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From: Lynn McGuire <lynnmcguire5@gmail.com>
Newsgroups: rec.arts.sf.written
Subject: Re: Highlights and Lowlights - August 2024
Date: Tue, 10 Sep 2024 00:40:33 -0500
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On 9/9/2024 11:53 AM, Cryptoengineer wrote:
> 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

Eet !  The first space cat that I read of.

Lynn