Hit and Miss Reading Genre

I've been hinting about telling you about my foray into the science fiction genre. It's been good, confusing, inspiring and ultimately....frustrating.

I'm at the point where the next sci-fi book I read will have to be a) highly recommended b) not chosen off the shelf "because it sounds cool" and c) written by a highly reputable author.*

In no particular order, these are the books I've read so far which have either destroyed my interest in the genre or inspired me to discover more about it.

Hull Zero Three - Greg Bear

This was my number one reading FAIL for 2014. I will take the blame - partially. I got way too excited for this book, built it up to be something it wasn't and searched all over the island for it. So when I ended up reading about doughnut monkeys, let's just say I was disappointed.

I devoted an entire blog post to this so I won't say much more.

I'm still confused.

The Long Earth - Terry Pratchett & Stephen Baxter

This book sounded right up my alley and indeed it was. The concept of parallel universes was genius, I wanted to live in one of these worlds - who wouldn't? The main character being 'special' added interest and enabled them to develop the storyline. Character development fell by the wayside a bit but I could let it go.

However when I got to the end and realized it was going to develop into a space opera series in Book #2, I put the series down.

That being said, I'm intrigued with Pratchett and will be exploring more of his books.

The Lure - Bill Napier

I think I'm learning a lesson about randomly picking books off shelves without recommendations. Case in point.

This one sounded like a great page turner! Scientists find a signal from space. Unfortunately it gets way too Hollywood with car chases and daring escapes. Not enough science.

Neuromancer - William Gibson

Happily this was my very first attempt at science fiction. Good thing because this was one of the best I've read so far. Given that it was written in the 80's I couldn't believe what I was reading. So trippy with crazy, intense characters and a fast paced plot. The language and writing style were sometimes difficult but it's worth pushing through.

Rendezvous with Rama - Arthur C. Clarke

What would we do without authors like Clarke? I was on a downward spiral with science fiction when I picked this up. I remembered that you can't really fail with Clarke so I happily began.

What a fantastic book. Such a great vision of the future for the time it was written. Clear descriptions, just the right amount of science** and a kick ass, intriguing plot line. I'm looking forward to my next Clarke read.

Spin - Robert Charles Wilson

Again, a book picked off the shelf because it sounded cool. I think I should stop doing that?

Imagine one day a giant black shroud envelopes the earth and we can't see the stars. Would you then, basically do a character study of three people?

This guy did.

Titan - Stephen Baxter

Again, I've devoted an entire post to this space ship owner's manual. I'm still recovering from this book which is responsible for putting me into a holding pattern around the entire genre.


 * Carl, you're on deck.
**Hint. Hint. Baxter I'm looking at you.