Is SF dying?

[crich70]

Originally Posted by Alpha o

À chacun son goût

It's up to the reader to decide. What one person says is great, another might think it trash.
I got tired of hearing "it's a best seller, you are supposed to like it." I vote with my wallet.

You might rave over the latest best seller - I'd rather find a good book on the geological history of the Colorado Plateau. Both might be well-written.

True. Even if two readers like the same genre (such as SF) that doesn't mean they will like the same author much less the same book by that author. For example I've read "The Novel" by Michener, but find it hard to get through some of his books as they are so full of details (like how the Rockies are made up etc. in Centennial). Each Genre has some books that one person will like and not like. There is no hard and fast rule about it. It's all down to individual preference. As far as SF I like a lot of the old SF writers (most of which are gone now alas) but some that are still living are good too. Ben Bova for one. I picked up his 3 Mars books some months back in ebook form. I had bought the 1st two used (as paperbacks) before so I knew I enjoyed the stories but I had never known there was a 3rd til I bought them at Kobo. I don't think SF will ever die. It might wax and wane now and then in popularity but so do all the other Genre's. And it's not just observed in books. Movies go through the same thing.

[DrNefario]

Originally Posted by eschwartz

Corrected.

I'm pretty sure there's nothing H about JSWolf's O.

[pdurrant]

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[shalym]

Originally Posted by tompe

Really, all books you like you consider equally good?

I do not understand how anybody can think that.

Does not the difference between enjoyable fluff and mind blowingly good books have any meaning for you?

Ah...see, now you're getting into degrees of "goodness", which is a totally different thing. Of course some books are better than others, but I don't base that opinion on anything other than how much I liked it. Some books I will re-read, some I won't. The ones I will re-read are the ones that I liked better. For me, the most "mind blowingly good book" that I ever read is considered by many to be a hack piece by a hack author. There are also a few books that are considered by others to be "mind blowingly good books" that I consider to be unreadable garbage.

Shari

[Pulpmeister]

SF isn't dying, it's just evolving, and sometime in the distant future some distantly evolved descendants of ours will no doubt be asking the same question, perhaps waving their pseudopods to attract attention...

[eschwartz]

Originally Posted by pdurrant

In case anyone is tempted to perform other 'humorous' alterations, please note that changing the words inside quoted text is not permitted at MobileRead.

Apologies, and fixed.

[tompe]

Originally Posted by shalym

Ah...see, now you're getting into degrees of "goodness", which is a totally different thing. Of course some books are better than others, but I don't base that opinion on anything other than how much I liked it. Some books I will re-read, some I won't. The ones I will re-read are the ones that I liked better. For me, the most "mind blowingly good book" that I ever read is considered by many to be a hack piece by a hack author. There are also a few books that are considered by others to be "mind blowingly good books" that I consider to be unreadable garbage.

Well, I think that is strange. I have read books I consider to be very good but was not for me so I did not like them so much. Also for the Hugo you vote for the best SF/Fantasy book. And that might not be the book in the short list that you liked best because the book you liked best was not the best sf/fantasy book.

[Alpha o]

I don't understand spending money for a book that is said to be great if it isn't your preference and it will be hard for you to like. That sounds more like a high school required reading list. There's usually enough reviews pro and con for a decision.

If you are a literary critic, that is one thing.

a. you are getting paid. (you have a column in the local paper)
b. performing a service to help others to decide to read
c. promoting an author.

Pick one or all. Not all of us are critics or care to be. .

You find a book you like, and you see a paragraph, quote or description that makes you wonder. The wonder makes you go looking for books on whatever piqued your curiosity. It also enriches your mind, but maybe does not lead to buying the sequel of the book that made you curious in the first place. Best Seller, any type of award has become inconsequential.

[rkomar]

Originally Posted by Alpha o

I don't understand spending money for a book that is said to be great if it isn't your preference and it will be hard for you to like. That sounds more like a high school required reading list. There's usually enough reviews pro and con for a decision.

Sometimes you recognize that something was worth experiencing whether or not it was enjoyable. Great books fall into that category for me. It may have been more of a slog to read than a romp, but you're still glad you read it because you got something worth having out of it.

[crich70]

Originally Posted by rkomar

Sometimes you recognize that something was worth experiencing whether or not it was enjoyable. Great books fall into that category for me. It may have been more of a slog to read than a romp, but you're still glad you read it because you got something worth having out of it.

Yep. Sometimes you find that in life in general too. A given experience may not have been fun but you learn from it more than from another experience that was more enjoyable.

[Rizla]

A book must be fast-moving and gripping, as well as deep and meaningful, etc to be great. That's why people still read Shakespeare.

Originally Posted by Alpha o

I don't understand spending money for a book that is said to be great if it isn't your preference and it will be hard for you to like.

For the most part, I have found that reading a great book that doesn't reflect my interests elicits one of two responses: I absolutely hate it, or it was a wonderful read. The latter usually outweighs the former since it usually expands my interests and understanding. While sticking to stuff that I'm confident that I'll like can accomplish the same, it is rarely to the same degree.

[GeoffR]

The important thing that distinguishes a bestseller from an award-winner in my mind is that sales (usually) occur before reading the book, while voting for an award (usually) occurs after reading the book.

Though neither is a great guide to what I will enjoy, I would give a lot more weight to an award than to how many copies sold when deciding whether to spend money or time on a book.

[BearMountainBooks]

Originally Posted by Rizla

A book must be fast-moving and gripping, as well as deep and meaningful, etc to be great. That's why people still read Shakespeare.

Shakespeare may be a classic, but most of it is morose, hard to read and quite boring. Many of the characters are overly-dramatic and none-too-bright. I do not find Shakespeare great at all. That is not to say he couldn't piece together a story--he does. But I find his work very avoidable and were it up for nomination for anything other than "Depressing" I wouldn't vote for it.

[shalym]

Originally Posted by BearMountainBooks

Shakespeare may be a classic, but most of it is morose, hard to read and quite boring. Many of the characters are overly-dramatic and none-too-bright. I do not find Shakespeare great at all. That is not to say he couldn't piece together a story--he does. But I find his work very avoidable and were it up for nomination for anything other than "Depressing" I wouldn't vote for it.

...and just for contrast, my 19 year old son loves Shakespeare. He loves the characters and the stories, and doesn't find it hard to read at all.

Shari