tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post2621729346855619446..comments2024-03-17T14:31:21.769-04:00Comments on Fantasy Book Critic: The List of "Science Fiction the 101 Best Novels 1985-2010" by Damien Broderick and Paul di Filippo (Presented with comments by Liviu Suciu)Roberthttp://www.blogger.com/profile/15006565422867420980noreply@blogger.comBlogger14125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-78911889504110582272013-12-23T17:53:18.132-05:002013-12-23T17:53:18.132-05:00I've only just come across this book, having m...I've only just come across this book, having made it my mission back in the 80s to read all of the books in Pringle's original. (I still have about 5 to go.)<br />I am a little surprised at some of the choices. I suspect that some authors were included because of their prior reputations rather than the quality of that particular novel. Ballard and Vonnegut wrote far better years before and seem to have been included out of respect rather than merit. It does seem odd that 'Shadow of The Scorpion' was the Asher choice rather than 'Gridlinked'. Louis McMaster Bujold, CJ Cherryh and Orson Scott Card write workmanlike SF novels, but they can't surely be listed in the best 101 since 1985. It is the omissions that are as surprising as the inclusions. Where is Dan Simmons' 'Hyperion' or Richard Paul Russo's 'Unto Leviathan', either of which would knock the Hunger Games into a cocked hat. Where are Peter F Hamilton, Robert Reed, Ian Watson? It doesn't strike me as a list that has been properly thought through and one which was designed to please the majority of readers than a truly critical choice. hairyblokehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09254268254717293191noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-26006626689226186192013-02-19T04:31:52.993-05:002013-02-19T04:31:52.993-05:00Why didn't you like Ender's game? I liked ...Why didn't you like Ender's game? I liked it so much. Thanks anyways for sharing.<br /><br /><a href="" rel="nofollow">The Equation Book</a><br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/10159729733302400611noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-56908591167592038602012-07-30T21:56:52.241-04:002012-07-30T21:56:52.241-04:00While I can understand disliking Ender's Game ...While I can understand disliking <i>Ender's Game</i> (its undeniably a tad juvenile), I'm shocked at your NIAWs for such great authors as<br /><br />Philip K. Dick<br />Octavia Butler<br />Kurt Vonnegut<br />Ursula K. Le Guin<br />Cormac McCarthy<br />Michael Chabon<br /><br />These authors have written some of the best prose I've ever read. I can only hope it's because you've simply not read the right works by these authors. For PKD, I suggest starting with <i>Martian Time-Slip</i> or <i>Ubik</i>. For Octavia Butler, track down her Hugo-winning short story, "Speech Sounds". For Vonnegut, try either <i>Slaughterhouse-Five</i> or <i>The Sirens of Titan</i>. For Le Guin, read <i>The Lathe of Heaven</i>. For Chabon, read the Pulitzer Prize-winning <i>The Adventures of Kavalier and Clay</i>. I think Cormac McCarthy is probably the greatest living American author, and his novels <i>Blood Meridian</i> and <i>Suttree</i> are literary masterpieces (but not SF).Edhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/13497641011271747852noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-77943055701732047872012-07-18T13:11:39.919-04:002012-07-18T13:11:39.919-04:00I saw more praise for McCarthy recently (put in a ...I saw more praise for McCarthy recently (put in a way that intrigued me as praise for the author per se is common) so maybe it's time to try again.<br /><br />One thing I noticed over time is that writers with US mainstream sensibilities never really appealed to me the way French, Japanese, Russian, Eastern European and many UK and Commonwealth (Canada - eg Atwood and even Robertson Davies which i greatly enjoyed once upon a time, Australia etc) authors did and that maybe a reason I like Ishiguro (and not only Never Let Me Go of course) and not McCarthy at least to date<br /><br />I compiled a list of 15 favorite "literary" authors and the nationality break surprised me too as having no US author there<br /><br />http://fantasybookcritic.blogspot.com/2010/10/literary-fiction-for-sff-lovers-by.htmlLiviuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04615405766065227026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-83242880315728495122012-07-18T12:54:43.253-04:002012-07-18T12:54:43.253-04:00Yeah, your dislike of Ender's Game surprised m...Yeah, your dislike of Ender's Game surprised me, but doesn't particularly bother me. It's not the best out there. But tat you're not interested in Cormac McCarthy? You're missing out. I think of Ishiguro's Never Let Me Go (which I see you enjoyed) and McCarthy's The Road as some of the best stuff (brilliant prose, brilliant concepts) in any genre I've read in recent years.neal callhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17285975416175230777noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-47243468046626348432012-07-18T10:19:30.372-04:002012-07-18T10:19:30.372-04:00Thank you for the comment; it's hard to say wh...Thank you for the comment; it's hard to say what my reaction would be today, 20 years and tons of sf books later, but there was something about OSC' style that just did not work for me - while i stayed away from his novels, I actually read some short stories most notably the famous Sonata one which I actually liked to a great extent but I still felt it a little askew from me so to speak...<br /><br />At the time Asimov was the god of sf for me while Heinlein and Clarke were hit or miss (for example i quite liked both RAH's Stranger in a Strange Land and Time enough for Love and loved the Moon one but strongly disliked Starhip Troopers, though not at the hate level for Ender...)Liviuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04615405766065227026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-65661743376207311522012-07-18T09:02:57.539-04:002012-07-18T09:02:57.539-04:00Thanks for your answer.
