together while fostering a deep and lasting relationship between the two. Sirius is never to be treated as just a dog (unless secrecy dictates), and Plaxy is never to be treated better than her canine brother.

Throughout the narrative, the relationship between the human female and male canine is examined in great detail, and is illustrated with authenticity and compassion. And yes it does venture into some taboo territory, but it is never in poor taste, and nothing is ever done simply to provoke or shock. Stapledon demands that we evaluate Plaxy's and Sirius' relationship with new eyes, those not tainted by our own societal norms. I was constantly reminded of Theodore Sturgeon whilst reading this book, and I imagine that Stapledon must have been a great influence.

In addition to this interspecies relationship, we also witness Sirius' discovery of music and religion, two topics very near and dear to my own heart. Stapledon crafts a handful of wonderful and touching musical moments in the book. Because Sirius is a dog, he is able to hear tone and pitch far better than his human companions, thus the imperfection of human music is hard for him to appreciate - but he tries. He also composes and performs his own unique brand of canine music, and one such sequence in particular had me in tears. Just thinking about it now I can feel the emotion welling.

It has always been my belief that music and spirituality are closely linked, and so I was curious of how Stapledon would tackle the subject of religion. While living, the author was an agnostic, and I've read that he often discussed theology and philosophy with C. S. Lewis. I thought he might take a more cynical approach to the subject, but I was surprised to find otherwise. Sirius' longing for spirituality, and his eventual discovery, is powerful and sincere. In recognizing the importance of both reason and faith, science and religion, modern man could seriously learn a thing or two from this super-canine.

Simply put, Sirius is a fascinating tale of personal growth and discovery. And while the style is a bit dated - lots of telling, very storybook-like - Stapledon's prose is clear and concise. He conveys emotion expertly, and each vignette is wonderfully composed. For the brief time I spent with this book, I truly felt as if I was sharing a life with another being. I grew very fond of Sirius and his human family. But what's more, the book actually changed the way I look at my own dogs, and my own life. I've always been a dog person - I love my two dogs dearly - and after I was finished with Sirius, I just wanted to love them more. This book filled me with passion, and it is an experience I hope to never forget.

D_Davis

04-11-2008, 03:17 AM

Alright, Russ, I am reading The Orphan.

I hope it's good.

:)

Russ

04-11-2008, 03:16 PM

Alright, Russ, I am reading The Orphan.

I hope it's good.

:)
After my recommendation, I went out and ordered the trilogy for a reread.

I hope it's as good as I remember.

;)

D_Davis

04-11-2008, 03:28 PM

After my recommendation, I went out and ordered the trilogy for a reread.

I hope it's as good as I remember.

;)

It's pretty cool so far.

I loved the part where the beast rips up those hobo-thieves.

That was awesome.

The narrative structure is a tad strange, but it makes sense so long as you don't think about it too much.

Russ

04-11-2008, 04:22 PM

It's pretty cool so far.

I loved the part where the beast rips up those hobo-thieves.

That was awesome.

The narrative structure is a tad strange, but it makes sense so long as you don't think about it too much.
What's really interesting is how each novel is a bit different than its predecessor. The final one (by far the most unconventional of the three) delves deeply into the metaphysical aspects of the series, including out-of-body experiences. Fascinating stuff given that Stallman was diagnosed with cancer shortly after he began The Orphan and then rushed to finish The Captive and The Beast (which were both released posthumously) before he died in 1980.

D_Davis

04-13-2008, 03:52 PM

Finished the Orphan.

It was okay.

I liked it enough to want to read the other 2 eventually. That they are short and won't be a huge time commitment is also a plus.

I liked the story, and the characters, but the narration really bugged me.

1st person narration can be tricky, because if you don't do it right it doesn't make any sense.

For instance, a common mistake many amateur writers make when writing in this POV is having the narrator die at the end. This makes no sense. If the narrator of a 1st person POV dies, who is telling the story?

Stallman's book suffers from a similar problem. About 1/2 through the book, the narrator says that he needs to learn to read.

???

Because it is told in the present tense, if he needs to learn to read, how can he write the book?

This doesn't really get in the way of the story being told, but it is a personal pet peeve of mine and so it bugged me throughout.

D_Davis

04-13-2008, 04:08 PM

I'm going to read something a little different now...

Cosmicomics by Italo Calvino

D_Davis

04-13-2008, 11:10 PM

So far, Cosmicomics is reminding me a lot of Alan Lightman's book, Einstein's Dreams.

I like the nature of the short stories, and how they are written.

I've read the first four, and all but one has left a huge smile on my face.

The stories are absurd and endearing, comical and sincere. They depict characters jumping to the moon to harvest moon-milk, and they deal with the very beginnings of the universe. The characters have names such as Qfwfq, Mr. Hnw, G'd(w)-superscript-n, and Mrs. Ph(i)Nk-subscript-o-s. The characters are mathematical formulas, concepts, ideas, and theories.

It's light reading, for sure, but Calvino's prose is concise and artistic. Although it is translated from the Italian, the playfulness of the original language shines through.

Good stuff.

D_Davis

04-15-2008, 12:59 AM

lovejuice

04-15-2008, 06:25 PM

Finished Cosmicomics.

I thought it was okay.

It ran out of steam for me. The last 4 or 5 stories didn't interest me much.

The first half of the book is great though, and it piqued my interest enough to read more Calvino.

i can't remember the name, but my favorite is the one with dinosaur. i'm a bit sad that you merely find it ok since i always regard cosmicomics as the best collection of sci-fi shorts.

D_Davis

04-15-2008, 06:31 PM

i can't remember the name, but my favorite is the one with dinosaur. i'm a bit sad that you merely find it ok since i always regard cosmicomics as the best collection of sci-fi shorts.

I didn't care for the Dinosaur one.

I really liked the first 4 or 5 stories - great stuff.

Calvino's prose is consistent throughout, and his sense of humor is fantastic. However, I just didn't get much out of these little stories.

As examples of playful prose and romantic atmosphere, they excel, but I wanted more.

I wanted to feel more, and I didn't really feel much at all.

But like I said, I enjoyed these enough to read more from the author. I didn't dislike the book, it's just that the last half failed to capture my imagination like the first half did.

D_Davis

04-16-2008, 03:32 PM

I started Kate Wilhelm's Hugo award winning novel, Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang, this morning.

Man is it chilling.

I am going to read some SF written by women for a bit.

D_Davis

04-25-2008, 02:28 PM

Finally finished Where Late the Sweet Birds Sang. It was a slow read. Most of it is pretty good, although I wish the first scenario had been drawn out more. I found the conflict between the humans and the first clones to be the most interesting aspect of the novel, but that's all finished in about 70 pages.

***

I started re-reading Theodore Sturgeon's The Dreaming Jewels last night. This was my first experience with the author, over ten years ago. I bought the book on a whim while working at a book store. I loved it, but for some reason I put off digging deeper into Sturgeon's work until recently.

Reading it again with a new found appreciation for Sturgeon's craft and prose, and a deeper understanding of his themes, is like reading it with new eyes.

My God is it an incredible book.

No wonder why Ray Bradbury likes it so much. You can tell that this book was a huge influence on him.

There's just no one else like Sturgeon.

His ability to paint dark and twisted character and then shed light on them so that the reader sympathizes with them is uncanny. He his able to tap into this strange nightmare/dream realm that conjures simultaneous feelings of familiarity and strangeness.

The dude was just a master.

D_Davis

04-27-2008, 03:26 PM

Just finished another read of Sturgeon's The Dreaming Jewels, mainly for a review.

This was the first book of his I read, over 10 years ago, and now it is the last major novel (don't know if I will read Voyage to the Bottom of the Sea, or ever get my hands on I, Libertine) of his I need to read for a review.

Having a deeper understanding of his craft and themes has made me appreciate this book even more, as if that was even possible.

The only novel of his I don't like is Venus Plus X, and I really don't like it.

Trying to rank the others is almost impossible - each one is so brilliant.

Godbody impacted me the most, that's for sure, but To Marry Medusa entertained me the most.

Some of Your Blood impressed me the most in terms of prose and craft, but More Than Human is his densest most nuanced character study.

And The Dreaming Jewels is just a fascinating, imaginative, and wonderfully written tale of the weird, brimming with incredible imagery.

As far as imagery goes, The Dreaming Jewels and To Marry Medusa contain my favorite elements.

Wow, what a writer. I am now going to really start in on the short stories. I've got the first 10 volumes of the collected short stories, and I am going to start with Bianca's Hands in the first volume and read most of them in chron order until I am done.

D_Davis

04-29-2008, 02:42 PM

I started Philip Jose Farmer's The Unreasoning Mask last night. It is very interesting. It's a space opera, not totally unlike Star Trek, but with a deep Islamic mystical current running through it. The main character is of a futuristic Muslim sect, but he has lost most of his faith. That is until his father dies and he begins to be haunted by Al-Khidr, the Green One, a mystical being/legend or perhaps a prophet.

The story is really out-there, and already I am incredibly fascinated by it.

lemon

05-14-2008, 02:27 PM

I've been going through this thread while at the library trying to pick out titles that seem interesting but my library doesn't seem to have any of the titles you guys talk about (sometimes other libraries in the county do though). So I guess I'd just like 2 or 3 recommendations that I can do an inter-library loan for.

The only Science Fiction I've really read is A Scanner Darkly which I absolutely love and the Dune Series (I loved the first one of the series rest were kinda meh). I just started Martian Time-Slip which is good so far.

lovejuice

05-25-2008, 10:22 PM

i have to stop midway through xenocide, the third book in ender's series. don't misunderstand me, i like the book, and i love the series so far. yet something about card makes it so hard to stomach his "universe." i'm not certain about his ideology and standpoint, but i get a lot of right-wingged/conservative sentiment. these people living in a universe that such and such things are not allowed simply because that aren't. every inactions are mandated by something, either higher being or morality. instead of feeling exuberent, card's book is castrophobic. good writing, but perhaps not for me at the moment.

Mara

05-25-2008, 10:37 PM

i'm not certain about his ideology and standpoint, but i get a lot of right-wingged/conservative sentiment.

