The Seasonal Reading Challenge discussion

HELEN'S TASK - SCIENCE FICTION - PAST AND PRESENT
Over The Past Few Years, The Large Number Of Science Fiction Based Movies/TV Series Has Resulted In A Resurgence In The Interest In Novels In This Genre. This Task Is Designed To Give Us An Opportunity To Explore Sci-Fi Novels From The Early 1900's Through Today. It Consists Of Reading Two Sci-Fi Novels - One Older One And One Current One And Commenting On Their Differences.

A. Past: Choose A Sci-Fi Novel Written By An Author Who Has Won A
Hugo OR Nebula Award Prior To The Year 2000.
(The Following Is A Partial List Of Icons Of This Genre Having Won One Or More Of These Awards And Having A Large Body Of Work Available For Selection: Isaac Asimov, Ray Bradbury, David Brin, Orson Scott Card, Arthur C. Clarke, Robert A. Heinlein, Frank Herbert, Frederick Pohl, Ursula Le Guin, Robert Silverberg, Kate Wilhelm, Roger Zelazny.)

B. Present: Choose A Sci-Fi Novel Published During The Current Century.
(For Fun, You Could Choose An Early Book By One Of The Sci-Fi Icons And A Current Book By The Same Author.)

C. Comment On The Differences Between The Two Novels And Speculate On Why (For Example, Author's Styles, Timeframe During Which They Were Written, Topic Choice, Etc).

If you need suggestions for books to read for this task post a request here.

I am having trouble coming up with the second sci fi book -- the more current one. It almost seems like the genre morphed into more fantasy? When I searched for it, things like Time Traveler's wife and catching fire come up. (Both of which I have read). Would books like that work or does it need to be more sci-fi?

(I am reading Dune for the first part which I am super excited about!)

B. Present: Choose A Sci-Fi Novel Published During The Current Century.
(For Fun, You Could Choose An Early Book By One Of The Sci-Fi Icons And A Current Book By The Same Author.)

Judging by that description, it seems Helen said ANY Sci-Fi Novel Published in 2001-Present. Didn't seem that it HAD to be a Nebula or Hugo Award Winner.

This should open the doors for you on any science fiction novels.

A highly mentioned Sci-Fi YA Novel is the Uglies Trilogy by by Scott Westerfeld.

The Yiddish Policemen's Union has won a number of sci-fi awards.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Science_...
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_...

Tanja wrote: "B. Present: Choose A Sci-Fi Novel Published During The Current Century.
(For Fun, You Could Choose An Early Book By One Of The Sci-Fi Icons And A Current Book By The Same Author.)

Judging by tha..."

I think Erin has a point, though, that there doesn't seem to be a clear delineation between Sci-Fi and Fantasy when thinking about contemporary novels. Even the Hugo and Nebula (and other) awards are for both genres.

Is there an easy way for us Sci-Fi novices to differentiate? I had just been pulling up potential books up on wikipedia and looking under genre, but I'm sure that's a debatable solution.

Oh oh oh oh! I'm going to read Under the Dome A Novel by Stephen King for the second part of the task. I knew I'd fit it in somewhere!

I just noticed this task, and Helen: YOU ARE AWESOME :)

I second that emotion!

Two quick points on this task:
1. Thanks - I'm glad you all are excited about exploring sci-fi.

2. Congratulations!! You have already broken the code on one of the issues that I hoped would be discovered about past sci-fi and present sci-fi. That is the blurring of the lines between the sci-fi and fantasy genres.

The following is a rule of thumb differentiating the two genres:

"In general, science fiction is the literature of things that might someday be possible, and fantasy is the literature of things that are inherently impossible."

However, I am very flexible in the selection of the second novel to be read. It does not have to be an award winner - only one that was published within this century. Also, if it blurs to fantasy that is okay. The important thing is to get into the overall genre and read something that may be outside your normal topics.

Cait wrote: "Oh oh oh oh! I'm going to read Under the Dome A Novel by Stephen King for the second part of the task. I knew I'd fit it in somewhere!" Good choice

Orson Scott Card has just started a new series called Mithermages - the first book in the series is Stonefather.

