Friday, February 16, 2007

Science experiment

I get the impression most of not all of you don't read a lot of sci-fi. How did this book measure to your expectations? How does it compare to other science fiction you might have read?
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7 comments:

cl said...

George,
You're right, I haven't read much science fiction, but some thoughts:

I was impressed with the world-building the author could do ... it wasn't improbable to imagine an America where everybody needed bodyguards, where the military focus had turned to the galaxy and not on home security, and where the elderly would get limited or no medical treatment.

I need to go back and read for specifics to cite why his s.f. rationale was consistent out in space, but that was my impression.

"Brave New World" isn't really science fiction, but it and "Forever War" both advanced an idea that human emotions and dignity weren't part of a futuristic society, and that people could be satisfied via physical or sexual satiation.

5:09 PM, February 16, 2007
cl said...

Oh ... and I liked it! Good choice! I take it this book has a kind of cult following. The library clerk lauded me for my taste when I checked it out.

5:35 PM, February 16, 2007
Ben said...

I was very impressed. I dislike most "genre fiction" because even the most popular stuff is poorly written, and I dislike most "literary fiction" because it is either obtuse or boring as hell. This book was highly entertaining but also very well written, without the poor word choice, syntax, and characterization of most popular genre fiction.

I've read very little science fiction, so I can't compare it with other science fiction, but it looks great next to the few popular books I've read (mostly in the "thriller" genre). It's much better writing than Grisham, Clancy, and Dan Brown.

9:45 PM, February 17, 2007
Erin said...

I don't think I've ever read any sci-fi before, except "A Wrinkle in Time" in middle school. (Is that sci-fi? See how much I know?)

I mostly enjoyed it. I did sometimes feel a little bogged down by the nerd-speak, like the long descriptions of how the technology worked, etc.

10:45 PM, February 21, 2007
kc said...

I have a hard time following sci-fi. It just doesn't come naturally to me, either in books or movies. I usually have to ask whomever I'm watching with to explain a few things to me. I have read only a few other sci-fi things, including some Phillip K. Dick books, and some dystopian novels like 1984 and Brave New World. "The Forever War" didn't strike me as any more or less accessible than others I have read.

I did find the narrator rather cold at times!

2:16 PM, February 22, 2007
george said...

Yeah, I found the nerd-speak bogging things down, too. I think maybe that's why I don't read much sci-fi anymore -- my tastes have changed.

I used to like military sci-fi, but I think the reason this book still sticks out after 10 years is that it offered something more.

8:29 PM, February 24, 2007
Ben said...

I think pacing is often overlooked when critiquing genre fiction. It may be the single most important element in the success of a popular novel. I've seen bestsellers that lacked everything else (not this one -- it was good), but had perfect pacing insure their success. This book had good pacing, and that makes it much more entertaining.

9:54 AM, February 27, 2007

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