On Inspiration – Remembering Worlds of Pure Imagination
Today, I wanted to do something a little bit different by sharing some of the novels that have stuck with me throughout the years. Not all of these are favorites, but each has something about them that still lingers in the back of my mind to this day. Tidbits of the story or ideas that refuse to dissipate years after reading. So, here goes nothing:
The Faded Sun Trilogy by C.J. Cherryh
Honestly, this probably my favorite sci-fi trilogy of all time. I first read it when I was young enough to consider it dense. And I distinctly remember not being able to wrap my adolescent brain around some of the concepts and scenes described in the books. So, when I got a little older, I read it again. I’m pretty sure I read it a third time at some point. The bottom line is that this trilogy of novels is absolutely fantastic.
It beings at the end of a war between humans and regul, and focuses on the fate of the last of a race of warriors called the Mri. It is told through the eyes of a human and a Mri – two people from vastly different races and cultures that have to learn to coexist if they are to survive what’s to come.
I never planned to be a writer, but as soon as I started putting words to paper back in 2013, I knew that this was the kind of sci-fi I wanted to write. The richness of the world, the depth of the narrative, and the complexity of the characters are all things I’ve been clawing my way toward ever since. And I’d be immensely proud of myself if I was able to achieve a tenth of what Cherryh has put forth in this trilogy.
The Second Chronicles of Thomas Covenant by Stephen R. Donaldson
First, I’d like to state that I find Stephen R. Donaldson’s writing as troublesome as it is fascinating. If there’s a trigger warning to be had, you can bet it’s in his novels. I stopped reading the first book of The Gap Cycle because it was basically rape fantasy. Which…gross…
Unfortunately, similar themes crop up in the Chronicles of Thomas Covenant, as well. The series follows Thomas Covenant, a writer with leprosy. He’s lost the ability to feel physical sensation, but is miraculously transported into a fantasy world where he can feel again. And he does a very gross thing before going on to eff everything else up.
Now, I wound up starting the series with The Second Chronicles, so I was missing quite a bit of context about what was going on. I knew he had been transported to the fantasy land for a second time to fix things because they were totally messed up, but I didn’t realize until much later – after going back and reading the First Chronicles – that he’s the one who effed everything up. He’s responsible for everything shitty that’s happening in this fantasy land.
The first two chronicles of Thomas Covenant are extremely polarizing works of fiction; I’ve never been so disgusted and enthralled in my entire life. Thomas Covenant is a despicable character; he’s self absorbed, self serving, and pathetic. He’s definitely not the hero the fantasy land he’s transported to wants or needs. And, often, he’s carried along by all the characters around him that relentlessly believe in him – or what he represents – even though they shouldn’t.
Warning: Begin potential spoilers…
Yet, at the same time, I’ve never rooted so hard for someone so horrible to succeed in their quest. Yes, he’s terrible, and he’s effed everything up, but that’s why I need him to succeed. I need him to make up for all the wrongs he’s visited on those around him. And so, when he does succeed, the payoff feels well earned. Not because he succeeded, but because such a lacking hero was able to do what needed to be done to ensure the best outcome was achieved, despite everything.
End potential spoilers…
Aside from Thomas Covenant, however, there’s plenty to love about Donaldson’s fantasy world. There are dozens of things I could mention, but the most interesting were the giants. In these novels, giants became a seafaring race after losing their home long ago. And they make their giant ships out of stone! While there was a lot more to the giants in the novels (like their love of song, and resistance to fire, and their ability to understand all languages, etc.), this particular detail was quite fetching. Even more so since it featured heavily in the novels.
Even after all these years, I find myself thinking back to all the little idiosyncrasies of the the fantasy world Donaldson created – especially those in the second trilogy. I’ve tried to read the third series, but find it somewhat dry compared to the first two. It’s missing some of the same magic as those first two. But now that I’ve written this, maybe I’ll go back and give it another try…
Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clark
This is another one of those unexpected sci-fi novels that’s stuck with me over the years. The novel is remarkably short, but there’s a lot packed into it. And it winds up going in very unexpected directions. Honestly, I can’t say too terribly much more about it without spoiling anything, and it’s one of those novels that’s best enjoyed without any expectations going in. In fact, I think that’s most of the charm of the novel. I read it without knowing exactly what it was going to be and came out the other side with a head full of thoughts that took me a while to process. I haven’t read the book since, but I still vividly remember how it made me feel. And I still avidly suggest it to anyone looking for a quick read.
Battlefield Earth by L. Ron Hubbard
Warning: While I don’t give away any specific details of the novel, I make a comment that some might consider to be spoilery or could impact the reading experience.
The movie adaptation of this novel was so bad, that it won eight Golden Raspberry Awards and won “Worst Film of the Decade” in 2010. It was so bad that everyone knew about it. It’s not often that something is so prolifically bad, so when I ran across the nearly 1500 page tome in my college library, I couldn’t resist the temptation to give it a try.
To say that I was pleasantly surprised is a massive understatement. Often, readers like to make the point that “the book was better than the movie”, but in this case, that statement is criminally true. There is a depth and complexity in this novel that never makes it to the screen. And there is just as much internal conflict facing the main character as external, which I didn’t come to fully appreciate until years after reading the novel.
The book is definitely a sci-fi epic, and some parts of it are a slog to get through, but it’s a worthwhile read that goes very unexpected places. I think what stuck with me the most was the ending of the novel. To me, it had a distinctly melancholic feeling that resurfaces every time I think about it. That fact, alone, is enough for me to add the book to this list.
Crime and Punishment by Fyodor Dostoevsky
Warning: I make a comment that some could consider a potential spoiler
This is an interesting pick, isn’t it? Not at all like any of the others on the list. And probably unexpected.
I was less-than-thrilled when the book was assigned in high school english. As an avid SFF reader, I had no interest in anything terrestrial. So, I was pleasantly surprised when I found the book actually interesting. Raskolnikov was, and remains, and interesting character. The deep dive into his initial justification of murder and the mental consequences of actually carrying out the deed is riveting. Of course, a lot more happens in the book, but I was always struck by the sincerity of the analysis. And I still occasionally consider the themes this book explores when thinking about how to approach my own writing.
Dune by Frank Herbert
I read this book about the same time as Battlefield Earth, and never have I had a book blow my mind in such a spectacular fashion. While all these other books have stuck with me throughout the years in one way or another, none has so thoroughly shifted my understanding of what sci-fi could be.
Up to this point, I’d only really ever read assigned books, Star Wars novelizations, and fantasy. So, to me, sci-fi was a very popcorn-action, serialized affair. That’s why Dune hit so hard when I finally did read it. There’s a compelling complexity to the world of Dune that stretches to every corner of the imagination. It involves politics, and religion, and culture, and commerce, and everything in between. It feels like a perfect amalgam of everything mashed together in just the right way to create a texture of enjoyment that has remained unmatched by any other novel I’ve read, ever (though, The Martian by Andy Weir came pretty close for very different reasons).
For me, Dune was an inflection point. As a reader, as I’ve already said, it blew my mind. But as a future-writer, it set a bar that I hadn’t yet realized even existed. As much as I strive to craft something like The Faded Sun Trilogy (because of how much I so dearly love it), Dune stands as an, as of yet, unreachable pinnacle for me. I’m sure it’ll be years yet before I near anything even remotely skillful as Frank Herbert’s Dune, but I’m on my way. I’m making progress. And I don’t plan to stop any time soon.
So, those are the novels that have stuck with me throughout the years. Now it’s your turn. What novels have grabbed you and never let go? Let me know, so I can check them out!