Super, Helen, I'm a big sci/fi fantasy fan, and I wondered if the "demise" "morphing" of sci/fi is what you had in mind with the task.
I love your definitions of sci/fi and fantasy, too.

Love this task - I'm a huge fantasy fan but really haven't read much (if any) traditional sci-fi. It's going to be fun.... :)

Would The Hunger Games count as present science fiction? Trying to fit it in somewhere. Thanks.

Patricia wrote: "Would The Hunger Games count as present science fiction? Trying to fit it in somewhere. Thanks."

Sure does - note it fits the rule of thumb "things that might someday be possible".

Some say that sci-fi novels can be a warning of the future if we are not careful about how we manage our present. I hope all of you pick books that get you to think about how our culture could evolve. Okay, off my soapbox - enjoy your search for just the right novel.

Nicki wrote: "Love this task - I'm a huge fantasy fan but really haven't read much (if any) traditional sci-fi. It's going to be fun.... :)"

I love fantasy also. Tends to be less edgy than traditional sci-fi - but I also love the real possibilities that sci-fi explores.

If you haven't read much sci-fi, try one of the classics. Two of my favorites are:

Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card
Fahrenheit 451 by Ray Bradbury

Helen,

I would like to read Paladin of Souls which won the Hugo and Nebula in 2004 for part B of the task. I haven't read it yet, but am reading the first in the series for another task. I am confused though, because it seems more like fantasy. Is this ok?

Thanks,

Rachel

Rachel Lee wrote: "Helen,

I would like to read Paladin of Souls which won the Hugo and Nebula in 2004 for part B of the task. I haven't read it yet, but am reading the first in the series for another..."

Bujold tends to lean more to fantasy than sci-fi but since the lines have blurred so much in recent novels and since it is such a good read, yes I will accept it.

Helen wrote: "Rachel Lee wrote: "Helen,

I would like to read Paladin of Souls which won the Hugo and Nebula in 2004 for part B of the task. I haven't read it yet, but am reading the first in the..."

Awesome! Thanks!

First...YAY HELEN!! Finally some Sci-fi/Fantasy representation in here. I'm SOOO excited.

I'm going to do Flowers for Algernon for my Nebula win and American Gods for my contemporary.

But for anybody looking for suggestions the Foundation Series by Isaac Asimov would be perfect for this challenge. They are such good books and I think they would be good for anybody who isn't a sci-fi reader. The character development is excellent and the plot twists are intense! Heres a link. Foundation

Helen is my hero!!!

Felina wrote: "First...YAY HELEN!! Finally some Sci-fi/Fantasy representation in here. I'm SOOO excited.

I'm going to do Flowers for Algernon for my Nebula win and American Gods for my..."

Thanks for your enthusiasm. Your choices are terrific. Neil Gaiman is one of the best of the upcoming authors in this genre.

Isaac Asimov is one of my favorite authors and the Foundation series is incredible. Thanks for recommending it.

Helen wrote: "Nicki wrote: "Love this task - I'm a huge fantasy fan but really haven't read much (if any) traditional sci-fi. It's going to be fun.... :)"

I love fantasy also. Tends to be less edgy than trad..."

Actually Ender's Game was seriously top of my list :) I wanted to get one of his books for the fall challenge but the library had nothing and none of the local shops had what I wanted either!

I read lots of Ray Bradbury when I was a teenager - loved, loved his Mars series and compilations. I'd almost forgotten about them...

Been meaning to try Bujold and Asaro too. I really should complain about this task - for me there's TOO much choice ;)

Here's a list of some of my favorite sci/fi books for those who don't like sci/fi, or who think they don't like sci/fi. I took Helen at her word, these are Hugo/Nebula winning authors, but they did not necessarily win for this particular book, I think these are more sci/fi than fantasy, but the line was already getting blurry in the 80s. If you don't think some of these fit your task Helen, please let me know, and I'll edit the list. **The last book does NOT fit...it's just a great book**

Cordelia's Honor, by Lois McMaster Bujold. This one is for all of you who love a great romance and a great story. Cordelia and Aral are a classic literary couple. This book is for those of you who said "Sci/fi, yuck" It is also good for those of you (you know who you are) who can see the silly over the top aspects of Twilight, but who know in your heart of hearts that if you were 15 again, YOU would think that Twilight was unbearably romantic. Aral and Cordelia are more like 40 than 15, but it is still full of adventure... and who wouldn't want such a hero??? This is two books put together, one of which won an award (Hugo? I think), but since the second book, Barrayar, is the award winner, I like to recommend the double book - you will want to know what happens.

