Kevin's Watch

Not to put too fine a point on it, but what folks are complaining about in Stranger's latter parts is not Heinlein pandering to the times. That novel was written by him much earlier than its year of publication. Correspondence published in Grumbles From The Grave shows that both he and his editors/publishers knew that the novel could not be released at the time. The pendulum of the times swung his way about 45 years ago, the novel finally saw daylight, and (as we all know) prevailing views have subsequently shifted again.

I am not familiar enough with Le Guin to know what bounds she stretched or when...but I know that there are Watchers who can step in and clarify that if need be.

Returning to RAH, yes, most of the output of his latter years shows a tendency to trod the same soft core themes and the same cast of characters into the ground. There are flashes of brilliance in most of these books, but there is a lot of mining to be done to find them. For those of us who cut our teeth on his stellar earlier output, reading the products of his declining years was a bittersweet experience.

race2three wrote:Aliantha, I noticed you said that piers anthony "squeaked in" does that mean you do or don't like the xanth books?

The ex-husband was a big Piers Anthony fan. I read a bunch of them, plus some of his other works. The first few Xanth books were clever, but after that I got tired of them. I thought his "Incarnations of Immortality" series was okay, but I wouldn't go out of my way to read it again.

I liked the first couple of Xanth books as well...and the Incarnations of Immortality...but I liked the Adept books the best....I know what you mean about piers anthony though...after awhile the puns get old...and even though he creates worlds with so many different beings and things to see...it seems like he kinda ran out of things to do there....

Once he started relying heavily on his fans to supply him with puns, I kind of lost interest....

What? Stranger is great. Personally, I think TEFL was even greater.

--A

I think Stranger is great, just not top 100 ever. The Incarnations I enjoyed immensely, too.
His best book in many ways is one that AFAIR the only person I know of who's read it besides me is Worm of the World's End. "Macroscope."

But here's something I wondered:
How many have you [all of you] read?
I've read 88 of the 100 on the list. [counting series as a single entry, just as they did].

24, counting series where I've only read one or two books (Kushiel and Culture).

33.

I also enjoyed the Incarnations series (except the last one). And the Blue Adept ones. The Space Tyrant books weren't too bad, either, and Xanth was decent before he turned it into a cash cow. Stand alone, I'd go with Shade of the Tree. (growing up, my local library had a lot of Piers Anthony)

[Syl] wrote: (growing up, my local library had a lot of Piers Anthony)

Heh...mine had lots of Anthony, lots of Clarke, the first Dune book, Asimov's robots and Foundation [what existed to that point]...and that's all...no other sf/fantasy at all.

I've read 45, counting the same way Murrin did.

32... 31 if you won't count SoIaF since I've only read A Game of Thrones Own a bunch of the others (none of them Gaimen...) and I finally noticed World War Z made the list. The hell? I mean, I did enjoy it, but within the top 100?

I've read 39 of the top picks.

SerScot wrote:I've read 39 of the top picks.

Have you read 'The Mists of Avalon'? I'd like to get a guy's perspective, if I could

I will read it, I just want to figure out when.

Orlion wrote:

SerScot wrote:I've read 39 of the top picks.

Have you read 'The Mists of Avalon'? I'd like to get a guy's perspective, if I could

I will read it, I just want to figure out when.

I quite liked Mists of Avalon...but the related other books were pretty weak.
In a lot of ways it's known as a "feminist take" on the tale...and there is some of that in there...but there are more important "issues" in it.
On top of that, the most important thing IMHO, the depth/motivations of the characters, male and female, exceed the originals and any "retelling" that maintained the period/setting. [Things like that silly series by the woman who claimed to be Jim Morrison's lady, basically "Arthur In SPACE!" with starships shaped like dragons...what a load of crap].

Vraith wrote:

Orlion wrote:

SerScot wrote:I've read 39 of the top picks.

Have you read 'The Mists of Avalon'? I'd like to get a guy's perspective, if I could

I will read it, I just want to figure out when.

I quite liked Mists of Avalon...but the related other books were pretty weak.
In a lot of ways it's known as a "feminist take" on the tale...and there is some of that in there...but there are more important "issues" in it.
On top of that, the most important thing IMHO, the depth/motivations of the characters, male and female, exceed the originals and any "retelling" that maintained the period/setting. [Things like that silly series by the woman who claimed to be Jim Morrison's lady, basically "Arthur In SPACE!" with starships shaped like dragons...what a load of crap].

Thanks, Vraith! By my research, it seems like the rest of the books are 'prequels' anyway (aka, not necessary).

Mists of Avalon is not among them.

31 for me, Murrin's way. And I didn't ASOIAF, Riftwar, or Farseer, because I only read the first of each. But I did count Xanth, because I read the first 6-ish.

I've read 26 of the picks.

Orlion wrote: and I finally noticed World War Z made the list. The hell? I mean, I did enjoy it, but within the top 100?

I have read 22...

orlion - World War Z is the best zombie book ever. one of the best 'end of the world' books I have ever read. i wish they would make a series out o fit on hbo. it is well thought out novel, going through the real world hows and ways that would be associated with zombies.

sgt.null wrote:orlion - World War Z is the best zombie book ever. one of the best 'end of the world' books I have ever read. i wish they would make a series out o fit on hbo. it is well thought out novel, going through the real world hows and ways that would be associated with zombies.

Brad Pitt is shooting the movie right now in Edinburgh.