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kandwo · 05-30-2025, 08:47 AM

I voted "Some other type of speculative fiction".

I want to get into reading SF since there are a lot of TV series and films in that genre that I absolutely love. But I have always perceived the classics of the genre as very dry with bad prose. Too interested in the mechanical aspects of technology, using characters and other worlds as a prop or an excuse to investigate the scientific/engineering aspects.

I'm sure I'm wrong about that. It's just the impression I have, and I haven't been able to get over it and try the genre out.

On the other hand I used to read a lot of fantasy when I was a kid. But I got fed up with the genre. I switched to reading classics and found them more interesting.

Now I'm slowly getting back to reading some fantasy. I just need it to have "literary" qualities: interesting characters, psychological depth, some philosophy, etc.

I recently read some Ursula Le Guin. She pretty much writes exactly what I want. And apparently she's written a lot of SF, as well. I'll give it a try at some point

The Strugatskys for me are hit-and-miss: I loved Picnic by the Wayside, liked Monday Begins on Saturday and absolutely hated Hard to be God with all my heart.

05-30-2025, 08:47 AM	#45
kandwo Evangelist Posts: 471 Karma: 11708254 Join Date: Dec 2020 Device: Kindle Paperwhite 3	I voted "Some other type of speculative fiction". I want to get into reading SF since there are a lot of TV series and films in that genre that I absolutely love. But I have always perceived the classics of the genre as very dry with bad prose. Too interested in the mechanical aspects of technology, using characters and other worlds as a prop or an excuse to investigate the scientific/engineering aspects. I'm sure I'm wrong about that. It's just the impression I have, and I haven't been able to get over it and try the genre out. On the other hand I used to read a lot of fantasy when I was a kid. But I got fed up with the genre. I switched to reading classics and found them more interesting. Now I'm slowly getting back to reading some fantasy. I just need it to have "literary" qualities: interesting characters, psychological depth, some philosophy, etc. I recently read some Ursula Le Guin. She pretty much writes exactly what I want. And apparently she's written a lot of SF, as well. I'll give it a try at some point The Strugatskys for me are hit-and-miss: I loved Picnic by the Wayside, liked Monday Begins on Saturday and absolutely hated Hard to be God with all my heart.