SciFi Classics Collection + 4

[SliceOfDog]

I'm really happy at the moment, cause my latest order of sci-fi classics have arrived! 2 Huxley books ('Ape and Essence' and 'Island'), Dick's 'A Scanner Darkly' and Orwell's '1984', which of course I have already read but just needed to have in my collection.
I'll be interested in Island, which I might read first. I'm a massive fan of dystopia, and Island will be the first utopia I have read. Should be an interesting comparison methinks :p
I still have about 8 other books to read first though...

[borg-dog]

Is Ape and Essence the one about the axolotl? I always mean to read more Huxley but didn't like Brave New World so much.

1984 should come with a health warning, i read it far too young and tried to adopt doublethink as a practical technique all the Stalinism stuff went way over me head.

[SliceOfDog]

XD Yeah, 1984 isn't the greatest kids book of all time.
Actually, I much prefered Brave New World to 1984. It's why I've bought a couple more of his books, because BNW is probably one of my all time favourite now, and Huxley might be my favourite author, but I need to read more of his stuff before I can say that
Also, I'm not sure about Ape and Essence yet cause I've not read it. Just bought it on the basis of a paragraph long synopsis. heh.

[borg-dog]

Oh yes Brave New World was a far more accurate vision of the future i just have a thing for Orwell's writing.

[SliceOfDog]

I find that quite interesting. Like you, I was fairly young when I read 1984 (Maybe 12 or 13) so a some of it went over my head, but...
Oh dear, as a self-proclaimed dystopian lover this comment is bound to get me killed...
I... don't think it's that well written.

*Cowers in expected backlash from all fans of dystopia*

But yeah, the ideas in 1984 are absolutely fantastic, and Orwell was clearly very clever and imaginative, but I feel BNW was a lot more enjoyable a read. Several parts of 1984 I just had to slog through.

Then again, it was one of the first classics I ever read. Before that the oldest book I'd read was probably from about the 80s, so maybe I just didn't appreciate it. Now I have it I'll definately have to give it another thorough read, and then maybe I'll feel differently

[Daryn]

You know, I have not read 1984 yet. I believe I need to remedy that as soon as possible. There absolutely has to be an audiobook of it. So once I finish the book I'm currently listening to I might listen to it.

[SliceOfDog]

Oh, there'll definately be an audio-book or two of it. I imagine you can get some real good ones, thespians and the like. I know people like Ian McKellen do audio books sometimes, so you might get a nice choice.

[borg-dog]

No no i agree with you, but 1984 wasn't his best work -- i've got a four book set of his journalism and essays which are killer. Coming Up for Air (about being middle-aged and how You Can Never Go Back was the first thing of his i read that struck me as great).

When i read BNW i just found the future it presented repugnant, tho looking at the modern world he was clearly close to the mark. Another older author who i was initially kinda meh on but now love is HG Wells.

I quite enjoy dystopian stories (anyone who likes Peter Watts has to) but haven't read many yet... currently i'm reading Oryx and Crake which i thought would be pretentious but is actually really well written. What are your favourites?

[SliceOfDog]

I'm gonna sound like a broken record here, but my favourite is Brave New World. I also really liked Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep? by Philip K Dick, which is what the movie BladeRunner is based off (Although I didn't much care for the movie)
Incarceron by Catherine Fisher is a very good young teen dystopian, and introduced some fantastic ideas which still influence my stories and ideas of fiction today, but from the sounds of it is probably a little below your reading level. I imagine it'd be less enjoyable for me now, I read it quite a few years ago.
I'm reading The Book of Dave at the moment, which is... different. It is very good, and some bits are amazing, but it's very explicit, and certain parts of the book are just uncomfortable to read. One of the storylines follows a demented cabbie called Dave, and a lot of those sections are his thoughts, so it gets sort of no hold barred disgusting, racist and graphic. Still, I'm glad I got it, because so far at least it makes up for those parts.

[borg-dog]

Hee yes i love PKD, used to get through some of those in a single sitting. Haven't heard of the others you mention, so thanks!
I'm also a big fan of Vernor Vinge and Greg Egan, both write stories that can seem upbeat but are really nihilistic.

Oh and teen stuff is fine, i like to read nearly everything.

Edit: plus John Brunner and Bruce Sterling, those guys rule at dystopia!

[SliceOfDog]

XD You say you've not read many, but you seem to know more than me! I think I'm gaining more reading material from this topic than you are, so thanks for that ^^

If you want more to check out, there are a fair few under my bed waiting for me to finish Book of Dave. Not sure how good they are, but at least one is on the list of Sci-Fi classics, so I should hope they're very good;
Joe Haldeman - Forever War
J G Ballard - High Rise
Walter M Miller - A Canticle for Leibowitz
Louise Lawrence - Children of the Dust

[borg-dog]

The trouble with reading is that the more you learn the more you find out that you don't know. It's a problem.

I *loved* Leibowitz and The Forever War, have to check out the others. I read a bit about JG Ballard when he died last year, he seems really interesting.