The Evolution of Science Fiction discussion

What are you reading now that was published in or has to do with SF in this time period?

I went looking for Heart of a Dog, but that was checked-out of the library so I got The Fatal Eggs instead. It looked really short and had a preface by the great Doris Lessing.

The preface was rather uninteresting. The story was fun enough, but just barely. I was happy that it wasn't another story of a mad scientist. The scientist is at times angry, but not "mad". It is the journalists and the government officials who use the discovery incautiously and cause a big problem.

This was in the "pulp era", but since it was in Soviet Union, it is really part of a different tradition from American pulps. Closer in spirit to H.G. Wells, but with light satire of Soviet society.

Gregg wrote: "I just finished the New Annotated Lovecraft this spring. It was a fun read and gives lots of insight into how his physical environment impacted his storytelling. I had previously read a biography t..."

(from the 2000-current discussion)

I want to read more Lovecraft because his work is so foundational to a lot of modern writers. I have a collection of some of his stories but I've only read The Dreams in the Witch House and maybe a couple others.

I did read The Coming of Conan the Cimmerian recently which is a collection of some of the earliest Conan stories. Robert E. Howard often corresponded with Lovecraft and there are some obvious references to Lovecraft's Cthulhu Mythos in Howard's writings.

The Black Star Passes by John W. Campbell Jr. is one of the basics texts of SF. Originally serialized in the pulps in 1930, this epitomizes Campbell's writing & his preferences as one of the most influential editors of the genre. It's also has one of the basic components of "The Big Bang Theory". It was a fun blast from the past, but I could only give it a 3 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

A few weeks ago I finished Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I had previously read it as a sullen high school student and probably didn't have the proper perspective to enjoy anything the author had to say. Remarkably, a lot of the ideas stayed with me over the years (Soma, the feelies) so I jumped at the chance to re-read it with a different bookclub. I liked it quite a bit despite the very slow start and I gave it 4 stars.

Randy wrote: "A few weeks ago I finished Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I had previously read it as a sullen high school student and probably didn't have the proper perspective..."

I enjoyed it as a sullen high school student. Wonder what I'd think of it now?

Ed wrote: "I enjoyed it as a sullen high school student. Wonder what I'd think of it now?"

You'd enjoy it, but you'd be less sullen about it. ;-)

Randy wrote: "A few weeks ago I finished Brave New World by Aldous Huxley. I had previously read it as a sullen high school student and probably didn't have the proper perspective to en..."

I don't remember whether or not I was in high school when I read Brave New World but I was sullen. It was eclipsed by 1984, which I first read as a college hippie.

I just started At the Mountains of Madness by H.P. Lovecraft. Having recently read Annihilation by Jeff VanderMeer I can see why they are so often compared. Lovecraft does a terrific job of slowly building suspense through his description of the setting which VanderMeer also did.

Finished At the Mountains of Madness and gave it 4 stars. I bought the complete Lovecraft collection and one of these days I'm gonna read the whole dang thing.

I just finished the Cosmic Engineers by Clifford Simak. While the novel was published in 1950 it was originally serialized in Astounding in 1939. I am a huge Simak fan and was totally surprised by this epic space opera. I was introduced to Simak by novels like Way Station and City. The book was very dated but Simak gave E. E. Smith a run for his money when he not only included all of our universe but also an adjoining universe and a 5th dimensional space in between !! Unfortunately I have to give it a weak 3 stars, mainly for sheer scope, and I did find myself skimming a bit.

I have a couple of books on my PC from the 20's & 30's that I will be reading shortly.
Sinister Barrier - Eric Frank Russell
Last and Rirst Men - Olaf Stapledon

I've read some other novels from the 20's & 30's.
When Worlds Collide & After Worlds Collide - Philip Wylie
Gladiator - Philip Wylie
Brave New world - Aldous Huxley (many, many years ago)
Metropolis - Thea von Harbou

I tried to read the serial novel "Cosmos" but couldn't get past the first few chapters.

But the majority of stuff that I read pre-1940 would have been in short story format from the pulp magazines and far too many to list or even remember. One that stands out was Stanley G. Weinbaum's “A Martian Odyssey.” I also remember some stories from P. Schuyler Miller but the titles slip my mind.

I have recently finished R.U.R.by Karel Capek.

Out of the Silent Planet by C.S. Lewis is pretty cool. Definitely more thoughtful and literary than those stories that give 'pulp' a derogatory connotation. The science isn't perfect, but it's definitely SF, not some weird primitive fantasy, not a fable like Gulliver's Travels or something. I mean, it does have allegorical themes and metaphysical ideas, but they aren't necessarily as important to the reader as the adventure itself.

Anyway, I kinda liked it and am starting the sequel.

I found it particularly interesting that Lewis made explicit nods to H.G. Wells and to "the space-and-time story."