Card is Mormon, like me. Also like me, he's a particularly liberal one politically, but the strong religious base is probably why you're getting the "it's wrong because it's wrong" vibe.

And I loved Ender's Game but the sequels were crap, except for Ender's Shadow, which isn't a sequel but a "companion novel." (i.e., it takes place at the same time period as Ender's Game, but from Bean's perspective.)

megladon8

05-25-2008, 11:11 PM

"Ender's Game" is one of my favorite books ever, but I never bothered with the sequels.

Anyone else really miss D_Davis?

lovejuice

05-26-2008, 12:48 AM

Card is Mormon, like me. Also like me, he's a particularly liberal one politically, but the strong religious base is probably why you're getting the "it's wrong because it's wrong" vibe.

And I loved Ender's Game but the sequels were crap, except for Ender's Shadow, which isn't a sequel but a "companion novel." (i.e., it takes place at the same time period as Ender's Game, but from Bean's perspective.)

thank. that clears up a lot. i actually like speaker for the dead, and still want to encourage meg to try it. yes, d is sorely missed. he is on some self discovery journey, but he'll come back to us soon, i believe.

megladon8

05-26-2008, 02:30 AM

Finished J. G. Ballard's "Vermilion Sands" this evening.

My favorite stories were "The Cloud Sculptors of Coral D", "Venus Smiles", "Studio 5, The Stars" and "The Thousand Dreams of Stella Vista".

As I may have said before, it was very refreshing to read a vision of the future that isn't bleak and dystopic. To have a future that's beautiful and dreamlike, filled with wonders of both nature and human imagination, was really great.

But, I did have some problems with it. Many of the stories are very repetitive in their themes of lost love and melancholy longing, and I think I counted at least three stories in the book that are basically "I saw (insert technological wonder here), and it reminded me of (insert name of lost love here)" - I found that pretty tedious.

All in all I enjoyed it. I'll seek out more of Ballard's work in the future.

lemon

06-11-2008, 04:35 PM

Just finished Hominid by Robert Sawyer. I thought it was pretty good although it did wrap up the storyline a little too quickly. Also I thought the romance between Mary and Pondit was weird and out of place.

Just started A Fire Upon the Deep by Vernor Vinge and am only a few chapters in. So far it has been confusing as nothing has really been explained yet but I expect that to change soon. I think I will like this one a lot.

monolith94

06-18-2008, 04:32 AM

After finishing The Urth of the New Sun by Gene Wolfe, I think I can safely say that I've had enough of Wolfe for one year. He's great, but his style is so thick and the cosmology he creates in that book so obtuse and befuddling that I just need to move on to something more... transparent. Good book, great book, but whew, I need a rest.

D_Davis

07-03-2008, 04:06 PM

Hey guys, I'm back. I definitely won't be posting as much as I used to (I've actually grown to enjoy life without forums) but I would be lying to say that I didn't miss many of you.

(not all of you)

:)

I've been reading a lot of J.G. Ballard lately...some thoughts (random)...

In trying to think of a way to describe Ballard's voice, his vision, I found that it is really hard to come up with the right words. His stories are like snapshots of beautiful and frightening dreams, dreams that are often times nightmares of our own making. His characters find themselves trapped and isolated by the very worlds and things they helped to create.

You know that unsettling feeling you get while watching a David Lynch film? Reading Ballard is kind of like this. His books will make you look at things in a different light.

He is an author who really understands western culture: society, pop-culture, consumerism, technology, family, desires, dreams, and how all of these things impact our psyches. He often deals with isolation in the midst of society, and many of his stories possess an atmosphere of intense loss and longing.

While he has moved away from what we might call SF (at least in the way it is defined by genrehounds), he still deals with themes that present themselves in a SF manner.

When I first heard the term "speculative fiction" it was in regards to Ballard.

I read Alfred Bester's Virtual Unrealities and The Best Short Stories of J.G. Ballard back-to-back (my first experience with both authors) in the mid 1990s. These two books set me on a literary path, one that took me away from fantasy and space opera, and into the more heady regions of speculative fiction and inner-space. It was after reading these two collections that I truly began to demand more out of my genre reading.

I fell in love with Ballard's strangely dystopian, yet beautiful and alluring settings and his ideas of the near and far future.

In regards to the apocalypse, Ballard's vision of the "end times" often deals with an inner-apocalypse, one that is either a) brought on by external forces forcing a character to become isolated (often times the catalyst for these events are decisions that humanity has made) (see Concrete Island), or b) self inflicted, not suicidal, but one in which a character makes a conscious choice to withdraw and isolate himself (see The Enormous Space).

Even his stories about space are more about the effects of space on the human psyche than they are about space ships and technology. In many ways, Ballard's astronauts share the same fears as Blatty's astronaut, Cutshaw, in The Ninth Configuration. Cutshaw's fear of loneliness is very real. If there is no God, and he were to die, alone, in space, he would die truly alone. Space is so big that it creates intense feelings of isolation. Things get so big that we just can't comprehend it and thus we shut down with our psyche collapsing on itself.

Ballard specialized in these kinds of personal, inner-apocalypse stories.

I recently finished Running Wild and War Fever, and I just started The Crystal World.

While reading The Crystal World (about 1/2 through it) I've noticed another connection to the Japanese idea of Mono No Aware, and Ballard's striking atmosphere has once again made me think of anime. This time, the world that he describes totally reminds me of Miyazaki's petrified forest in Nausicaa. I wouldn't be at all surprised in Miyazaki had read this book, as he and Ballard both use ecology and the environment as driving forces to much of their work.

It is surprising to me to find so many thematic and atmospheric similarities between Ballard's fiction and good anime. One thing I've always loved about Japanese animation is the strong sense of nostalgia associated with their narratives. The study of the essence and tranquility of things is something important to many Japanese artists, and I've never come across this in any western work.

Until now, with Ballard. When I first started reading Ballard I was unaware of the concept of Mono No Aware, and so I did not see this connection. However, ever since reading about this idea a few years ago, I have been interested in it, and in what it means.

It is interesting that The Crystal World reminds me of Miyazaki. Earlier, while reading War Fever, I found a connection to Makoto Shinkai's A Place Promised in Our Early Days; it, too, is very Ballardian (Memories of the Space Age), and Shinkai has already been declared as "the next Miyazaki."

I love connecting the dots between the various things I enjoy, especially with the connections transcend mediums and cultures.

Kurosawa Fan

07-03-2008, 04:15 PM

:pritch:

It's good to have you back! Even if you don't post often, it'll be nice just to have the occasional appearance. You were missed as well.

D_Davis

07-03-2008, 04:46 PM

:)

Nice to see you, too.

I just couldn't stand to see this SF thread whither away...

;)

There is too much good stuff to talk about.

Sven

07-03-2008, 08:50 PM

Excellent thoughts on Ballard, a writer I have admired from a distance but will, in time, no doubt, pull into a closer embrace.

Oh, and HELLO! I dedicated my entry of Nausicaa in the iosos Duncan Melville and Derek top 100 thread to you.

D_Davis

07-04-2008, 03:31 PM

Running Wild - J.G. Ballard

Read in light of the horrific events at Columbine high school and Virgina Tech, J.G. Ballard's Running Wild is eerily prophetic and all the more chilling and haunting. He deftly filters the modern fascination with self-imposed isolationism and surveillance/voyeurism in the name of safety into a reduction of only the most essential elements. He then extrapolates on these ideas to arrive at conclusions that are shockingly outlandish and damningly plausible.

Reading a Ballard story is like looking into the clearest mirror money can buy while simultaneously gazing though a genuine crystal ball, each displaying an image that is strangely familiar, hauntingly alien, and all together unsettling.

Running Wild details the horrible and tragic mass murder known as the Pangbourne Massacre. The Pangbourne Estates are an illustrious and affluent gated community situated in the pastoral English country side. There are a dozen or so family homes occupied by typical upper-middle class families. The estates are protected with a state of the art surveillance system offering the utmost in high-tech security. The adults are good people with the best intentions. They are hard working humanitarians in love with life and their children. The children are afford every amenity, and are encouraged through positive reinforcement at every turn.

This is the ultimate in suburban living.

Ballard does not paint this suburban setting with an obviously cynical brush. He does not portray these well-to-do families as being snobby, or obnoxiously wealthy. They do not want for anything, but they seem to be grateful for what they have. He does not portray the parents as being workaholics. No, these adults seem to have struck a healthy work-life balance. Their children are not Latchkey children - they are not neglected or abused. On the surface, everything seems fine, but, in typical Ballardian fashion, the pristine surface hides something ugly.

However, this is not a simple case of an “artist” taking cheap shots at the middle-class; Ballard is above such nonsense. I never once felt as if Ballard was looking down upon this kind of suburban living. There is no judgment being passed, no condemnation in his voice. He is simply presenting a setting as a catalyst for a series of haunting and chilling murders. Ballard is not lazily showing us how evil he thinks gated-suburbia is, but, rather, he is presenting to us a series of frightening events while asking us to examine the reasons why such an event might occur. He is examining without preaching, probing without malice.

The final ten or so pages, which present a detailed recreation of the Pangbourne Massacre, contain some of the most horrific descriptions of cold blooded murder I've ever read in a fictional story. It is almost like reading the accounts in a true crime book. It's described in a robotic, emotionless nature; it is not sensationalized or stylized to increase the excitement. Ballard's choice to write this in the style of a clinical report on the incident strengthens the tone and theme of the narrative. This is an example of form working in tandem with function to create an atmosphere that benefits from both, something that Ballard has always excelled at.

In the land of the sane, madness is the only escape.

Ballard expertly captures this idea and conveys a great deal of satire and understanding about our modern society. That he does all of this in only one-hundred pages is a testament to his genius. Ballard also wrote a book called A User's Guide to the Millennium, but, in truth, many of his books could be seen as tangents to that collection of essays, especially Running Wild. Ballard has his thumb firmly on the pulse of the western zeitgeist and the various microcosms that make up our greater societies. Running Wild is a haunting read, and I won't soon forget my time spent with it.

