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dustydigger
Posted 2015-05-21 2:56 PM (#10589 - in reply to #10586)
Subject: Re: Pick and Mix 2015
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Had a good week. Finally finished Andy Weir's fun novel The Martian,sort of Robinson Crusoe on Mars. Most of the technical stuff went over my head,but the character Mark Watney's self-deprecating,often irreverent humour helped the tech stuff go down smoothly. Watney would probably win my character of the year award. A fun and gripping homage to the team who brought Apollo 13 back to earth,and the Right Stuff of astronauts. Excellent.
Also great fun was Eric Frank Russell's Wasp.the story of a ''wasp'' an irritant saboteur cum agent provocateur cum assassin,sent to cause disruption on an enemy planet prior to invasion. A classic plot lifted from World War II,which was tense,fast moving and gripping. Apparently some people now are disapproving of it,saying it is a textbook for terrorism,glorifying violence against innocent people. Didnt strike me that way,since I was born in 1948 and such tales of resistance workers during the war were staple fare in my childhood. Got to admit the fast light tone does gloss over some tough action,but that is war. Interesting and exciting.
Also completed EDoc Smith's First Lensman,rather clunky today. Got to love the optimism though,where ethical space farers set up a Galactic space patrol after lots of shenanigans by corrupt politicians.. Bewildering twists of plot,but still the huge scale and spectacle are amusing fun. Star Trek was probably the offspring of this style of writing!

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