I have always struggled with New Wave and Delaney, but now I might have to give Dhalgren another go. I absolutely loved Dawn and the other two books and everything I’ve read by Butler, she’s so underrated but truly a master. Never read Shaw but have added it to my TBR. Your videos/reviews are becoming essential, thank you so much and keep up the great work!
Your book reviews are next level. Meaningful, richly descriptive, and borderline pedagogic. Your love of reading really shows and it’s something I’d like to aspire to. Great work and great video, Sir.
And there are no "special effects", no spectacle, no fake exuberance, much of which burdens many other book channels. Simply thoughts and impressions on books read.
A short story that's stayed with me is Harlan Ellisons.. The whimper of whipped dogs. More so as it's based on a true story. A "Fun Novels List"?. I'd recommend.. Martians Go Home by Frederick Brown. (Stay away from the awful film version(.
"Light of Other Days" is an amazing story that I would probably put in my personal top ten SF short stories. I read "Other Days, Other Eyes" not that long ago, but I honestly don't remember much about the framing story
I cannot wait for you to read the rest of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis books. I read them over the summer and I was completely absorbed. When the last book ends the whole picture delivered is truly terrifying and awesome in scale. I loved every bit of all three books.
Loved Other Days, Other Eyes. I hope you can get past the seeming fantasy elements of The Ragged Astronauts, I'm not a fantasy fan, but love the trilogy.
Awesome channel - working my way through your recent top 15 sci-fi books. Roadside picnic was amazing. Have you come across / done a review on Hellstrom's Hive (Frank Herbert) ?
For more Butler, Wild Seed is excellent. It's part of her Patternist series, but they can be read in any order, and WS is first in internal chronology. I also second FIT 2B READ's recommendation of Dhalgren. I've read it twice, and afterwards it's a great one to just pick up and flip to a random page and read for a while. It's a definite desert island selection for me.
A glass window that plays what's on the other side as the past? Isn't this similar to video? We have this technology CCTV already and society has completely changed because of it.
Have you ever reviewed “The Ice People” by Rene Barjavel? This is one of my desert island books. Other fantasy, horror and science fiction novels that I have an extremely high regard for include (but are not limited to); “The Dragon Waiting” by John M Ford “The Blood Artists” by Chuck Hogan The “Dune” hexalogy by Frank Herbert The “Hyperion” pentalogy by Dan Simmons “The Sprawl” trilogy by William Gibson “The Book Of Atrix Wolfe” by Patricia McKillip “The Genocide Of One” by Kazuaki Takano “The Greatwinter” trilogy by Sean Mcmullen “Salem’s Lot” by Stephen King Have you ever reviewed any of these novels? If not are you interested in reviewing these books? Thank you.
The Shaw stories about slow glass have stuck with me for decades, but I could never remember who wrote them or where I read them. I can FINALLY get the book and reread them. I'm so happy right now!
Same here - I read some of them in local translation (Croatian) perhaps 50 years ago (which would mean soon after they were originally published) in some more or less pulp magazine, and the impression still lasts.
I’ve only read The Light Of Other Days a couple years ago. I remember where I read it, and how I felt about it. It’s so simple, but so bittersweetly beautiful.
A whole video on Dhalgren would be amazing. Delaney was part of my childhood, reading Nova and Triton in my early teens shaped my ideas about how narrative and perspective should be approached. I love watching your videos. It makes me relive my childhood-I’ve read almost all of these. Delaney is literature. In a similar vein, check out Angela Carter, particularly The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman. Please keep making videos. You are pleasant to hear.
Good stuff Matt. Amazon wanted £43+ for the Shaw... eBay for £17... will read soon. Loved the last vid, have told several people, 'Clark is broccoli and lentils, Heinlein is a sand dropped donut, Asimov is strawberry yogurt...
Octavia Butlers Xenogenesis trilogy is some of the first SF I read years ago and I still think of it often. I think I found it through reading her short story Bloodchild. Also excellent. Actually, Dawn has some themes in common with what I’m reading at the moment ‘The Harvest by Robert Charles Wilson’
I know there are other guys on UA-cam who dig into prose science fiction. (A little bit of a rare thing seeing ,most of the time, Science Fiction MEANS movies or TV to even serious fans of the genre , and there are not a lot of those even). I started reading SF (notice the 3 less keystrokes identifies my tru blu age) in 1953. I have haunted used book stores like you , for decades now. (Actually I overdid it, have not been much of a SF reader since 1990, tho I do shadow the field by way of an array of fellow travelers and a little convention going.) The nub of my comment is with your interest do you have interest in the history and criticism of the field? You may have mentioned it in the past, I am not sure. Here are books I consider essential as history and criticism of modern science fiction: (1) New Maps of Hell: A Survey of Science Fiction by Kingsley Amis, 1960. Very interesting , Amis was interested 'social science fiction' , SF as a warning. (2) Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction by Brian W. Aldiss, David Wingrove , originally just Aldiss , 1973 , Billion became Trillion in 1986. The 'bible' of SF history with a critical eye. (3) In Search of Wonder by Damon Knight, first edition 1956, expanded in 1967, Knight (was even a deeper insider than Aldiss) , Knight pulled no punches , a good SF writer himself, had a wry eye of modern SF. If you don't have them keep and eye out.
When reading Dhalgren, don't try too hard to understand it. Just experience it. As for Butler's style, I've heard it said that if you have something important to say you should say it plainly and clearly. Butler always had something important to say and being understood was more important than authorial flourish.
