As well as being publication day for the wonderful Gazdanov collection I posted on earlier, today also sees the launch of a marvellous new series of books from the British Library. They’ve already had major success with their Crime Classics range, and are now branching out into Science Fiction Classics. If the first two volumes are anything to go by, this should be another winner…
To begin the series, BL have released two short story collections, each focusing on one of our neighbouring planets; the two that most exercise our imagination, the Moon and Mars. Renowned sci-fi expert Mike Ashley is in charge of the volumes (presumably curating the series in much the same way as Martin Edwards does so expertly with the crime books); and the contents make marvellous and varied reading.
Sci fi gets bad press and can be a divisive genre amongst readers. However, the best of sci-fi can be mind expanding fiction and I would encourage those nervous about it to give these two volumes a try – they’re wonderfully engrossing, entertaining and thought-provoking, and just damn good stories. You can read my review over at Shiny here!
Apr 05, 2018 @ 11:51:59
Another recommendation for people nervous about trying classic sf: Gollancz has a series called SF Masterworks which is absolutely brilliant. Some of the best sf stuff I’ve read – Joanna Russ, Ursula Le Guin, Maureen F. McHugh – has come from them.
Apr 05, 2018 @ 12:10:32
Yes, I’ve seen those – in fact I have a few, and I really need to get round to reading more of them! :))
Apr 05, 2018 @ 12:27:13
These sound really great, I hadn’t heard of them, thank you for highlighting them! Do moons count as planets in English? It sounds weird in translation…
Apr 05, 2018 @ 13:39:07
They’re both a lovely read – great stuff! Yes, the Moon is technically not a planet but I’ll take a little artistic licence for that… 🙂
Apr 05, 2018 @ 13:46:44
There should always be room for artistic licence 🙂
Apr 05, 2018 @ 16:11:36
:)))
May 13, 2018 @ 08:56:38
Kind of wish it was labelled as celestial bodies though 😀
May 13, 2018 @ 09:54:49
Yeah, celestial bodies is a nice way to put it – then we don’t have to worry about technical terms!
Apr 05, 2018 @ 13:06:35
These are lovely covers and really worth a look!
Apr 05, 2018 @ 13:38:28
They’re gorgeous, aren’t they? I love the vintage illustrations inside too! 🙂
Apr 05, 2018 @ 14:00:40
Wow – those covers! Funnily enough, cheesy covers are probably the main reason for my avoidance of sci-fi, but I’d happily dip my toes in the water with attractive covers like those. (Shallow, moi? 😉)
Apr 05, 2018 @ 16:11:29
The BL books are really gorgeous, aren’t they? The Science Fiction Ruminations blog regularly features sci fi cover art, and some of it is truly awful. Some, though, is quite artistic!
Apr 05, 2018 @ 15:01:45
Short stories and sci fiction are not a happy mixture for me but I shall keep an eye open on how this series progresses since I’m looking to break out of my dislike of science fiction
Apr 05, 2018 @ 16:10:35
I think then more classic sci fi of the Wellsian style might be good – some of these are in that vein, and The Hopkins Manuscript from Persephone, as I mentioned elsewhere, is just wonderful.
Apr 05, 2018 @ 16:05:13
Like Bookertalk, I’m trying to overcome my lack of interest in sci-fi. I recently bought Tiptree’s Her Smoke Rose Forever (what an extraordinary title !) and a volume of selected short stories by J.G Ballard. I’ve also put Sturgeon and Damon Knight’s sf Gateway omnibus on my wishlist…All recommendations are welcome, Elle’s are duly noted !
Apr 05, 2018 @ 16:09:44
Ballard is just great – I’ve got his collected stories and I’ve read a chunk so far which I loved. If you like old-school Wellsian stuff, The Hopkins Manuscript (a Persephone, oddly) is great! And I’m quite partial to Soviet sci fi too – lots of lovely hidden subtexts! 🙂
Apr 05, 2018 @ 16:33:14
I should think their sci-fi books will prove to be another big hit. Lovely covers.
Apr 05, 2018 @ 16:42:14
They are, aren’t they? I think these will be very popular
Apr 05, 2018 @ 18:19:11
It was Doris Lessing’s championing the genre who got me to realise it was much more than little boys with ray guns shooting everything that moved (unless it had pneumatic breasts) Canopus in Argos series opened my eyes – plus of course realising that I HAD read Wells, Wyndham – literary writers who were writing science fiction – not to mention the beloved Orwell as Nineteen Eighty Four, not to mention Huxley’s Brave New World , also fell into the genre. And then, of course, feminism gave us Ursula K Le Guin, Marge Piercy (Woman on the Edge of Time) and I realised that there were writers showing us ourselves, writing politics and philosophy (sometimes with the odd bit of ray gun and pneumatic breasts thrown in as well)
Apr 06, 2018 @ 10:43:49
Yes, I must admit that the ray gun and pneumatic breasts brigade lose me too. But there are so many other great writers – as you say, the literary end of sci fi – who produce brilliant books. I guess it’s the same with every so-called genre (I don’t like labels…) – there will be good and bad and we shouldn’t judge in advance of trying!
Apr 06, 2018 @ 11:05:17
Yes, it’s always about the writing, the voice of the person, their thinking.
