Elitist Book Reviews

The first book of Mary Stewart's Merlin trilogy, THE CRYSTAL CAVE, was written in 1970 and continues to be one of the most accessible novelizations of the mythos surrounding the Arthurian legends. Told in first-person PoV as though it were an autobiography, Stewart writes about Merlin's childhood as he travels across Britain, the people he encounters, and the discovery of his magic--all in her lovely prose with detailed attention to the landscape and era.

I first read this series when I was in middle school and have read it several times since, including the two Arthur-focused books after the Merlin trilogy. The quality of the writing and storytelling hasn't diminished with age, likely because of the care Stewart took to research her subject and the locales.

The books are still in print and are available in even small libraries due to their popularity. If you're trying to introduce friends to fantasy, this is a benign first step.

Recommended Age: 10+
Language: None
Violence: Some, but Stewart often glosses over battles so they lack detail
Sex: Vague references

Find this outstanding series here:

THE CRYSTAL CAVE
THE HOLLOW HILLS
THE LAST ENCHANTMENT

And the series continues with Arthur:

THE WICKED DAY

Then post-Arthur:

THE PRINCE AND THE PILGRIM

Conrad Nomikos is not what he first appears. On the outside he seems to be in his thirties, walks with a limp, one side of his face is disfigured, and he has a government job working with Earth's antiquities. Dig a little deeper and you learn that he's been working that job at least twenty years, he knows the most powerful and influential people on a first-name basis, and he talks about historical events in a more intimate way than most.

THIS IMMORTAL, by Roger Zelazny, is told from Conrad's PoV, and he's as interesting and complicated a character as one would expect from a man who's lived as long as he has. Published in 1965 it tied with Herbert's DUNE for the Hugo in 1966, and reminds us that we've been fascinated with the concept of immortality in our genre for quite some time.

After a devastating nuclear war, Earth must deal with human and animal mutations, and the "invasion" of the blue-skinned Vegan aliens, who see the planet as a tourist attraction. Conrad will protect his home using methods others won't always understand. Zelazny's story is fast-paced and fascinating, his characters quick-witted and layered (with lots of nimble dialogue). We're never really clear about how old Conrad is or all that he has done, but it's the mystery that makes him interesting, particularly considering his Greek origins--is this a result of Earth's nuclear tragedies or is it immortality relating to the gods?

THIS IMMORTAL may be harder to find in smaller libraries, but there's a current version in print, as well as used ones available online.

Recommended Age: 14+ more for comprehension than content
Language: Minor
Violence: Yes, although nothing gruesome or bloody
Sex: Vaguely referenced

Find this book here.

I get asked on a weekly basis about my method for reviewing. Why? Heck if I know, but I like to think that all the questions mean I'm doing something right.

Recently, a friend of mine sent me an email detailing his thoughts on a book he had read based on an old review I'd written - SERVANT OF A DARK GOD by John Brown. Obviously, since he is an intelligent chap, he agreed with the review. One of his acquaintances, however, didn't. This isn't an unusual occurrence. Amazingly enough, people don't agree on everything - a shocker, I know. I don't have a problem with people not agreeing with me. Usually. Where my problem resides is when people think they are among the best of literary critics, and slam (or praise) a novel in defiance of any logical thought.

The disagreeable acquaintance - let's call him...Terry? -  did a few things in his "review" that no reviewer should ever resort to (with very rare exception). I've learned a lot since I began seriously reviewing novels. I think I'm rather good at it, but all snark aside I recognize I have problems as well. Because I was whipped into a murderous frenzy over Terry's "review," I decided I should put down some rules that I (mostly) follow. Do with this what you will. If this helps the masses become elitist-level reviewers, awesomesauce. If not...uh...fine. Be that way. These rules are not laid out in any sort of order of importance. It was just as they came to me. Enjoy.

Rule #1: Regarding Contemporary Terms in Fantasy and SF
When authors write stuff, they often use words that are common and contemporary. It's just easier. I'm talking about everything from profanity to slang to completely modern terms. Guys like Martin and Abercrombie get fingers pointed at them for using our modern profanity in their works.

