วีดีโอ

I will acquire and read DeathWorld 1. And hopefully want to read vols 2 & 3. Thanks. As always your reviews are very well articulated and useful! Thanks again.

Okay thanks man. Always interesting to hear what you're reading. Sounds like he's a bit of a MacGyver. More of a generalist than a specialist. Not that there's anything wrong with that!

Cool review man! I’m reading Deathworld 3 right now and plan to do a review of it on my channel when I’m done. I think we agree on the broad strokes so far. I really enjoy Harry Harrison too! Please allow me to recommend his book Planet Story (illustrated by Jim Burns) because that one is great too, especially if you’ve been in the military and can appreciate how he pokes fun at it.

Read lots and lots by Harry Harrison, he has a lot of really good short story collections which I devoured. One trilogy of his I have a big soft spot for was the To The Stars trilogy, Homeworld, Wheelworld and Starworld. I also rate Make Room, Make Room, probably his best stand alone novel.

Great analysis. I was so interested to see where you going to rank it!

Agree that Up the Line is better than this one. I'd say Time of Changes is much better written than Man in the Maze. But the best of all I think is Dying Inside. I'll have to read the Tower of Glass, especially that I find myself in agreement with almost all your videos!

Ender’s Game was ok, but I was always confused about why they practiced fighting outside of ships but the final battle was fought using ships. At least, that’s what I vaguely remember from reading it about ten years ago.

I've read the first 4 Ender books, Enders Game, Speaker for the Dead, Xenocide and Children of the Mind. My least favourite is Enders Game, my favourite Speaker for the Dead, followed by Xenocide and Children of the Mind. I really like Cards writing and will be reading more next year.

Silverberg used the pen name "Don Elliott" for sleaze novels in the 1950s and 60s. Calling them "pornographic" is a bit misleading as there's no hardcore depictions of sex in those books, just softcore titillation. SF writers from the '60s and '70s in general often included sexual situations as it was perceived as boundary-pushing. Check out The World Inside for even more of this kind of thing. LOL. Sometimes these scenes can read as gratuitous or even sexist. Whether or not Silverberg was sexist, I don't know and don't really care. Great review though. I love this book.

Wow, that was a surprise, to hear how different your opinion is from mine. I loved the book, and have really liked all of her books that I've read, even the fantasy and non-F&SF ones. I didn't find it slow, nor lacking SF trappings, liked the characters, and was fully engaged.

I just couldn;t buy the potted plants and dogs as aliens. Ridiculous. The plot was ok. But it's not Dune or the Foundatuon series. 3 Stars at best.

2010 and 2061! Hey which Foundation novel has the mule, is that the third one? Didn’t like it as much

hes really good at controlling the feather its the candle he cant light

When reading a book about the aftermath of nuclear war, the last thing I expected was to find myself, 2 or 3 times, laughing out loud. This was written pre-Vatican II, so Miller expected his readers to have a bit more familiarity with the occasional Latin phrase. But the use of Latin today, makes the story seem more mysterious and odd. It makes you think, along with other touches, like the random appearance of a mutant or 2, "Yes, after a nuclear war, this could happen".

I have definitely not ready any Adrian Tchaikovsky!

Thanks, you've convinced me to eventually read the architecture series. I've already had a favorable experience reading Tchaikovsky's Children of Time, which was highly readable, well paced and unique to say the least. I have not however read the two follow ups to CoT, which one day I will. Thanks again for the excellent commentary.

I think I know exactly what you mean about Silverberg. His writing can be poetic but it's immediate; you always identify with his main male characters. I would go so far as to say that this because his fiction does two things: it always deals with some aspect of the feminine, of being wounded by it but seeking healing through it, and it's actually plugs right into the male psyche. Ironically, or strangely, Ursula K LeGuin, though a woman, obviously, also taps into the male psyche--differently, but she does. Every male character, so far, that I've read by Silverberg (the main ones) always seem to be on some sort of search to heal themselves (to heal their heart, in some way) by being wounded by love or lack of it. As a man, I strongly identify this and think most men do. This was a very curious. novel, for me, b/c it's philosophical, internal, sociological--none of the deeds of derring-do, as it were, they would expect from SF. It's set on another planet, but it's all about finding one's true self in a word that denies and punishes you for, basically, trying to find love. I read it many years ago, but parts of it stuck with me. Again, you this novel justice, too. Great review. Loved it. Cheers.

F451 is one of my favorites. Great review!