I have started reading A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay.

Rosemarie wrote: "I have started reading A Voyage to Arcturus by David Lindsay."

I recently obtained a used copy of that book. I'll be interested to hear what you think of it.

I was looking for something by Cordwainer Smith, but it wasn't there, so I took something from the same shelf by another Smith. Hey, it had a pretty cover and I enjoy random discoveries!

The pretty cover was for me the best thing about Red World of Polaris by Clark Ashton Smith. Apparently he was considered a good poet, and eventually he wrote stories that are considered good, but these are his earliest "weird" stories, not considered his best, and they don't float my boat at all. Sample story: "Guys go to an undiscovered planet, see weird things, then leave. The end."

My review here.

I'm reading a collection of stories that were mostly published in the 30s by Stanley G. Weinbaum: Interplanetary Odysseys. So far so fun, I guess. Creative ideas, but I'm having a bit of trouble with canals on Mars and a wet, lively Venus.

What's kinda funny is that I just finished a YA novel about bare survival in the Everglades, Lost in the River of Grass... and "Parasite Planet" is almost the same story. Of course, The African Queen is too. The themes are a bit different, but they all have a bit of romance as it's a one man + one woman + common enemy = ....

Cheryl wrote: "Creative ideas, but I'm having a bit of trouble with canals on Mars and a wet, lively Venus."

I liked the old depictions, wit live thriving everywhere, even on Moon. This made our universe much less lonely. And I wonder about mind's selectivity - "canals on Mars" are unreal, but faster than light travel of most modern SF is fine... :)

Good point! :grin:

I love the premise of Asimov's collection Earth Is Room Enough for that very reason. And there are some authors who refuse to write FTL. But, yes, I do try to suspend disbelief....

I just finished reading War with the Newts by Karel Čapek. It was not at all what I expected. It turns out to be a satire on how stupid and greedy nations and businesses can be.

Yeah, the title doesn't give it away, eh? Well anyway, are you glad you read it?

I am glad I read it. It was an entertaining read and the satire was interesting. It was one of the most unusual science fiction books that I have read in quite a while.

Finished A Voyage to Arcturus with a yawn. Very anachronistic and repetitive. It was my second attempt to finish it. Gave it 1 star, but it 's a big zero.

That was one of our masthead book covers during the fall. I finally got around to changing it to the winter one this morning, though. I was going for name recognition & colors, not how good the books were. Perhaps I should have paid more attention to that.

Don't worry about it Jim. The book has controversial reviews. It may be a milestone in sf in its own bizarre way.

Well, here was my five-star review:

"Lindsay's novel like so many tales of fantasy and science fiction is a quest for the answers to life's mysteries. It is not a perfect work in either style or form but its influence on the pioneers of these genres make it a significant work especially for their British practitioners. Its use of space travel as a spiritual process highly influenced C.S. Lewis in his development of the Space Trilogy, and J.R.R. Tolkien read the work with "avidity" and clearly Frodo's struggle with the ring and his journey to "the darkest depths of Mordor" remains indebted to the trek across Tormance.

While seminal the work is showing its age but retains its mystery. For those seeking answers to the unknowable the novel leaves much for one to ponder. It is clearly of a Gnostic bent with touches of the Biblical splattered about. Like those influenced by Lindsay, the book focuses on the nature of Good and Evil, and the origins of these concepts.

While approaching one hundred years of age Lindsay's legacy still offers much for both the spiritual man and the jaded mandarin."

Rosemarie wrote: "I just finished reading War with the Newts by Karel Čapek. It was not at all what I expected. It turns out to be a satire on how stupid and greedy nations and business..."

Great book!

I just read an interesting collection of stories from the late 1920's - Away from the Here and Now: Stories in Pseudo-Science by Clare Winger Harris. She has strong woman and themes in her stories and because of that she has been recognized as a pioneer of women's and feminist science fiction. She was one of the most scientifically accurate writers of the time also. The stories were interesting for their historic impact but they weren't that bad as stories once you got past some of the archaic prose.

Jim wrote: "I just read an interesting collection of stories from the late 1920's - Away from the Here and Now: Stories in Pseudo-Science by Clare Winger Harris. ..."

That sounds interesting! I'll try some of her stories. I found one book that has a story by her and a story by Joanna Russ (author of this months group read) so I'll start with that.

I started reading


To Walk the Night by William Sloane

which is the first book in


The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror by William Sloane

In the last few days I finished:


To Walk the Night by William Sloane - the first book in the collection The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I started reading:


The Edge of Running Water by William Sloane - the second book in The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror

I finished:


The Edge of Running Water by William Sloane
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

Edge of Running Water is the second book in this collection:


The Rim of Morning: Two Tales of Cosmic Horror by William Sloane
Rating: 4 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just finished Aldous Huxley Brave New World

That book! I remembered it as brilliant but thought it would have dates poorly... nope! I enjoyed it every bit as much as I did back when I was a teenager.

https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I just read Black No More, a 1931 SF Satire by George S. Schuyler. It starts with the premise that someone invents a quick, inexpensive way for Black people to change into blond, blue-eyed White people.