***

A viral marketing campaign rife with Ballardian subtext:

http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-1031062/Faceless-aliens-spotted-crowd-Wimbledon.html

D_Davis

07-06-2008, 03:36 AM

The Crystal World - J.G. Ballard

Overall, it is pretty good, but really, really slow. With a bit of editing, it could be a lot better. There are a few chapters in part 2 that do nothing but set up some action, and since the action and chase sequences don't really add anything to the plot or the characters (character development is not one of Ballard's strong points) they wind up being totally superfluous.

However, when Ballard is on, he is on, and The Crystal World contains many passages of beautiful description and enough atmosphere for a dozen similar novels. I cannot recommend this as whole heartedly as The Best Short Stories of..., Running Wild, or War Fever, but it is worth a read if you enjoy the author or like a cool eco-tinted SF story with wonderful prose that outshines most of Ballards contemporaries.

D_Davis

07-07-2008, 12:54 PM

I started John Shirley's City Come A-Walkin', generally considered the first real cyberpunk novel. I've never read Shirley before, so I am looking forward to it. It's basically about how a city, San Francisco, manifests itself in a physical avatar called The Man, and the narrative explores how the city's inhabitants are all interconnected with each other and the avatar. While there is no cyberspace involved, the concept exists in an extrapolated way, and here, in 1980, Shirley laid the foundation for the sub-genre.

D_Davis

07-07-2008, 02:21 PM

Wow.

I've blown through about 50 pages of the Shirley novel this morning, and it is blowing my mind.

Why Gibson's Neuromancer is always name-checked as the great genesis of true cyberpunk and not City Come A-Walkin' is a mystery.

I've never really liked Neuromancer - too much jargon, not enough soul - but now, read in comparison to Shirley's novel, I like it even less.

If the rest of the book continues along the genrebusting trail blazed by the first 50 pages, I will have no problem shelving this along side Bester's The Stars My Destination, Dick's The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch, and Sturgeon's More Than Human as an example of SF that shook the very core of the genre and changed its landscape.

Reading this in 1980 must have been a revelation.

Shirley was actually involved with the American punk rock movement, and he expertly captures the attitude and pathos of the movement in his prose. This is a book filled with angst and passion, heart and soul, and a desire to do something different.

I am glad I finally picked this up. It has been sitting on my shelf, unread, for far too long.

D_Davis

07-07-2008, 06:25 PM

SF author Thomas M Disch committed suicide this weekend.

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/07/06/rip-thomas-m-disch.html

And I just bought my first Disch book.

Why do all the good SF writers have to be dead or close to dying?

I keep thinking that any day now I will see a posting about Ballard's death.

Sad.

D_Davis

07-08-2008, 02:30 PM

City Come A-Walkin' continues to amaze me.

Out of all the cyberpunk I've read, it is truly the most "punk rock."

There are so many levels on which this could be read:

As SF action/adventure

As allegory on modern urban living, and how the city shapes its inhabitants

As commentary on hipster scenes and how they they are defined

A punk rock manifesto about sticking it to the man, but one with an even more cynical view - what if the punks are just being manipulated by an even bigger man?

I cannot imagine having read this in 1980 - it must have been such a revelation.

Shirley's voice is unique and powerful.

There is just so much to love about this book.

D_Davis

07-09-2008, 02:18 PM

One of the best things about City Come A-Walikn' is its hero, Stu Cole. He's written in an interesting and realistic manner. He is a reluctant hero, one drawn into the danger and adventure against his will, but he is not a whiner or complainer. He is not Shinji from Neon Genesis, but he's also not Snake Pliskin. Cole straddles a fine line - he is both anti-establishment and a man with responsibility and integrity. He doesn't want to mess things up because it's the punk thing to do, he wants to shake things up to bring about beneficial change. He's just a dude who loves the city of San Fransisco and its people.

He is reluctant because he questions the morality of his actions. That he struggles with the violence he causes is a wonderful trait, one that is sorely missing from many subsequent cyberpunk stories. Do the ends justify the means? Cole receives his directives directly from City - the avatar, the physical manifestation of the city and its inhabitants - and so to question his actions is to question the very zeitgeist and memes of San Francisco. By questioning City's motives, thus, in a way, turning his back on the city, Cole becomes isolated and afraid in the very confines of his home, the place that used to grant him sanctuary.

D_Davis

07-10-2008, 01:38 AM

The Dreaming Jewels - Theodore Sturgeon

The Dreaming Jewels was my first experience with Theodore Sturgeon. I picked the book up a few years ago, read it, and loved it. But for some reason I didn't pursue Sturgeon's other work until more recently. Upon my first read I was struck by how succinct Sturgeon's prose was, and I thought his ability to illustrate pathos and horrific situations was incredible. And now, after a more recent re-read, I am even more impressed with this short novel. Having a deeper understanding of his themes and having been exposed more to his craft has led me to appreciate the book even more.

The Dreaming Jewels tells the story of a young boy named Horty Bluett. Horty is caught doing something gross at school, and once again finds himself the victim of his step-parents' abuse. Sturgeon never shied away from presenting his readers with dark and twisted events and characters. On the contrary, he often dove head-first into such territories. The first couple of chapters here are harrowing; violent physical and emotional child abuse is depicted bluntly. While Sturgeon never candy-coated his portrayals of nastiness, he never utilized unnecessary shock value.

In desperation, Horty does what many young boys in his situation dream of doing: he, along with his toy Junky, a jack-in-the-box with jeweled eyes, runs away and joins a traveling circus. His new family consists of: a deaf and mute alligator-skinned man named Solum; a fat little midget boy named Havana; an albino girl named Bunny; and a tiny little woman named Zena. Horty and Zena quickly develop a strong bond; their relationship matures and becomes passionate without being romantically active. They are like mother and son, brother and sister, and lovers all at the same time. Zena soon learns of Junky's jeweled eyes and she tells Horty to keep them hidde from the circus ringleader, a dark and mysterious man known as the Maneater.

The Maneater is fascinating, one of my favorite literary villains. Sturgeon paints him with disturbing detail; he is more than a mustache twister and more than a mere monster. This is especially true in his origin chapter, where we learn of the passion that drives the Maneater, and in which we first learn of the strange crystal jewels at the vortex of the narrative. The Maneater is a jewel hunter, and has devoted his life to capturing and experimenting with the strange crystals to unlock their true potential. Sturgeon presents the Maneater's lust in a vibrant and fearful way, and the obsession found in the character makes for an interesting and frightening antagonist.

The Dreaming Jewels is Sturgeon's most straightforward novel. Where he sometimes had the tendency to be didactic, and to really examine his motto (“Ask the next question.”), The Dreaming Jewels is basically a straight up, dark and fantastic, twisted little thriller. It contains elements of SF, horror, and coming of age story all wrapped up in a short, action packed, and extremely well written novel. The novel's pacing is relentless, and, like To Marry Medusa, it moves along in a whiz-bang fashion. There is a lot going on within the narrative, and Sturgeon packs the pages with details.

What I found most fascinating is how the narrative evolves. It starts out as one kind of story, and slowly morphs, organically, into something else. Sturgeon builds an elaborate and nuanced tale and examines a number of fascinating ideas here, all while keeping the plot focused and moving. Like a slowly budding flower, as each chapter is read, the story opens up to reveal something more mysterious until the center is finally exposed and the reader truly understands the narrative's nature. This really is an expertly crafted story, and it makes sense that Ray Bradbury is so jealous of it's allure and of Sturgeon's craft.

Now that I've read all of Sturgeon's major SF novels, I am actually kind of sad. I still have a ton of short stories to devour, but I will never again be able to read a Sturgeon novel for the first time. I enjoyed coming around full circle, and rereading the book that introduced me to this amazing author. I can't recommend The Dreaming Jewels enough; it is fascinating, intelligent, thrilling, emotional, and a finely crafter novel. I would love for many more people to pick this up, I think it is a fantastic entry point for anyone longing to start a great literary journey.

Sven

07-10-2008, 09:15 PM

Just like you to know, D, that your reviews ARE being read and appreciated. I cannot comment on them, because you haven't written a review for a book that I've read yet, but I appreciate SF recs more than any other kind.

D_Davis

07-10-2008, 09:24 PM

Coolio, thanks!

I enjoy writing them, even if no one reads them.

But that someone is reading them, and maybe even taking the recs seriously, is even better.

Teh Sausage

07-11-2008, 09:25 AM

Coincidentally, I began reading Ballard's Complete Short Stories a while ago. I find them all right so far, even though all his narrators sound the same. Is the characterisation stronger in his novels? I'm going to read The Drowned World soon.

D_Davis

07-11-2008, 01:07 PM

No - Ballard's strong point is not characterization.

He an ideas man.

D_Davis

07-11-2008, 01:36 PM

Rather than dismissing Ballard's stories as all sounding the same (something I was going to bring up when meg was reading VS), it is better to look at them as one large body of work with a singular vision - which the vast majority of his SF is.

Of course, you could branch out to his non-SF, and read The Empire of the Sun, or The Kindness of Woman for something completely different.

Yes - if you look at his SF in terms of narration, in terms of plot, many of them are similar. This is because they are, for the most part, variations of a similar theme. Like a painter might paint multiple variations of a certain subject, so to does Ballard with his fiction.

However, in terms of style, his stories are often vastly different. For instance - both The Atrocity Exhibition and Crash deal with similar ideas of the charged, violent sexual obsession of automobiles in the west (a theme he also explored in an art exhibit displaying crashed cars), but the styles of these two novels is as different as night and day.

And looking in the collection War Fever, one finds stories with similar themes and "plots," but one also finds stories with wildly different styles. One is only an index to a lost and forgotten book, while another is only a series of answers to unseen questions.

I think that complaining that Ballard's short fiction is too similar is like complaining that Lynch's or Cronenberg's films often contain similar themes and ideas. They do, but this is what makes them Lynch and Cronenberg, and this is what makes Ballard, Ballard, and why when people describe something as "Ballardian" others who have read him know what they are talking about.

