Alan Turing
There's a petition out there you may have heard of to get the British government to apologize to Alan Turing. If you're a UK citizen, you can sign it here.
I watched a British documentary approximately a year ago about Alan Turing. It made quite an impression on me. If you don't know his story, you really should.
Yonmei has a pretty good summary up at the Feminist SF blog. Tied in with Orson Scott Card, who apparently has a video game out that I hadn't heard much about. Though I can't imagine I hadn't heard something about it and I just forgot. Peter David wrote it.
Now.. Ender's Game was my favorite book for the longest time. It.. might even still be. I went through a phase where I was determined to read everything OSC wrote. Except.. the Ender sequels weren't the same. I didn't like them in the same way. And the Alvin Maker books disturbed me, as I had trouble sorting out their morality. Who were the good guys? And the Homecoming Saga interested me at first, but eventually I stopped reading those as well. Yet I read Saints twice. Well, in short, I like some of OSC's books, but until Ender's Shadow, none that I liked nearly as well as Ender's Game. Almost a.. one-hit wonder, who had to double-dip to try to get another hit. At least as far as pleasing me as a reader goes.
OSC was my favorite writer for awhile all the same. I even got to hear him speak, and talk to him as he signed a couple books for me.
And then we've got Peter David. There was a time when I would've listed him as my second favorite. Or possibly even favorite above OSC for awhile. I do still consider him the best writer of Trek books ever, and consistently. His other, original stuff? Not so much. His comic stuff? Not so interested.
So why do OSC and PD have to go and be such dicks? It makes me disinclined to read anything new by them. There's even Ender stuff out there I haven't read!! And New Frontiers Trek books I haven't read!! And it makes it really hard to admit they were once favorite writers of mine.
When asked now who my favorite writer is, I come up with Tanya Huff. And you know what? I like more of her stuff than I ever liked OSC and PD's stuff. Some click with me more than others, of course. But it's all worth giving a shot. And at least I know if she's ever going to turn out to be a dick, it'll be for a completely different reason. :P
(Note: There's tons of other cool and awesome writers and I could make a big old list, but hey, rules say you have to pick one. You know.. those rules.)
So, anyway, go read Orson Scott Card, meet Alan Turing and if you're a British citizen, go sign the petition.
I watched a British documentary approximately a year ago about Alan Turing. It made quite an impression on me. If you don't know his story, you really should.
Yonmei has a pretty good summary up at the Feminist SF blog. Tied in with Orson Scott Card, who apparently has a video game out that I hadn't heard much about. Though I can't imagine I hadn't heard something about it and I just forgot. Peter David wrote it.
Now.. Ender's Game was my favorite book for the longest time. It.. might even still be. I went through a phase where I was determined to read everything OSC wrote. Except.. the Ender sequels weren't the same. I didn't like them in the same way. And the Alvin Maker books disturbed me, as I had trouble sorting out their morality. Who were the good guys? And the Homecoming Saga interested me at first, but eventually I stopped reading those as well. Yet I read Saints twice. Well, in short, I like some of OSC's books, but until Ender's Shadow, none that I liked nearly as well as Ender's Game. Almost a.. one-hit wonder, who had to double-dip to try to get another hit. At least as far as pleasing me as a reader goes.
OSC was my favorite writer for awhile all the same. I even got to hear him speak, and talk to him as he signed a couple books for me.
And then we've got Peter David. There was a time when I would've listed him as my second favorite. Or possibly even favorite above OSC for awhile. I do still consider him the best writer of Trek books ever, and consistently. His other, original stuff? Not so much. His comic stuff? Not so interested.
So why do OSC and PD have to go and be such dicks? It makes me disinclined to read anything new by them. There's even Ender stuff out there I haven't read!! And New Frontiers Trek books I haven't read!! And it makes it really hard to admit they were once favorite writers of mine.
When asked now who my favorite writer is, I come up with Tanya Huff. And you know what? I like more of her stuff than I ever liked OSC and PD's stuff. Some click with me more than others, of course. But it's all worth giving a shot. And at least I know if she's ever going to turn out to be a dick, it'll be for a completely different reason. :P
(Note: There's tons of other cool and awesome writers and I could make a big old list, but hey, rules say you have to pick one. You know.. those rules.)
So, anyway, go read Orson Scott Card, meet Alan Turing and if you're a British citizen, go sign the petition.