Yeah, I was kind of shock...Thanks for your answer.<br /><br />Yeah, I was kind of shocked by the content of 'Ender's Game' too (I was about 16, or so), but that is part of the reason it has stayed with me all these years. <br /><br />I mean, I never found that OSC was trying to shock me for the sake of shock value itself or for the sake of controversy, but it definitely challenged my understanding of the how's and why's of a society, and it made my young mind think and reflect. This is, for me, often the sign of a great book.<br /><br />But thanks again. I usually agree with a lot of your reviews, which is why your disliking of this book intrigued me so much.<br /><br />- Dennis S.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-3342195274697081462012-07-18T08:47:16.431-04:002012-07-18T08:47:16.431-04:00Thank you for the comments!
As Ender's game go...Thank you for the comments!<br />As Ender's game goes, I read it many years ago - basically around 1991-2 when as mentioned I started reading very seriously sf - and I still remembered my visceral reaction to it; something about children bred for war in a modern society I guess, but also probably coupled with the author' style; hard to say especially that so many years have passed and I stayed far away from OSC's work since then, but a combination of content and style.Liviuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04615405766065227026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-55291983269130214782012-07-18T08:04:54.789-04:002012-07-18T08:04:54.789-04:00Hi Liviu
Thanks for a great article but this book...Hi Liviu<br /><br />Thanks for a great article but this book doesn't sound like anything I need to invest in. <br /><br />I'm intrigued by your dislike of 'Ender's Game' though. It was one of the first SF books I read, and though I haven't read it for about 15-20 years,I remember it quite fondly.<br /><br />What about it makes it so bad, in your opinion? The message behind the novel, the writing, or something else?<br /><br />And again, thanks for all your great work. I always look forward to your articles, lists and reviews, and you have inspired me to try many new authors. I have no idea how you manage to read all the books you do, but at least I get to learn about them, and then pick the ones I think sounds the most interesting.<br /><br />- Dennis S.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-6782148047159656412012-07-18T06:42:41.327-04:002012-07-18T06:42:41.327-04:00Was looking forward to reading through, but I'...Was looking forward to reading through, but I'm afraid you lost me immediately by giving Ender's Game one star. Seems our tastes are too different. =(Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-28813984173550724342012-07-18T00:49:20.778-04:002012-07-18T00:49:20.778-04:00well, every few years I try again Philip Dick and ...well, every few years I try again Philip Dick and I can't say it ever worked for me; but who knows as tastes change...Liviuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04615405766065227026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-15642767827150932222012-07-17T23:49:42.620-04:002012-07-17T23:49:42.620-04:00Radio Free Albemuth, Philip K Dick (1985) NIAW
N...Radio Free Albemuth, Philip K Dick (1985) NIAW<br /><br />NIAW - not interested in the author's work as his/her prose style did not work for me in a few tries. <br /><br />You have to try harder.Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-73002528749238922832012-07-17T16:09:13.093-04:002012-07-17T16:09:13.093-04:00Do not get it either here...Do not get it either here...Liviuhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/04615405766065227026noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4438041449595085165.post-62475777949586760382012-07-17T15:45:19.486-04:002012-07-17T15:45:19.486-04:00Temeraire? Really? How the bloody hell does that c...Temeraire? Really? How the bloody hell does that count as Sci-Fi?Milo MJhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/05145862452794634877noreply@blogger.com