I'LL TRY ANYTHING ONCE....
BUT SCIENCE FICTION?...
Greetings, Earthlings.
Well now, the Blogbrarian likes to think of himself as a cultured, debonair, open-minded sort of chap, happy to indulge in new experiences, and to read almost any genre of book...
Chick Lit?...Bring it on!
Manga?...Groovy, baby.
Supernatural Romance?...Fangtastic.
Mills & Boon?...I`m your man.
Misery Memoirs?...No problem.
Jeffrey Archer?...Er, OK.
But...
But, dear reader, Science Fiction?...I can't quite bring myself to get round to it.
Back at school, when I was a young nipper, I think we were force-fed some HG Wells and John Wyndham. And as a young `cub librarian' I think I did once dabble with Kurt Vonnegut, and that was fine.
But, since then, and with the sad demise of Dan Dare, I've never again dabbled in the dark depths of Science Fiction, or even been tempted to try it again...
Until, dear reader, that was before those bright young things at the British Library alerted the Blogbrary's Research Department to the existence of their wondrous new exhibition - it's OUT OF THIS WORLD.
So, perhaps I'd better get back to a bit of it myself?...Can anyone out there tell me where to start?...(I believe that this Jules Verne chappie is an 'up & coming' new name in the ouevre?)
Just use the cosmic comments facility, below.
TTFN, then..."To infinity, and beyond!"
14 comments:
HG Wells is definitely the best place to start for anyone interested in SF. "The Time Machine" is particularly brilliant, and, of course, "War of the Worlds."
Following this, I would also recommend a number of texts that challenge simplistic assumptions about what SF is (which, incidentally, is the aim of the British Library's excellent exhibition), so that would mean novels such as J.G. Ballard's "The Drowned World", lots of Vonnegut's stuff and more recently China Mieville's "The City and the City."
I'm not a huge fan of SF, although I have enjoyed some. But you don't have to be a fan to enjoy the exhibition - it is excellent! Interesting, entertaining, witty - I can really recommend it. And it is conveniently near to so many mainline stations, if any Northern or Midland person has a little time to kill before that train home, just head into the BL. You won't regret it (no, I am not on commission).
I've read some great SF, picked at random from a friend's shelf or something - but can't remember title or author.
So, start with Ursula Le Guin, The Left Hand of Darkness. Then stop.
Laura
Dear Science-Fictioneers…
Thanks for these ideas ~ very useful.
(Laura…I`m tempted to give Ursula Le Guin a go…One day…)
TTFN
I'd recommend the Island of Doctor Moreau by H.G.Wells, it completely blew me away!
For a futuristic but easy going Science fiction read I'd also recommend the starcraft series of books, I believe the author of one series is Christie Golden. Or starship troopers by Robert A. Heinlein...come to think of it, all of these books are fairly easy reads for science fiction, around the 200 pages marks.
Happy hunting!
Hi there.
Philip K Dick is the undisputed master of his genre and a true pioneer in the field of SF.
In my youth I liked Michael Moorcock. I haven't read any for a while but I see that he wrote a Doctor Who title last year. The ones I used to read are probably the ones republished in omnibus editions e.g. The Prince with the Silver Hand - or Hawkmoon. Now I'm talking about it I'm tempted to go and revisit him.
My most recent forays into sci-fi were the screen plays of Nigel Kneale's Quatermass titles. Fascinating.
Super/Fantastic S/F suggestions…
Thanks, SF fans…Any more?
(And, I`ve heard a few people say how good the British Library exhibition is …”Beam me up!” Mr Sulu, on warp factor 5. (Will there be Tribbles, I wonder? I rather liked them)
TTFN
Ben Bova/Scott Brick/Piers Anthony/David Gerrold/George RR Martin are all good.
I can recommend anything by Isaac Asimov. All his books are challenging and imaginative. My personal favourite is his non-fiction book Extra Terrestrial Civilisations. Which, sadly Bexley don't seem to have in their library catalogue.
I think my current favourites are Iain M Banks and Neal Stephenson, both contemporary authors. For Banks I'd recommend Consider Phlebas (which while not his best serves as a good introduction to his Culture series), Excession and Look to Windward. Stephenson's Snow Crash is a bit of a modern classic and highly entertaining, but I'd also try The Diamond Age and (if you're feeling very brave) his latest, Anathema.
Dear chaps ~
Thanks for these ideas – I`ll add them to the captain’s log.
Now beam me up, Bexley!
TTFN
I have loved science fiction since last century, when i wanted to be good at science, so thought I would understand it better (ie without maths) if i read stories about it. Well, am still not hearing from the Nobel Committee, even though I did have some years of teaching astronomy to 13 year olds...but.. am still reading science fiction. my current hero is Stephen Baxter, who writes really good science fiction, as well as novels about mammoths. And he is British, so his writing is good as well as his stories. I started with Isaac Asimov...in fact, was able to read his story called "Nightfall" during labour with firstborn...but we will leave it there.
cheers
Thanks, Jac...
I like any review that mentions both mamoths and maths!
(And good luck with the Nobel Committee...)
TTFN
Post a Comment