It is a really wicked and scathing satire on the society of the USA at the time. It is also hilarious. Nobody is spared from criticism. The KKK and Black intellectuals are equally mocked.

Warning: the "N Word" is used frequently, along with other slurs, and there is a lynching.

Armageddon 2419 A.D. by Philip Francis Nowlan is the first Buck Rogers story (His name is Tony, though.) & was pretty good, if somewhat dated in many aspects. Still, I could see its influence in most action SF that came afterward. I gave it a 3 star review here:
https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

I've started "reading" an audio version of It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis. (Some call it SF, some don't. I don't care.)

My local "Berkeley Repertory Theater" created this version and just released it on YouTube. It is a very well-made production. They had mounted a staged version in 2016, and re-used some of the sounds and actors from that production.

It is available until Nov 8.

https://www.playbill.com/article/davi...

As for the content.... it feels too much like it could have been written today.

Ed wrote: "I've started "reading" an audio version of It Can't Happen Here by Sinclair Lewis. (Some call it SF, some don't. I don't care.)..."

I've got this queued up, but I haven't been in the mood to listen to it yet. Lewis is fairly strident at the best of times & I don't think I can take him on top of all the election stuff right now. Let me know how it goes.

Since the version I listened to was based on an adapted play, it consists mostly of dialog, and is shorter than the original book. I enjoyed it. The early parts were frightening. But later when things got really dark, I just don't consider it believable that our society could change that far that fast so it didn't scare me anymore.

The USA of today is so much more culturally varied that I don't think we could become a police state so quickly.

If you do try it, I suggest using this play version. (I converted the YouTube videos to audio and listened while on a road trip.)

The play version is here: It Can't Happen Here

Here is a nice article about the 100th anniversary of We by Yevgeny Zamyatin and R.U.R. by Karel Čapek.

https://www.bbc.com/culture/article/2...

It has interesting information about those books, plus details about the two authors lives and the historical times. I'm now curious to read The Absolute at Large by Čapek.

I started reading the dystopian classic


We by Yevgeny Zamyatin

I finished the Russian dystopian classic


We by Yevgeny Zamyatin
Rating: 3 stars
Review: https://www.goodreads.com/review/show...

and I am ready for the upcoming group discussion

Ed wrote: "I just read Black No More, a 1931 SF Satire by George S. Schuyler. It starts with the premise that someone invents a quick, inexpensive way for Black people to change ..."
Sounds interesting. I just downloaded a copy, Obviously I will need to view the language and events in the context of the time it was written.

Ed wrote: "I just read Black No More, a 1931 SF Satire by George S. Schuyler. It starts with the premise that someone invents a quick, inexpensive way for Black people to change ..."

I read the book. It was pretty amazing considering the topic and the date , 1931,, it was published. Schuyler attacks both white and black society with equal harshness and biting humor and even throws in some jabs at organized religion along the way. I'm glad you mentioned it and I'm glad I read it. I can see why Schuyler was a controversial figure then and now about his views on race for his early social commentary. He was a black man who was often at odds with the prominent social activists like W.E.B. DuBois.. He was a mercurial figure who began as a socialist and ended up a conservative member of the john Birch Society. I would only recommend this book to someone with some knowledge and interest in racial relationships in America in the '20's and '30's. It's a great example of using SF tropes to look satirically at a current (1931) social problem.

Yeah, I thought it was great! Not for everyone. Not for the easily offended.

They were planning a musical version -- yes, you read that right -- for 2020, but that was a messed-up year. The musical has now opened. Sadly, not viewable online.

https://thenewgroup.org/production/bl...

I thought you were pulling my leg until I checked out the link!!! Are you planning to go see it?

I will see it if I can someday, but I'm not traveling to NYC.
In the link there is a video of one song. Sounds neat.

Ed wrote: "Yeah, I thought it was great! Not for everyone. Not for the easily offended.

They were planning a musical version -- yes, you read that right -- for 2020, but that was a messed-up year. The musica..."

Well I’m in on this. A very interesting sounding book (I’m not easily offended) and a musical with the wife in January. This read is now on my December list.

Ed wrote: "I will see it if I can someday, but I'm not traveling to NYC.
In the link there is a video of one song. Sounds neat."

I guess I'm not happy that it is being done with rap music. It's from 1931 and it should be jazz. They could probably use "On the Sunny Side of the Street" with some minor changes to the lyrics.

Jim wrote: "I guess I'm not happy that it is being done with rap music. It's from 1931 and it should be jazz."

Hamilton the musical disagrees :)