D_Davis

07-11-2008, 06:02 PM

Neil Stephenson lectures on genre

http://www.boingboing.net/2008/07/11/neal-stephenson-lect.html

Haven't watched it yet, but I plan to soon.

megladon8

07-11-2008, 10:45 PM

I have his book "Snow Crash" on my shelf.

Have you read that one, D?

D_Davis

07-16-2008, 03:29 AM

City Come A-Walkin' - John Shirley

Author John Shirley was involved with the American punk rock scene, and he expertly captures the attitude and pathos of the movement in his novel, City Come A-Walkin', ground zero for the cyberpunk movement. This is a book filled with angst and passion, heart and soul, and a desire to do things differently. Because of this, I would not hesitate to say that this is the most punk of all the genuine cyberpunk I've read. It is real punk, down to its very core, and contains the ethos that made the movement a vital part of modern society. It is not punk in surface only; it doesn't simply go through the motions touching upon all the things a cyberpunk novel is supposed to. No - City Come A-Walkin' created the blue print that would be followed in subsequent outings, and therefor its punk attitude is all the more genuine and fresh.

Some may read this now and wonder just what is so cyberpunk about it? There are no modems, no A.I., no V.R., no hacking, and none of the stuff that made Shadowrun so damn cool in the late 1980s and early 1990s. It is not a neo-noir in the vein of Bladerunner, and it does not deal with techno-jargon like Gibson's Neuromancer. Because it does not date itself with either of these conventions it is actually far more timeless. One of the problems with cyberpunk is that the genre is often overly concerned with the very near future; because many of these novels rely so heavily on tech and jargon that has become dated, they feel anachronistic and tired rather than forward-thinking and daring.

Shirley's novel is cyberpunk because of its themes, and how it deals with the ideas of modern urban living, not because of the tech. City Come A-Walkin' is so concerned with the ideas of the proverbial city that the city - in this case San Fransisco - itself becomes a character, quite literally. Just imagine if the city you live in were able to manifest itself into a single entity possessing the collected conscious of all its inhabitants. What kind of person would your city be? How would the zeitgeist of your city shape and form its persona? Depending on your location, this could be a frightening proposal.

One of the best things about City Come A-Walikn' is its hero, Stu Cole. He's written in an interesting and realistic manner. He is a reluctant hero, one drawn into the danger and adventure against his will, but he is neither a whiner, nor a complainer; he is neither Shinji from Neon Genesis, nor is he Snake Pliskin. He is a character charged with a mission and he follows through because he is a man of his word.

Cole straddles a fine line - he is both anti-establishment, and a man with responsibility and integrity. He doesn't want to mess things up simply because it's the punk thing to do, he wants to shake things up to bring about beneficial change. He's just a dude who loves the city of San Fransisco and its people.
He is reluctant because he questions the morality of his actions. That he struggles with the violence he causes is a wonderful trait, one that is sorely missing from many subsequent cyberpunk stories.

Do the ends justify the means?

Cole receives his directives directly from City - the avatar, the physical manifestation of the city and its inhabitants - and so to question his commands is to question the very zeitgeist and memes of San Francisco. By questioning City's motives, thus, in a way, turning his back on the city itself, Cole becomes isolated and afraid in the very confines of his home, the place that at one time granted him sanctuary and safety.

Shirley handles his themes of urban isolation and the psychological impact of urban living with subtlety and creativity. He introduces these themes through the narrative and the characters' actions. He also does so with an incredible amount of entertainment. This book offers up the best of both worlds. It is endlessly entertaining, action packed, and exciting, while it is also thought provoking and intelligent. Most of all though, it is well written; Shirley shows a maturity here that is refreshing. I was a little hesitant to jump into this; as the first of its kind I thought it might be a little weak and less than memorable, perhaps a book only worth its historical roots in the genre. I quickly realized that my hesitation was unnecessary - City Come a Waklin' is a book to be tackled head on with blazing enthusiasm.

D_Davis

07-17-2008, 02:18 PM

In needing to add something more traditional to my plate while parsing through Ballard's The Atrocity Exhibition, I am turning towards one of the kings of SF tradition, Clifford D. Simak, and his book The Goblin Reservation.

Like homemade chicken soup on a could winter's day, Simak almost always scratches the itch for a good SF yarn.

This is a really good book. One of Simak's strongest. It adds a very interesting SF twist to the fantasy world of goblins, fairies, banshees, trolls, and so one. The plot is a slow boil, but the world is interesting, and, as usual, Simak creates a number of memorable characters.

Simak had a knack for creating pleasant stories that never became overly precious, cute, and trite. This book was probably a huge influence on Neil Gaiman and Matt Ruff, as it contains elements of urban fantasy and mystery mixed within a milieu of academics.

Sven

07-20-2008, 03:00 PM

What're your thoughts on Matheson and Heinlein?

D_Davis

07-20-2008, 03:07 PM

What're your thoughts on Matheson and Heinlein?

I haven't read enough of either to give a definitive statement.

I have two GIANT volumes of Heinlein short stories that I want to get to soon. What I have read by him, I've found to be pretty simple but also entertaining. I have no desire to read Stranger in a Strange Land, but I do want to read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - which is also on my to read shelf. From my experience with him, he is not an author I am in a hurry to devour.

I've read even less from Matheson, but I think I like him more. Unlike Heinlein, Matherson seems like an author that I would like to explore.

This whole new-found interest in SF in general was spurred on because I hadn't really explored the genre in great depth. I've always liked SF, but I had only read a very small sampling of authors and sub-genres. Last year, when I started reading through the Hugo winners, I started to branch out for the first time and discover some good stuff.

Sven

07-20-2008, 03:17 PM

I have no desire to read Stranger in a Strange Land

Why is that?

but I do want to read The Moon is a Harsh Mistress - which is also on my to read shelf. From my experience with him, he is not an author I am in a hurry to devour.

One of the best stories I've ever read, more fantasy than science-fiction, is The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan Hoag. That story, particularly the way it ends, resonates with me almost even stronger today than when I read it. If you've got it, definitely pick it up. It's short, can't remember, like, 150 pages or so.

I've read even less from Matheson, but I think I like him more. Unlike Heinlein, Matherson seems like an author that I would like to explore.

Matheson is ten times easier to read than Heinlein, but his ideas are more direct. His language is less interesting, but he creates some pretty potent scenarios.

D_Davis

07-20-2008, 04:01 PM

Why is that?

From excerpts and things about I've read it, it just doesn't seem like it has much to offer me. Could be wrong, but it is not on my short list.

I've only read a tiny sampling of his stuff, and I just haven't haven't found anything that I really love yet - but I am sure that I will.

Look at Clifford D. Simak as an example of what I mean. Simak wrote a lot of vanilla SF. Many of his books aren't really that good, but they are somewhat interesting and well-written, if simple; like I said earlier, chicken soup. However, the first thing I read by him was Way Station - and this totally blew my mind, and quickly became one of my favorite books. Now, had I started with something like Cemetery Gates, or Time is the Simplest of Things, I probably wouldn't have been encouraged to continue exploring his work. My first Simak experience was such a good one that I look forward to reading more of him.

My first Heinlein was read many years ago - Starship Troopers. I liked it as a youngster, but it didn't wow me. I recently read his Hugo winning novel Double Star, and I didn't like it at all. I've also read Have Spacesuit Will Travel, and a handful of short stories.

I think I've simply read the wrong Heinlein stuff.

I haven't found my Heinlein "Way Station" yet; I'm still looking for my entry point. I am looking forward to reading these two short story collections though - Expanding Universe, and The Past Through Tomorrow.

Another author like Heinlein for me has been James Blish. I had a terrible first experience, but I know he has some amazing books out there. I am hoping his award-winning short series Cities in Flight will win me over.

Have you read Joe Haldeman, in particular, The Forever War?

The Unpleasant Profession of Jonathan HoagI have not heard of this, I will look into it.

Thanks!

edit: ordered. Sounds good.

I'm easy. Books are so cheap used, that if someone recs me one that sounds awesome, I purchase it. I am always up for discovering new SF.

D_Davis

07-20-2008, 04:14 PM

megladon8

07-21-2008, 01:12 AM

Today I am starting Richard Paul Russo's Carlucci trilogy, which tells the story of a detective in a near future San Francisco. It's a cyber-noir; I've heard it described as "Bladerunner meets Seven". As the two-time winner of the PKD award (once for the second book of this trilogy), I am greatly looking forward to checking this author out.

I have this trilogy in one volume - got it in the "bargain books" section of Chapters for $2.50.

I was going to read it about a month ago, but decided to read "Hell" instead.

Boy, was that a misstep. Talk about a book starting out great, and the author spiraling downwards.

D_Davis

07-21-2008, 01:15 AM

I have this trilogy in one volume - got it in the "bargain books" section of Chapters for $2.50.

I was going to read it about a month ago, but decided to read "Hell" instead.

Boy, was that a misstep. Talk about a book starting out great, and the author spiraling downwards.

Sounds like a good bargain! I paid $15 for the same thing.

You've been reading Hell for what seems like a very, very long time. I would have given up ages ago.

Back to Heinlein, I also recently purchased Red Planet - sounds like a pretty interesting read.

megladon8

07-21-2008, 01:21 AM

Sounds like a good bargain! I paid $15 for the same thing.

You've been reading Hell for what seems like a very, very long time. I would have given up ages ago.

I have like 20 or 30 pages left, and I just haven't mustered up the will to finish it.

What began as a really interesting premise with some deep moral implications became a simple place for the author to rant about his philosophical views. The story has been completely abandoned.

It's actually turned me off reading books lately. Been reading more comics.

D_Davis

07-23-2008, 04:50 PM

Almost finished with the first Carlucci book, Destroying Angel.

It's pretty good. It's interesting, too, that Carlucci isn't the POV character in this book.

The book is very dark, somber, and contains an oppressive atmosphere. It is well written, and the author paces everything with skill. While it is not exciting, something interesting happens in each chapter, and so I always feel compelled to keep reading.

Bladerunner meets Seven is a perfect description.

D_Davis

07-25-2008, 01:02 AM

Destroying Angel is excellent.

