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garoteTranscience, 1949
I suppose this would have been profound 60 years ago, but my eyes and ears have suffered a maelstrom of similar progressions expressed in music, television, novels, comics, and film.
The Lion of Comarre, 1949
Oh sure, perhaps it is naive with respect to lions and jungles and physiology, but I totally enjoyed it. It felt like the early stages of Clarke's long-running exploration of the 'uncanny valley', giving machines just enough of a sentience and soul to get the reader pleasantly confused.
I also really dig any setup where the character gets to explore a labyrinth that is operating to some mysterious purpose. (In this case, the underground complex.) It's fun to examine everything three times - first to see what it is, second to try and figure out the motives of whoever placed it there, and third to try and further deduce the grand purpose of the labyrinth.
E.g. "Oh look, a water fountain! How pretty!" "Now why in the world would the architect place a fountain here? Seems out of place... Oooh I see, this used to be a washing station for crew members to clean their boots!" "So this whole complex is a ... mining operation? Or some kind of medical facility?"
Clarke would later use this approach to smashing, award-winning success with his novel Rendezvous with Rama. Eventually I'm going to re-read that. I remember being captivated by it in the 8th grade.
The Forgotten Enemy, 1949
Saw the end coming a mile away. Heh. That's kind of funny...
Guardian Angel, 1950
The "action" scene and its breakdown in the middle of the story were the high point, because the big reveal at the end of the story has not aged well at all. First time while reading these stories that I've been really struck by the cultural divide of a half-century. A lot of what Clarke turned out was timeless, which I consider to be a hallmark of legitimate science fiction, but alas, the ending here was not.
Silence Please, 1950
The framing device was quite vivid and amusing for what has apparently been a one-time use. I can easily imagine a series of tales, five or six, spun by these nutty scientists in their cozy, atmospheric pub.
Perhaps Clarke did not receive a warm enough response from his editors and publishers to warrant it...
I suppose this would have been profound 60 years ago, but my eyes and ears have suffered a maelstrom of similar progressions expressed in music, television, novels, comics, and film.
The Lion of Comarre, 1949
Oh sure, perhaps it is naive with respect to lions and jungles and physiology, but I totally enjoyed it. It felt like the early stages of Clarke's long-running exploration of the 'uncanny valley', giving machines just enough of a sentience and soul to get the reader pleasantly confused.
I also really dig any setup where the character gets to explore a labyrinth that is operating to some mysterious purpose. (In this case, the underground complex.) It's fun to examine everything three times - first to see what it is, second to try and figure out the motives of whoever placed it there, and third to try and further deduce the grand purpose of the labyrinth.
E.g. "Oh look, a water fountain! How pretty!" "Now why in the world would the architect place a fountain here? Seems out of place... Oooh I see, this used to be a washing station for crew members to clean their boots!" "So this whole complex is a ... mining operation? Or some kind of medical facility?"
Clarke would later use this approach to smashing, award-winning success with his novel Rendezvous with Rama. Eventually I'm going to re-read that. I remember being captivated by it in the 8th grade.
The Forgotten Enemy, 1949
Saw the end coming a mile away. Heh. That's kind of funny...
Guardian Angel, 1950
The "action" scene and its breakdown in the middle of the story were the high point, because the big reveal at the end of the story has not aged well at all. First time while reading these stories that I've been really struck by the cultural divide of a half-century. A lot of what Clarke turned out was timeless, which I consider to be a hallmark of legitimate science fiction, but alas, the ending here was not.
Silence Please, 1950
The framing device was quite vivid and amusing for what has apparently been a one-time use. I can easily imagine a series of tales, five or six, spun by these nutty scientists in their cozy, atmospheric pub.
Perhaps Clarke did not receive a warm enough response from his editors and publishers to warrant it...
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Date: 2012-02-02 07:46 pm (UTC)no subject
Date: 2012-02-08 01:34 am (UTC)What's the best SF you've read recently, like, in the last year?
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Date: 2012-02-14 08:03 am (UTC)I still like it a lot. It's not quite as old-fashioned as some of the other SF I've re-read, but it's slightly dated. David Fincher might be adapting it for a film, which could prove interesting.
Best SF I've read lately? I've been trying to find People of Color in the genre and really love Nalo Hopkinson--she needs to write more stuff and quickly, dang it--and Nnedi Okorafor. I guess they're more like magical realism/fantasy, actually. Same with Octavia Butler, who's unfortunately no longer alive.
Joe Haldeman's still got the goods. Forever War and Forever Peace are darned good, and he's still writing. John Scalzi's cool. Agent to the Stars was funny and had me thinking about it for a while after. I also like Dan Simmons, but find his writing dense enough to give me pause. Sometimes I want to be swept away, but his wordsmithery makes that just about impossible. He's fuckin' smart.
I will always love Isaac Asimov. He was one of my gateways. The Caves of Steel and Robots of Dawn are a couple of my faves.
I read a lot of old schoolers. It's hard to stumble on new writers. I just don't have the heart to hang in there like I used to. :)
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Date: 2017-02-17 11:45 pm (UTC)