Back in 1972, Playboy published “A Meeting With Medusa,” a novella by Arthur C. Clarke. It’s the story of an exploration mission to Jupiter. Cyborg astronaut, Howard Falcon, discovers alien life on Jupiter in that classic story. Alastair Reynolds, just a youth back in 1972, was electrified by “A Meeting With Medusa” and would later pursue a Ph.D. in astronomy. Years later, Stephen Baxter and Alastair Reynolds exchanged a series of emails where they came up with the idea of exploring the Jupiter that Arthur C. Clarke describes. The result is The Medusa Chronicles. Sadly, I have to report mixed results. Jupiter is still the star of the book, but Baxter and Reynolds brew a Human Vs. Machine plot that wears thin after 400 pages. Sometimes you can’t go home to Jupiter again. GRADE: C+
So…forget this, stick with the Clarke?
Got it.
Jeff, trying to write a sequel to a classic is always a risky proposition. Baxter and Reynolds made a good try, but THE MEDUSA CHRONICLES just didn’t work for me.
I just got Stephen Baxter’s FLOOD from the library–it has a great premise: the world is drowning (duh), but so far the execution is a bit…bumpy.
Deb, “bumpy” is a great word for Stephen Baxter’s works. They have great ideas, but the execution leaves a bit to be desired.
Here’s a question. I don’t read sci-fi or fantasy at all. With the exception of ghost stories and time travel if you consider them fantasy. Is there a brilliant writer in the genre? Someone whose prose really stands out. Wouldn’t mind trying a really well written one. One where it wasn’t just a clever idea or a decent story but the whole enchilada. Great characters especially. Not just a guy poking around on a distant star. Where the character is the most important aspect? I might erase this because I don’t want to offend here but I always get the impression science fiction books are about hardware or computers rather than the human condition.
Patti–how about starting off with some sf short story anthologies and seeing if there are any writers who really appeal to you. That way you won’t have to make more than a 50-page (tops) commitment to any one writer and you can weed out the robo-centric writers and check out longer works by writers you enjoyed. I’m sure George, Jeff, or Todd could give you some great anthology recommendations.
Patti, I would recommend Jo Walton’s AMONG OTHERS as a good place to start. It’s character-oriented and Jo Walton’s prose dazzles. I’m sure others will recommend other Science Fiction novels, too.
It’s funny, but I thought of Walton too. I’ve read her “alternate history” Britain trilogy and a couple of others, including the non-fiction WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK SO GREAT, which can give you an idea of what would appeal to you.
Jeff, I’m a big fan of Jo Walton’s WHAT MAKES THIS BOOK SO GREAT!
I also enjoyed Jo Walton’s What Makes This Story Great although she spends way to much time on C.J. Cherryh and Lois Bujold for my tastes.
Steve, I’m surprised at the popularity of the works of Cherryh and Bujold. They’re good, but not great.
Patti-Robert Charles Wilson writes character driven SF. Also recommend China Mieville(Perdido Street Station) , James Morrow, Jeffrey Ford, Christopher Priest.
Steve, great recommendations! I like all those writers!
Short stories? I’m pretty sure you’ve read Ray Bradbury. If not, he is definitely the place to start. Have you read Connie Willis?
Connie Willis wrote one of my all-time favorite short stories of any genre, “Chances”. There is a time-travel element, but it’s more about a woman realizing she rebuffed the man who would have been the love of her life.
Patti, I don’t read sf either, but I have a couple of Terry Pratchett books in one of my towering TBR pb piles. I’ve heard they are funny. I also remember Christopher Stasheff being recommended. I haven’t read either author, so can’t personally recommend them. I’m trying to remember which SF book I did read years ago. maybe when I’m fully awake it will come to me
I’ll bet the Clarke wasn’t anywhere near 400 pages!
Richard is right!
That’s one of today’s problems – books have been getting thiker and thicker over the last thirty (fourt, fifty?) years – when I was young, a SF or detective novel was max 200 pages and had to come to a satisfying conclusion!
And the art of writing short stories (or novellas) was also important -maybe because the magazines wanted/needed that kind of work?
But still I’d say, start with some short stories – you will soon find out, which author resonates with you!
PS and a bit OT:
I remember German SF book series in the 50s and 60s where each work was exactly 64 pages – so od course sometime translations of US novels by famous authors became difficult to read and understand, sometimes almost unintelligable, because they had to be shortened so much …
Blimey, I can’t edit my writings …
Sorry for all the misspellings – don’t have a spellchecker in the “new” system … 🙂
Of course these 64 pages were a bit larger – a special pulp format, maybe corresponding to 128 “normal” pages – but still very compact!
Wolf, I’m a believer in the “Less is More” philosophy when it comes to novels. When a novel goes over 400 pages, it tends to be a slog after that.
Rick, Arthur C. Clarke’s “A Meeting with Medusa” is a novella about 50 pages long.
I just read Greg Bear’s 1987 novel, BLOOD MUSIC, it was a brisk 200-and-some pages. I just started Bear’s 1999 book, DARWIN’S RADIO. In just over a decade, the book length had swollen to over 400 pages! It’s still a good book, but as I’m reading, I’m editing in my head (do we have to know what every character is wearing in every scene and how the furniture is laid out in every scene?). This explosion in pages has been occurring in mysteries, thrillers, sf, romances, and all genres for the past two decades.
More like 40 years.
Deb, I suspect publishers are insisting on longer books to justify the inflated prices. Like you, I much prefer a good 200-page book to a bloated 400-page one.