Re: [9fans] Very Off-Topic: Anybody here reads Sci-Fi? :)

[Eris Discordia <eris.discordia@gmail.com>]

> tip, though: DON'T read any sequels. 2001 is great, 2010 so-so, 2100
> blah, and 3001 well-nigh unreadable.

A little correction: it's 2061. I disagree about 2010 and 2061 as I loved 
reading them. 2061 explores the interesting character of Heywood Floyd in 
more depth. But I agree about 3001. It was unwise of Clarke to write it the 
way he did--and the parts about computer viruses pretty much sound like my 
ideas about Plan 9 and computers in general; uninformed at best, that is :-D

While doing short stories you may want to try Clarke's The Sentinel as 
well. 2001 grew out of that one. 2001, the film, is probably the greatest 
science-fiction film of all time. Any serious 2001 fan should also read The 
Lost Worlds of 2001. Clarke's chronicle of how 2001 the book was written 
and 2001 the film was made. It contains in addition parts of the book that 
never appeared in the final revision. Some of them are astounding, some 
clumsily-written, but all worth a read.

Two very interesting short stories of Asimov legacy are The Last Question 
and The Last Answer. Each thought-provoking in a different way.

--On Wednesday, December 03, 2008 5:56 PM -0500 "Joel C. Salomon" 
<joelcsalomon@gmail.com> wrote:

> On Wed, Dec 3, 2008 at 5:32 AM, Eris Discordia <eris.discordia@gmail.com>
> wrote:
>> There are the Great Three, of course. Isaac Asimov, Arthur C. Clarke, and
>> Robert A. Heinlein. Anything they wrote is worth a read. Sometimes a
>> number of reads. Clarke particularly interests me. Try the short story
>> The Nine Billion Names of God. The series of Odyssey novels are very
>> readable--2001 is a magnum opus of Clarke, and of science fiction.
>
> Clarke's short stories are great, as are many of his novels. Quick
> tip, though: DON'T read any sequels. 2001 is great, 2010 so-so, 2100
> blah, and 3001 well-nigh unreadable. Same with the Rama books: read
> the first, ignore the rest. Also, if there's a short story, and then
> an expanded novel, stick with the short story. Especially Guardian
> Angel/Childhood's End.
>
> If you want short stories, look for the "Best of …" set by del Rey
> books. Great introduction to many authors, especially Golden Age ones.
>
> —Joel