Terry Example: Terry had issue with a character using the phrase "breaking and entering" in SERVANT, which is a fantasy novel.

Good Reviewer Logic: When reviewing a novel, complaining about contemporary terms really only matters in novels set on our present world, or in our world's future or past. In other words, how do you know that the language in the fake, made-up universe of the novel you are reading didn't evolve to use the profanity/terms you are reading? Did you grow up there? No. By this rule, all fantasy set on our earth should be written in Old-English. You want to be really technical and in theme? OK. The fictitious novel you are reading is obviously translated from elvish or Malazan so that we can understand it. That's why we have similar terms. I can't believe I even went there...


Exception: Now, if you are reading a novel set in historical England, and the author used the term "I can't wait till I have a spaceship and fly to outside of our galaxy," yeah, that's a problem. Otherwise, deal with it.

Rule #2: Apples vs Oranges
Before this article continues,  I feel I should mention that I am not going to post the full review that Terry wrote. Why? Because that just feels classless, and that individual doesn't know that it was shared with me.

Moving on.

You've heard the term before, correct? Apples Vs Oranges? Comparing two completely different things does not a good argument make.

Terry Example: To make matters worse, after Terry made reference to a fairly innocent term - "breaking and entering" - in a fantasy novel, he then compared its usage to Firefly. Because Firefly did it right. Or something.

Good Reviewer Logic: I love Firefly. To death. But what does a made-up SF TV show set in our world's faaaar future have to do with a fantasy novel in a made-up world? Good grief. "The fantasy novel should have used Firefly's method for terminology!" Uh huh. Instead, how about not condemning the fantasy novel for not using the phrase in your favorite TV show?


Terry Example #2: To take it further, Terry provided a grading scale.
GOING POSTAL - A
LORD OF THE RINGS - A
SERVANT OF A DARK GOD - C
GARDENS OF THE MOON - F

SERVANT OF A DARK GOD got a C. Why? Because not only was it not GOING POSTAL, it wasn't LOTR either. I'm not making this up.

Good Reviewer Logic #2: I have an idea. How about we compare similar genre/sub-genre novels to each other, not to stuff that isn't even really in the same genre/sub-genre? Don't ever say, "I didn't like this novel because it wasn't done by my favorite author." Seriously, don't compare Pratchett's GOING POSTAL to any fantasy novel. It's Apples vs Oranges. You may as well be saying, "I didn't like Orson Scott Card because he wasn't Jane Austin."


Exception: If you are going to compare across genres/sub-genres, you have to be extremely specific. Write specifically about character development. Dialogue. You get the point.

Rule #3: The Author vs. the Novel Itself

Are we feeling like maybe Terry (whose name was change to prevent you all from grabbing torches and pitchforks) has done everything bad possible yet? I'm afraid it only gets worse.

Terry Example: Terry mentioned in the review I was sent (on the sly) that he did research on the author, John Brown. Looked up the author's website. Looked up interviews. Terry apparently became very frustrated because the author never elaborated on where his inspiration came from beyond in general terms. He said his opinion of SERVANT OF A DARK GOD was lowered because of this. Right, because John Brown is obligated to write an epistle to Terry (because of how special he is) detailing his (Brown's) every motivating factor when writing a novel.

In the words of the ESPN Football Commentators, "C'mon man!"


Good Reviewer Logic: 95% of the time, the author's life should have nothing to do with your opinion of the novel. His life isn't your business. His thought process isn't your business. Where he gets his ideas (one of the STUPIDEST questions you can EVER ask an author) is...wait for it...NONE OF YOUR BUSINESS. If he/she chooses to share that information, it will happen. Until then, stop being a tool.

