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dustydigger
Posted 2015-04-02 2:35 PM (#10014 - in reply to #9182)
Subject: Re: Pick and Mix 2015		Quote Reply



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Location: UK		I have had a great reading week this week. First I completed Leigh Brackett's excellent Long Tomorrow,about a post nuclear war world where,out of fear of rebuilding the technology that brought about the world's ruin,laws have been passed to limit the size of communities,and the total block on scientific development,as the people live like the Amish,and live in total fear and hatred of tech,to the point of stoning any tech advocates to death. But rumours persist that somewhere there is a place where people can learn and build the old world. Two young men,stifled by the straitjacket life of rural farming and thirsting for knowledge go in search of th town. Beautifully written,with sympathetic characters and a fast moving plot,this is certainly worthy of a place in the SF Masterworks series. What I enjoyed most was the even handed approach to the problems of knowledge and what do do with it. Brackett actually has the main young protagonist be totally conflicted within himself as to whether man should follow knowledge wherever it leads,or should stifle or destroy it. Bracket leaves that pretty much open,and I ended the book haunted by the thought that the young hero would never be happy. Haunting and thought provoking,a classic.
Then it was on to Redshirts,John Scalzi's amusing metafiction,full of wry affectionate sly digs at Star Trek. Some crew members on a spaceship where every time there is an away mission someone diescome to realize that they are actually expendable extras in a badly written TV science fiction series,and contrive to go back and change the series narrative. I know many people didnt like this book,but I am a sucker for metafiction.and loved allm the digs ar Star Trek.Learning at the end that Scalzi was a writer on Stargate was just the cherry on the cake. Great fun!
And i also finished Theodore Sturgeons debut novel,The Dreaming Jewels,an rather bizarre book leaning towatds horror,rather like a less poetic harder Ray Bradbury. Bradbury,by the way looked upon Sturgeon as a model or mentorto follow,as did Harlan Ellison and Samuel Delaney. I found this unusual book , set mainly in a carnival fascinating and intense. I never quite knew where the book would go next as the hero who turns out to be non human. Yet another enjoyable read in the 1950s SF challenge.

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