gamelon answers “Is this book as racist as Flashback? That...”

Christopher asked this question about The Fifth Heart:

Is this book as racist as Flashback? That made me question my Dan Simmons love and wonder if I would ever buy a book from him again. I try to separate people's kooky politics from their writing, but it was so overwhelming and hideous in Flashback.

gamelon I recently read "The Song of Kali" and I'm now mid-way through "The Terror" and I've noticed a concerning pattern; at least with these books. Both nov…moreI recently read "The Song of Kali" and I'm now mid-way through "The Terror" and I've noticed a concerning pattern; at least with these books. Both novels portray white protagonists in conflict with "the other" i.e. other ethnicities, nations, customs etc. Whether deliberate or not, Simmons is definitely perpetuating Orientalism and tired Colonial prejudices. On a positive note, it's rare to discover a writer of suspense/adventure fiction who writes as well as Simmons. Therein lays the conundrum: writers of this calibre usually transcend bigotry and seek to actively condemn it in their prose. With Simmons, I haven't given up hope; I'll keep looking.

p.s.
Just to address a comment on this thread... death threats are never ok but when someone is willing to aggressively speak out against hate that is not hypocrisy, that's heroism. To suggest other wise is crypto-Facist spin. (less)

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