Comments on: The Lathe of Heaven really messed with my head

By: Mish

Mish — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 21:45:53 +0000

Sur is one of the easier shorts I’ve read by Le Guin. Handmaid’s Tale is horrifically awesome. Have you read Oryx and Crake? It’s on my list. Vonnegut’s done quite a bit of SF, off the top of my head, Slaughterhouse-5, Cat’s Cradle, and Sirens of Titan. He’s in my reading pile. Like Atwood, he writes literary fiction that’s also SF. From what I’ve heard Brockmeier is more fantasy/horror, but has a couple books in the SF realm, ie Brief History of the Dead.

One of SF’s quirks is that it’s more encompassing than specified genres like mystery so not as clearly defined. That’s one reason why I like it, but also think it’s detrimental. SF is speculative fiction that looks at ideas, humanity, technology, or possibilities that may include: the past/future, a different timeline, utopias/dystopias, science and technology like time travel, robots, or an invasion of body snatchers.

Thanks, I’ve gotten to really like challenges as a way of finally reading certain books and diversifying my reading. They bring about some good discussion and add to the TBR pile. Plus, they allow me to read whatever I’m in the mood for, from classic lit to SF.

By: shelaka

shelaka — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 15:44:02 +0000

Chris – I actually saw that PBS TV movie version back in the 80s. I thought It was well done and thought-provoking, (though now it would probably look dated & low-budget) and handled the weirdness of altering history well. More importantly, it made me read the book, which is always a good thing. I always wondered if the Back to the Future writers took some of those ideas, albeit in a light-hearted way.

Jodi – If you’re interested in another time-skew short read, I recommend Replay by Ken Grimwood (1988). It freaked me out! But it won’t hurt your brain as much as Lathe.

By: Jodi

Jodi — Wed, 16 Jun 2010 13:21:27 +0000

Mish, The Handmaid’s Tale is my favorite Margaret Atwood book. I probably read more sci-fi than I think, because I am unsure of how the genre is defined. Does Kurt Vonnegut count? I’ve read all his stuff. How about Kevin Brockmeier? Read some of him too.

Mostly I read whatever tickles my fancy at the moment it needs tickling.

I just looked at some of your challenges, and remember that I read LeGuin’s “Sur” story in a women’s fiction class I took in college.

Nice challenges by the way. I like that.

By: Mish

Mish — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 22:45:07 +0000

I agree with MLO about Le Guin, who is one of my favourites. I look at her writing as a ski mountain: easy- YA, fantasy; intermediate- Lathe of Heaven, YA, various works; advanced & black diamond- SF, essays, short stories. Some of her shorts make my head feel like it's about to implode, but I like the way she's intellectually challenging. And she's a great writer with something for most people. I think it's awesome that you enjoyed the book, especially because you're not into SF. Grouping all SF together is like generalizing about fiction. There's something for everyone, even those who don't like aliens and spaceships. I noticed you read 1984, what did you think? I began a reading challenge partly because of SF's stigma and stereotypes thanks to Star Trek and partly due to non-SF readers asking for suggestions. Some of the participants were pleasantly surprised that they read the genre without realizing (the Handmaid's Tale, Frankenstein) and that they liked what they read. If you're interested, I'll be hosting it again this year.

By: MLO

MLO — Tue, 15 Jun 2010 19:32:57 +0000

Ursula LeGuin is NOT a good introduction to science fiction. It is the most literary of books of the genre. LeGuin specifically wrote to challenge the way people thought of the world around them – all of our assumptions.

I must be a really jaded reader as I can’t imagine being able to put the book down in order to go to sleep.