richl (04/15/83)
I sense a flame coming on... WHOOSH This is in response to Jerry's (leichter@yale) recent rational to omitting SF in net.books. I don't see how a "I know it when I see it" judgment can possibly stick. I like both SF and other books, and I see no reason they can't be lumped together. Yes, interminable discussions have a way of getting out of hand, and yes it will inevitably happen. But suppose all the faithful ET'ers had been banned from net.movies? There are people who are a polar opposite of you in that they can't stand those stupid SF movies, yet they enjoy a good book. Where should they turn? net.sf-books? With regard to your mention of how to recognize a SF review (interminable discussions about nitpicky details, how does the theme of this story relate to the series as a whole), I think if you read any "standard" review you will find the same thing. Read a book review from Time Magazine or the NY Times. That's what a good review is: has the author's style changed, is he trying to make a different point, what details would have made the story fuller without being distracting. I myself am not particularly interested in westerns or love stories, but if they started to show up here, I wouldn't demand their removal. I'd simply type 'n'. Rick Lindsley richl@tektronix ...!ucbcad!tektronix!richl