Last year, I discovered the so-called "French H. G. Wells of the first half of the 20th century", Maurice Renard. His 1933 novel The Master of Light - I was surprised to discover - introduces the concept of "slow glass" long before Bob Shaw used it. This caught me by surprise, as I have been a Bob Shaw fan since my teens, and had never read or heard of Other Days, Other Eyes being tied to any earlier work. But the glass from the 1933 novel is essentially the same as what Shaw gave us in the 1970s. The Master of Light is definitely a novel, not a fix-up or a novella - and for better or worse, Renard's novel functions as a murder mystery as well as SF (slow glass seems to breed this incessantly!). This struck me strangely...because I started reading Maurice Renard with a novel called The Blue Peril (my favourite of his, that I've sampled), and in the Intro to that one, Brian Stableford linked concepts in The Blue Peril to A Wreath of Stars by Bob Shaw - and then had to do the whole Renard/Shaw connection again, with The Master of Light. Was Shaw continuously inspired by Renard, and it's discussed and proven somewhere?...I have no idea. I just thought I would flag slow glass as a concept that very much pre-dates Bob Shaw. Thanks also for the Dawn and Einstein Intersection reviews; those I have not read, just other stuff by both authors. Very helpful comments.
I am certain I read either Sturgeon or Ballard slow glass story....one of those two, I'm certain 100 % There is a lot of " borrowing" of concepts in SF : " Downward to the Earth " by Silverberg, "Grass " by Sherri S. Tepper, & " Legacy of Heorot " by Niven / Pournelle all feature alien fauna that looks like 3 different species but are really one in different stages of developement, as a central motif...there was also croatian SF short story that did the same thing in 90s...😁
Comparing reading Dhalgren to climbing K2 really hit the nail. Delany’s short stories in “Aye, and Gomorrah” really made his genius accessible and entertaining to me.
That was exactly what I was thinking listening to this. I've never made it more than halfway through the book, but his shorter works, especially his short stories, made it possible for me to appreciate him.
Have you considered reading the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons? I know that your more into old school sci-fi, but the first book is one of the most incredible things I have ever read, and it won the Hugo award. It ropes you into the rest of the series which is amazing. I definately recommend if you haven't already read it.
The story that stuck in my mind since high school in the late sixties was the short story by Harlan Ellison, "I have no mouth and I must scream" It unsettled my sleep for years
How did you become so articulate? I read alot and still have trouble assimilating those words in my daily speak. So frustrating because when i read a good book, I want share with everyone but end up saying "It was sooo goooood...like....soooooooooo goood"😂. All that to say, you're soooooo sooo good at this reviewing thing 😂, and you yield an incredibly impressive, concise, and expressive Lexicon.
Lovely stuff. I am enjoying your videos, and Outlaw Bookseller's, so much recently - you have both reinvigorated my love of old-school SF. Many thanks, keep on keeping on.
Jesus man, your description of Delaney's writing style was truly gripping and it painted a distinct, vivid picture of his prose. Things like that inspire me to read asap as well as reconsider what I'm doing with my life🤣
I like these reviews. I'll make sure to watch the rest on your channel. I don't know how much you read Philip K Dick. But I like his Valis series and Ubik a lot. He has the style of writing trash but actually putting very good stuff in there. Like a reverse scammer . PKD sells you scraps of some cheap metal but nly to find out they are silver sometimes gold. If you feel more academic sometime I would also recommend the non-fiction work Microworlds. Essays of SF criticism authored by Stanisław Lem. I agreed with most of what he had to say. For his fiction: I read Fiasco as my first SF book, really liked it. Books like the Futurological Congress and Peace on Earth ,who feature Ijon Tichy(a character that doesn't have much connecion to his other adventures ) ,are more satirical and critical of society , sometimes SF itself by attacking it's tropes and pretentions.
Please read Dhalgren. I await your critique with anticipation. Also, please consider having one more Whatnot book auction, especially if you have any more of those Elric collections with foreword by Alan Moore. Maybe a "Fireplace Sale" where you sell those books from the mantle that you've already read?
I recommend the other two books in the Octavia Butler trilogy. We used to call it the Xenogenesis trilogy but now I think it's called Lilith's Brood after the volume that printed all three in one book. It's my favorite of her works, maybe. Except, no, maybe Fledgling is. That was supposed to eventually be a series too but she died first. 😢
Nice video. The only Shaw I've read are a couple of short stories, including one of the slow glass ones I think - but long ago. Haven't read any Butler yet though I have 4-5 of her books on the shelves, waiting. I feel like I might get to her this year, my reading has really ramped up since the beginning of February - being in a hospital for several weeks can have that effect. Delany though is a favorite, though I've only read a few short stories, an essay or two, and two novels. But those novels are The Einstein Intersection - which I liked but didn't fully grasp at the time - and Dhalgren, which might be the greatest novel I've ever read. So I'm eager to get back to him for sure.
Wonderful set of books this round. IMO all are classics. I checked, and from a quick Wikipedia summary, I don't remember reading _Dhalgren._ I had at first been extremely impressed with Delaney after reading his short story _Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones._ Unfortunately after that I read _Triton,_ which to me had an implacable, frustrating, dense, and boring MC. (It probably takes talent to write an MC with those simultaneous qualities, but it was not an enjoyable read.) I must have given up on him after that, which would explain why I didn't get to _Dhalgren._ I hope it is one of his good ones.
