Books that improve on a second reading...
...and some that don't.
Today, the Successors of Heinlein!
Do: Buettner's 'Orphanage'. I thought this was a lazy Starship Troopers ripoff the first time I read it. Second time, I realized that it was a rather well-done homage to/retelling of Starship Troopers. Buettner hints at a slow-motion dystopia (easy 'reabsorbtion' of pregnancies at 1 month by a pill, super-Prozac available over the counter and commonly used by teenagers, etc.) rather than Heinlein's pre-Federation collapse. Where Juan Rico was naive and kinda dopey, Jason Wander was naive but covering with modern snark, sarcasm & cynicism. The dystopia speeds up as the Slugs start hitting cities, more than just a few that the Bugs managed. It's a very desperate situation, and desperate measures are taken. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I'm glad I picked this up again and gave it another chance.
Don't: Gerrold's War against the Chtorr. Great premise, but it takes forever to get anywhere, and the Heinlein-esque quotes and sexual 'liberation' are a bit tired. The bizarre psychological games that consume most of a book are a very strange read. They also suffer from 'lastest neat thing-itis'. Remotely-piloted attack robot animals? Er....even given their backstory (and the sudden introduction of said backstory), it feels like retro-fitting on some chrome for the sake of having something shiny.
Today, the Successors of Heinlein!
Do: Buettner's 'Orphanage'. I thought this was a lazy Starship Troopers ripoff the first time I read it. Second time, I realized that it was a rather well-done homage to/retelling of Starship Troopers. Buettner hints at a slow-motion dystopia (easy 'reabsorbtion' of pregnancies at 1 month by a pill, super-Prozac available over the counter and commonly used by teenagers, etc.) rather than Heinlein's pre-Federation collapse. Where Juan Rico was naive and kinda dopey, Jason Wander was naive but covering with modern snark, sarcasm & cynicism. The dystopia speeds up as the Slugs start hitting cities, more than just a few that the Bugs managed. It's a very desperate situation, and desperate measures are taken. I'm looking forward to reading the rest of the series. I'm glad I picked this up again and gave it another chance.
Don't: Gerrold's War against the Chtorr. Great premise, but it takes forever to get anywhere, and the Heinlein-esque quotes and sexual 'liberation' are a bit tired. The bizarre psychological games that consume most of a book are a very strange read. They also suffer from 'lastest neat thing-itis'. Remotely-piloted attack robot animals? Er....even given their backstory (and the sudden introduction of said backstory), it feels like retro-fitting on some chrome for the sake of having something shiny.