I liked this novel a little better than Startide Rising. I feeI connected better with the characters. I don’t know if it’s due to better writing by Brin or my own speciesism. As a naked ape, I may relate better to neo-chimps and humanoid aliens than neo-dolphins.

'Wyvern' by AAA is very nice as well

I don’t think I’ve ever read any Silverberg!

I bought this and tried to read it nearly thirty years ago. Agree completely about the pacing and mysticism. Think I became disengaged during one of the slower sections. Might well go back and give it a fairer crack of the whip. Great review!

Over the last 65 years of reading SF the stand out is Tom Goodwin's The Survivors later renamed to the timeless pulp title Space Prison. I also found a professor of SF in the US who agrees it is the single best SF book ever written. I know someone was going to make a movie of it but sadly hasn't eventuated yet but it would be a fantastic plot the follows generations surviving until they can eek out the resources to lure their captors back and then conquer them. The sequel The Space Barbarians was a good read but not up there with Space prison. Well worth looking at his other novels.

I love Silverberg.

I appreciate your commentary and perspective on this Silverberg story. I have not yet read any Silverberg, so a few of his titles are on my TBR list. Thanks!

This is hilarious! One of your best videos. I was laughing out loud throughout. I’m almost curious now to try these novels to see how bad they are

That chicken sounds fun!

Have I read it? Sure have! 😉 Nice review

I plan the movie version to be more animted. Kinda like hobbit in the 70s. And i plan make Holger Carlsen more of a normal guy trap in other world. Then say a warrior.

I have stuck in my head the 1966 movie which was kinda lame, as I recall. However, I'd like to read the original tome and get more out of it. Thanks. Excellent review.

You do the novel justice, bro.

100% agree, DNF'd the first 4/5th through. Bleh

Thank you. I recently picked up this book, half randomly, half feeling that name and title rang a bell. Glad I did!

I quite enjoyed the myth adventures series. I listened to the whole series on audiobook. I also read the phules company series and have just started his Dragons series, mostly written after his passing.

I also like the Phule series

This is one of those books that I’ve seen all over the place and have zero knowledge about. Always thought it was a fantasy novel!

Love hearing about these lesser-known books. Thanks for putting this on my radar!

I read this back in the early-mid 80s on recommendation and other than finding it fascinating I can't actually remember any detail of the book now. An unusual one for me as I've always remembered the title and author, but is an oddity for being memorable without any actual memory of the story itself.

I've always enjoyed it despite its slow start. The lead character is definitely annoying in the beginning, but the whole point is evolution and change. He's not the same jerk he was at the beginning. He learns to fight, becomes a leader, and eventually, people start seeing him as some kind of savior. It's like a wild trip through a weird future, and it makes you think about what's real and what's not. Highly recommended by me🎉

It’s been on my list for years.

Keep going; the Radix Quartet is unique and unforgettable.

Excellent discussion on Radix by Attanasio. I have not been familiar with this author, so based on your comments I will acquire it and give it a go. I do appreciate your candidness and balance as you assess book titles. Thanks. Edit: And, the Shed Ladder Rankings list has caught my eye.

I picked this one up awhile back. I really enjoyed the book and how it is put together. Great review!

Why are you saying sorry for this shit. this series is bad. Say it with your chest

I read the trilogy because I wanted to read stuff from people a little more different from me than the usual crowd. It has some good ideas, and it was not a bad trilogy. I can see why the first book might have won awards, but after that, nope, not at all. As a series, I give it 3/5, and that is not award-winning at all in my book.

Thanks for the heads up. Sometimes I spend more time looking for a book/series to read than I do actually reading. And for the reasons you mention... I don't want to waste my time. Yeah, all the jumping between voices may be clever, but it's not for everyone, to say the least.

I had the exact same reaction. I could only get 100 pages in, and hated everything about it. It felt more like childish angst and gimmicky POV/Tense shifting to keep the reader engaged. I'll never read another of her books. There are so many known and unknown authors that could use my reading time more than NKJ, if that is the best she has to offer.

In American English, there's this idiom--to take someone to the shed or woodshed; to dish out some whoop a$$. Anyway, I chuckled, thinking about it, as I watched this video. I realize that's not at all what your channel's about; but, still, I chuckled.

You have my respect for finishing all three books for the sake of your channel. I could not make it through the first one. In the future, you have my permission to stop reading a book that you actively do not like, especially when a part of a series. Thanks for doing what you do!

As a science fiction and fantasy reader for over 40 years, I have no interest whatsoever in reading this trilogy.