John W. Campbell, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and the Golden Age of Science Fiction A history of the early days of modern Science Fiction, centered about the lives of John W. Campbell Jr. and three of his proteges: Robert Heinlein, L. Ron Hubbard, and Isaac Asimov. A sometimes interesting account of a crucial era in the history of Science Fiction, but mainly just biographies of the titular personalities. Most of the interactions among these characters occurred before World War II, long before the lifetimes of anyone likely to be reading. I'm a longtime SF reader who grew up reading Heinlein and Asimov, and started reading Analog intermittently from about the time of Campbell's death. As invested as I am in the SF of the second half of the 20th Century, the history of the first half didn't interest me that much. Really, if you want to know what was happening in SF way back when, just read the stories! (SPOILER: It mostly sucked, especially Hubbard an...
A summary of my Genre (and Genre-adjacent) reading in 2025, presented in the order they were read. Mostly gleaned from used bookstores, the public library, and the BSFS library -- mostly an old guy reading old books. System Collapse -- Martha Wells -- 2023 Last of the Murderbot Diaries, "novel" length, but a short one. Continues this spectacular series in fine form. This story begins from the end of the last volume, "Network Effect." SecUnit (Murderbot's polite name) and ART (Murderbot's name for his pal, an acronym for the sentient ship he calls Asshole Research Transport) work to save their beloved but hapless human employers from enslavement by the Evil Corporation. Here, Murderbot seems to be developing into something almost completely human, emotionally at least, and begins to awaken to that fact, if not anywhere near accepting it. Highly recommended, as is the entire series. Clan of the Cave Bear -- Jean Auel -- 1980 OK, it took me mo...
Braking Day -- Adam Oyebanji -- 2022 A young midshipman prepares for the fast approaching day when a small fleet of generation starships will begin braking in preparation for arrival at their destination world after a 132-year journey. He's from the crew class, not the officer class, a rare (potential) climber in a socially stratified world. I was excited to read this one, as I enjoy the Generation Ship sub-genre. Unfortunately, it's written somewhere between Juvenile and Young Adult. With no real adult themes or any nuanced examination of the social system, it reads more as High School in Outer Space. Still, it was enjoyable enough, try it if the theme / setting appeals to you ... or if you're a young adult. And, blessedly, contains no SJW bushwa! Black Sun Rising -- C. S. Friedman -- 1991 First volume of a fantasy/horror (with a bit of SF) trilogy. Set 1000 years after humans settle a planet where the local 'fae' can be channeled to create magic; but, unfortunatel...
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