To Your Scattered Bodies Goby Philip Jose Farmer. Farmer died this year, so TYSBG fits other tasks as well. It has been years since I read this, it is as much speculative fiction as anything else. Famous people (like Mark Twain) are resurrected (or maybe recreated by aliens,hmmm) as young healthy people travelling down river on an unknown world trying to figure out how they got there. A thought experiment and masterful example of world building. There's a whole series of these books, but the quality goes down after this one - the power is in his premise and the first few chapters.

Startide Rising by David Brin. Really any of the Uplift Saga books, although the first book Sundiver, is probably the weakest. These are the most "hard sci/if" of any that I have recommended. David Brin can also be the hardest to read, because you are kind of dropped into the middle of the story, and between the unfamiliar names and nouns and slang and the moderate dose of science it can be a bit of a rough go. But, they are classics in the lots of alien races categories, think Star Trek.

the Left Hand of Darkness by Ursula LeGuin. Enough said. This book moves into the realm of literature or literary fiction. It is thought-provoking, in the way "literature" is supposed to be.

Ender's Game Already mentioned, great book.

Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. Amber is the possibly most accessible of all these books, after Cordelia's Honor. It is a little dated, lots of cigarette smoke, and is the one book that Helen might well consider fantasy, rather than science fiction - there are both trolls and laser guns in this one. Whole genres of sci/fi and fantasy and a lot of what is on SyFy network owe their existence to this series - urban fantasy, but also Darkover and some of Cherryh's work.

Finally, two books whose authors did not apparently win Hugos or Nebulas for novels, or maybe I just missed them Titan by John Varley and Chanur's Honor by CJ Cherryh. Titan is a fabulous work of imagination, the kind of unique world that later had a thousand rip-offs. Chanur's Honor is a just a great story of things/emotions that are greater than differences.

Enjoy.

Helen wrote: "Two quick points on this task:
1. Thanks - I'm glad you all are excited about exploring sci-fi.

2. Congratulations!! You have already broken the code on one of the issues that I hoped would be..."

Thanks, Helen. That definition makes a lot of sense, even to someone (like me) who knows nothing about science fiction.

I think I'm going to read Fahrenheit 451 and American Gods. Thanks for the recommendations, folks.

Someone mentioned The Time Traveler's Wife... Is that one okay for modern sci-fi? (I was going to read it for the Fall Challenge, but the wait was too long... I should be getting it in the next week or so though...)

There's a problem with my post, but I couldn't edit the comment.
CJ Cherryh won 2 major sci/fi awards for Cyteen and Downbelow Station, so Chanur's Honor should work for Helen's task.
I purposely left off Foundation and Dune...this is my own quirky list, tilted toward the non-science fiction fan.

I'm so excited about this task. Sci-fi and fantasy are my favorite genres and there are so many amazing books I have yet to read that I want to use for this! Decisions, decisions. Probably will go with The Left Hand of Darkness for the first part. Possibly The Hunger Games for the second since I see it will be accepted. Thanks for an awesome task.

Ermmmm... I HIGHLY recommend Hunger Games.

Sara ♥ wrote: "Someone mentioned The Time Traveler's Wife... Is that one okay for modern sci-fi? (I was going to read it for the Fall Challenge, but the wait was too long... I should be getting it ..."

Time Traveler's Wife is a good example of how eclectic sci-fi/fantasy is becoming. Definite Yes.

Cindy wrote: "Here's a list of some of my favorite sci/fi books for those who don't like sci/fi, or who think they don't like sci/fi. I took Helen at her word, these are Hugo/Nebula winning authors, but they did..."

