west@sdcsla.UUCP (Larry West) (06/02/85)
In article <1459@utah-gr.UUCP> thomas@utah-gr.UUCP (Spencer W. Thomas) writes: >There was an interesting "editorial" in the book review column of this >month's Asimov's SF (don't have it here, so I don't know if it is June, >July, Aug, or Sept :-). Recommended reading if you are interested in a >comparison between "mainstream" and "genre" literature. The editorial is by Norman Spinrad, and is certainly worth reading. He talks about "genre" writers trying to break out into commercial success and of successful authors moving towards SF-like writing. One of his more interesting examples was of Norman Mailer. His book "Ancient Evenings" was widely criticized (not by everyone, of course) for historical inaccuracies and other "shortcomings", because the reviewers did not recognize it as science fiction (by which term I include fantasy and "speculative fiction" in general). Not "historical fiction" (yech), but SF. I read AE a few years ago, and though I thought the masculine sexuality was a bit overdone, the writing was very good, and it was definitely an engrossing story. (Yeah, that's a double entendre there.) And it was also science fiction. One of the best SF novels I've read. Anyway, the article is interesting. ALSO: I highly recommend the magazine: I haven't seen any magazine (literary or SF) beside Asimov's [well, okay, the New Yorker] which has so many good stories per year. Of course there are a few losers, but generally half of the stories are *excellent*. One clue to that is that some of the readers complain about the stories "not being science fiction". Indeed, many of the stories would not fit into any other commercial magazine, and that's part of the magazine's appeal. Okay, I stop now. -- Larry West Institute for Cognitive Science (USA+619-)452-6220 UC San Diego (mailcode C-015) [x6220] ARPA: <west@nprdc.ARPA> La Jolla, CA 92093 U.S.A. UUCP: {ucbvax,sdcrdcf,decvax,ihnp4}!sdcsvax!sdcsla!west OR ulysses!sdcsla!west
mms1646@acf4.UUCP (Michael M. Sykora) (06/16/85)
>/* dat@hpcnoa.UUCP (dat) / 5:20 pm Jun 13, 1985 */ > Side note: Any other recommendations on books that deal with >political problems in a readable way? > -- Dave Taylor I liked the classic "We" also, but I think it suffers (philosophically) from the same simplistic notions of science that Vonnegut's books that deal with this subject do. What I mean is that they blame science, rather than those who misuse it or those who falsely claim to be using it. One book in the negative utopia genre that I like a lot is "Anthem" by Rand. It is very different from her other books in style (as well as length). Also, I read somewhere in a review that H. G. Well's wrote an excellent novel in this genre, but I don't remember the title. Mike Sykora
wfi@rti-sel.UUCP (William Ingogly) (06/17/85)
>> Side note: Any other recommendations on books that deal with >>political problems in a readable way? A terrifying and funny satire on governmental bureaucracy out of control that you might enjoy is "Memoirs Found In A Bathtub," by the Polish science fiction author Stanislaw Lem. -- Cheers, Bill Ingogly