16:35 Matt says he thinks the book is great literature, but didn't enjoy reading it - should we more readily say that a film/book we don't enjoy is simply not good. I feel there is sometimes a sense of obligation, because of such a book's canonical status/highfalutin pretensions/pretentious airs, to say it's good. My view is that we should.
I probably bought my first copy of The Einstein Intersection for 40 cents from a spinner rack at my favorite newsstand in downtown Fort Lauderdale, back in 1967. I was sixteen years old, and found Delany completely intoxicating. I'd recommend that you cut yourself some slack, read this stuff without trying too hard, and let it percolate through your soul. Dhalgren is definitely "next level" stuff, but, again, Easy Does It. :) Thanks for your commitment to sharing your experiences with the literature.
I literally picked The Einstein Intersection off my bookshelf this week to reread and review in the coming weeks. I paused just as you started your review so that i can compare my thoughts to yours when I finish it. Thanks for all the inspiration..
Light of Other Days!!!! I remember that one well. Never knew it was anything other than a stand alone short. Need to grab that book. Dawn is one I have not read. Need to get that one too. Sounds really interesting. I absolutely loved Blindsight which I read after seeing you talk about it so keep the reviews coming!
I'm a huge fan of Delany's work, but he's the only author who has written a book that I finished after throwing it across the room - twice. Not Dhalgren, but Triton. I was young and didn't know you could have a protagonist that was neither likeable nor understandable.
Delighted to see you got around to my favourite Shaw - "The Light Of Other Days" was the first work of his I read, I must have been around 12 and it blew me away with its emotional maturity and muscle. Funnily enough, I shot a Delany video yesterday which will go up later this week, looking at his 'extreme' work. Another synchronicity today on that front - only a few hours ago I purchased a copy of 'Einstein', as my original one which I bought in the 1980s is entitled 'A Fabulous, Formless Darkness' (his then preferred title). It's a difficult work and a bridge between the flowering of his mature SF ('Babel-17' and 'Nova') and what comes afterward- and you nailed his difficulty and seductive charm: just wait till you read 'Triton' (aka 'Trouble On Triton'). Another great video, Matt
fyi marvel used shaw’s slow glass as a framing device in unknown worlds of sci fi, thee greatest adult scfi comicbook series of all time, including shaw’s stunning slow glass short story called the light of other days. put it this way, i got rid of my comic book collection, but kept all these uwosf comics and still reread them with great pleasure. thats how i got turned on to shaw back in the day. 👍🏽
I tried to get through "The Einstein Intersection". I humbly admit that I could not really understand it. His later works are more accessible to the typical science fiction fan.
I've only read two books by Delany, Dhalgren, which I only thought was ok. But, really liked his book The Fall of the Towers (actually a trilogy.but very short). It has stuck with me for many years. Written in the early 60's, i recommend it for anyone that likes sci fi from that time period.
The way you describe Delaney's writing as academic and warm is exactly the way that I would describe the man, from a brief meeting at a book launch he gave in NYC years ago for his volume about Times Square. I am all over the map in terms of what I've read of his: I could never get into some of his early short fiction, but I breezed through Dahlgren. "Stars in His Pocket..." was very accessible too, and some of his memoirs were fascinating.
As someone who was lucky enough to take a course he taught when he was a visiting Prof in Buffalo in the early aughts can confirm. I'm not a huge fan of his fiction but the way he looks at language is mind-blowing.
I'm looking forward to dipping into Shaw and Butler at some point (currently on a Silverberg kick). As for Delany, I enjoyed Nova, but Einstein Intersection kind of passed through me without leaving much of an impression. You should check out Dhalgren (I know it's a brick, but worth it).
I actually love your prose in how you describe these books. Succinct and accurate. Sometimes I must say your descriptions are better than the books themselves ;)
"Spare" is a term often used for Butler's prose. I think your equating it with crime writing is instructive. Chandler is the real master of this form of writing. Dhalgren is hard work. I was younger than you when I read it forty years ago, and I haven't felt the need to go back. Make of that what you will. Unfortunately "Other Days" was the first Shaw I read. Nothing else he wrote comes close and I probably haven't given him his due. This is the life of a reader, it's all about when you read the books. Still enjoying your journey and looking forward to the next step.
I've read both Nova and babel-17 in the last year and enjoyed them both. Delany was beyond me as a teen in the 1970s but his Bantam paperback covers remained burned in my memory. Your mention of Dhalgren got me all excited to read it so I grabbed a copy from the library this morning and I look forward to giving it a go.
"I like the branches of the trees to droop a little bit with some nice decorations" - just wow. I totally understand what you mean with that great visualization.
Dawn is the first book where I watched your review beforehand, was very intrigued, read the book, LOVED it, and I just rewatched the review. Nailed it. This is why your reviews are so valuable.
Impossible to categorize Delany. I couldn't get through Dahlgren, perhaps I have undiagnosed ADD. He's almost like New Age music meets Jazz. Or John Cage meets Andy Warhol. It's just difficult for someone like me, brought up in a tidy generic American household, to care about finding out where he's coming from. This is not disrespect, just a lack of understanding and having other priorities. Shaw is...beyond the pale. Too quick an exit from Planet Earth at age 64 unfortunately, but he kicked a$$. Great post BP, when/where is your discussion with The Secret Sauce? Gotta see that. Can't miss your posts, they're just too darned good! Cheers.
