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3. Becky Chambers "The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet"
"The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet" was a fun read, but really felt like I should have gotten it from AO3. It feels like Firefly/DS9 fanfic which was written with an eye toward selling the rights to TV. Somehow the chapters seem to feel like we're getting episodes in a show. It was enjoyable and there are some interesting ideas in the universe which Chambers built. Generally, I like the differences in the races and how humans fit into it. This is Chambers' first novel and self published at that and as such is an impressive effort. If I sound a bit critical, it just because I think with a little more editing/refining it could have been stellar.
4. Joe Haldeman "Dealing in Futures"
"Dealing in Futures" was kind of a mixed bag for me. I was impressed by the novella "You Can Never Go Back", which was the basis for the central section of "The Forever War". I've heard about "The Forever War" as a classic of science fiction, but have never read it. Maybe I'll do that now. This story was the first time I've ever read anything "space marines" where the combat could be followed and which conveyed the ugliness of war. Some of Haldeman's fictional social changes have come to pass, but these stories were written in the mid '70's to early '80's. His attitudes and those of his main characters are generally stuck in the '70's or earlier. I'm not nostalgic for the '70's, I lived through them (albeit as a kid) and now I'm just embarrassed by how sexist, racist, and close minded American society was. Sometimes it was hard to get around the squicky bits to see the interesting plots and worlds.
"The Long Way to a Small Angry Planet" was a fun read, but really felt like I should have gotten it from AO3. It feels like Firefly/DS9 fanfic which was written with an eye toward selling the rights to TV. Somehow the chapters seem to feel like we're getting episodes in a show. It was enjoyable and there are some interesting ideas in the universe which Chambers built. Generally, I like the differences in the races and how humans fit into it. This is Chambers' first novel and self published at that and as such is an impressive effort. If I sound a bit critical, it just because I think with a little more editing/refining it could have been stellar.
4. Joe Haldeman "Dealing in Futures"
"Dealing in Futures" was kind of a mixed bag for me. I was impressed by the novella "You Can Never Go Back", which was the basis for the central section of "The Forever War". I've heard about "The Forever War" as a classic of science fiction, but have never read it. Maybe I'll do that now. This story was the first time I've ever read anything "space marines" where the combat could be followed and which conveyed the ugliness of war. Some of Haldeman's fictional social changes have come to pass, but these stories were written in the mid '70's to early '80's. His attitudes and those of his main characters are generally stuck in the '70's or earlier. I'm not nostalgic for the '70's, I lived through them (albeit as a kid) and now I'm just embarrassed by how sexist, racist, and close minded American society was. Sometimes it was hard to get around the squicky bits to see the interesting plots and worlds.
