Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Fiction Genre Study: Science Fiction
Science Fiction Presentation
Science fiction links:
io9
Blog for science fiction enthusiasts. Focuses on science fiction, futurism and advancements in the fields of science and technology.
Tor
Website and blog of major SF publisher
SFSite
Reviews, topical lists, author lists
Locus Mag
Website of the SF magazine. Reviews, news, articles, links to other SF content
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Book Title: Camouflage, by Joe Haldeman
ReplyDeleteBrief Summary:
Two aliens, adapted to life on a planet with rapidly changing and violent environment, find their way to Earth where they separate from each other and their ship. Millennia pass and each has adapted to the planet in its own way, one becoming a ruthless killer, the other, intrigued by the human condition, until the day they ship they long forgot is discovered in a remote south Pacific trench, and each is draw to it.
Comments on Appeal:
This 2005 winner of the Nebula award has a sharp-edged, fast pace. The shape shifting and murderous killing machine aliens have echoes in modern culture, but will appeal to new and younger readers of Haldeman. The technological aspects of the raising of the alien craft will appeal to anyone who enjoys technical thrillers like Tom Clancy and Clive Cussler.
Who Would I Recommend It To:
This book has a varied cast of characters, from grizzled ex-navy to a photogenic bunch of beach kids, so appeal is wide beyond a typical SF novel. Apart from the abovementioned authors, readers of the thrillers of Dean Koontz will also enjoy this book.
Title: Parable of the Sower
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Octavia Butler
Brief Summary: Lauren, a teenager, comes of age in a postapocalyptic southern California that has sunk into a near anarchy of theft, violent crime, and destructive superdrugs. When the relative safety of her neighborhood is destroyed, she is forced to head north on foot to find somewhere that she can survive. Along the way she picks up other refugees and develops her own theology.
Thoughts on Appeal: Literary and character-driven; feminist and racial themes; fascinating postapocalyptic vision of a very familiar world.
Who I Would Recommend This To: Readers who enjoy literary fiction focused on female characters and/or dystopian stories. Fans of Margaret Atwood's Handmaid's Tale, Oryx and Crake, and Year of the Flood.
Book Title: I, Robot by Isaac Asimov
ReplyDeleteBrief Summary: The distant future, the early 2000's. Robots have been created according to three essential laws: they musn't harm a human being, they must obey human orders, and they must protect their own existence...as long as that doesn't compromise the first 2 rules. This is really a series of short stories connected by an interview with Susan Calvin, who started the ball rolling in 1982--a nice feminist twist. The stories range from being about a little girl whose "pet" robot has become a little too close to a famous mayor who turns out to have been a positronic man.
Comments on Appeal:
A great first book in many ways, this brilliant collection from 1950 is an out-of-this-world introduction to both science fiction and Asimov, who has written 470 books, some pure science, most pure speculation.
Who Would I Recommend It To:
Anyone, reminds me a lot of Bradbury's Martian Chronicles in its instant accessibility and ability to make great ideas symbolic through creative speculation.
Title: Songmaster
ReplyDeleteAuthor: Orson Scott Card
Brief Summary: Kidnapped at a young age, a gifted and talented singer, Ansset was raised on a non-Earth planet. In a Songhouse, a mystical retreat, he is trained in isolation. No one has yet surpassed his singing ability. He can use his voice to heal or destroy. Ansset is assigned to be the Songbird (specially trained child singer) for the Emperor Mikal, an atrocious man who thinks that wiping out the entire population of a planet is no big deal. However, Mikal is aiming towards having a lasting peace throughout the galaxy. After spending some years in the imperial palace of Mikal, Ansset goes back to the Songhouse where Josif, a bisexual young man is attracted to Anssett. Without giving away the ending, I think Card has masterfully crafted a story of power and love. Songmaster received the Hamilton-Brackett Memorial Award 1981.
Thought on Apeal: There is not much science jargon, and it is an easy read. The individual's role in the larger community is a major theme here. The writer depicts a very controlled society. This is a coming-of-age story. The author persuaded me to care about his characters and the strange world he had created for them.
Who I Would Recommend This To: This book would also appeal to those who like reading Fantasy, and to those who like coming-of-age stories.