Comments on: Around the traps we go.

By: Kieran

Thu, 13 Mar 2014 23:04:00 +0000

I’m glad the public library in Dunedin still has a good collection of the classics, – even if a lot of them are not actually on the shelves they’re on the database and will be brought up from downstairs if needed.

Though, they have been trying to modernise a lot, and now there is plenty of that crap you mention and a whole lot of losers taking advantage of the free internet to bum around on Facebook or Youtube or gambling websites.

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By: chrisgale

Mon, 10 Mar 2014 20:08:00 +0000

The Generation before us? And still active?

Jerry Pournelle.
David Weber
Lois Bujold
Elizabeth Moon
Stepeh Lawhead
Orson Scott Card
All good for teens, as is Ursula Le Guin. However, my favourite writer of that era is Barry Hughart, who wrote three novels about Master Li and Number ten ox which are not for the kids at all. Think of a dirty minded Terry Pratchett running around ancient China.

My age? You have cyberpunk and MilSci.
Charles Stross has some good juvenalia. The Laundy series will cause nightmares, but is fun. His compatriots Ken McLeod and Ian Banks.
Neil Gaiman
Neal Stephenson
Sarah Hoyt (quite liberterian)

John Ringo has written some safe for kids books. But most of his stuff is for adults. All of Michael Z. Williamson’s stuff is good but the early stuff needed a lot of editing. Same with Tom Kratman. Larry — well I like the Monster Hunter Series but his other series I don’t get at all.

There are a couple of urban fantasy series that have been ruined by making the protagonists too powerful over time — involving a wizard in Chicago and some odd woman in St Louis.

Barry Hughart is out of print, all the others are available at the usual suspects. And the Librarian will say they are out, as she looks down at your lack of culture.

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By: Hearthrose

Mon, 10 Mar 2014 14:30:00 +0000

Although I use about half of the curricula given to my kids by the charter school – I DON’T use the literature provided. So we’ve gone from “what the … is that junk?” to reading classics. For any of your interested readers, the web is full of age-appropriate lists of classic books for your kids to read. And if you have electronic readers, much of it is free (or if you don’t like guggenheim non-formatting) exceedingly cheap. I paid $3 for “25 children’s books” – including Heidi, Black Beauty, Treasure Island… heck, that’s worth having on your ereader as an adult.

SF is definitely dying. If you go to the shelves (it’s my genre of choice. Dad got me hooked on Heinlein at a young age) all you see is Vampire/Werewolf/Witch Alt-Heroine Sexy Silly Stuff. Now I like a good alt-universe fantasy, I’ll even read a vampire/werewolf novel – but some of the most popular are impressively awful. Bad writing. Silly worlds. I have theories about this, but they’re off in woo-woo land, so I’ll spare your combox. And in the meantime, we have loads of time to vilify OSC – because he’s Mormon. -looks quizzical- Oh yes, let’s throw mud at someone who writes well, writes frequently, and has some morals. Why?

Meh. I’ll stick with my old battered paperbacks… if you like fantasy, can I suggest Elisabeth Moon’s Paks World series? She’s finishing it off this May.

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