tad@aplvax.UUCP (07/01/83)
I've read just about all of Hogan's novels (the one exception being Thrice Upon a Time) and have enjoyed them continually (I'm in the fifth iteration of the Giants trilogy). In regards to Voyage from Yesteryear; it does abound with libertarian views, some of which I don't necessarily subscribe to. Be that as it may, I find that his grasp of technology and the impact it can make on out lives is truly amazing. Hogan is perhaps the last of a (sadly) dying breed of SF authors, pure science fiction in content with believable characters ad plots. If Hogan doesn't get nominated for a Hugo, something is surely amiss. Terry Dexter (tad @ aplvax)
WBD.TYM%OFFICE-2@sri-unix.UUCP (07/07/83)
First: His latest book is actually CODE OF THE LIFEBREAKERS, Del Rey Publishing $13.95 (hardback). Second: I apologize for the following possibly cryptic comment. I am about half thru and I feel like I am reading a combination of BIBLE and DRAGON'S EGG with a side order of evolution. I haven't read enough to make a value judgement. When I finish I will send another comment. Third: THRICE UPON A TIME and THE TWO FACES OF TOMORROW as my favorite of Hogan's works. --William Daul TYMSHARE INC. Cupertino, Ca.
tom@rlgvax.UUCP (Tom Beres) (07/26/83)
I like Hogan's attempts at scientific accuracy. If they are not totally
accurate, they are close enough for me. Consistency is what counts.
What bothers me about his works are his human, psychological, and emotional
inaccuracies. Good guys are ultra-good, and ultra-smart, too. Bad guys
are the opposite. Not only are his characters a bit shallow, but
his societies are too! His idealism, while noble, is naieve enough
to make me blush -- more important, it injects a substantial amount of
disbelief into the story.
Actually, that is my complaint about most science fiction -- after spending
all the effort to make the science credible, individual characters and society
are shallow, stereoptyped, and portrayed in an unbelievable manner.
Don't get me wrong, I enjoy Hogan's works, and I enjoy sf. However, it is
the stories which use strange new worlds, characters, and situations to
point out or develop a point of psychological/emotional insight (even if it
is non-human) that I cherish. Ursala LeGuin's (sp?) "Left Hand Side of
Darkness" was such a book. I need more. Anyone got some to recommend?
- Tom Beres
{seismo, allegra, brl-bmd, we13, mcnc}!rlgvax!tom@RUTGERS.ARPA,@SRI-CSL:eyal%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA (04/27/85)
From: Eyal mozes <eyal%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA> I am a devoted Hogan fan, and I think he's the only writer today whose writing consistently has all the virtues of good SF; still, I must acknowledge some of his limitations. > "Thrice upon a Time" ... also had a very logical and > consistent theory of time and the conservation of everything. "Thrice upon a Time" is the most ambitious attempt I've ever seen at constructing a real hard-core theory of time, and Hogan certainly deserves credit for what he did. Still, the theory eventually becomes so complex that Hogan gets a little confused and starts contradicting himself. ----------------------- SPOILER WARNING ----------------------------- For example, remember the explanation of why they never wrote a program which sends a message to the past if it didn't get it, and doesn't send it if it got it? The explanation is: they actually did write such a program, which trapped them in an endless cycle, which was broken by the low-probability event of them never thinking of writing that program. But this just doesn't fit in with the rest of the theory or the events - not sending a message should NOT prevent you from getting it. ----------------------- END OF SPOILER ------------------------------- > By the way, be sure to read _The_Genesis_Machine_ by Mr. Hogan. It > is great. The best solution to detente I have ever read, Get serious! Hogan's political ideas are so childish that I'm sure he doesn't believe them himself. "The Genesis Machine" is his worst from this aspect (as well as from the aspect of characters; Hogan got much better in later novels). ----------------------- SUPER SPOILER -------------------------------- First of all, Hogan seems to advocate a dictatorship by the scientists (remember how the president suspected Clifford's plans, and the reason why he still let him proceed?). Second, the epilogue is totally unconvincing; the only two possible endings I can see are: 1. The USSR manages to send an agent to cut off the J-Bomb's power supply; this has the result of destroying the USA army, and USSR now easily takes over the world (and then, perhaps, proceeds to make Clifford into a national hero). 2. The USA moves all its military instalations to new locations, and then cuts off the J-Bomb's power supply and builds another one; however, this gave the USSR time to build a J-Bomb of its own, so the "Balance of Power" is not solved, but just continues forever. Eyal Mozes BITNET: eyal@wisdom CSNET and ARPA: eyal%wisdom.bitnet@wiscvm.ARPA UUCP: ..!decvax!humus!wisdom!eyal
sean@ukma.UUCP (Sean Casey) (04/30/85)
In article <1793@topaz.ARPA>, @RUTGERS.ARPA,@SRI-CSL:eyal%wisdom.bitnet@WISCVM.ARPA writes: (concerning the J-machine) > ... Second, the epilogue is totally > unconvincing; the only two possible endings I can see are: 1. The USSR > manages to send an agent to cut off the J-Bomb's power supply; this has > the result of destroying the USA army, and USSR now easily takes over > the world (and then, perhaps, proceeds to make Clifford into a national > hero). 2. The USA moves all its military instalations to new locations, > and then cuts off the J-Bomb's power supply and builds another one; > however, this gave the USSR time to build a J-Bomb of its own, so the > "Balance of Power" is not solved, but just continues forever. > With the ability to create and destroy matter at will, it is doubtful that the J-machine is relying on an external power supply. More likely there would be equipment breakdown resulting in a shutdown of the machine. Maintaining an tiny Artificial Black Hole would have it's toll on any equipment, and I saw no mention of robots capable of performing maintenance. -- -- Sean Casey -- -- UUCP: {hasmed,cbosgd}!ukma!sean or ucbvax!anlams!ukma!sean -- ARPA: ukma!sean<@ANL-MCS> or sean%ukma.uucp@anl-mcs.arpa "We're all bozos on this bus."