Blowing My Mind, the SF Way
Well, since my original goal of recording all the books I read this year for the
50bookchallenge is obviously not going to happen, I've decided instead to change it to actually reviewing 50 of the books I read this year. In that vein, here are two sci-fi classics which BOTH won the Hugo AND Nebula Awards. (And highly deserved them!)
3. The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin. (sci-fi, mass market pb, 387 p., winner of Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy Award, & National Book Award, Hainish/Ekumen)
I'm a fan of Le Guin, so it's no suprise that I enjoyed this book, but even I was suprised by how good it was. Having heard so much about how this is one of the classics, and the utopian situation, etc., it shocked me that this was a normal, abeit very good, book. The book opens with Shevek leaving his planet, Anarres, for Urras, the nearby planet that his people came from. The chapters alternate between Shevek's journey to Urras and his life before he left Anarres.
The end result is not only a thought-provoking exploration of the meaning of utopia, but (more importantly) the readable story of one man's life. The Dispossessed is one of the rare books that left me satisfied with the ending but with a lot to think about. Highly recomended!
4. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. (Sci-fi, mass market pb, 324 p., winner of Hugo & Nebula, first in Ender quartet)
I'd heard of Orson Scott Card but this was the first book of his that I'd read. And what a way to start! Earth has twice been invaded by the alien buggers, and the people and military are waiting for a young genius to lead them in their final fight for survival. Peter and Valentine Wiggin weren't quite what the military needed, so his parents are allowed a Third child, Ender Wiggin. I won't wreck the rest of the story but just comment that this is another book I loved. Every bit of the book fits neatly into the other pieces, but often in unexpected ways. This is another book that uses one character to provoke thoughts on wider issues. Orson Scott Card didn't write this book to be thought-provoking, he wrote it to tell the story of Ender Wiggin, and that's exactly why it works.
I haven't said too much about either book because these are the type of books you can't say too much about. You just read them and love them and try to convince others to do the same. I'd highly recommend both, and they are both on my favorites list.
4/50 books (reviewed)
1,230/15,000 pages (counted)
50bookchallenge is obviously not going to happen, I've decided instead to change it to actually reviewing 50 of the books I read this year. In that vein, here are two sci-fi classics which BOTH won the Hugo AND Nebula Awards. (And highly deserved them!)
3. The Dispossessed: An Ambiguous Utopia by Ursula K. Le Guin. (sci-fi, mass market pb, 387 p., winner of Hugo, Nebula, World Fantasy Award, & National Book Award, Hainish/Ekumen)
I'm a fan of Le Guin, so it's no suprise that I enjoyed this book, but even I was suprised by how good it was. Having heard so much about how this is one of the classics, and the utopian situation, etc., it shocked me that this was a normal, abeit very good, book. The book opens with Shevek leaving his planet, Anarres, for Urras, the nearby planet that his people came from. The chapters alternate between Shevek's journey to Urras and his life before he left Anarres.
The end result is not only a thought-provoking exploration of the meaning of utopia, but (more importantly) the readable story of one man's life. The Dispossessed is one of the rare books that left me satisfied with the ending but with a lot to think about. Highly recomended!
4. Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card. (Sci-fi, mass market pb, 324 p., winner of Hugo & Nebula, first in Ender quartet)
I'd heard of Orson Scott Card but this was the first book of his that I'd read. And what a way to start! Earth has twice been invaded by the alien buggers, and the people and military are waiting for a young genius to lead them in their final fight for survival. Peter and Valentine Wiggin weren't quite what the military needed, so his parents are allowed a Third child, Ender Wiggin. I won't wreck the rest of the story but just comment that this is another book I loved. Every bit of the book fits neatly into the other pieces, but often in unexpected ways. This is another book that uses one character to provoke thoughts on wider issues. Orson Scott Card didn't write this book to be thought-provoking, he wrote it to tell the story of Ender Wiggin, and that's exactly why it works.
I haven't said too much about either book because these are the type of books you can't say too much about. You just read them and love them and try to convince others to do the same. I'd highly recommend both, and they are both on my favorites list.
4/50 books (reviewed)
1,230/15,000 pages (counted)