Path: ...!3.eu.feeder.erje.net!feeder.erje.net!eternal-september.org!feeder3.eternal-september.org!news.eternal-september.org!.POSTED!not-for-mail From: Cryptoengineer Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written Subject: Re: Highlights and Lowlights - August 2024 Date: Mon, 9 Sep 2024 12:53:04 -0400 Organization: A noiseless patient Spider Lines: 76 Message-ID: References:

MIME-Version: 1.0 Content-Type: text/plain; charset=UTF-8; format=flowed Content-Transfer-Encoding: 8bit Injection-Date: Mon, 09 Sep 2024 18:53:05 +0200 (CEST) Injection-Info: dont-email.me; posting-host="72e4eaba24bb709472ec0e66e044dcc2"; logging-data="2616498"; mail-complaints-to="abuse@eternal-september.org"; posting-account="U2FsdGVkX18ABTBQQqDG846IcqYuf4M4ulJOI4N64bI=" User-Agent: Mozilla Thunderbird Cancel-Lock: sha1:GFyWeHJYU0zD4sB/QH7UpdE4/sU= Content-Language: en-US In-Reply-To: Bytes: 4393 On 9/8/2024 10:27 PM, Ted Nolan wrote: > In article , > Tony Nance wrote: >> On 9/7/24 9:22 AM, Michael F. Stemper wrote: >>> On 06/09/2024 16.29, Tony Nance wrote: >>>> On 9/5/24 11:25 PM, Titus G wrote: >>> >>>>> January 2014. >>>>> The Stainless Steel Rat Harry Harrison e 3 >>>>> Futuristic super criminal. A bit over the top. Enjoyable pot boiler. >>>>> March 2014 >>>>> The Stainless Steel Rat's Revenge Harry Harrison Not Finished. >>>>> A bit over the top. Too similar to its predecessor. >>>>> >>>>> When I first read these last century from the library, I just loved >>>>> them. Are they a first reading for you? >>>> >>>> They are, and I am greatly enjoying this one. >>>> >>>> When I started reading this newsgroup in the mid-1990s, it didn't take >>>> long for me to realize I had a pretty non-standard introduction to SF >>>> - at least non-standard compared to almost everyone on the group at >>>> the time. As two examples (of many), I've never read a Heinlein juvie, >>>> nor a Norton, and when I tried to catch up in my 30s, they simply did >>>> not work for me. At all. >>> >>> Andre Norton is the first author that I ever sought out by name, at >>> the age of about eight. Unfortunately, I now find her work nearly >>> unreadable -- certainly a slog. So, I completely sympathize with >>> you there. >> >> I did make it through the first few Witch World novels (whichever ones >> made up an SFBC collection), but nothing really grabbed me there. I >> don't remember if I read anything else by her. >> >> >>> >>> However, I'm surprised that the Heinlein juvies were problematic >>> for you. In my experience, they work just as well in my second >>> childhood as they did in my first. RAH didn't write down to his >>> audience. >>> >>> I just had a thought: was it the "father figure states the moral >>> of the story to the protagonist"? >>> >> >> That's almost surely a part of it. Authoritative lecturing (esp to >> youngsters) has never gone over well with me. I also think in a way -- >> unique to Heinlein -- the way I initially read this newsgroup decreased >> my chances of success with Heinlein. As you'd remember, he was very >> extensively discussed here. I read pretty much everything that was >> posted out of interest, not realizing it might spoil the reading. When I >> went to read a few of his, every nitpick and critique seemed to catch my >> eye. >> >> Tony >> > > I would say that "Witchworld" was the start of Norton's gear-change. > I believe I read the first one and didn't care for it at all, and rarely > clicked on her stuff after that. For me the _The Zero Stone_/_Uncharted Stars_ > duology was peak Norton. > > I loved most of the Heinlein juvies, but never really clicked on > _Time For The Stars_, _Between Planets_ or _Red Planet_, and I read > Podkayne too late. Agreed on 'Zero Stone' and 'Uncharted Stars'. I loved Norton when I was a teenager - don't know what I'd think now. Norton was the first author to give me a real sensawunda in contemplating Deep Time. Her 'Forrunners' gave me goosebumps. pt