Highly recommended, especially to fans of neo-noir, Bladerunner, and Seven.

The end is especially awesome, and contains some stunning imagery and unexpected, but plausible, turn of events.

Great stuff.

I think I need a break from this world though - it is bleak.

I am going to read something else before tackling book 2.

D_Davis

07-28-2008, 02:27 AM

War Fever - J.G. Ballard

What if World War 3 happened but nobody noticed because they were too preoccupied with constant televised up-to-the-minute reports of the president's health?

What if war, like small pox, was a kind of disease, and to cure it, it had to waged, studied, and analyzed in order to produce a vaccine?

What if one of the greatest men who ever lived was wiped from history's memory, and the only thing remaining of his extraordinary exploits was an index to a non-existent biography?

What if, due to AIDs and other STDs, humankind quit having sex, thus forcing the government to enlist healthy bodies into a sexual military in which their tour of duty consisted of random emotionless sexual encounters night after night?

Lots of questions. Some answers. Many more questions. Lots of thinking.

Although J.G. Ballard's collection of short stories, War Fever, is quite short, around 175 pages, it took me many days to read. While reading each of the fourteen stories, I would frequently put the book down to think about particular passages. Whether it was the prose, a certain description, or a character's action that gave me pause, these are nuanced stories that demand careful attention and thought. And, even after careful thought, there are a few stories that I haven't fully wrapped my head around. These are stories that I look forward to reading again with some more experience under my belt - with a different perspective. Ballard's narratives often benefit from readers who can approach them with a certain level of maturity and understanding. That is, with age I can see myself appreciating his art even more.

This is a quality of excellent speculative fiction, and J.G. Ballard writes excellent SF.

One thing that Ballard has always specialized in is the use of style, and knowing when to use a traditional narration, or when to use a more experimental approach. With Ballard, form and function are always used in tandem to create the best possible creation. Ballard never uses style for the sake of style, there is always a rhyme and a reason.

In War Fever there are a number of stories that benefit greatly from Ballard's use of experimental prose. While not as disjointed or startling as The Atrocity Exhibition, some of the stories in this volume are emblematic of Ballard's experimental side. There is the aforementioned story, “The Index,” an incredible example of severe brevity. What can we learn about a great man from an index of his life? Imagine your life written as a simple list of important things you did or people you knew. This idea is also sad, and more than a little depressing. For no matter how great a man's life may be, in the end it can be summed up and listed as a series of events - not a “to do” list, but a “has done” list.

“Notes Towards a Mental Breakdown” also flirts with an experimental structure. The story consists of a single sentence:

A discharged Broadmoor patient compiles “Notes Towards a Mental Breakdown”, recalling his wife's murder, his trial and exoneration.

Each word in the sentence is annotated with a footnote exploring the details of this single sentence.

And finally there is the absolutely brilliant little “story”, “Answers to a Questionnaire”. In this piece, Ballard simply lists one-hundred answers to an unknown series of questions. From these answers we are able to piece together a narrative, a character, and a reason for the questions being asked.

War Fever also includes some of Ballard's more straightforward narratives. Two of these stories, “The Enormous Space” and “Report on an Unidentified Space Station”, focus intensely on a theme coveted by the author: the psychological effects of space on the human mind. The first of these deals with inner-space on the planet Earth, and the second one deals with outer space in a SF setting. These two stories form an interesting duology of sorts, and exemplify how deftly Ballard handles setting and its impact on character.

My favorite story in the collection, The Secret History of World War III, deals with a pair of themes frequently visited by Ballard: media-politicians and World War. In this story, the world has become so infatuated with Ronald Reagan's health and well-being that it completely ignores the fact that World War III is being fought. The war itself lasts mere minutes, perhaps only seconds, but no one can be bothered with the details because the only things being broadcast or reported on by the media are reports and shows about President Reagan's life - reality television to the max.

J.G. Ballard is an author with a singular vision. There is a reason why the word “Ballardian” was coined to describe stories that deal with similar themes in similar ways. Those who have read some of this author's work will immediately conjure up similar images and emotions when that word is spoken. The stories in War Fever are representative of many of motifs that make up the Ballardian experience, and while they are not all on the same level of greatness, on average it is a brilliant little collection that would serve as a perfect entry point into this visionary author's bast body of mind-altering speculative fiction.

D_Davis

07-31-2008, 03:59 PM

I am about 1/2 through Foundation.

I am not liking all that well.

It's okay, but damn it if it ain't just a bunch of talking heads.

I am also finding some things about it quite strange.

I've noticed there is a conscious effort to avoid mentioning God. Rather than "My God!" used as slang, the characters say "My Space!" or "In the name of Space!" But then they also continue to use the word "hell" as slang. Why get rid of the concept of God used in slang if you are still going to use hell?

Also, where are the women?

I can't tell if Asimov is mocking the audacity of the future scientists, or if he is praising them and deifying them. Am I supposed to think that the Foundation is a great achievement, or am I supposed to think it is just another misstep of humanity?

Given the total avoidance of any mention of religion (a concept that I find quite strange), I get the feeling that Asimov believes that a universe governed by logic and science is a much better one, but this scientific utopia sounds utterly drab and lifeless to me.

There is no humanity here, no heart, no soul. It's all bureaucracy, false pleasantries, official this-or-thats, and politics.

It's like King and court fantasy in space, and I am finding it rather dull and plodding. Perhaps it gets better, I'll just have to see.

D_Davis

07-31-2008, 04:14 PM

Oh yeah, I have another big problem with Foundation.

In each of the first two parts, Asimov sets up an interesting dramatic situation, but then he totally negates the impact of the drama by having one of the characters use 'psychohistory', a scientific method of predicting the future based on large scale statistics, to say that they knew exactly what was going to happen.

So why have me read about the drama at all if there really was no drama to begin with?

In the first part we find that the scientists are being exiled to a planet at the edge of the empire - far away from anything. We are lead to believe that this is terrible. Oh my space, what is going to happen? Oh, don't worry, in the final few pages of this part the main character says that he predicted this was going to happen and it is all a part of his plan.

Drama negated, and thus totally pointless.

Yeah - I really don't like this.

D_Davis

08-01-2008, 04:58 AM

Man - I really don't want to finish Foundation.

I've thought about it all day, and I can't help but feel that it is a massive disappointment.

Am I that disconnected from the consensus?

I mean, this is the series that is often considered the single greatest achievement in SF history.

What am I missing?

I think I should finish it. Perhaps the second 1/2 is much better.

Teh Sausage

08-01-2008, 09:32 AM

I haven't read Foundation yet but I enjoy Asimov. It's generally well known that the Big Three of SF (Asimov, Heinlein and Clarke) were better at the science than the fiction.:P They're respected for their innovative ideas, rather than for their prose. The Asimov of the 1970s-1990s is much better writer than the 1940s-1960s one, though.

D_Davis

08-01-2008, 01:39 PM

I really like Asimov's The Gods Themselves. There's a review for it somewhere here.

Back to Foundation...

After reading about 20 more pages last night, I've given up. I cannot muster the enthusiasm to continue.

I guess Foundation is not for me. I've found no dramatic impetus in anything, zero character, the setting is so nondescript as to be totally generic - where are people? - and I am finding the ideas put forth quite dull. Everything feels so dead to me - there is so little emotion. It's all told through dialog, rarely is anything shown through narration or action. I'm just not feeling it.

I am moving back to PKD with, Now Wait for Last Year

D_Davis

08-04-2008, 02:06 PM

PKD's Now Wait for Last Year is pretty good so far. It would make a fantastic double-feature with Our Friends From Frolix 8. Where that book was more of an action-orientated political thriller, Last Year is more of a behind the scenes political thriller. And while Dick never really worked within the boundaries of a "megaverse", Last Year contains shout outs to other books and characters, including a dude with the last name of Ild, who I am wondering if he is somehow related to Amos Ild in Friends.

I think this is my 30th PKD book, and I am still not quite prepared for his treatment of women. This seems to be especially true in his books published between 1966 and 1969. This book contains two of the most selfish, conniving, and manipulative female characters I've ever encountered. And knowing about Dick's personal life, it is easy to see the correlations between these characters and women he actually knew. There is, of course, the small, young-looking dark-haired girl, and there is also a woman who threatens to destroy the main character's collection of rare recordings.

However, beyond the deeply-rooted misogynistic character depictions, the book is teeming with hard-hitting political satire that is both absurdly comical and hauntingly frightening because of how close it hits to home.

So far, about 1/2 through, I can safely shelf this as top-tier Dick.

Duncan

08-04-2008, 08:30 PM

I agree with Davis about Foundation. Especially about him negating any drama at the end of each Part. He just establishes some seemingly inescapable crises, and then has a character come up with a brilliant solution in the last couple pages. By the 3rd, 4th, and 5th part you know the formula and its just slogging through to learn the solution to the riddle. The characterizations are pitifully two dimensional. And seriously, where are the women? The only one I can remember in the book is the wife of that Commdor, and she was a shallow bitch. Even the ideas he raises seem only superficially explored.

I think there are pieces of this book that Frank Herbert probably lifted for Dune (especially the later books where society is following The Golden Path). It's a similar setup. Distant planet with valuable resources is threatened by barbarous people. Good guys end up taking over by being able to glimpse the future. But Dune seems leagues ahead of Foundation in terms of the development of ideas (religion, economy, ecology, gender, politics, warfare, etc.), world building, characterizations, plot mechanics, prose...everything. It's also all done within one narrative instead of breaking it up so unsatisfactorily.

D_Davis

08-04-2008, 08:55 PM

Totally agree Duncan.

Although Dune did have about 10 years to progress, and probably benefited from Foundation.

Interesting comparison though, and from what I've read of Dune, it is way more progressing in its politics and gender roles, and in the way it tackles both the secular and spiritual lives of the inhabitants.

My opinion of Foundation is one that I have for a lot of the golden age SF I've read. It's just so one-dimensional and simple compared to the stuff of the 1960s and 1970s.

Which is strange, because the horror and weird fiction of this same time period (and decades before) - Lovecraft, Smith, Howard et al. - is some of the most nuanced and hard-hitting horror I've ever read.

