Hartwell, David: Age of Wonders
Age of Wonders: Exploring the World of Science Fiction
Writer: David Hartwell
Genre: SF History/Criticism
Pages: 319
Last term, one of my critique partners read this book as part of her reading component. She told me quite a bit that interested me, how Hartwell discussed the fandom of science fiction, how the genre eventually split into the sub-genres that it is today. All of this caught my interest, so this term, I requested the book as part of my reading component, and I have to say, I'm glad I did.
Age of Wonders isn't a criticism of the genre; rather, it's a history. It talks about the genre's roots, the players who shaped the genre over the years, and the movements that defined the genre up until the point this particular revision was written in 1996. It's interesting, in that this book is now ten years old, and I would love to hear Hartwell's response to science fiction and the genre in terms of the last ten years. Hartwell poses many questions in this book about the future of science fiction, and I'm curious just how exactly those questions have been answered. I know what I personally perceive in the genre, but I'm no where near as well-read as I should be, which is why I love hearing experts discuss this sort of thing.
The book is written for people who are, in many ways, outside of the science fiction fandom, but also for the people who just aren't as familiar with the genre as they could be. A lot of the information presented in this book is interesting, like how Hugo Gernsback's influence on the genre as well as John W. Campbell's. I was also interested to note Hartwell's distinctions of the different kinds of science fiction readers and writers, as well as the difference between a "reader" and a "fan". Most interesting to note, though, was the history of the New Wave movement and how it created a rift in the genre, and how the effects of that rift are still being dealt with today.
Hartwell discusses the following aspects of science fiction history: 1) The source and power of science fiction's appeal, which includes discussion of the Golden Age of the genre. 2) Exploring the worlds of science fiction, which discusses how science fiction is escapism on many levels, how--at the beginning--it was in many ways a prophetic genre (which was sometimes deliberate and sometimes not), where ideas came from, and how the term science fiction is the wrong name for the genre and all the discussion about the names used in the past and present. 3) Writers, fans, and critics, which discusses everything from the ability of science fiction writers to write well to the New Wave debate back in the 1960s (and what it's done to the genre) and the fandom of science fiction itself. The latter was especially interesting, particularly in light of how fandom has made some writers' careers and how writers coming into science fiction must respect the fans and the genre, or risk being ostracized from science fiction all together. 4) The future of science fiction talked about how to get the genre back to where it was before the New Wave debates (which prompted a focus on better writing in the genre, which took away the focus on the bright, shiny aspects of science fiction) and whether or not science fiction, as a distinct genre, will become extinct. Hartwell's appendices were also quite interesting, believe it or not. He provides a few lists: "Sixty books important to the development of SF, published before the name was invented"; "The best 105 SF books since the invention of the field in the twenties"; and books that should be considered when/if teaching SF. There's also a few essays about understanding hard science fiction and the truth about fantasy (a genre which actually sprang from the science fiction movement, not the other way around), and lastly, how to edit the science fiction novel.
This book, despite all the information, is actually a very smooth and easy read. There are times, though, when I'm not sure exactly what Hartwell is nudging at. The book isn't meant to be a criticism, yet Hartwell's opinions about the genre and its future leak through clearly. Yet, at other times, he contradicts himself, and not always in the objective manner one might hope for when reading a history of a genre. I got the impression that Hartwell (like many fans) wishes for the time when science fiction's sole purpose was to create a sense of wonder in the reader, something I think is getting harder to do at the rate the future is coming upon us (because modern science makes it harder to suspend disbelief). I think he worries (like many fans), that science fiction as a genre is becoming extinct, that one day, there will be no true distinction between science fiction and fantasy (certain sub-genres of fantasy, at any rate). It's hard to say. Like I said, I'd love to see a revision of this text that includes the last ten years and the prominent books that have arisen since. In fact, I'd love to see a current criticism of the genre as it stands right now, and where people think it's going from 2006 rather than 1996, which is when this history was revised last.
But despite contradictions, I think this is a book any science fiction writer should read. It's important to know the roots, to know the expectations that still pervade the genre, despite all the "new blood" that's carving a nitch for themselves as well. I know that I am certainly not a science fiction reader of the past, and that's something important to remember when I do read the classics, or when I read books that do everything they can to invoke a sense of wonder in the reader. I know said books aren't my cup of tea, nor am I said writer's target audience, so maybe I should be more forgiving of books that try to recreate the science fiction of old? We'll see. :) I still have my own expectations in writing, but I will say I'm more inclined to read some of the classics than I was before, and that's definitely a good thing.