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From: Cryptoengineer <petertrei@gmail.com>
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Subject: Re: Highlights and Lowlights - August 2024
Date: Mon, 9 Sep 2024 12:53:04 -0400
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On 9/8/2024 10:27 PM, Ted Nolan <tednolan> wrote:
> In article <vblm1h$28jfu$5@dont-email.me>,
> Tony Nance  <tnusenet17@gmail.com> 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