Great video! I read Dawn last year and it was a page-turner for me too. Read it across 3 days/2 nights, which hasn't happened since I was a teenager. I think your comments about her writing style are actually what help to make it such a strong read, because there are never any wasted words or sentences. Butler keeps us glued to the character and narrative. 👍
Very recently started reading sci-fi and been loving getting recommendations from your channel. I’m actually introducing myself to Butler right now via Kindred. About halfway through and really enjoying it. I definitely agree that her prose is unadorned, but as a newer reader and someone who loved that aspect of Hemingway and Steinbeck in HS, it works very well for me currently. But I can certainly see myself wanting more from prose as I grow as a reader. Great video. Thanks for doing ‘em!
Really great appreciation of Delany. I think you're spot on about "more going on" in Delany than in Wolfe, as well as about the basic warmth of Delany's work. (And about everything else re: Delany, really.) Great stuff.
Octavia does get under your skin. She was amazing and I usually don't like women authors particularly in Sci Fi. Try the Pattern Master books which I think are her best. This is one of those books, not only in Sci Fi and fantasy, that I can never forget and I always think about. Dan Simmons (writer of Hyperion) has a similar genre with his second best book called Carrion Comfort which is also among my top 5 best horror books of all time. Can't believe a movie has never been made about this one or a series with Octavia's books. You need to read these if you haven't.
Great video. I feel the same way as you with regards to Delany. I think I may have made a mistake by reading Dhalgren first of all his works. I climbed that mountain, enjoyed it, but upon coming down I was exhausted. It's a serious investment of time, well worth it, but daunting nonetheless. So I have a pile of Delany books, including The Einstein Intersection, waiting in a corner.
When I read the books you like I usually like them, too, for the reasons you say. You read so much more than I do, I have great use for your favs. Thanks!
Dawn was also my first Octavia Butler book. It could have been written last year; her prose feels timeless. Perhaps it's partly due to the unadorned style you mentioned. The second book also features an unsettling human mob albeit in a different setting, I didn't like it as much because it features A Genius Child. I just bought the third and final instalment Imago and am really curious how it will wrap the trilogy up.
I see that “Dawn” is the first of a trilogy..I take it that it works well as a standalone? I do love your channel. You certainly don’t adhere to the generic books ( maybe not a fair term) that I see often reviewed on other channels. I know there has to be a lot of great books that slip threw the cracks. You scratch that itch for me. Thank you for that.
I can't wait to see your review of the rest two books in the trilogy. The whole story is a violation of my right to choose what I value. It bends my morals in a way that shouldn't be possible. I think you felt the same when you said that the book somehow makes you complicit.
I really really appreciate your reviews and how extremely careful you are to not spoil any of the books. I’m half way into Dawn and now I just want to finish the book because the way that it’s going is exactly how you’re explaining it with 0 spoilers.
I am so happy that you liked Dawn. 🥲 Much like in her short story, “Bloodchild,” Butler I feel truly strips the concept of “love” down to its unnerving skeleton: its compromises, its tensions, ITS HORRORS. I’ve always found it fascinating how she recognizes how central peace and love are to human sustenance, yet how perverse, exploitative, invasive, and mutative it can be to maintain this peace and love.
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This dude goes right to the point every single time. Every content creator should take notes.
One reason I watch Matt. He gives me a decent synopsis and his own thoughts clearly and eloquently. -- Thanks Matt!
Oh god you have no idea how refreshing it is to hear your start with no intro I’ve already subbed but I’m so happy
I have always struggled with New Wave and Delaney, but now I might have to give Dhalgren another go.
I absolutely loved Dawn and the other two books and everything I’ve read by Butler, she’s so underrated but truly a master.
Never read Shaw but have added it to my TBR. Your videos/reviews are becoming essential, thank you so much and keep up the great work!
Your book reviews are next level. Meaningful, richly descriptive, and borderline pedagogic. Your love of reading really shows and it’s something I’d like to aspire to. Great work and great video, Sir.
And there are no "special effects", no spectacle, no fake exuberance, much of which burdens many other book channels. Simply thoughts and impressions on books read.
He’s got me wanting to read even the ones he doesn’t really like lmao
A short story that's stayed with me is Harlan Ellisons..
The whimper of whipped dogs.
More so as it's based on a true story.
A "Fun Novels List"?.
I'd recommend..
Martians Go Home by Frederick Brown. (Stay away from the awful film version(.
As other people have commented before, I really appreciate how start the list, reviews, unboxing, whatever it is, right away. Thank you.
"Light of Other Days" is an amazing story that I would probably put in my personal top ten SF short stories. I read "Other Days, Other Eyes" not that long ago, but I honestly don't remember much about the framing story
I cannot wait for you to read the rest of Octavia Butler's Xenogenesis books. I read them over the summer and I was completely absorbed. When the last book ends the whole picture delivered is truly terrifying and awesome in scale. I loved every bit of all three books.
I once read Delany's Triton while running a fever. My mind was totally blown.
Just found you in my feed, glad I did! Great review of these books. I need to go back and reread Dawn, and the rest of the trilogy! Thanks 😊
Great video once again.
Great take on Dawn.
