Paul Krugman has good taste in Science Fiction. Beyond This Horizon may have been the worst written Heinlein novel ever. The worst Heinlein novel ever Farnham's Freehold was marginally better written, but horribly offensive beyond anything else Heinlein ever wrote.
Zoe: Nobody's saying that, sir. Wash: Yeah, we're pretty much just giving each other significant glances and laughing incessantly.
'Our Mrs. Reynolds'
Literary Buffistas 3: Don't Parse the Blurb, Dear.
There's more to life than watching Buffy the Vampire Slayer! No. Really, there is! Honestly! Here's a place for Buffistas to come and discuss what it is they're reading, their favorite authors and poets. "Geez. Crack a book sometime."
Typo Boy - May 06, 2008 6:43:34 pm PDT #5718 of 28350
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
§ ita § - May 06, 2008 6:54:00 pm PDT #5719 of 28350
Well not canonically, no, but this is transformative fiction.
TB, I can't make that last sentence make sense.
Typo Boy - May 06, 2008 6:58:20 pm PDT #5720 of 28350
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
Hope the editing improved it. Farnham's Freehold was better written in that the prose was marginally better, the characterization was marginally better, the plot was marginally more believable. But it had some stuff that was really offensive. Given that the prose and so on was still awful, even if not so awful as BTH, the extreme ick factor outweighed everything else, and made it the worse novel - even if it had slightly better (but still awful) prose and so on.
Laga - May 06, 2008 7:32:59 pm PDT #5721 of 28350
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.
I loved Farnham's Freehold when I was in my teens and eating up everything Heinlein ever wrote. Perhaps I should revisit it. And then again maybe not.
Typo Boy - May 06, 2008 7:43:04 pm PDT #5722 of 28350
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
I've been reluctant to go into specifics. If you like I'll email you offline.
Laga - May 06, 2008 7:48:15 pm PDT #5723 of 28350
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.
thanks but I think I'd rather retain my illusions.
DavidS - May 06, 2008 8:44:06 pm PDT #5724 of 28350
"Look, son, if it's good enough for Shirley Bassey, it's good enough for you."
For future economics I liked Bruce Sterling's Islands in the Stream which postulated all kinds of interesting new business models.
For future psychiatry I really liked Greg Bear's Queen of Angels.
meara - May 06, 2008 8:44:43 pm PDT #5725 of 28350
Heh. There are so many books I adored in middle school/early high school that I have not re-read, lest my illusions be spoiled.
Charles Stross’s Merchant Princes novels, on the other hand, are economic science fiction worth reading.
I have these...they're an interesting concept, but I'm not a fan of the characters. A similar concept is present in SM Stirling's "Conquistador"
Laga - May 06, 2008 10:05:51 pm PDT #5726 of 28350
You should know I'm a big deal in the Resistance.
Bruce Sterling's Islands in the Stream
It's Islands in the Net I think. Islands in the Stream is that horribly depressing last book by Hemingway.
Typo Boy - May 06, 2008 10:07:44 pm PDT #5727 of 28350
Calli: My people have a saying. A man who trusts can never be betrayed, only mistaken.Avon: Life expectancy among your people must be extremely short.
Funny - did not like Conquistador at all.