Quote:
Originally Posted by carpetmojo
With my embracing of ebook technology, I can't resist looking at any free or low price offer, a great number of which are, yes, science fiction.
(snip)
Many of the offerings I have investigated have proved to be, frankly, rubbish - to me, anyway - mainly due to silly plots & characters, bad construction, silly mistakes, and quite honestly terrible writing in general.
The unfortunate thing is, some begin with a vital requirement for a great read - a very good idea, plot, or device.
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Methinks the issue is where you're obtaining these "free or low price" books. Are you looking on Smashwords, by chance? I love SF (just for you, Worldwalker) and fantasy, and I've been reading more heavily in fantasy lately, but there seem to be plenty of great books out there.
Aside from the authors you mentioned (Bradbury, Tolkien, Rowling) who else do you like? These three are a rather slim sample, and I'd call two of them fantasy rather than SF. What's funny is that you seem to be lamenting the days of "good" SF (I'm going to take that to mean Golden Age, given the naming of Bradbury), but I associate the Golden Age with great ideas and one-dimensional characters... I enjoy them, and the writing is technically good, but I doubt they're the solid books you remember.