J-Lynn's comments (member since Oct 08, 2007)

J-Lynn's comments from the Building a SciFi/Fantasy Library group.

Michelerc,
Sylvia Engdahl also has a group on Goodreads where you can talk to her about her books, ask questions, etc. Check it out!

Quincy,
I'd be interested in knowing which book Orson Scott Card was refering to. Ender's had a multicultural cast, but don't remember any of the main characters being black. His book Leah and Rachel is based on the old testament and one could argue that the people in the region were definitely people of color (although American christianity and bibles rarely portray them as so).

But, was there a book by OSC that had a main character that was black?

Anyone?

I am so glad that Michelerc brought up Sylvie Louise Engdahl. I second her nomination! Enchantress from the Stars and Far Side of Evil are some of my favorite scifi, ever.

Usually books are classified YA based solely on the age of the protagonist(s).

Even after reading the Wikipedia page I am still unclear as to the exact meaning of Science fantasy.

But, Allison's post reminded me of two books similar to the ones she suggests. Skellig (angel or mutant?) by David Almond and Peeps (vampirism explained by a scientific virus) by Scott Westerfield

Glad to see everyone is on the Ender's Game bandwagon. I have taught that book for several years to 9th graders and it is always a big hit.

Neal Shusterman's books should be added to any YA scifi list. My favorites are The Downsiders, The Dark Side of Nowhere, and Scorpion Shards.

Also, the Young Jedi Knights series is a blast.

I have a killer office in my house with wall to wall book shelves and a big fluffy chair. It is a book-lover's haven and the perfect place to read.

I only count and divide pages when I am reading something for school or editing someone's work. For pleasure reading, I want the process to be more organic.

Glenn,
I would agree that Brian Herbert and Kevin J. Anderson's collective efforts on the Dune series fall short.

But, Kevin J. Anderson on his own is a lot of fun. He wrote some of the best Star Wars books and his most recent book about what happened on Crypton before Superman was launched from the dying planet looks really interesting.

Stephen King is much more deep than people give him credit for. While you will find most of his books filed under horror at book stores because of marketing and profits, I would argue that he crosses most genres. Tommyknockers is definitely sci-fi, Delores Claiborne is a screwed up family drama, Gunslinger series sci-fi/fantasy, etc. The man trancends horror.

Rindis,

The 3rd and 4th books of the Alanna Quartet are all about Jonathan fighting to keep his throne and Alanna scheming for ways to help him keep it including arranging a marriage for him even though she loves him. I think it counts.

But, maybe I am missing something. Could you spell out your full definition again? Was it on another thread?

Robin Hobb's Farseer Trilogy should be added to the list. "Mortal politics" for sure through the eyes of the gifted bastard son of the late King.

I think you could also argue all of Tamora Pierce's books would fall into this category, but especially Trickster's Choice and Trickster's Queen.

I haven't read the Inkspell series, but really liked The Thief Lord. It is a very simple, but oddly stylistic example of magical realism. The book takes place in Venice and is told through the eyes of a rag-tag group of orphans--with some deep lessons about the power of family, even if you are not bound by blood. The Thief Lord was not translated by the same person as her subsequent novels and I would argue that there might have been a little something lost in the translation, but I still enjoyed it. It was also made into a pretty good movie adaptation that is now out on DVD.

So, for those of us who have limited time to take on new series...Why should we make room for this one? What makes it so great? I have to say I am intrigued.

Addition to the worst fantasy list--the graphic novel M.I.T.H. It had a really cool premise-- that America kept its world power status thanks to an elite covert group of operatives that made sure America possessed all of the world's magical artifacts. But, the plotline was culturally insensitive and I so didn't need the main characters to make out in the middle of a Mayan death trap. Blah.

Best scifi--Ender and Bean series by Card, Star Shards trilogy by Shusterman, Jurassic Park by Crichton, assorted books from the Star Wars and Star Trek series.

I hate to disparage one of my favorite writers, but the worst sci-fi book ever was The Tommyknockers by Stephen King. I remember being on page 500 and thinking, "Oh my God! When is something good going to happen?" In his book On Writing, King admits that he was high on cocaine the entire time he was writing it--it showed!

Best Fantasy--Harry Potter Series by Rowling, anything by Tamora Pierce, Hero and the Crown by McKinley, The Farseer Trilogy by Robin Hobb, Artemis Fowl series by Colfer, Eragon series by Paolini

Worst Fantasy--Midnight for Charlie Bone by Nimmo. The story had so much potential, but the writing is not there. I tried to hang in for the first two books in the series, but I kept being disappointed and gave up.

Megan,

I would try Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl (The new version has a forward by Lois Lowry). It is decidedly non-militaristic. Plus, it has a really strong, but unique heroine which can be uncommon in this genre.

Also, The Star Shards Trilogy by Neal Shusterman. He is a young adult writer and you could argue that the first in the trilogy is a YA novel, but the other two are printed as adult novels. One of the most interesting series I have read in a long time--a mix of science fiction, fantasy and mythology.

And, lets not forget Michael Crichton--who is often left out of science fiction discussions. I still love to reread Jurassic Park and Lost World every couple of years. I also really enjoyed Congo and Sphere, although I would consider those light reading.

Randy,
I understand what you are saying about Orson Scott Card's politics. I don't agree with them either, but do admire that he is unabashedly open about what he believes.

I generally try not to know too much about the authors because I like a little mystery to the writer/reader relationship.

Plus, Ender's Game and the Ender's Shadow series is brilliant.

Rindis--I am glad you are liking the Enders series, but would suggest jumping over to Ender's Shadow and its sequels as soon as possible. I loved them! Ender's Shadow is brilliant because it is the same story as Ender's Game, but still adds so much to the story. The reader gets to love Ender even more through Bean's eyes. And the sequels are fascinating.

I really enjoyed reading the posts based on Randy's last topic about classic scifi.

What about this question, what are the most essential reads in contemporary scifi?

What authors/books are pushing the definition of scifi or really taking scifi in new directions?

I was waiting for someone to say Ender's Game!

Let me throw in another lesser known (less time-tested)
Enchantress from the Stars by Sylvia Engdahl (and it's companion novel The Far Side of Evil)

One of the rare books with all the elements that make scifi great and has a multi-dimensional female protagonist