Just finished Babel-17 by Delany. A kind of intellectual ode to the concept of language in the form of a space opera
OK Dawn is on the read list now. Wow.
in Italy the third part of Oankali trilogy (or xenogenesis) has never been translated..... I'm waiting it since 1988
Loved Other Days, Other Eyes. I hope you can get past the seeming fantasy elements of The Ragged Astronauts, I'm not a fantasy fan, but love the trilogy.
Awesome channel - working my way through your recent top 15 sci-fi books. Roadside picnic was amazing. Have you come across / done a review on Hellstrom's Hive (Frank Herbert) ?
For more Butler, Wild Seed is excellent. It's part of her Patternist series, but they can be read in any order, and WS is first in internal chronology. I also second FIT 2B READ's recommendation of Dhalgren. I've read it twice, and afterwards it's a great one to just pick up and flip to a random page and read for a while. It's a definite desert island selection for me.
Ive been hanging on to a copy of Palace of Eternity for 35 years, think it's time to read it
A glass window that plays what's on the other side as the past? Isn't this similar to video? We have this technology CCTV already and society has completely changed because of it.
Blindsight is daddy of sci fi horror for me
Have you ever reviewed “The Ice People” by Rene Barjavel? This is one of my desert island books. Other fantasy, horror and science fiction novels that I have an extremely high regard for include (but are not limited to);
“The Dragon Waiting” by John M Ford
“The Blood Artists” by Chuck Hogan
The “Dune” hexalogy by Frank Herbert
The “Hyperion” pentalogy by Dan Simmons
“The Sprawl” trilogy by William Gibson
“The Book Of Atrix Wolfe” by Patricia McKillip
“The Genocide Of One” by Kazuaki Takano
“The Greatwinter” trilogy by Sean Mcmullen
“Salem’s Lot” by Stephen King
Have you ever reviewed any of these novels? If not are you interested in reviewing these books?
Thank you.
What rating do you give Matt to these three books? Great video thank you!
Man. Read Butler’s Parable books.
11:45 Almost cracked a smile! Almost ;)
Mad drip in this ep ngl
Dhalgren is well worth the journey, read it twice. best, absolute best sex scenes of any book I ever read. if that matters.
Whats your Goodreads account??
The Shaw stories about slow glass have stuck with me for decades, but I could never remember who wrote them or where I read them. I can FINALLY get the book and reread them. I'm so happy right now!
Yes! I remember those!
Same here - I read some of them in local translation (Croatian) perhaps 50 years ago (which would mean soon after they were originally published) in some more or less pulp magazine, and the impression still lasts.
I’ve only read The Light Of Other Days a couple years ago. I remember where I read it, and how I felt about it. It’s so simple, but so bittersweetly beautiful.
I remember the concept, but not much about the story. Now I have all the info I need for a re-read!
@@johnmahon5699 Yup.
A whole video on Dhalgren would be amazing. Delaney was part of my childhood, reading Nova and Triton in my early teens shaped my ideas about how narrative and perspective should be approached.
I love watching your videos. It makes me relive my childhood-I’ve read almost all of these. Delaney is literature. In a similar vein, check out Angela Carter, particularly The Infernal Desire Machines of Doctor Hoffman.
Please keep making videos. You are pleasant to hear.
Good stuff Matt. Amazon wanted £43+ for the Shaw... eBay for £17... will read soon. Loved the last vid, have told several people, 'Clark is broccoli and lentils, Heinlein is a sand dropped donut, Asimov is strawberry yogurt...
Three books per video means more videos from you, so I guess we're all in. Thanks again!!!
Octavia Butlers Xenogenesis trilogy is some of the first SF I read years ago and I still think of it often. I think I found it through reading her short story Bloodchild. Also excellent. Actually, Dawn has some themes in common with what I’m reading at the moment ‘The Harvest by Robert Charles Wilson’
I know there are other guys on UA-cam who dig into prose science fiction. (A little bit of a rare thing seeing ,most of the time, Science Fiction MEANS movies or TV to even serious fans of the genre , and there are not a lot of those even). I started reading SF (notice the 3 less keystrokes identifies my tru blu age) in 1953. I have haunted used book stores like you , for decades now. (Actually I overdid it, have not been much of a SF reader since 1990, tho I do shadow the field by way of an array of fellow travelers and a little convention going.)
The nub of my comment is with your interest do you have interest in the history and criticism of the field? You may have mentioned it in the past, I am not sure.
Here are books I consider essential as history and criticism of modern science fiction:
(1) New Maps of Hell: A Survey of Science Fiction by Kingsley Amis, 1960. Very interesting , Amis was interested 'social science fiction' , SF as a warning.
(2) Trillion Year Spree: The History of Science Fiction by Brian W. Aldiss, David Wingrove , originally just Aldiss , 1973 , Billion became Trillion in 1986. The 'bible' of SF history with a critical eye.
(3) In Search of Wonder by Damon Knight, first edition 1956, expanded in 1967, Knight (was even a deeper insider than Aldiss) , Knight pulled no punches , a good SF writer himself, had a wry eye of modern SF.
If you don't have them keep and eye out.
I am glad that your perambulations through the world of SF&F brought you to Aunty Octavia, finally. Enjoy!
When reading Dhalgren, don't try too hard to understand it. Just experience it.
As for Butler's style, I've heard it said that if you have something important to say you should say it plainly and clearly. Butler always had something important to say and being understood was more important than authorial flourish.
