What do you think?
Rate this book
The Detached Retina: Aspects of Sf and Fantasy
Book by Aldiss, Brian Wilson
224 pages, Hardcover
First published August 29, 2013
1 person is currently reading
52 people want to read
About the author
Brian W. Aldiss
833 books674 followersPseudonyms: Jael Cracken, Peter Pica, John Runciman, C.C. Shackleton, Arch Mendicant, & "Doc" Peristyle.
Brian Wilson Aldiss was one of the most important voices in science fiction writing today. He wrote his first novel while working as a bookseller in Oxford. Shortly afterwards he wrote his first work of science fiction and soon gained international recognition. Adored for his innovative literary techniques, evocative plots and irresistible characters, he became a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 1999.
Brian Aldiss died on August 19, 2017, just after celebrating his 92nd birthday with his family and closest friends.
Brian W. Aldiss Group on Good Reads
Brian Wilson Aldiss was one of the most important voices in science fiction writing today. He wrote his first novel while working as a bookseller in Oxford. Shortly afterwards he wrote his first work of science fiction and soon gained international recognition. Adored for his innovative literary techniques, evocative plots and irresistible characters, he became a Grand Master of Science Fiction in 1999.
Brian Aldiss died on August 19, 2017, just after celebrating his 92nd birthday with his family and closest friends.
Brian W. Aldiss Group on Good Reads
Ratings & Reviews
Friends & Following
Create a free account to discover what your friends think of this book!
Community Reviews
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews
May 30, 2013
A solid collection of sf essays but the quality of essay is highly variable. There are a variety of audiences being addressed and topics bouncing all over the place. I think two books would have been better with one devoted to Aldiss discussing his own work and another to work of others. My favorite parts were early on as he builds cases for B. Malzberg and O. Stapledon as forgotten masters. However the work on HG Wells, Shelley, Orwell and CS Lewis just drags on for me. (Not helped by my lack of interest in all 4). I am massively spoiled after Engines of the Night by Malzberg; author driven lit crit for me is done after reading Engines - everything else will always be runner up to that seminal work. Parts of Retina are great - but I would borrow it from a university library before purchasing. I am working on a complete Aldiss collection so I own the hardcover but only the most hardcore devotee should have this on the shelf. 2 stars for me means very good, as I dont waste time reading anything truly bad. So not bad, but I prefer his excellent fiction.
August 6, 2008
Sci-fi theory can really suck.
The life, the blood, the magic.
This collection, however, represents an exuberant and thoughtful journey through the genre.
I read this at the same time I was reading Delany's criticism, Medea and the chorus overlapping their lines on the stage, without their masks.
Also, I was once again convinved that Frankenstein is great to talk about, but awful to read.
The life, the blood, the magic.
This collection, however, represents an exuberant and thoughtful journey through the genre.
I read this at the same time I was reading Delany's criticism, Medea and the chorus overlapping their lines on the stage, without their masks.
Also, I was once again convinved that Frankenstein is great to talk about, but awful to read.
December 23, 2013
Despite some eye-rolling moments of bitchy point-scoring, Aldiss says some very perceptive things about the many meanings, functions and flavours of SF.
April 15, 2025
You don't often see Syracuse University Presses out in the wild, so I was delighted to not only see one turn up in a local used bookstore (as I'm currently living a stone's throw from campus), but that it was right in my wheelhouse.
I've never read Aldiss's fiction before, but that will surely change. His "Trillion Year Spree" has long been on my radar as someone with a vested interest in the history, criticism, and literary traditions of Science Fiction. Here, Aldiss offers brief glimpses into some of the most important writers and ideas unpacked by or related to the genre.
Aldiss was a strong proponent for advocating the adoption of Mary Shelly as the genre's mother figure, and while it wasn't a novel concept when Aldiss argued it, he still argues brilliantly and is not afraid to challenge some of the greybeard institutions like Campbell, Wells, And Gernsback (who all played a vital role in the formation of the genre, but still owe a great debt to Frankenstein).