Duncan

08-04-2008, 10:10 PM

D_Davis

08-04-2008, 11:07 PM

Have you not read Dune? If you haven't, you should. It's really good. Definitely a book that lives up to its rep.

To tell you the truth, I can't remember if I ever finished it. When I read it, I was quite young - probably around 20 years ago. I think I gave up because it wasn't "exciting" enough for me at the time. I am going to read it again soon.

megladon8

08-04-2008, 11:09 PM

I read a few more stories from "Angel Dust Apocalypse" today.

I read one I actually quite liked. It was very quick, nothing overly dramatic or groundbreaking, but it was a nice little short story.

Ironically, it's also the least "bizarro" of any of the stories I have read so far from this volume.

It was called "Snowfall", and is about a young boy who is deaf, and wakes up one night in the middle of summer to find it snowing. He can't find his family anywhere, and then goes outside and sees their silhouettes burnt into the wall of the house - ie, a nuclear explosion.

It's the best writing I've encountered so far in the book, and I'm sad to say that's really not saying much.

D_Davis

08-15-2008, 03:08 PM

Started Richard Paul Russo's Ship of Fools last night, and I've read through about 100 pages as of this morning. It is fan-freakin-tastic. So far, it has everything I look for in a great SF story: exploration (inner and outer), mystery, haunting atmosphere, interesting setting, fascinating characters, religion, and enough ambiguity to keep me glued to the pages searching for answers. It is great. I am really liking Russo. I highly recommend his Carlucci trilogy (a dark and grim SF/Noir), and it is looking like Ship of Fools will also be awesome.

D_Davis

08-17-2008, 01:04 AM

Ship of Fools is AMAZING! :)

Really, really good. I am hoping to have it finished early tomorrow morning. It is a very easy read, but it is not vapid or fluffy. Just a very well told story full of fascinating characters and a star-spanning mystery. I really like Russo.

D_Davis

08-17-2008, 03:23 PM

Yes, Ship of Fools remains incredible until the very last page. A stunning work of science fiction. I loved every moment of Russo's tale.

D_Davis

08-21-2008, 01:54 AM

I was reading something else (The Company: A Novel of the CIA) but I left in on the bus, and rather than get it again right now, I switched over and started Eclipse, the first book of John Shirley's epic cyberpunk trilogy, A Song Called Youth. So far, it is pretty fantastic. Smoke, the main character thus far, is dang cool. I really like Shriley; he is a great writer. I am reading the original versions and not the newly revised editions.

They do, however, have TERRIBLE covers, totally a product of their time. If I didn't already know that Shirley was a kick ass author with strong prose, there is no way I would pick these up.

megladon8

08-21-2008, 03:21 AM

D_Davis

08-21-2008, 03:25 PM

Any chance you could post some of these covers?

I love looking at cheesy sci-fi book art.

I can't find any scans online.

megladon8

08-23-2008, 09:10 PM

D_Davis

08-24-2008, 03:36 PM

So I know it makes me a terrible reader, but I've given up on "Angel Dust Apocalypse" - that's two books in a row.

Sheesh. I try to make a point of never doing this, but these two books have effectively maimed, bludgeoned, then brutally murdered my reading streak.

That sucks, but it happens. I don't think there is anything wrong with not finishing a book. Big deal. The only thing that bugs me is the time wasted, time that I could have spent reading something good. Life's too short to read stuff that you don't like.

Speaking of which...

I am about ready to give up on Eclipse. It feels like it has taken me forever to get 1/2 through this book, and yet I still don't know what the plot it is. There is a lot of stuff going on, and some of the characters (Smoke and Rickenharp) are pretty cool, but there there is far, far too much infodump. I understand that Shirley is setting up a world in this first part of the trilogy, but it seems like so much of it can be skimmed.

I am very disappointed with it, especially because of how awesome my first experience with Shirley was - City Come A-Walkin'.

It sucks, I've basically lost over a week with leaving 1 book on the bus and giving up on this one.

I'm going to give Eclipse a little more time, but I just don't see myself finishing it and I will probably start something new tonight - I'm thinking Light, by M. John Harrison, another PKD award winner.

D_Davis

08-24-2008, 03:40 PM

By the way, I found scans of those covers:

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/514FayxvhmL._SL500_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51-%2B6BPK5CL._SL500_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51CU6eslKPL._SL500_.jpg

megladon8

08-24-2008, 09:14 PM

Thanks for posting those, D - those are awesome ::)

I have some real doozies in my collection. I could scan them in if you're interested.

One of them is a hilariously cheesy "Battlefield Earth" cover (yes, I own that book).

D_Davis

08-25-2008, 02:35 PM

Well, I've decided to give up on Eclipse. I'm just not into it, at all, and with about 150 pages left to read I just can't muster the enthusiasm to finish it. I still don't really understand what the conflict is. Shirley has spent way too much time introducing characters and the history of the world, and not enough time developing interesting situations and drama. It seems that, more than often, I find this to be the case in a series - too much filler, not enough crucial narrative.

Sucks, too, because I was so excited to find all three at a used book store (Shirley's books are often hard to come by used). Oh well, maybe I'll try them again sometime.

D_Davis

08-28-2008, 02:23 PM

I started reading Joe Haldeman's Forever Peace, a thematic sequel-of-sorts to his Forever War. It's good to be reading Haldeman again. The dude can write. There are two things I really like about his stories:

1. He depicts a total equality between men and women

2. He conveys some of the most natural and mature sexual relationships I've read in the genre.

The dude seems to really understand men and women, and, more importantly, he understands what war does to humanity.

Great stuff.

D_Davis

08-28-2008, 02:34 PM

Ship of Fools - Richard Paul Russo

Ship of Fools, by Richard Paul Russo, is the apostolic account of Bartolomeo Aguilera, an advisor aboard a generation ship called the Argonos. The Argonos has been floating through space for what seems like, and what may actually be, an eternity. Its mission is unknown; its purpose is a complete mystery. Its crew and inhabitants are born, live, and die on the ship, and have done so for many untold generations. At the heart of the ship is a massive cathedral, a worship place for a futuristic sect of Christianity - the ship seems to be built around this massive structure. The ship's bishop believes that the ship had no beginning - it always was, and always will be. For all we know, the ship represents all that is left of the human race.

At its core, Ship of Fools is a space opera with theological themes. The narrative takes place over the course of a year, detailing the discovery of a once-inhabited planet and a strange alien space craft somehow linked to it: a first contact scenario. It deals with the theological ramifications of the discoveries, and touches upon the problem of evil in light of a benevolent God. The theological discussion presented in the book is neither groundbreaking, nor particularly deep; it basically only scratches the surface of the problem of evil. It is, however, perfectly woven into the narrative, and thus it feels natural and genuine, adding a welcomed layer of humanity and philosophical debate.

The book benefits from Russo's ability to develop empathy with its interesting characters in the midst of a series of suspenseful situations. Bartolomeo, the narrator, is a memorable character through and through, and I greatly enjoyed the time I spent with him. He is a broken man, both physically and spiritually. He was born hideously disfigured, and lives his life cocooned in a synthetic exoskeleton complete with robotic arms replacing his natural flipper-hands. Without the aide of this contraption he would be physically immobile; his deformity has turned him into an introspective man who has problems with trust and feels cut off from the rest of humanity.

Bartolomeo is the head advisor to the ship's captain, Nikos Costa. Costa is an alcoholic, a man who feels as though his responsibility is a burden. Bartolomeo also becomes romantically interested in one of the church leaders, Father Veronica, a woman with great spiritual strength and a passionate love for humanity and life. Par, a dwarf who lives in the lower decks of the ship, is Bartolomeo's gateway into the ongoing class struggle on board the Argonos, and Bishop Soldano represents the moral and ethical bankruptcy of religion without spirituality and compassion.

Each of these characters, and the complex relationships betwixt them, are interesting and compelling. Whether they are exploring the atrocities of a mass grave where hundreds of skeletal bodies, including infants, are found impaled on hooks, or discussing God, religion, and the problem of evil, their arcs are worth the time invested in them. There is nary a moment wasted throughout the narrative, and each scene of dialog, action, discovery, horror, and suspense impacts the characters in a way that feels natural and meaningful; their actions and reactions are wonderfully illustrated and always feel genuine.

Russo first impressed me with Destroying Angel (the first part of the Carlucci trilogy) and he has since impressed me more with Ship of Fools. I simply couldn't get enough of this book, and I devoured it in only a few sittings. His prose is simple and easy to read without being fluffy and vapid, and he just knows how to tell a solid story. Ship of Fools is, simply, a wonderfully told story, one with a gripping narrative full of mystery and suspense, and one populated by interesting characters. But my favorite thing about it is its ability to remain interesting and engaging while still being ambiguous about its themes and conclusions. It is devoid of infodump, and hardly anything is neatly tied up or over explained. Like a real life theological mystery, there are no easy answers for the characters in Ship of Fools, there is only a series of of trials and tribulations from which they must learn and grow while discovering their own path.

D_Davis

09-02-2008, 02:33 AM

Forever Peace never really comes together. While parts of the narrative are interesting, and the characters are well written, nothing really adds up to anything resembling a compelling plot. A disappointing effort from Haldeman - better than The Hemingway Hoax, but nowhere near as good as The Forever War and Mindbridge.

Sven

09-02-2008, 10:51 PM

Raiders

09-02-2008, 10:54 PM

A recommendation D and other sci-fi film lovers:

http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Sci-fi-Movies-Revised-Updated/dp/1845767551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220395788&sr=8-1

I've been reading this at work. It's very, very fun.

Reading that synopsis, I kept thinking, "wait, wasn't there a Terminator 3?" Then I saw the copyright date. Nice to see the green stuff changed Arnold's mind over his allegiance to Cameron.

D_Davis

09-02-2008, 10:55 PM

A recommendation D and other sci-fi film lovers:

http://www.amazon.com/Greatest-Sci-fi-Movies-Revised-Updated/dp/1845767551/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=books&qid=1220395788&sr=8-1

I've been reading this at work. It's very, very fun.