Exceptions: I once witnessed a Big Name Author scream at the kid behind me in line at a signing. The kid (probably 12 years of age) purchased eight-to-ten books at the bookstore, then got in line for the author to sign them. Mr. Big Name Author began screaming, because how dare a young fan expect him to sign so many books (never mind Big Name Author had said at the start of the event that he would sign as many books as you brought). I left my copy of a just-signed novel on the table the author sat at and walked out. I don't read stuff by him anymore

Sometimes you can't help but bring the author into a review. But try not to unless you are making a strong point. Does the book represent the author selling out? Does the book make the author a complete hypocrite? But don't bring simple crap in and say it made the book worse for you.

Rule #4: The Larry Correia Pet Peeve Rule
No strong Terry Example here, though I suppose it relates back very lightly to Rule #2. This was one of the many "other" rules that occurred to me while writing my rant. Plus I sit next to Larry Correia every day at work, so I hear this constantly.

Example (That I'm Sure Terry Is Guilty Of Somewhere): Don't ever say the author should have written it the way you wanted. If you think the novel would have been better with flying squirrels and giant robots, great. Yay for you. But don't say the author is crap for not doing what you wanted, your way. If you want a novel with that stuff in it, chances are you can find one. Or, go write one your-freaking-self.

Good Reviewer Logic: It's one thing to say you could have used more description in the setting, and that the novel was hard to follow do to that lack of detail. It's quite another to act like you could easily have done better. Right, because you are published where? No, Facebook status updates don't make you a good writer.

Rule #5: Judge Each Book on its Own Merits
This is a really hard one to not trip up on. I do it all the time.

Example (That I'm Positive Terry Is Guilty Of Somewhere): Look at it this way: the last book you read was awesome. Now the current novel you are reading gets judged harsher for not living up to the last, unrelated novel's awesomeness. The reverse also happens. The last book you read was bad on a Dan Brown level. Now your current reading material seems completely great in comparison. There's a little of Rule #2 in here.

Good Reviewer Logic: If you fall into this trap, your review won't be accurate. It happens. The best advice I can give is to write the review for a novel as soon as you've finished it, and before you read the next novel. Use the review to close off your experience with that book. This works for me 90% of the time, but it may not for you.

Rule #6: Careful With the Negativity

Example (That I'm Pretending Terry Is Totally Guilty Of Somewhere): It is easy to pick out where a book sucks. It really is. Steven Erikson is my favorite author, and even in my fanboy blindness it is easy to find things I hate. It is much harder to really judge a novel and find the good things in it that will appeal to different audiences. Remember, different strokes for different folks.

Good Reviewer Logic:  I don't like KJ Parker at all, but I can see why other people do. Instead of saying I hate it, I'll either upgrade it to mediocre, or let a person who appreciates KJ Parker read and review further novels by her. Are you the target audience of the novel? If not, maybe you shouldn't review that book. If you have to review it, you should write your review with the target audience in mind. Who knows, maybe you'll gain a new-fond repect for that author.

One thing I learned when Joshua Bilmes (head of JABerwocky Literary Agency) was showing me how being an agent works, was that it's easy to be overly critical. It's hard to identify real promise.

Rule #7: Read the Whole Book - The Amazon.com Rule

Example (That Terry MUST Have Made At Some Point): Don't ever, EVER write a review on a novel if you haven't finished it. It doesn't matter how much you loved or hated it. If you didn't finish the book, you aren't allowed to review it. Period. You can't review the way a car drives just by looking at it. Imagine someone reviewing the movie Memento without seeing the ending. How stupid would you feel if you said how much you loved a novel, only to discover you hated the ending you hadn't reached yet.

You could also call this the Amazon.com Rule.

Good Reviewer Logic: Didn't finish the novel? Then you can't comment on plot progression or character development. Likewise, don't say everything an author does is awful based on a first novel of theirs that you didn't finish. A common occurrence with Steven Erikson's novels. Authors DO typically get better. You may have noticed that here at EBR we usually give authors a few novels before we quit on them. And we always finish the novel, no matter how much we hate it. True story: I quit on PERDIDO STREET STATION the first time I tried to read it. My tastes have changed over time, so I picked it up again and discovered I loved it. Until I'd actually finished it, I kept my mouth shut.