Thanks for the list. Glad to find other sci-fi fans out there. All of your recommendations are a YES.

Note: I have a problem classifying Bujold and Cherryh's work since they bridge both genre's. When in doubt, it's a yes! Also, Zelazny tends to be in the gray area - depending on his subject - but he is so good, he has to be a yes also.

Also, we cannot leave out Robert A. Heinlein's classics A Stranger in a Strange Land and The Cat Who Walks Through Walls.

There is so much good material out there, the difficulty is in deciding what to read.

Livy wrote: "I'm so excited about this task. Sci-fi and fantasy are my favorite genres and there are so many amazing books I have yet to read that I want to use for this! Decisions, decisions. Probably will go ..."

Good selections

Admittedly my tastes tend more towards fantasy than Sci-fi. Cindy, your list is awesome. I just added all of those to my tbr. I've never known anybody who was a hard core sci-fi fan so I've never gotten alot of good recommendations. But I do love it and what I have read of it has been awesome. Thanks everybody.

If someone really wanted to be hard core (?Helen), they might pair A Canticle for Leibowitz with Neal Stephenson's Anathem, because they tell slightly different stories in a related way. However, Anathem is a monster of a book and the prose is dense, it is a dissertation on different theories of cosmogony (what ever that is), but also a good story if you skim through the philosophy parts.

Bujold is one of the few writers who is a master of both fantasy and science fiction, LeGuin being the other immediate example. LeGuin's books are much more literary and thought provoking, and mostly fantasy-based. Bujold's Vorkosigan's saga is all sci/fi and just plain fun. I keep hoping someone will turn them into a movie or miniseries.

Cindy wrote: "If someone really wanted to be hard core (?Helen), they might pair A Canticle for Leibowitz with Neal Stephenson's Anathem, because they tell slightly different stories..."

Cindy - LOL - now that would be a challenge. I loved A Canticle for Leibowitz and would recommend it but I would never ask anyone to tackle the Stephenson book for this challenge. I would hate to turn anyone off the genre because of its sheer weight (physically and structurally). It is a tome - I have looked it over several times at the bookstore but have not had the energy to read it. It appears that you have read it - I am humbled by your diligence.

I love LeGuin also. The ScyFy channel did a miniseries of her Earthsea trilogy a couple of years ago. It was excellent - stayed very close to the books.

I'm going the "dystopian societies" route with Le Guin's The Dispossessed An Ambiguous Utopia (which is supposedly technically utopian?) and Margaret Atwood's Oryx and Crake so I can contrast the two ideals. Yay dystopic fiction! It suits my inherant cynicism :3

For more modern SF, you can look at William Sleator, Suzanne Weyr, Kazuo Ichigoro, the newer books of Orson Scott Card's Ender books (I briefly considered doing one of the old ones and one of the new ones and comparing them) or Homecoming books, Neal Schusterman's Unwind, or something by Neal Stephenson. Philip K. Dick is also amazing for the old books; I highly recommend his Ubik and Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?. There is a lot of fantasy/SF overlap, but SF is so broad a genre that you should be able to find something. Look for "steampunk," "cyberpunk," "apocalypse," and, of course, "dystopia" to narrow your search if you're having trouble with the blending.

In "cyberpunk", William Gibson's and [image error] are excellent, as is Neal Stephenson's . I also enjoy Ian McDonald who mixes sci-fi, fantasy and cyber all into one..

Helen wrote: " 2. Congratulations!! You have already broken the code on one of the issues...The following is a rule of thumb differentiating the two genres: "

I have a friend (scifi/fantasy junky) who described it as this: "Science Fiction has bolts and Fantasy has grass." I always though it was a funny description.

Thank you for your clarification Helen. This isn't my regular genre so I am looking forward to discovering a couple of great books. :)


I found this helpful link .

Jensownzoo wrote: "I second that emotion!"

I agreee..this is a great task. Love this genre

Helen wrote: "Nicki wrote: "Love this task - I'm a huge fantasy fan but really haven't read much (if any) traditional sci-fi. It's going to be fun.... :)"

I love fantasy also. Tends to be less edgy than trad..."