Sounds great! Added to wish list.

Does he cover Jodorowsky's Dune at all?

Sven

09-02-2008, 10:56 PM

Reading that synopsis, I kept thinking, "wait, wasn't there a Terminator 3?" Then I saw the copyright date. Nice to see the green stuff changed Arnold's mind over his allegiance to Cameron.

Yeah, it's slightly antiquated, but that makes those chapters even more juicy.

megladon8

09-04-2008, 06:44 AM

Anyone here read any of Dan Simmons' "Hyperion" series?

D_Davis

09-04-2008, 02:19 PM

Anyone here read any of Dan Simmons' "Hyperion" series?

I have Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion in my ever-growing "to read" pile(s). I've heard nothing but the greatest things about both of these.

megladon8

09-05-2008, 12:40 AM

I have Hyperion and Fall of Hyperion in my ever-growing "to read" pile(s). I've heard nothing but the greatest things about both of these.

As have I, which is also making me more and more cautious...

D_Davis

09-05-2008, 03:03 PM

As have I, which is also making me more and more cautious...

2 close friends have read it, D.S. and Aaron from GBs, and they both swear by it. It's D.S.'s favorite SF book of all time, so I imagine it is pretty good.

D_Davis

09-12-2008, 04:16 PM

Started reading Light, by M. John Harrison last night. The amount of praise thrust upon this book is ridiculous. Just Google "Light M. John Harrison" and read some of the reviews. It's hard not to set my expectations really high. I've heard Harrison being called a modern day PKD, and I've been meaning to read him for some time. Just about everything he's written has been touted as fantastic, and so I am greatly looking forward to diving into his strange world of serial killers, quantum mechanics, and metaphysics.

So far, the book is quite good. It is very dense, quite complex, and somewhat confusing, but in a good way.

D_Davis

09-15-2008, 05:39 PM

Light is a good book, but it is a very slow read. It's taken me far too long to get through the amount that I have. It is very dense, and Harrison practically avoids all infodump. There is actually too little information given about certain things, and thus some things on the book are more confusing than they need to be. I understand why he does things this way, and often times the ambiguity pays off, but there are many times that I find myself completely puzzled, which isn't always a bad thing. It's just a slow read, and that's cool.

D_Davis

09-18-2008, 01:22 PM

Light.

I've come to the conclusion that you are a total flatliner.

Dullsville.

No life whatsoever.

I couldn't even bring myself to finish the last 4 chapters, and I can't believe I waisted almost 2 weeks on this thing. I could have read 3 awesome books in that time.

Ugh.

It just got worse as it went on. It goes from slow and somewhat interesting to just being a total chore to slog through.

D_Davis

09-23-2008, 02:37 PM

I recently started Carlucci's Edge, second book of the Carlucci trilogy, a neo-noir-cyberpunk thriller.

Excellent. It's good to be back in a Richard Paul Russo creation. I really like this dude's writing. It's straightforward, to the point, atmospheric without being dense, and entertaining has heck.

Things are really starting to get interesting here. Russo is setting something big up, which means I could either a) be heading for something truly awesome, or b) be heading for a major disappointment.

I'm thinking it's more on the awesome side.

Russo is simply a fantastic story teller. I wouldn't call him a great writer, the prose is more serviceable than anything, but he knows how to tell an interesting story and he knows how to create fascinating characters. He also writes pseudo-cyberpunk without the trappings of tech and jargon that usually plague this sub-genre. Cyberpunk is often hopelessly dated, but Russo's unique spin on it makes it far more timeless. His version of near-future San Fransisco is both hauntingly familiar and fantastic.

I highly recommend this series and author (especially his amazing book Ship of Fools) to fans of PKD, William Gibson, hardboiled cri-fi, and John Shirley.

Mysterious Dude

10-05-2008, 01:20 AM

If all stories were written like science fiction stories (http://www.shrovetuesdayobserved.com/flight.html)

D_Davis

10-19-2008, 12:20 PM

I started, and am almost finished with, Chasm City, by Alastair Reynolds.

So far, so good. There are a couple of LONG chapters in the middle - dealing with a hunting exhibition - that should have been left out (the book is already extremely long, and these flashbacks do nothing to flesh out the plot or the characters, especially since most of them we already know are dead), but over all I am greatly enjoying this.

Should finish it up today or tomorrow.

Dead & Messed Up

10-20-2008, 12:59 AM

So I finished The Crack in Space, and I found it a mildly engaging story. My only Philip K. Dick reading, prior to this, was "The Minority Report," which I thought was a clever mystery.

The Crack in Space weaves a lot of smaller threads together, but the overall gist is that, on the eve of a historic election with a black candidate as a viable competitor, the chief issue centers around people called "bibs." Bibs are people who have chosen to cryogenically preserve themselves in the hopes that overpopulation will slow and stop someday. But bibs have become so prevalent that a new solution is needed.

The solution comes when one citizen's Jiffi-scuttler (I'm still not sure what it's supposed to do) accidentally creates a portal to another Earth. From there, things get more complicated.

Best viewed in a historical context, The Crack in Space finds a metaphorical way to place us back with the settlers who landed on Plymouth Rock and found a new haven. I was pleased to figure this out for myself while reading, but that pleasure faded when Dick bluntly addressed the topic in the middle of the novel. I was also pleased to see that discoveries in the alter-Earth brought Cols and whites together, although that becomes over-explicit, too.

The historical linkage makes the book more of a sociological story than a science fiction one, although Dick makes sure to drown me in new terms for familiar things. Newspapers are "homeopapes," negroes are "cols," and even the political parties have changed their names. I'm not sure if sci-fi buffs get a kick out of such things, but I prefer subtler means, like when Dick writes the line, "He sat in front of a genuine fire." Tells you a lot with that one word.

I wish the story could've addressed the ramifications of the alter-Earth more, and especially the discoveries that the settlers make. But there's something to be said for minimizing such enormous moments in the face of politicians, private investigators, and salesmen. After all, it didn't take us long to reduce the New World to a series of menial business transactions.

Overall, it's a solid book, but I'm left yearning for something a bit more focused and disciplined from Dick. Any help, Davis?

D_Davis

10-20-2008, 02:31 AM

Overall, it's a solid book, but I'm left yearning for something a bit more focused and disciplined from Dick. Any help, Davis?

Not quite sure what you mean.

I don't know if Dick was ever really focused, and I'm not sure what you mean by disciplined. One Dick's strong points was his ability to juggle many narrative threads, but he never felt the need to bring them all together. He didn't tie things up nicely, one of the reasons he is considered one of the more literary SF authors.

You may want to read one of his more genuine masterpieces. Perhaps give Martian Time Slip, VALIS, UBIK, Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said, or A Scanner Darkly a try.

As far as the jargon goes, that was just something Dick did. He frequently referred to news papers as homeopapes, or made up names for drugs like Can-D, or Substance-D. I think he does this more for irony's sake: while the words for certain things may change, the thing the words describe remain the same. It shows a false sense of progress in the future of mankind. You know, you can put lipstick on a pig and all that.

You seem to have enjoyed Crack in Space, and I would encourage you to read more Dick. I've only read 2 books that I've downright disliked, enjoyed a dozen more in various degrees, and flat out loved the rest of the 30 novels of his I've read. Each one offers something a little different, while at the same time they reveal something about Dick and about ourselves as human beings.

You may find yourself liking his stuff more the more you read it and become accustomed to it.

Or may not!

:)

megladon8

10-20-2008, 02:43 AM

"The Crack in Space" is probably my second favorite Dick so far.

I thought it was great. It even made my mom a PKD fan!

Dead & Messed Up

10-20-2008, 03:03 AM

Not quite sure what you mean.

I don't know if Dick was ever really focused, and I'm not sure what you mean by disciplined. One Dick's strong points was his ability to juggle many narrative threads, but he never felt the need to bring them all together. He didn't tie things up nicely, one of the reasons he is considered one of the more literary SF authors.

I see. I'm a blank page on Phillip K. Dick, apart from my exposure to a few of the movies based on his works. So I wasn't sure if The Crack in Space was a minor or a major work, if it's representative of his style, if it's a good starting point.

I thought he juggled the narrative threads well, but that resulted in a lot of ideas shortchanged. One of the ideas in Crack is this satellite in space where politicians go to get laid. Humorous, but it could almost merit a novel all on its own. This happens with most of the story threads, and I was left with a lot of questions about the universe Dick constructed.

You can take it to mean his universe either (a) captured my imagination with its generosity or (b) frustrated my sensibilities with its messiness. Anyhow, I'll probably scope out Flow My Tears, the Policeman Said.

Thanks very much for the thoughts.

D_Davis

10-20-2008, 03:19 AM

I see. I'm a blank page on Phillip K. Dick, apart from my exposure to a few of the movies based on his works. So I wasn't sure if The Crack in Space was a minor or a major work, if it's representative of his style, if it's a good starting point.

I am pretty sure it is considered more of a minor work. Middle tier perhaps.

I thought he juggled the narrative threads well, but that resulted in a lot of ideas shortchanged. One of the ideas in Crack is this satellite in space where politicians go to get laid. Humorous, but it could almost merit a novel all on its own. This happens with most of the story threads, and I was left with a lot of questions about the universe Dick constructed.

This is true of a number of Dick's books. I've often said that Dick briefly mentions and throws away more ideas than most authors base entire careers upon. Some of the ideas Dick casually tosses off would be a treasured narrative diamond to another author.

I think you will almost always be left with more question than answers, especially with his post 1964 stuff (his early stuff is far more cut and dry, but for two good examples check out Vulcan's Hammer and Time Out of Joint - which just had to be the basis for the Truman Show). Dick's best books are highly re-readable because of this. I often find that, while reading a Dick book, I spend more time with the book down, thinking about it, than I do actually reading it. There is just so much to digest if you desire to.

Sure, because of Dick's often pulp-like prose, one might be tempted to only look at the plot, at the surface, but this would be a detriment to the real genius of Dick's narratives and ideas. He really did have a great grasp of humanity and the things that make us tick.