********

Those are the rules I typically live by. They get broken on occasion both by accident and on purpose. I feel slightly bad...oh whatever, I don't feel bad at all...for using "Terry" as target practice. Hopefully "Terry" learns from his stupidity. I don't care if he doesn't agree with me, I just want him to not be a complete idiot. Guys like him make the rest of us look bad. If Cthulhu judges us all by him (Rule #2!!) the apocalypse will be coming any day...

Are these rules absolute law? Heck no. This is an opinion based blog. We write whatever we feel like and leave the rest up to you.

Steve Diamond
EBR Founder, Lead-Reviewer and Head-Editor

DOLPHINS IN SPACE!

Doesn’t that sound exciting? Don’t you want to read that book right now?
OK I jest, but in all honesty if you have a problem with Dolphins crewing a starship and getting stranded on an alien planet than this book isn’t for you.
Which is a real bummer because David Brin's STARTIDE RISING is an excellent book. The central premise of this classic is what really pulled me in to begin with.

The idea is Uplifting. Basically no intelligence in the universe (and there are tons and tons of different types of alien intelligence out there) is able to gain sentience on its own without being “uplifted” by another race. Dolphins then (as well as monkeys) are a race of intelligent beings only because we as humans gave them a little genetic push. The only race in the known galaxy to claim to have risen to sentience through evolution is mankind.

What a great idea. It’s so cool and so teeming with possibilities. The plot for STARTIDE RISING is even more complex than that. The Dolphin (and some humans and monkeys) crewed ship Sunstreaker has crash-landed on a remote planet after having made an immense discovery. The crew and its ship are being sought after by various other races of the galaxy, and they need to find a way to survive and get the information they have back home.

Only that’s not it either. There are internal stories, and then interesting (and very important) things happening with the planet they are on. There’s another race of aliens on the planet. I could go on and on.

Guys, this is why I read Science Fiction. I’m a sucker for a big, thick novel with big ideas and cool galaxy spanning concepts. This book had it in spades. It’s not an easy read, and it’s certainly not for everyone, but it really hit all the right notes for me. It's why I consider it an Elitist Classic.

Recommended Age: 16+ It’s a tough, thick, read of a book.
Language: Not much, a word here and there  
Violence: Nothing too graphic, a few instances.
Sex: Mentioned a few times. There’s a dolphin that has a crush on a human female that was both a little disturbing and pretty funny.

Want to read this oldie but a goodie? Find it here: STARTIDE RISING

Aliens have invaded Earth. At first glance, the Overlords' motives appear altruistic—they eradicate war, poverty, and sickness—but some men question their motives, and the aliens aren't exactly forthcoming.

Written in 1953, CHILDHOOD'S END by Arthur C. Clarke shows us the results of an alien-imposed utopia on mankind. With this book Clarke asks a lot of questions—he answers some of them with possible solutions of his own, but leaves others open that are worth exploring. First contact with aliens is a common theme in Science Fiction, from Wells' WAR OF THE WORLDS, to Star Trek, and other, more current fiction. Clarke's version imagines mankind as a small, but still meaningful, part of the universe.

CHILDHOOD'S END is written in Clarke's straightforward style, with subtle humor, and a keen eye for human behavior, but it's still dated in spots. Since it addresses thought-provoking societal issues, the pace is slower than Clarke's more action-based books such as the fun RENDEZVOUS WITH RAMA (also worth reading) or the strange 2001: A SPACE ODYSSEY.

Still in print, it's always available at libraries, and there's even an Audible version. It's well worth your time to pick up this novel and see where our a lot of our current SF novels have come from.

Recommended Age: 12+
Language: None
Violence: None
Sex: None

Pern is a planet inhabited by human colonists, whose way of life is affected by the deadly Thread that rains down at intervals from a nearby star. The only way to stop the Thread from reaching land and causing destruction is to burn it en route using genetically engineered telepathic dragons with their dragonriders to guide them.