Last year, I discovered the so-called "French H. G. Wells of the first half of the 20th century", Maurice Renard. His 1933 novel The Master of Light - I was surprised to discover - introduces the concept of "slow glass" long before Bob Shaw used it. This caught me by surprise, as I have been a Bob Shaw fan since my teens, and had never read or heard of Other Days, Other Eyes being tied to any earlier work. But the glass from the 1933 novel is essentially the same as what Shaw gave us in the 1970s. The Master of Light is definitely a novel, not a fix-up or a novella - and for better or worse, Renard's novel functions as a murder mystery as well as SF (slow glass seems to breed this incessantly!). This struck me strangely...because I started reading Maurice Renard with a novel called The Blue Peril (my favourite of his, that I've sampled), and in the Intro to that one, Brian Stableford linked concepts in The Blue Peril to A Wreath of Stars by Bob Shaw - and then had to do the whole Renard/Shaw connection again, with The Master of Light. Was Shaw continuously inspired by Renard, and it's discussed and proven somewhere?...I have no idea. I just thought I would flag slow glass as a concept that very much pre-dates Bob Shaw.
Thanks also for the Dawn and Einstein Intersection reviews; those I have not read, just other stuff by both authors. Very helpful comments.
Never heard of Renard, thanks for putting him on my radar.
I am certain I read either Sturgeon or Ballard slow glass story....one of those two, I'm certain 100 %
There is a lot of " borrowing" of concepts in SF : " Downward to the Earth " by Silverberg, "Grass " by Sherri S. Tepper, & " Legacy of Heorot " by Niven / Pournelle all feature alien fauna that looks like 3 different species but are really one in different stages of developement, as a central motif...there was also croatian SF short story that did the same thing in 90s...😁
Comparing reading Dhalgren to climbing K2 really hit the nail. Delany’s short stories in “Aye, and Gomorrah” really made his genius accessible and entertaining to me.
Agreed, Jack '"Aye," itself is a life-changer!
That was exactly what I was thinking listening to this. I've never made it more than halfway through the book, but his shorter works, especially his short stories, made it possible for me to appreciate him.
Have you considered reading the Hyperion Cantos by Dan Simmons? I know that your more into old school sci-fi, but the first book is one of the most incredible things I have ever read, and it won the Hugo award. It ropes you into the rest of the series which is amazing. I definately recommend if you haven't already read it.
The story that stuck in my mind since high school in the late sixties was the short story by Harlan Ellison, "I have no mouth and I must scream" It unsettled my sleep for years
True horror.
Same, I think it has that effect on everyone!
How did you become so articulate? I read alot and still have trouble assimilating those words in my daily speak. So frustrating because when i read a good book, I want share with everyone but end up saying "It was sooo goooood...like....soooooooooo goood"😂.
All that to say, you're soooooo sooo good at this reviewing thing 😂, and you yield an incredibly impressive, concise, and expressive Lexicon.
Lovely stuff. I am enjoying your videos, and Outlaw Bookseller's, so much recently - you have both reinvigorated my love of old-school SF. Many thanks, keep on keeping on.
Jesus man, your description of Delaney's writing style was truly gripping and it painted a distinct, vivid picture of his prose. Things like that inspire me to read asap as well as reconsider what I'm doing with my life🤣
The saga of Lilith's Brood will never leave your mind once you have read the entire trilogy (Dawn, Adulthood Rites, and Imago). 👍
I like these reviews. I'll make sure to watch the rest on your channel. I don't know how much you read Philip K Dick. But I like his Valis series and Ubik a lot. He has the style of writing trash but actually putting very good stuff in there. Like a reverse scammer . PKD sells you scraps of some cheap metal but nly to find out they are silver sometimes gold.
If you feel more academic sometime I would also recommend the non-fiction work Microworlds. Essays of SF criticism authored by Stanisław Lem. I agreed with most of what he had to say. For his fiction: I read Fiasco as my first SF book, really liked it. Books like the Futurological Congress and Peace on Earth ,who feature Ijon Tichy(a character that doesn't have much connecion to his other adventures ) ,are more satirical and critical of society , sometimes SF itself by attacking it's tropes and pretentions.
Please read Dhalgren. I await your critique with anticipation.
Also, please consider having one more Whatnot book auction, especially if you have any more of those Elric collections with foreword by Alan Moore. Maybe a "Fireplace Sale" where you sell those books from the mantle that you've already read?
I love Delany, but had to DNF "Dhalgren" every time I tried to read it. I never found it rich, just wordy and empty. I'll have to check out Shaw.
I recommend the other two books in the Octavia Butler trilogy. We used to call it the Xenogenesis trilogy but now I think it's called Lilith's Brood after the volume that printed all three in one book. It's my favorite of her works, maybe. Except, no, maybe Fledgling is. That was supposed to eventually be a series too but she died first. 😢
Nice video. The only Shaw I've read are a couple of short stories, including one of the slow glass ones I think - but long ago. Haven't read any Butler yet though I have 4-5 of her books on the shelves, waiting. I feel like I might get to her this year, my reading has really ramped up since the beginning of February - being in a hospital for several weeks can have that effect. Delany though is a favorite, though I've only read a few short stories, an essay or two, and two novels. But those novels are The Einstein Intersection - which I liked but didn't fully grasp at the time - and Dhalgren, which might be the greatest novel I've ever read. So I'm eager to get back to him for sure.
Wonderful set of books this round. IMO all are classics.