And to completely change subjects, because of your admiration for horror, I would encourage you to read Some of Your Blood by Theodore Sturgeon, another one of my favorite SF authors. Go in as blind as possible - don't even read the back of the book. I think you will love it.

D_Davis

10-21-2008, 02:19 AM

More on Chasm City...

As I approach the end, or at least the final 1/4, of this book, I am once again reminded of why I don't read space opera. While the book is entertaining, and competently written, it just doesn't offer much of anything beyond a compelling plot.

There is nothing for me to sink my teeth into. Space opera, like sword and sorcery fantasy, just doesn't really have much to say about humanity. Yes there are some BIG IDEAS presented here, but they never really amount to anything more than me thinking, 'wow, that's kind of cool.' I greatly prefer the SF stylings of a Sturgeon, Dick, Ballard, Lem or others of their ilk - more speculation, less high flying adventure.

Or at least I'll take something like Harry Harrison's The Stainless Steal Rat books, short little pulpy adventures that can be read in a single sitting.

This is not a slight against this book or author. For what it is, Chasm City is good. It is highly entertaining. But for almost 700 pages, I expect more depth. As it is, it is simply the equivalent of an epic Hollywood Summer blockbuster, only this takes days to get through rather than a few hours.

monolith94

10-21-2008, 03:04 AM

Valis is pretty focused, IMO.

D_Davis

11-12-2008, 08:53 AM

Started reading Simak's A Choice of Gods - it is quite good. If it continues as is, it will most likely become my third favorite, after Way Station and City. It contains all of Simak's trademarks - teleortation between interlocking planets, wild robots, a pastoral setting, a longing for simpler times, and his somewhat dated prose style. It does, however, have a sharper edge than I am used to from Simak. It seems more cynical its themes, and so far it paints Simak as a technophobe, if not a Luddite. I've glimpsed hints of this in his other books, but here he seems to really be taking a stand.

megladon8

11-12-2008, 11:20 AM

Has anyone heard of this publishing house called "Planet Stories"?

I keep getting their titles recommended to me on Amazon. They have some nice covers, but I haven't heard of much of the stuff they've published. Many of the descriptions refer to the authors and titles as "legendary" and "classics".

Here are a few of them...

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51oD9X3xkLL._SS500_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/512735KjWiL._SS500_.jpg

http://ecx.images-amazon.com/images/I/51yrx%2BHJUDL._SS500_.jpg

D_Davis

11-12-2008, 01:12 PM

Planet Stories books are basically less than stellar pulp novels by authors who went on to write much better things. Some of them are okay, and the books themselves look very nice, but from what I gather most of them are second tier stories.

D_Davis

11-14-2008, 03:40 PM

A Choice of Gods

This starts out good, and then kind of goes nowhere. I don't know, Simak is weird. I absolutely LOVE Way Station, and City contains some amazing stuff, but everything else I've read by the guy is just kind of ho-hum. Passive voice and story telling kills this book. Everything we learn about the plot is conveyed through on-the-nose dialog between characters. The characters exist simply to talk about the exposition. We never learn anything through any action or dramatic confrontation. It's all tell, tell, tell, and Simak never shows us a damn thing.

Very frustrating, especially considering how interesting the concept is.

dreamdead

11-16-2008, 01:32 AM

D_Davis

11-16-2008, 01:50 AM

Daniel (or other peeps reading this),

Next semester I'm looking at teaching Moore and Gibbons' Watchmen again to college freshmen. However, I'd like to link it up to a novel that tackles those same themes of meta-narratives, people caught in conflict with governmental / institutional forces, and national destruction being instituted to create new order. I figure these are ideas more prevalent in genre work than in literary fiction (avoiding the issues with these two terms), and I'm rather blank on quality sci-fi literature that would articulate these ideas with ingenuity and verve. Any suggestions on texts/authors to consider?

Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination - often considered the greatest SF novel ever written, and I wouldn't disagree. Pretty much ground zero for the new wave and cyberpunk movements. Perhaps the first truly literary SF novel, or at least one of the earliest ones treated with literary respect. It works in many of the same ways as Watchmen. While Watchmen takes advantage of its comic book medium, so too does Bester's work take advantage of its medium. Similar themes as well, and I would be shocked to find that it wasn't a huge influence. You would not be doing your students disinterest by teaching this amazing book. It is a stunning work of fiction.

While people have been toying with the idea of filming this book, it is often argued that the book is unfilimable (sounds kind of like Watchemen, no?).

As far as meta narratives go, you may want to look into Philip K. Dick's VALIS. Written by PKD, it is about a guy named Horse Lover Fat (Philip in Greek means 'friend of horses' and Dick is short in German for 'fat'). However, PKD also appears in the book as a character. It deals with all the themes important to PKD including paranoia, drugs, questions of humanity, identity, and authority.

Either of these would be excellent companion pieces, but I would probably choose Bester's book, as I think it stands alone better. PKD's book could be a bit hard for someone not alread versed in PKD's fiction.

D_Davis

11-16-2008, 01:53 AM

And interestingly enough, Bester also spent some time working on comic books. He is the one who created one of the Green Lantern oaths (at least as far as anyone can remember), and he wrote many golden age Superman comics.

From wiki:
The Stars My Degradation, a comic strip written by Alan Moore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Alan_Moore) under the pseudonym Curt Vile, and Steve Moore (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Steve_Moore_%28comics%29) under the pseudonym Pedro Henry, appeared in the British rock music newspaper Sounds (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sounds_%28magazine%29) in the early eighties, featuring their long running character Axel Pressbutton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Axel_Pressbutton). The title was an homage to Bester's The Stars, My Destination (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Stars,_My_Destination).

So there is already a connection between Moore and Bester worth exploring.

lovejuice

02-05-2009, 09:59 PM

D_Davis

02-10-2009, 01:32 AM

anyone here familiar with harry turtledove's novels of alternated reality. i always want to check out one, but they all seem so thick, and, what's worse, they all come in trilogy. are there any standalone novels that's worth checking?

I have not LJ. Two things have kept me away:

I am not that interested in alternate history, and I don't like long series or long books, much, anymore.

dreamdead

02-16-2009, 08:46 PM

Class and I am about 1/3 of the way through Alfred Bester's The Stars My Destination right now. I'm appreciating the manner in which Bester explores notions of insensitive corporations, and the ways in which jaunting is thoroughly considered a stigma and identifier of lower-class society. Bester's ideas as they relate to female identity are likewise interesting in that there does not seem to be much of a space for agency to be known apart from the Romantic notion of woman as idealized objects, though I presume Jiz will transform that categorical imperative.

Otherwise, the ideas of common language being reformed into a more thorough and fuller economy of language is thematically valuable, as is the sense that Foyle and Jisbella's relationship is the first one founded on ideas of a dialogic communication. We'll be covering the rape of Robin, and the second third of the novel, next week before we finish up on the 25th.

D_Davis

02-17-2009, 04:32 PM

dreamdead

02-17-2009, 09:49 PM

Is the class liking it?

Were they at all familiar with Bester's work, or his importance to the genre?

I never heard - how did you like it after your first reading?

Did it live up to the hype?

Isn't Foyle an incredible character, and isn't the book simply bursting at the seems with genuine punk-rock attitude and energy?

The class is finding it good thus far. They were afraid that it would be boring "literature," but instead they're finding it enjoyable and fast-paced. We haven't covered too much beyond themes that have been present in the first third, but next week we'll be covering Robin's rape, and what that does to any empathy for Foyle in their eyes...

To be perfectly blunt, I'm exactly where my students are with the reading. The winter break didn't allow me any chance to read it, so this is still my first go-around with Bester's text. As such, I'm slightly overwhelmed by how much it's establishing the cyberpunk tropes that Gibson would later fashion in Neuromancer. The whole distrust of corporations, the sexy sidekick, the use of just enough science to establish the universe (the whole Darwin-Scientific People bit was hilarious). It feels very much akin to Vonnegut's style of writing, actually. Which for me means it does have high energy.

I'll have more thoughts when we finish the text next week, naturally. It's working out pretty well so far, though. :pritch:

D_Davis

02-17-2009, 10:04 PM

Ah - I see. I thought you had previewed it.

Well, I am glad you and your class are liking it.

It sounds like it is offering up some good points of discussion.

And you're right about it being ground zero for the cyberpunk movement, although there hasn't been another cyberpunk book since that has has as much attitude and verve.

It's a rebel yell of powerful fiction. It's as if the book just wants to scream out "HERE I AM! READ ME!"

monolith94

02-17-2009, 11:44 PM

Have any of your students noticed its parallels with the count of monte cristo?

lovejuice

02-21-2009, 08:26 PM

bradbury's golden apples of the sun is quite great. the stories are very warm and humanistic. if i have to, i'll pigeonhole him in the same category as arthur c. clarke, in those more humanistic camp of sci-fi writers.

bradbury actually came to talk at my university last year during our book fair. a really nice guy. he's exactly like his books.

dreamdead

03-11-2009, 01:05 PM

Held off finishing my impression of The Stars My Destination, but overall it was excellent, and a solid complement to Watchmen in the classroom. Though Bester ends up adhering a little too tightly to the Campbellian ideas of the monomyth, the overall level of nonconformity is refreshing to read. It's fascinating to view the two texts in concert with what they reveal about the nature of revolution in the mid '50s and '80s, as Bester is still rather idealistic in how a reshift of the power structure can allow for a better society, whereas revolution in Moore and Gibbons's eyes can only come from the already capitalistically powerful (Veidt).

I love the ambiguity in whether we view Foyle as jaunting purposely back to the Scientific People, too, as it suggests a level of ultimate repentance that cannot be explored in any other way, yet it continues to suggest that Foyle is dedicating to helping the underprivileged, even if it's slightly unconscious here.

The students were a tad bit weirded out by the shift in the last act as the typefont explodes into subjective representation of Foyle's reality, as I don't think they know what to do with such experimentations. That said, I was pleasantly surprised by it, and feel that it gives agency to the ideas that language is only one kind of a construct, and that this representation moves those ideas out of that mold.