Anne McCaffrey's Pern stories are based on science, the dragons not merely existing as mythological story fodder, but for a purpose. The series deals with themes of colonists wanting a pastoral society verses the technology needed to deal with threats to survival—and as a result switches back and forth between fantasy and science fiction flavors. Dated in spots, but still worth reading.

It was books like this that started an entire generation of female readers onto the SF path—and if my own tween daughter is any indication, they still do.

DRAGONFLIGHT was published in 1968, parts of which were novellas that originally appeared in Analog magazine the year before. The book is always in print and will be available at even small libraries. The Dragonriders of Pern series covers a thousand years, most taking place after DRAGONFLIGHT, with a few prequels.

Recommended Age: 12+
Language: Mild
Violence: Some and not usually graphic
Sex: Implied

Apparently a movie version will begin filming in 2012. We'll see if this actually sees the light of day.

Also, Michael Whelan painted several of the covers, which are worth taking a closer look at.

Perhaps Ursula K. Le Guin's most recognizable work, her Earthsea stories are categorized as YA—but are definitely worth reading as adults. The first novel, A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA was published in 1968, and revolves around the wizard Ged and the islands and sea of Earthsea itself. It starts off with Ged leaving home to learn magic at a school. Sound familiar? Le Guin is the reason why it does.

Told in an omniscient narrative, it can get a little distant, but the prose is lyrical and lovely, particularly her descriptions of the people and their history, the land and sea, and the way the magic works. The novels are short so it would be easy to read the entire series quickly—each is as good as the last.

The books continue to be in print and will be available at most libraries. Le Guin is best known for tackling societal themes of culture and race with finesse, so it's worth picking up her other works, including her Hugo and Nebula winning THE LEFT HAND OF DARKNESS (1969); while not as accessible as Earthsea, it's worth the effort.

A WIZARD OF EARTHSEA (1968)
THE TOMBS OF ATUAN (1970)
THE FARTHEST SHORE (1972)
TEHANU (1990)
TALES FROM EARTHSEA (2001)
THE OTHER WIND (2001)

Recommended Age: 11+ to read; could be read to younger children, but there are themes of evil and darkness that may disturb children younger than 8
Language: None
Violence: Moderate peril, but it's rarely graphic
Sex: None

Before there was Avatar there was Ursula K. Le Guin's THE WORD FOR WORLD IS FOREST. Written in 1972, and the winner of the 1973 Hugo Award for best novella, Tor decided that the current furor over sustainable ecology would make this novel a timely re-release. At the very least it's an entertaining comparison to Cameron's blue-peopled visual extravaganza.

The similarities will be obvious from the start: humans can now travel to the stars and will take other planets' natural resources for their own use; the nature-loving natives who just want to preserve their way of life; the racist Army dude who is willing to do anything to fulfill his objective.

If this story reads as predictable, it's because, well, it was written 40 years ago, and the story has been used in many different incarnations since then. Le Guin was a trailblazer with not only her stories and characters, but with her ecological and race-relation themes. It's worth it to see the origins of some of these ideas (see also Shawn's review on LITTLE FUZZY). Here it starts off with the interesting dilemma: the planets were all seeded thousands of years ago by a main race, so the 'aliens' are actually distant cousins who evolved differently from the same stock. So, how different are the three-foot, green-furred Athsheans from Earth's humans? The answer to that is actually very important.

A quick read, TWFWIF is told from the PoV of our three main characters: Captain Davidson, Captain Lyubov, and Selver. Davidson is running a remote logging camp on the planet New Tahiti and is having trouble with the natives he calls 'creechies', which they've been using for menial labor, but they're lazy and incompetent. Not only that, but the landscape gives them trouble: after logging an area instead of making it farmable for soybeans, the land turns into mush. The scientist Lyubov, however, doesn't see things the same way as Davidson. The natives' tribes are named for the different trees which makes the forest an important part of their culture. Their 'laziness' stems from a culture with vastly different sleep cycles--in fact dreaming is an important and revered ability among the Athsheans. Then there is Selver, the native Athshean, who despite being raised in a pacifist culture, realizes that force will become necessary in dealing with the invading humans.

