Long ago I used to read "mainstream fiction" and science fiction. The mainstream drifted off course, yielding immense thick tomes with wimpy protagonists who whined a lot but never did anything. Science fiction especially back in the John W. Campbell era was more readable. Likeable protagonists had missions, set out to accomplish them, and usually succeeded. The stories had life, often had thought provoking future societies, and the story moved.
Well they don't right science fiction much any more. The really great golden age authors are mostly dead by now, and the few survivors are getting too old to write anymore. The newer authors mostly try to do Tolkien style fantasy because they never took physics, chemistry, and biology in high school and feel they are to ignorant to do science fiction. Fantasy, especially when you can invoke magic, means you can dream up anything you like, you don't have to know anything. Trouble is, none of the Tolkien wanna-be authors have written anything nearly as good as Tolkien.
At this time, I have started reading what the trade calls "Young Adult" books, mostly fantasies. At least they have likable teen age protagonists, who have a mission, go out and do it, and don't whine. Rick Riordan's stories of classical gods and goddesses surviving into modern times (21st century) are fun. Phillip Pullman's stories set in an alternate earth are good. George R.R. Martin's Game of Thrones stuff is OK except he keeps killing of all the good guys and letting the bad guys flourish.
7 comments:
I've been reading more of the indie sci-fi and have found some of it to be quite good, some of it almost as good as the some of the masters like Asimov, Gordon R. Dickson, Jerry Pournelle, Larry Niven, Alan Dean Foster, Anne MacCaffrey, and, of course, Heinlein.
Most of these indie authors I've found on Amazon and have downloaded the Kindle additions for between 99 cents and a couple of bucks.
While the editing is sometimes lacking (and in some cases, non-existent), I've come across more than a few that I've thoroughly enjoyed. It's nice to read good adult sci-fi without all of the dreck.
Of course I doubt any of them will ever receive Hugo Awards since they are, for the most part, unwilling to kowtow to the politically correct morons/third wave feminists/Progressives now in control of the Hugo Awards and continue to write sci-fi in a more classic style.
Where on Amazon do you go to find that self published science fiction?
I've been using our Kindle Fire and perusing the 'store'. I didn't find it by doing an actual search but by looking at the inexpensive titles and finding they were self-published using Amazon's e-publishing application. Much of the indie stuff is only available in the Kindle edition. If you don't have one, Amazon has a free download for your PC that allows you to read Kindle books.
If you'd like I can refer you to a few authors to get you started.
I have a software package on the laptop that lets me read and download Kindle files. No problem there. I mostly download vintage science fiction, long out of print stuff. I'd try any indie published science fiction that you found readable.
OK! A list will follow shortly!
David,
Here goes:
Sabrina Chase - the Sequoyah series, The Scent of Metal, The Jinxers
Kipjo Ewers - The First series (The First and The Evo Uprising)
Jordan Leah Hunter - the Loralynn Kenakris series (The Alecto Initiative, The Morning Which Breaks, and Asylum
Nick Webb - The Constitution
Thomas Wright and Rosa Saba - The Chronicles of Benjamin Jamison: Call Sign Reaper
George Deeb - The Accidental Explorer
The Kindle editions run from $3.99 on down.
This is just a few to get you started.
Thanks, I'll check 'em out.
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