Enders game is one of my favorites....
I will probably read Farenheit 451 for this one since I've never read it and heard nothing but good things about it.

Now to find a recent....lots to choose from!

The reason for the blurring of sci-fi and fantasy is originally the two were lumped together as sci-fi. Gradually over the years, they began to split but many people were confused where to shelve the novel.

Typically science fiction has a technological aspect.
Fatansy is a dreamy realm with magic, warlocks and spells.

Below is how the two can be confusing.

The reason Ann McCaffrey's Dragonriders of Pern series is science fiction is the dragons are GENETICALLY altered/created. Whereas Eragon is fantasy because the dragon is naturally born.

And when in doubt, feel free to surf a GR Group called The Science Fiction and Fantasy Book Club. There's a lot of discussion about some classic sci-fi like War of the Worlds and modern day selections. It may ease making a choice when seeing the awards list and not knowing if it's up your alley.
http://www.goodreads.com/group/show/1...


I read a LOT of both but I typically lean toward fantasy.

However, HELEN don't forget Heinlein's Starship Troopers. I think I might read Old Man's War since the new movie Avatar takes inspiration from this novel & Starship Troopers.

Asimov - I, Robot - is a goodie. Heck any of his novels.

Dune, Star Wars series, Star Trek series...

Maybe I'll try to read "the road" by Cormac McCarthy for the recent.

Helen wrote: "Felina wrote: "First...YAY HELEN!! Finally some Sci-fi/Fantasy representation in here. I'm SOOO excited.

I'm going to do Flowers for Algernon for my Nebula win and American Go..."</i>

So, would [book:The Graveyard Book be acceptable, too, even though it seems to be much more of a fantasy than sci-fi?

Tracey wrote: "Maybe I'll try to read "the road" by Cormac McCarthy for the recent."

Oh, would The Road work for the second part of this task? I just penciled it in as one of the books for BJ Rose's "catch-all" task.

Shoot, now I have a decision to make if this book fits. Read it, or Uglies

I think I'll go with The Road though. Parts of the new movie based on teh book were filmed here in Portland, OR. In fact some of it was filmed in a house across the street from one of my girlfriend's house. She said there we lots of fire and fake fire used in the filming. The film crews were there for about a week. Now I've got to read the book before I see the movie. I HAVE to see the movie just to see the local house. :-)

You should put Uglies down for the other 25 point tasks. I think Jan has - read a book that fits another task. And I believe it is BJ who has read any books (no re-reads) so long as the book pages total over 825?

Scifi also tends to be blurred with horror as well...it can get pretty confusing.

Oh and Im not sure if the road wil work, but i used the link someone provided for the scifi and it was on the list of scifi for 2007 I belive.

Jamie wrote: "Helen wrote: "Felina wrote: "First...YAY HELEN!! Finally some Sci-fi/Fantasy representation in here. I'm SOOO excited.

I'm going to do Flowers for Algernon for my Nebula win and [bo..."

Good selection for first part of task. For the second part, The Graveyard is more fantasy than sci-fi but since so much is blended and the book is so terrific, the answer is YES.

Will the Road work for the 2nd part of this task?

Tracey wrote: "Will the Road work for the 2nd part of this task?"

The Road is really on the fringe of the spirit of this task. I would prefer a more specific sci-fi novel rather than just a straight "after the apocolypse" book. However, I have been flexible with all other decisions so if you want to read it for this task, you can.

Helen wrote: "Good selection for first part of task. For the second part, The Graveyard is more fantasy than sci-fi but since so much is blended and the book is so terrific, the answer is YES."

Great! Thanks, Helen!

Doing Flowers and Old Man's War. WOO!

Helen wrote: "Tracey wrote: "Will the Road work for the 2nd part of this task?"

The Road is really on the fringe of the spirit of this task. I would prefer a more specific sci-fi novel rather than just a str..."


Thanks, i'll look around some more just in case I find something else. If not, i'll use the road as a last resort. Thanks!