Le Guin explores the issues of a clash of cultures, despite a shared origin and how genocide can be caused by ignorance or greed. Another dominant theme is the importance the environment has on the Athsheans and how the humans' interference will have horrifying repercussions.

As a result of a short story with a focus on the themes, setting, and storyline, the characters, while interesting, didn't have enough time for an in-depth study and will feel like stereotypes. But that's not really the point of Le Guin's story, her intent is to make the reader reconsider the importance of culture vs environment.

Recommended Age: 14+
Language: Minor references and racist lingo
Violence: Yes, although not in-depth scenes
Sex: Rape is referenced, but not shown

LITTLE FUZZY, the Hugo-nominated novel by H. Beam Piper, has been getting a lot of attention recently since fan favorite author John Scalzi wrote a novel-length, Tor-published piece of fan-fic rebooting the series. Scalzi has said repeatedly that he hoped that his reboot would in turn send attention back to the original works and that people would read those books that Scalzi himself loved.

For me it worked. The book LITTLE FUZZY is available for free from multiple sources online (Kindle free version) and since I had preordered Scalzi's book FUZZY NATION, I thought it would be fun to read the original work and have a kind of book double-feature reading experience.

It didn't take long to get through LITTLE FUZZY, it's very short by today's standards, and was a quick and easy read. It was simple, and it was fun.

Jack Holloway is a surveyor on the alien planet Zarathustra working for the large corporation that is exploiting the planet of its natural resources. There are several alien species on the planet, Prawns, lobster-like creatures that are a real menace to the humans and others. Jack's life is turned upside-down when a Fuzzy, an up-to-this-point undiscovered species, enters Jack's life. The Fuzzy, the only name suitable that Jack can think of, is a small cat-like creature that walks on its hind legs and uses tools to kill and eat the Prawns that are around Jack's home. The more Jack spends time with the Fuzzy, including the Fuzzy family that moves in with him, the more Jack sees that these creatures aren't merely smart on the level of chimps or dogs, but could very well be a sentient species. IF the Fuzzys are sentient then the corporation Jack works for could lose their rights to strip mine the planet and could lose vast amounts of money. Surprisingly the book consists mostly of a large courtroom battle to determine the Fuzzys' supposed sentience.

Reading LITTLE FUZZY was an interesting experience. Most of the books dating back to when this book was written (1962) that I've read have been Hugo award winners. Some of those books have dated well and others haven't. This one, in my opinion, fits right in the middle. There were parts of it I liked very much. The back and forth of the court was very good as well as the various arguments about the Fuzzy's level of sentience. If you enjoy reading Isaac Asimov's work then this book should be right up your alley. LITTLE FUZZY, like Asimov, deals mostly with conversations between characters. The interest lies in the problems presented and the logical, if not obvious, manner in which those problems are solved. If, however, you are looking for a book packed with action and adventure, then I would steer clear of this one.

And that's the biggest thing I see as dating this book. It felt slow and lacked some of the dramatic tension I'm used to now. There are problems, but they seem small. There was some worry, but not much. The Fuzzys themselves disappear for a brief part of the book, but it never entered my mind that they were in any real danger or that they wouldn't return.

Let's be honest here, Piper's main goal in this book was to talk about what makes us different from animals. What is that that defines us as a thinking sentient species. In that, Piper succeeded very well. The rest of it is just a vehicle for that discussion. The characters seem very flat and are only interesting in progressing that discussion. The Fuzzys themselves are cute, adorable creatures, and I mean they are so cute that Walt Disney himself would throw up over how adorable they are. Is it a bit much? It was for me.

In the end it was a fun read, and I couldn't complain about the price. It was an interesting study for me to see what Science Fiction was doing and concerned about 50 years ago. Well worth your time.

Recommended Age: No real problems here. Age appropriate for anyone.
Language: Maybe a word or two. Not much that I can remember and nothing very harsh.
Violence: One scene of violence, again not graphic, but a little disturbing.
Sex: None.

