Quote:
Originally Posted by sirwired
I avoid anything John Ringo has written in the last few years. He started out his (still short) career strong, but has veered far off into polemic (some of his stuff makes Tom Clancy look like a flaming lefty), and that most certainly is not my cup of tea. (His recent "Tuloriad" had the core of a great book, but had too many pointless characters tossed in from other books in the universe, and he added a thoroughly insulting Afterword.)
And RAH's The Cat Who Walks Through Walls... WTF? Maybe I just haven't read enough RAH to appreciate it properly, or maybe it really was a very pointless, plotless, book.
And I agree that Clarke/Gentry stuff is best used as a firestarter. Cradle was unmitigated awfulness and the Gentry/Clarke Rama books made me want to gag.
SirWired
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As to Heinlein...He was a writer that really needed an editor. In the beginning, there was John Campbell, the on the Juveniles there was Alice Daglish, Ian Ballantine heavily edited the Puppet Masters. Every time, (except under Campbell, where he was learning the trade of producing salable copy), he chafed mightily at the editing, (see his letters,
Grumbles From the Grave) yet IMHO each book was improved by the required editing. Then by the mid to late '50s, he seemed to learn the editorial needs to sell adult fiction, and produced several excellent novels, without much fuss. But by the very late '50's, he was making enough in royalties from his existing works, he decided he didn't need an editor any more. Thereafter some books were excellent and some not. Finally, he had to have major brain artery bypass surgery, and the books thereafter, starting with
Number of The Beast) became dark dreary tragedies, that few enjoy reading, even though they were best-sellers in their time (they were heavily marketed.)
His work was always noted for projecting the future, in a wrapper of the attitudes of the times they were written in. That was what sold them, because they had a "I understand this universe, I've been there" background. As culture has changed, this tends to age the books more than, say Jack Vance, or Cordwainer Smith.
Having said all that, there are some excellent reading in his works. Here's a short list that should be read before writing him off as a writer.
The Star Beast - One of his finest juveniles.
Double Star - a shortish novel in top form.
The Past Through Tomorrow - A marginal call, as it is a long work, but a great collection of his short stories from the pulp and slick eras.
Try reading those three, and then review your opinion. You may still not like his works, or you make find that you just don't like his late works...