Other favorites include a magisterial essay about Olaf Stapledon and whether the universe is a neutral, evil, or benevolent place where "Star Maker" is pitted against C.S. Lewis's "Out of the Silent Planet". Kingsley Amis gets lots of love not only for his landmark book of SF criticism "New Maps of Hell" (Rapidly approaching on my list) but for his approach to alternate history in "The Alteration".
All of the essays are entertaining, but only a handful could be said to make a strong argument for something. Many were simply retrospectives or even obituaries. His Oxford education shines brightly through his ability to unscrew an idea to glimpse the whole of the circuitry it's guarding. Certainly worth reading, but not earth-shattering. I imagine Aldiss saves that for his Spree.
I've never read Aldiss's fiction before, but that will surely change. His "Trillion Year Spree" has long been on my radar as someone with a vested interest in the history, criticism, and literary traditions of Science Fiction. Here, Aldiss offers brief glimpses into some of the most important writers and ideas unpacked by or related to the genre.
Aldiss was a strong proponent for advocating the adoption of Mary Shelly as the genre's mother figure, and while it wasn't a novel concept when Aldiss argued it, he still argues brilliantly and is not afraid to challenge some of the greybeard institutions like Campbell, Wells, And Gernsback (who all played a vital role in the formation of the genre, but still owe a great debt to Frankenstein).
Other favorites include a magisterial essay about Olaf Stapledon and whether the universe is a neutral, evil, or benevolent place where "Star Maker" is pitted against C.S. Lewis's "Out of the Silent Planet". Kingsley Amis gets lots of love not only for his landmark book of SF criticism "New Maps of Hell" (Rapidly approaching on my list) but for his approach to alternate history in "The Alteration".
All of the essays are entertaining, but only a handful could be said to make a strong argument for something. Many were simply retrospectives or even obituaries. His Oxford education shines brightly through his ability to unscrew an idea to glimpse the whole of the circuitry it's guarding. Certainly worth reading, but not earth-shattering. I imagine Aldiss saves that for his Spree.
January 8, 2025
A Detached Resistance
by an orphaned account on ao3
by an orphaned account on ao3
October 5, 2023
as he says himself;
'WARNING: these essays are produced by a man who produced his first SF short story at the age of eight. writing has brought him joy and possibly saved him from a life of crime. the unifying theme here is his belief that all literature is a criticism of life, or someone's life. even when that was not the intention behind it.'
brian is reliably good, an amiable old duffer directing your attention to the early days of science fiction (before it was even really science fiction). (I wonder if science fiction bloggers/ youtubers outlaw bookseller or even book pilled have a copy of this book).
he acclaims mary shelley's 'frankenstein' as the first modern science fiction novel (asimov claims something similar at some point). aldiss also recommends mary shelley's 'the last man'.
he addresses the british association for the advancement of science (on the topic of prediction). he hails anna kavan as kafka's sister and quotes kafka's diaries in support of this argument. aldiss helped get kavan's ice published in the US, he hailed it as the best SF novel of the year, even though he did not really think it was SF.
'WARNING: these essays are produced by a man who produced his first SF short story at the age of eight. writing has brought him joy and possibly saved him from a life of crime. the unifying theme here is his belief that all literature is a criticism of life, or someone's life. even when that was not the intention behind it.'
brian is reliably good, an amiable old duffer directing your attention to the early days of science fiction (before it was even really science fiction). (I wonder if science fiction bloggers/ youtubers outlaw bookseller or even book pilled have a copy of this book).
he acclaims mary shelley's 'frankenstein' as the first modern science fiction novel (asimov claims something similar at some point). aldiss also recommends mary shelley's 'the last man'.
he addresses the british association for the advancement of science (on the topic of prediction). he hails anna kavan as kafka's sister and quotes kafka's diaries in support of this argument. aldiss helped get kavan's ice published in the US, he hailed it as the best SF novel of the year, even though he did not really think it was SF.
Displaying 1 - 6 of 6 reviews