The Apolyton Science Fiction Book Club.

JohnT · January 8, 2003, 11:04

Who here wants to start a discussion group? How it will work is that we will nominate and vote for books for a particular month, and then on the first of the month I will open a thread and we can discuss the novel. We also would take nominations and make the selection for the next month's novel.

So who's game? My nomination for February is Margaret Atwoods The Handmaids Tale. Anybody second?

Eli · January 8, 2003, 11:32

Count me in.

SpencerH · January 8, 2003, 12:07

Does A Handmaids Tale really count as Sci-fi. Theres not much 'science' involved, its more like 'futuristic sociology'.

Eli · January 8, 2003, 13:13

Spencer :
http://apolyton.net/forums/showthrea...threadid=71789

Jon Miller · January 8, 2003, 13:14

I Am in

I think this is a great idea

Jon Miller

JohnT · January 8, 2003, 13:44

I was going to point Spencer to that thread, but I didn't want to stir up that nest of hornets again.

Spencer, to answer your question, who the hell knows?

It's close enough to sf to be done by the science fiction discussion group that I moderate here in Knoxville, so obviously I think so.

Clear Skies · January 8, 2003, 14:32

I'll nominate Foundation by Isaac Asimov.

Imran Siddiqui · January 8, 2003, 15:02

John, you've been spending too much time at straight dope

.

JohnT · January 8, 2003, 15:09

GMTA

Imran Siddiqui · January 8, 2003, 15:11

?

JohnT · January 8, 2003, 15:25

Great Minds Think Alike.

Imran Siddiqui · January 8, 2003, 15:31

Ah... you and your goshdarn confounding acronyms

.

JohnT · January 8, 2003, 15:40

You mean my GCA's?

SpencerH · January 8, 2003, 17:03

Its a pity I missed that thread. Of course you can call it 'science fiction'. Thats how it was classified when it came out, but I dont think Atwood ever referred to it (herself) in that way. Its just a different background for her feminist writing aimed at portarying men as manipulative, oppessive pigs and therefore better classified as an interesting piece of 'futuristic sociology'.

There! Thats my book report all done.

Next time, same channel we'll report on the Dune series by Frank Herbert in ten words or less.

Lorizael · January 8, 2003, 17:28

I'll certainly participate.

Spencer: Over-achiever...

St Leo · January 8, 2003, 21:03

May I suggest Diaspora by Greg Egan?

BTW, the Handmaid's Tale is brilliant. I found it very motivating with regards to bashing religion and I actually sympathised with the hero (whereas I was rooting for the antagonists in Brave New World).

cavebear · January 8, 2003, 21:35

I think serious consideration should be given to Jack Chalker for the "Well of Souls" series. His ability to combine science and societal speculation in his fiction is remarkable, and I think his writing is pretty good on an absolute scale, as well.

There are certainly many others. I still see value in Niven;s Ringworld seriies and he and others are good for their internally-consistent universes. And, of course, getting into universes, we can't ignore Heinlien's 'Number of the Beast' which connects all his series into a single plotline.

Are there any 'Heroes from Hell' or 'Wild Card' fans out there?

Jon Miller · January 8, 2003, 23:16

I have read one Wild Cards book

I suggest The Fresco, by Sheri S Tepper

Jon Miller

JohnT · January 13, 2003, 13:56

I've got 7 participants for February's selection, The Handmaids Tale. Also, I'm still taking nominations for March's book.

Cavebear, which Well book do you want?

chequita guevara · January 13, 2003, 14:15

I support Handmaid's Tale. I'll read it again. I would catagorize it as science fiction because the whole situation comes about because of pollution, IIRC.

Actually, Bush and Ashcroft have me thinking about that book a lot. It's interesting how she foresaw the rise of the religious right in the early seventies.

SpencerH · January 13, 2003, 14:20

A Handmaids tale came out mid eighties.

chequita guevara · January 13, 2003, 14:25

R U sure?

SpencerH · January 13, 2003, 15:20

The Handmaid's Tale; McClelland & Stewart, Houghton Mifflin, 1985; Cape, 1985.

jdd2007 · January 13, 2003, 16:19

ive been dabbling into SF lately, with the Ender series and Dune. pretty good books, though i dont want to get too deep into the addictive world of scienfe fiction...

Rogan Josh · January 13, 2003, 16:58

I nominate Revelation Space by Alastair Reynolds

JohnT · January 13, 2003, 17:07

This is a brand new club, jdd. If you want to throw Ender or Dune out as a nomination, feel free. Hell, I'll do it myself.

JohnT · January 13, 2003, 17:09

600 pages, Rogan? You wanna kill our club?

Looks interesting, btw. I'll throw it in the nomination pot, as well as see if I can find a copy myself.

molly bloom · January 13, 2003, 20:18

I'd like to nominate:

Thomas Disch- 334

L. P. Hartley- Facial Justice

U K Le Guin- The Day Before the Revolution or Vaster Than Empires and More Slow (short stories in the collection 'The Wind's Twelve Quarters')

and China Mieville - Perdido Street Station

loinburger · January 13, 2003, 20:23

Count me in. I'd like to nominate Drake's Hammer's Slammers series, but since a series (four books) is too much to nominate, I'll report back when I can pare it down to a single book.

mactbone · January 13, 2003, 20:36

I'm interested, but I'm currently taking a couple of classes that are reading intensive. One actually happens to be a Sci-Fi/Fantasy English course concentrating on Nanotechnology and Cyborgs.

I just finished the Ender's Game series and it gets kind of... stale, I think. I also read the first book in the Discworld series, and it's interesting. The book/s I would really like to discuss are the Herbert/Ransom Jesus Incident series. I think it's very interesting to read books set in odd places that deal with themes we experience in our lives, like religion.

The books in my Sci-Fi class are:
Frankenstein
The Ship Who Sang
The Wild Seed (which is fantasy)
The Left Hand of Darkness (fantasy)
Blood Music
Diamond Age
Crescent City Rhapsody