Quote:
Originally Posted by gmw
But where science fiction is the exploration of ideas (what I consider to be the raison d'ętre for sci-fi even though this covers only a small percentage of the work called sci-fi), I would like to think it is potentially enjoyable by most people with an interest in the particular subject.
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I agree with this. My personal comfort level is proportional to how recognizable the world is, but I appreciate that some level of
alt is necessary for some themes.
It's the "small percentage" that you cite that makes it a difficult genre for me. Plus laziness, of course; as I suspect with most of us by now, we have our routines and we stick to them. But searching through a particular literature to find the nuggets, from my point of view, doesn't seem that rewarding. If someone who knows my tastes recommended something strongly, I'd probably give it a try. I like pushing my boundaries at least a little.
So, and I hope this has been clear, not only am I glad to have read this, I did enjoy it. I found even the first part interesting if somewhat slow-going and it was a good yarn overall. It was challenging in a good way. It gets high marks for concept, somewhat lower for execution. So it goes. There are few perfect books out there. (In fact, I'm grieved to note that I started this year off with several duds, and not including this. My three star rating for
Left Hand at Goodreads is higher than my average on the year so far.)