SL Days 20 and 21
Reads, not rereads, for once.
LXIX: M. John Harrison, The Committed Men (1971)
Harrison's first sf novel - a sort of cosy catastrophe with an irradiated Britain and survivors killing each other. Not massively memorable a couple of days on, and I think ignored in Parietal Games
LXX: M. John Harrison, The Centauri Device (1975)
New Wave space opera - that feels like it anticipates Greenland and Banks. Should I be surprised? Earth is divided between Arab and Israeli factions, and ravaged by pollution, fall out and industry. Space transporter and smuggler John Truck is the last living person with Centauran genes, and thus the only person left able to operate the titular device - an ultimate weapon.
LXXI: Gardner Dozois, Strangers (1978)
On an alien planet, a human falls in love with an alien. Whilst it's not taboo for them to have sex, it is taboo for them to have a relationship, but they go for anyway. Except the human is not as smart as he thought he was. As soon as the word "miscegenation" was used in the first chapter, my thoughts turned to allegories of race, and indeed this gets followed through. I guessed the general drift of the human's misjudgement a little ahead of the main character. I could do with doing some research into the word "negro", and when it went out of favour.
End of week three, and twenty-seven novels read (nine this week). I need to watch some films and tv, and get a bit of a grip on time out.
Seasonally adjusted word count:
46100 / 120000 words. 38% done!
11 October is the projected end date, so I've pulled back a day, but I have some chunks I need to get written.
LXIX: M. John Harrison, The Committed Men (1971)
Harrison's first sf novel - a sort of cosy catastrophe with an irradiated Britain and survivors killing each other. Not massively memorable a couple of days on, and I think ignored in Parietal Games
LXX: M. John Harrison, The Centauri Device (1975)
New Wave space opera - that feels like it anticipates Greenland and Banks. Should I be surprised? Earth is divided between Arab and Israeli factions, and ravaged by pollution, fall out and industry. Space transporter and smuggler John Truck is the last living person with Centauran genes, and thus the only person left able to operate the titular device - an ultimate weapon.
LXXI: Gardner Dozois, Strangers (1978)
On an alien planet, a human falls in love with an alien. Whilst it's not taboo for them to have sex, it is taboo for them to have a relationship, but they go for anyway. Except the human is not as smart as he thought he was. As soon as the word "miscegenation" was used in the first chapter, my thoughts turned to allegories of race, and indeed this gets followed through. I guessed the general drift of the human's misjudgement a little ahead of the main character. I could do with doing some research into the word "negro", and when it went out of favour.
End of week three, and twenty-seven novels read (nine this week). I need to watch some films and tv, and get a bit of a grip on time out.
Seasonally adjusted word count:
46100 / 120000 words. 38% done!
11 October is the projected end date, so I've pulled back a day, but I have some chunks I need to get written.