Isaac Asimov was an author of ideas. In the case of his Foundation series, it's about the possibility of using science to predict the fall of a Galactic Empire far in the future. Hari Seldon is the brainchild behind mathematical sociology, aka psychohistory: predicting the future based on the actions of a large population. Unfortunately, the future is bleak, with a thirty-thousand-year dark age on the horizon. But Hari also predicts that it's possible to close that gap to only a thousand years by safe-keeping human knowledge using his Foundations.

The original trilogy was written in the early 50's, and was influenced by Gibbon's THE HISTORY OF THE DECLINE AND FALL OF THE ROMAN EMPIRE--Asimov wanted to create a story with a similar scope, something to stretch our imaginations. Also, don't forget that the era was post-World War II and during the Cold War, so reading the series also feels like a warning.

All of these books are currently in print, available for cheaper than paperback on Kindle, and should be found at even small libraries. The best books are the original three, charming in their (to us) old fashioned sensibilities. Certainly you could read the entire series, but if you're short on time focus on the original trilogy: FOUNDATION, FOUNDATION AND EMPIRE, and SECOND FOUNDATION are quick reads, Asimov's style is straightforward and unencumbered, and with fascinating ideas worth contemplating.

Prelude to Foundation (1988)
Forward the Foundation (1993)
Foundation (1951)
Foundation and Empire (1952)
Second Foundation (1953)
Foundation's Edge (1982)
Foundation and Earth (1986)

Recommended Age: 14+
Language: Mild.
Violence: Some, depending on the book, but nothing graphic.
Sex: Implied, but infrequent in the series.

Science Fiction 101

Instructors: Shawn Boyles, Steve Diamond & Nick Dianatkhah

Course Info: What you can expect from this course is a selection of recommendations from your instructors to give you a doorway into the science fiction genre.

Introduction: As we did with the University of Fantasy series, we wanted to give our readers who wanted to expand their horizons (or just nibble a bit) in the Science Fiction genre a good starting place. This is not to be taken as a list of the best books in the SF genre (though many books on the list are excellent). Instead this is a "If you're new to SF and want a good start" type of list. The novels on this list should be easily accessible to anyone who picks them up. The weird sciency stuff doesn't overwhelm and the geek factor should be relatively low. If you have a friend or neighbor who doesn't really read SF, these would be a good place to start their conversion process. Enjoy.

In our University of Fantasy entries, we each made a few selections. That won't be the case here. Together with one of our newer reviewers, Shawn Boyles, we talked much more about what to include here. It was one of those "Go Team" moments. We even had a group hug after. Honest. Shawn really took the lead here, because he likes SF better than we do. Kudos to him for justifying nearly all of these picks.

Our picks:

ENDER'S GAME by Orson Scott Card:
This book could very well be the SF 101 course in and of itself. For anyone who has ever thought of reading SF, and has wondered where to start, this is THE book. It's a fast fun read with excellent characters and a killer plot. It won both the Hugo and the Nebula and it is rumored to be one of the most stolen book in school libraries around the country. It's one we have each read several times. The other novels in the series never even come close to ENDER'S GAME in terms of quality, because it is just THAT good.





WALLS OF THE UNIVERSE by Paul Melko:
This is a recent addition (it came out a year and a half ago). It is here because of it's accessibility. It's about a boy who meets a version of himself from another reality. The main character gets tricked into going to another reality, and then spends the rest of the book trying to get home. the reason it is so accessible is because all of the earths our hero visits are just variations on our own earth. The science is light and most of the book is about the character. It's also a lot of fun trying to see the hero try and make a quick buck by inventing pinball in a universe that has never seen it before.





I, ROBOT by Isaac Asimov:
This is the SF books that our parents game to us to get us started on the genre, and it worked. I, ROBOT is a series of Asimov's robot stories (and has almost nothing to do with the movie of the same name. The book is WAAAY better). We feel that Asimov is at his best in short stories and these are among the best the genre has to offer. They are simple, beautiful, touching and frightening in equal measures.