I checked, and from a quick Wikipedia summary, I don't remember reading _Dhalgren._ I had at first been extremely impressed with Delaney after reading his short story _Time Considered as a Helix of Semi-Precious Stones._ Unfortunately after that I read _Triton,_ which to me had an implacable, frustrating, dense, and boring MC. (It probably takes talent to write an MC with those simultaneous qualities, but it was not an enjoyable read.) I must have given up on him after that, which would explain why I didn't get to _Dhalgren._ I hope it is one of his good ones.
16:35 Matt says he thinks the book is great literature, but didn't enjoy reading it - should we more readily say that a film/book we don't enjoy is simply not good. I feel there is sometimes a sense of obligation, because of such a book's canonical status/highfalutin pretensions/pretentious airs, to say it's good. My view is that we should.
I probably bought my first copy of The Einstein Intersection for 40 cents from a spinner rack at my favorite newsstand in downtown Fort Lauderdale, back in 1967. I was sixteen years old, and found Delany completely intoxicating. I'd recommend that you cut yourself some slack, read this stuff without trying too hard, and let it percolate through your soul. Dhalgren is definitely "next level" stuff, but, again, Easy Does It. :) Thanks for your commitment to sharing your experiences with the literature.
I literally picked The Einstein Intersection off my bookshelf this week to reread and review in the coming weeks. I paused just as you started your review so that i can compare my thoughts to yours when I finish it. Thanks for all the inspiration..
Light of Other Days!!!! I remember that one well. Never knew it was anything other than a stand alone short. Need to grab that book. Dawn is one I have not read. Need to get that one too. Sounds really interesting. I absolutely loved Blindsight which I read after seeing you talk about it so keep the reviews coming!
I'm a huge fan of Delany's work, but he's the only author who has written a book that I finished after throwing it across the room - twice. Not Dhalgren, but Triton. I was young and didn't know you could have a protagonist that was neither likeable nor understandable.
Delighted to see you got around to my favourite Shaw - "The Light Of Other Days" was the first work of his I read, I must have been around 12 and it blew me away with its emotional maturity and muscle. Funnily enough, I shot a Delany video yesterday which will go up later this week, looking at his 'extreme' work. Another synchronicity today on that front - only a few hours ago I purchased a copy of 'Einstein', as my original one which I bought in the 1980s is entitled 'A Fabulous, Formless Darkness' (his then preferred title). It's a difficult work and a bridge between the flowering of his mature SF ('Babel-17' and 'Nova') and what comes afterward- and you nailed his difficulty and seductive charm: just wait till you read 'Triton' (aka 'Trouble On Triton'). Another great video, Matt
Thanks, Steve. Looking forward to that vid, need to finish Hogg and want to read Times Square. I will get to Triton at some point as well.
fyi marvel used shaw’s slow glass as a framing device in unknown worlds of sci fi, thee greatest adult scfi comicbook series of all time, including shaw’s stunning slow glass short story called the light of other days. put it this way, i got rid of my comic book collection, but kept all these uwosf comics and still reread them with great pleasure. thats how i got turned on to shaw back in the day. 👍🏽
I tried to get through "The Einstein Intersection". I humbly admit that I could not really understand it. His later works are more accessible to the typical science fiction fan.
Thanks for this; Another incredible job.
I've only read two books by Delany, Dhalgren, which I only thought was ok. But, really liked his book The Fall of the Towers (actually a trilogy.but very short). It has stuck with me for many years. Written in the early 60's, i recommend it for anyone that likes sci fi from that time period.
The way you describe Delaney's writing as academic and warm is exactly the way that I would describe the man, from a brief meeting at a book launch he gave in NYC years ago for his volume about Times Square. I am all over the map in terms of what I've read of his: I could never get into some of his early short fiction, but I breezed through Dahlgren. "Stars in His Pocket..." was very accessible too, and some of his memoirs were fascinating.
As someone who was lucky enough to take a course he taught when he was a visiting Prof in Buffalo in the early aughts can confirm. I'm not a huge fan of his fiction but the way he looks at language is mind-blowing.
I'm looking forward to dipping into Shaw and Butler at some point (currently on a Silverberg kick). As for Delany, I enjoyed Nova, but Einstein Intersection kind of passed through me without leaving much of an impression. You should check out Dhalgren (I know it's a brick, but worth it).
I actually love your prose in how you describe these books. Succinct and accurate. Sometimes I must say your descriptions are better than the books themselves ;)
Because of you, I am reading again. Thank you.
Bob Shaw's "Who goes here?" is a classic...and surprising...
"Spare" is a term often used for Butler's prose. I think your equating it with crime writing is instructive. Chandler is the real master of this form of writing.
Dhalgren is hard work. I was younger than you when I read it forty years ago, and I haven't felt the need to go back. Make of that what you will.
Unfortunately "Other Days" was the first Shaw I read. Nothing else he wrote comes close and I probably haven't given him his due. This is the life of a reader, it's all about when you read the books.
Still enjoying your journey and looking forward to the next step.
You have such a soothing voice and a wonderful approach to doing book reviews. Thanks for uploading
I've read both Nova and babel-17 in the last year and enjoyed them both. Delany was beyond me as a teen in the 1970s but his Bantam paperback covers remained burned in my memory. Your mention of Dhalgren got me all excited to read it so I grabbed a copy from the library this morning and I look forward to giving it a go.
So impressed by how you talked about Dawn. I reread her books every year and some of your points felt fresh.
