Science Fiction Books I’ve Read (2018)

Re:Science Fiction Books I’ve Read (2018) by Freak_NL on Thursday August 20, 2020 @03:25PM (#24227581)

Books that have become dated can sometimes be quite interesting when read with the period they were published in in mind. Not just for the retro-effect they invariably invoke, but also to see how the thought experiments encapsulated in them would have appeared to people then.

Sci-fi classics are like any other classic books; you have to read them in the context of the author and his times. You can't read Conrad's Heart of Darkness ignoring the cultural and historical context either.

And honestly, sometimes a Heinlein juvenile makes for a nice change of pace between heavier works (either sci-fi/fantasy or any other genre).

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Re:Science Fiction Books I’ve Read (2018) by ericmcer on Thursday August 20, 2020 @03:33PM (#24227696)

I totally agree, I think Foundation is a fun book, it just does not deserve the accolades it receives. Same thing with Heinlein, can be kinda fun, but an alien sex cult with the leader hovering naked women into his lap is not that interesting. I just read Ubik and you can see some of these amazing time travel sci-fi concepts playing out, conversely in Heinlein's 'Time Enough For Love' the protagonist goes back in time, sleeps with his own mom, and tells her he is her son from the future. It just feels dumb to me.

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Re:Science Fiction Books I’ve Read (2018) by Freak_NL on Thursday August 20, 2020 @04:05PM (#24228197)

Agreed, the author of this list could do well to expand his horizons beyond the classics a bit.

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