HITCHHIKER'S GUIDE TO THE GALAXY by Douglas Adams:
Come on. You knew this was going to be on this list. This is an amazing starter book because it doesn't try and cram SF down your throat and make you take it seriously. The book doesn't even take itself seriously. It's a comedy about the end of the earth and the last two humans to survive. It's also about a two headed three armed president of the universe, trans-dimensional mice, endless paperwork and the answer to life the universe and everything. A pure fun read. Just remember, DON'T PANIC!





DIVING INTO THE WRECK by Kristine Kathryn Rusch:
We reviewed this novel back when it came out last year. If you want a complete view of why we loved it, go check out our review HERE. In short, and like many of the novels contained in this list, we love this novel because it take no effort to enjoy. It is deep-sea wreck diving put in space. Completely awesome. Rusch doesn't try to make you feel like you need an advanced degree in physics to understand the story, which is a nice departure from what a lot of SF tries to do.





STARSHIP: MUTINY by Mike Resnick:
Really, any SF by Resnick fits here. You want popcorn SF? Look no further. His pacing is always lightening-quick, and fueled by adrenaline. We reviewed the finale to his STARSHIP series HERE. Go check it out to see why Resnick hits the right notes for us.








So what do you all think? Is there anything you think should be worthy of SF 101? If you justify your suggestion in a way we like, we might even add it to this list...

Robert A. Heinlein is a god in the science fiction world, and for good reason: he brought literary quality and high scientific standards to a growing genre, as well as attention-grabbing controversy. I'm sure you all know about his classics including STRANGER IN A STRANGE LAND, THE MOON IS A HARSH MISTRESS, and STARSHIP TROOPERS. But did you know he also wrote juvenile fiction?

Written in 1957, CITIZEN OF THE GALAXY is about the boy Thorby who's taken to a strange planet as a slave and is purchased by an old beggar for a pittance. But Baslim the Cripple isn't everything he appears, and treats Thorby as a son, teaching him not only how to beg, but also mathematics, science, history, and several languages--and how to gather intelligence from the errands he's sent on. Before he's grown, however, everything goes awry and Thorby's life changes.

CITIZEN deals with themes of slavery, and how having an education ends Thorby's slave status. There's also questions of loyalty and the cost of doing the right thing. This is a great book to start kids out on science fiction.

CITIZEN should be available at most libraries and is almost always in print. Also worth reading for kids and adults is Heinlein's fun HAVE SPACESUIT--WILL TRAVEL.

In August 2010, Tor released the first of a two volume biography, ROBERT A HEINLEIN: IN DIALOGUE WITH HIS CENTURY, and are holding an online symposium discussion by current science fiction authors. Learn more about it on Tor's blog.

Recommended Age: 10+
Language: None.
Violence: Minor.
Sex: None.

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Here is a central location for all of the courses in the Fantasy genre.

FANTASY 101: An introductory course on a few choices for books to enter the genre. We disagree on the best approach, but that works out better for you since you get two different, but equally viable options.

FANTASY 102: A very brief selection of other subgenres in the Fantasy section of speculative fiction. We recommend a number of YA, Steampunk, or Urban Fantasy here.

FANTASY 201: 6 books that we think you should absolutely read to further your fantasy book education. And what we think is law.

FANTASY 202: Primarily a step into the Horror genre, and a small explanation of what exactly the horror part of the fantasy genre is.

FANTASY 301: This is where the learning curve jumps, but where the reward is the greatest. These are our favorite books in the genre. Period.

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Here are our listings for our courses in the subject of Science Fiction:

SCIENCE FICTION 101: Hey, everyone has to start somewhere right? Even the most anti-SF people will have a shot of enjoying these entry level novels.

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ELITIST CLASSICS
Elitist Classics--Part 1: The Fantasy genre owes a debt to these authors and works. 6 influential picks that paved the road for today's works.

Elitist Classics--Part 2: Mystery & Horror are far more important than anyone cares to admit. Just look at these authors!

Elitist Classics--Part 3: Science Fiction & Steampunk. Imagining the future, that is what these literary giants did. Classics one and all.