Shaw ripped off Bradbury--he had something called slowglass that did exactly the same thing.
Thank you for your videos! ❤️
Your view on Octavia Butler's Dawn is spot on. Thank you for that.
I cannot get over how well you articulate yourself. I'm so jealous.
"I like the branches of the trees to droop a little bit with some nice decorations" - just wow. I totally understand what you mean with that great visualization.
Great video! Definitely throwing Dawn on the reading list.
I'm not typically drawn to short stories but Shaw sounds like a writer that I would enjoy!
Dawn is the first book where I watched your review beforehand, was very intrigued, read the book, LOVED it, and I just rewatched the review. Nailed it. This is why your reviews are so valuable.
Impossible to categorize Delany. I couldn't get through Dahlgren, perhaps I have undiagnosed ADD. He's almost like New Age music meets Jazz. Or John Cage meets Andy Warhol. It's just difficult for someone like me, brought up in a tidy generic American household, to care about finding out where he's coming from. This is not disrespect, just a lack of understanding and having other priorities. Shaw is...beyond the pale. Too quick an exit from Planet Earth at age 64 unfortunately, but he kicked a$$. Great post BP, when/where is your discussion with The Secret Sauce? Gotta see that. Can't miss your posts, they're just too darned good! Cheers.
@@DanLyndon Confidently stated, old chap. I hear that. Thought it was just me. :)
Great video! I read Dawn last year and it was a page-turner for me too. Read it across 3 days/2 nights, which hasn't happened since I was a teenager.
I think your comments about her writing style are actually what help to make it such a strong read, because there are never any wasted words or sentences. Butler keeps us glued to the character and narrative. 👍
I read this in one of the mags decades ago. Slow glass is the coolest SF technology.
Very recently started reading sci-fi and been loving getting recommendations from your channel.
I’m actually introducing myself to Butler right now via Kindred. About halfway through and really enjoying it. I definitely agree that her prose is unadorned, but as a newer reader and someone who loved that aspect of Hemingway and Steinbeck in HS, it works very well for me currently. But I can certainly see myself wanting more from prose as I grow as a reader.
Great video. Thanks for doing ‘em!
Really great appreciation of Delany. I think you're spot on about "more going on" in Delany than in Wolfe, as well as about the basic warmth of Delany's work. (And about everything else re: Delany, really.) Great stuff.
Really love your reviews. Read butler as a young adult and did not really get it at the time - probably need to reread this.
Octavia does get under your skin. She was amazing and I usually don't like women authors particularly in Sci Fi. Try the Pattern Master books which I think are her best. This is one of those books, not only in Sci Fi and fantasy, that I can never forget and I always think about. Dan Simmons (writer of Hyperion) has a similar genre with his second best book called Carrion Comfort which is also among my top 5 best horror books of all time. Can't believe a movie has never been made about this one or a series with Octavia's books. You need to read these if you haven't.
Your videos are absolutely clutch. Thank you for your analysis and perspective. Bravo!
Don’t feel duty-bound to read Dhalgren. Trust me.
Great video. I feel the same way as you with regards to Delany. I think I may have made a mistake by reading Dhalgren first of all his works. I climbed that mountain, enjoyed it, but upon coming down I was exhausted. It's a serious investment of time, well worth it, but daunting nonetheless. So I have a pile of Delany books, including The Einstein Intersection, waiting in a corner.
When I read the books you like I usually like them, too, for the reasons you say. You read so much more than I do, I have great use for your favs. Thanks!
Dawn was also my first Octavia Butler book. It could have been written last year; her prose feels timeless. Perhaps it's partly due to the unadorned style you mentioned. The second book also features an unsettling human mob albeit in a different setting, I didn't like it as much because it features A Genius Child. I just bought the third and final instalment Imago and am really curious how it will wrap the trilogy up.
I see that “Dawn” is the first of a trilogy..I take it that it works well as a standalone? I do love your channel. You certainly don’t adhere to the generic books ( maybe not a fair term) that I see often reviewed on other channels. I know there has to be a lot of great books that slip threw the cracks. You scratch that itch for me. Thank you for that.
I can't wait to see your review of the rest two books in the trilogy. The whole story is a violation of my right to choose what I value. It bends my morals in a way that shouldn't be possible. I think you felt the same when you said that the book somehow makes you complicit.
As always, useful, personal thoughtful reviews/ reflections - really useful when trying to figure out what come sshome & what gets read. Tank You.
Dawn as a horror novel? I never would have thought to describe it that way. Fascinating alien biology/technology and cutlure.
I really really appreciate your reviews and how extremely careful you are to not spoil any of the books. I’m half way into Dawn and now I just want to finish the book because the way that it’s going is exactly how you’re explaining it with 0 spoilers.
@bookpilled did that colab for dawn ever happen?
I’ve been trying to remember who wrote the slow glass story! It’s stayed with me since I read it as a teenager when it came out.
I have a growing list of books I want to read based on these videos. I started with city as you recommended it and I absolutely loved it.
I am so happy that you liked Dawn. 🥲 Much like in her short story, “Bloodchild,” Butler I feel truly strips the concept of “love” down to its unnerving skeleton: its compromises, its tensions, ITS HORRORS. I’ve always found it fascinating how she recognizes how central peace and love are to human sustenance, yet how perverse, exploitative, invasive, and mutative it can be to maintain this peace and love.