Conference noted::sf

485.0. "More on "Pick the Best"" by SUBSYS::LYNCH () Tue Jun 09 1987 18:03

    New on this board.....
    
    Refering to the many big lists in topic 38, some glaring omissions.
    
    In no particular order (and these aren't necessarily the BEST, just
    great ones not otherwise mentioned):
    
    The Weapon Shops of Isher.  A.E. Van Vogt
    
        Good, trad "hard" SF.  Simply shouldn't be missed.  An excerpt
        called "The Seesaw" is occasionally seen.  Avoid it until you've
        read the full-length, then you won't need to read the short
        one.
    
    The Perelandra Trilogy.  C.S. Lewis
    
        A sohisticated and subtle work.  The renditions of Mars and
        Venus are, in terms of space science, completely wrong, but
        as philosophical platforms, they work very well.  The third 
        book, That Hideous Strength, is incredible, with some interesting
        views on the nature of evil.
    
    Rebirth.  John Wyndham
    
        Another post-nuclear novel from the mid-fifties.  Has much to
        say (as does SLAN) on the merits and problems of being different.
        Jefferson Airplane many years ago "borrowed" some words from
        this novel for their song "Crown of Creation".
    
    The Dangerous Visions series.  Harlan Ellison, ed.
    
        Well, after all, these did kick off the "modern" SF era, didn't
        they?  Actually, mostly mixed. But some entries are truly excellent.
    
    Scanners Live in Vain.  Cordwainer Smith
    
        Actually not a full novel.  Great, tragic story; has nothing to do
        with the movie "Scanners" by Cronenberg (which got undeserved
        bad press for the exploding head, but had some nice things in
        it - but that's another note).
                                       
    Cat's Cradle.  Kurt Vonnegut
    
        Because Vonnegut is "literature", he generally gets ruled out
        of being "merely" SF by the literati.  But this is still SF;
        it has as much "science" as, for example, Lord of Light, if
        that is any measure.  For parody and spoof value, it is  
        tremendous.  Other Vonneguts: Slaughterhouse V (SF'y but too
        much like "literature" for some), and the very early (actually
        his first) "Report on the Barnhouse Effect".
         
                                            
    Meanwhile, a couple of other observations:
                                                                     
        Glad to see that The Stars My Destination (Bester) made the
        list.  This is my personal favorite.
         
        Sorry, Saberhagen's First Book of Swords (or was it Swordhagen's
        First Book of Sabers?) put me to sleep.  Here we have the very
        interesting premise of twelve swords forged by Vulcan (involving
        some interesting metallurgical techniques!), each with its own
        unique power.  All sorts of interesting combinations and
        permutations coming up, I thought.   But the strong start is 
        frittered away quickly, and by the end of Book II (it's one
        of those with three "books" within it), I gave up.
        
        Marquez' One Hundred Years of Solitude is neither (Science|Speculative)
        (Fiction|Fantasy).  It is really more of an historical fiction,
        but that does not do it justice.  It is, by any account, a
        S*P*E*C*T*A*C*U*L*A*R novel about several generations of the
        mythical Buendia family.  Marquez was awarded the Nobel Prize
        in Literature for this and other works.  He is considered by
        some to be perhaps the greatest Latin American writer in this
        century.  This one will remain timeless.  Even if you think
        that you generally wouldn't like this sort of thing, give this one
        a try.
    
    

    Thanks for reminding me of "Report on the Barnhouse Effect".  It
    was one of the stories that initially got me hooked on SF (it was
    in a collection edited by Heinlein, I believe, copyrighted around
    1955 or so).  I can seldom roll a pair of dice without images of
    "Barnhouse" and/or "Gonna roll the bones".

	Mike

    "The Stars My Destnation", by Alfred Bester
    
    		"Gully Foyle is my name
    		 And Terra is my nation
            Deep space is my dwelling place
    	       The stars my destination"
    
    Read it--
    
    Mark

    I prefer "The Demolished Man" to "The Starss My Destination" when
    it comes to Bester.
    
    Other favorites include the "Gateway" and "Riverworld" sers (although
    I felt that Farmer got somewhat carried away with the violence as
    the "Riverworld" series progressed).
    
    - Richard