Though I must admit the genre I never explore is ‘Romance’ Though novels about romantic relationships are absolutely central to literary heavyweight (and other) literature. But you know what I mean. I’m sure
Apr 06, 2018 @ 12:20:22
Ermmm – I *so* know what you mean! I have no objection to the relationship element of serious fiction, but there are places even an omnivorous reader like me will not go…. ;))))
Apr 06, 2018 @ 18:36:35
Lois McMaster Bujold’s Vorksogian series took the Boys with Guns shooting things pattern, and then turned the concept upside down. Inside the series are books that deal with loyalty, technology, motherhood, being true to one’s self, meetings between the truly diverse, and so much more. A bunch of novels and 5 or so novella’s.
She also wrote two interesting fantasy series, The Five Gods Universe (three novels and 6 novellas to date) and the Sharing Knife series of 4 novels.
Great world building, interesting plot elements, but over all, character driven fiction about characters who the reader comes to care about.
Can’t recommend too highly. BUT most of her covers are dreadful. But until she started self publishing in semi-retirement she had no control over that.
Apr 06, 2018 @ 20:50:50
Oooh, thank you – always happy to have book recs, especiallly if it’s something that messes up genres! Shame about the covers – particularly with sci fi books I think they can have such a negative effect!
Apr 07, 2018 @ 11:48:21
I’ve just been reading Lady Fancifull’s comments, and her dismissal of Romance reminded me that Michael Dirda highly recommends reading Georgette Heyer, especially The Grand Sophy, Venitia and A Civil Contract. Here’s what he writes about her: “Heyer composes superb historical novels, laced with comedy, intrigue, delightful characters, and yes, romance. In truth, the contemporary author whose work Heyer’s most ressembles is Patrick O’Brian, the highly esteemed creator of Jack Aubrey/Stephen Maturin naval adventures. Both look to Jane Austen as their model and inspiration…No romantic herself, Heyer believed in self-control, order and discipline…Her astute and witty books should be more widely appreciated, by men as well as women”. I don’t know about you, but I’m sold !
Apr 07, 2018 @ 14:05:10
Heyer novels are also (mostly) VERY funny.
Bujold who I mentioned above dedicated a novel titled A Civil Campaign to Heyer, Dorothy Sayers and Jane Austin.
Apr 07, 2018 @ 14:23:19
Oh, that’s funny ! I’m going to check out Bujold !
Apr 07, 2018 @ 14:59:04
I think I might well be too! 🙂
Apr 07, 2018 @ 14:58:50
Oh, now that’s worth looking out for! 🙂
Apr 07, 2018 @ 14:58:27
Well, I think there’s romance and romance. I imagine Lady F was thinking of the Mills and Boons type stuff, which I wouldn’t touch with a bargepole. I’ve read Heyer in the past, and Mary Stewart and even Victoria Holt back in my teens. I liked Heyer’s crime things though I’m not so keen ont he regency setting. And I think Heyer is quite highly rated amongst bloggers too. However, I’m afraid I run screaming from the modern chick-lit style romance – I need something a little more substantial….
Apr 09, 2018 @ 09:51:24
Great to hear about this, thanks Karen. And Mike Ashley certainly knows his SF from his (ahem) sci-fi, so that bodes well 🙂 As an aside (as she is not British but American so won’t be in the BL books), be great to see the early work of Alice B. Sheldon (aka ‘James Tiptoe Jr’ aka ‘Raccoona Sheldon’) get more widely disseminated.
Apr 09, 2018 @ 09:53:18
PS looks like the author list isn’t limited to British authors, so I take that bit back!
Apr 09, 2018 @ 10:14:21
🙂 Well, Asimov certainly isn’t British!!!
Apr 09, 2018 @ 10:19:02
And neither is Ray Bradbury! I suspect that, without being mean, that there is a smaller pool to draw on compared to the mystery genre …
Apr 09, 2018 @ 10:25:43
True! I do find myself wondering how they’re going to define ‘classic sci fi’ – somehow, the parameters for the kind of crime novel they publish seem easier to grasp, but sci fi covers a range of books so wide that it will be interesting to see where they go with it. The first two novels in the series are going to be from William F. Temple, who was British….
Apr 11, 2018 @ 08:34:12
I’ll be very excited if any Italian SF makes the cut 🙂
Apr 11, 2018 @ 10:02:54
:))))
Apr 13, 2018 @ 08:27:48
We’ll probably get some Calvino instead (not that I’m complaining, I love his work) 🙂
Apr 13, 2018 @ 08:28:32
Me too! Happy that something of his is in my Penguin Modern set! 😁😁😁
Apr 09, 2018 @ 10:13:55
He *does* seem very erudite! And there seems to be quite a range of writers represented though I don’t know what the admission criteria will be for the series!
May 13, 2018 @ 08:56:02
Sci-fi gets bad press? Why?
May 13, 2018 @ 09:56:02
Because it’s often dismissed as cliched space opera stuff, or not really regarded as proper literature. Like every ‘genre’ (and I don’t like the concept of genres really) it has good and bad and it’s silly to dismiss every example of a style of book without actually trying to read them.
May 13, 2018 @ 09:59:48
Oh the last part is very true. As to the first, I didn’t know it was perceived this till now 🙈
May 13, 2018 @ 10:01:01
Alas yes – which is a shame, because there’s so much good writing classed as sci fi or fantasy or speculative fiction. Let’s take off the labels and just love the good stuff, I say!
May 13, 2018 @ 10:01:58
The thing with labels is, it is easy to find out what you want. I found out your writing by searching for sci-fi, for instance.
May 13, 2018 @ 10:03:11
True! 🙂