"The Stars My Destination" was by far the best (of 8 books) on the syllabus, and the best sci-fi book I've read in a long time. I blew through it in one day, four hours start to finish. I've been badgering my girlfriend to put down "Green Mars" to read it. 
So you think it's better than Mars trilogy? I am tempted, I must say.
Just out of curiosity, what books did they put in the syllabus apart from the two already mentioned?
I have to admit I've never read the Mars trilogy. I'm mostly just pestering her to read a book I liked.
The rest of the syllabus had...
Frankenstein: The Mary Shelley classic. It's absolutely astounding how far removed this story is from the modern conception of it. The bolt-necked, green bulldozer we're familiar with is nothing like Shelley's original "daemon" aside from strength. The original was cunning and fast.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea: JUles Verne's underwater travelogue. Not bad, but it can be summed up as a repetition of the following...
1: We went to Place X
2: We saw these fish. (A list follows)
3: We ate them.
It could almost be called "20,000 Meals Under the Sea"
Out of the Silent Planet: Short space travel novel by C.S. Lewis. I hadn't been aware he was also a sci-fi author until reading this. It does read something like a fantasy novel though. His penchant for Christian imagery is present, so if you're not into that thing you might not like it.
Kindred: A story by Octavia Butler about a black woman who is repeatedly flung into the past to save a white ancestor. Not bad but kind of depressing. There was some debate as to wether or not this was science fiction as science is conspicuously absent.
A Door Into Ocean: Joan Slonzczewski's book made me think of Dwarf Fortress, just a little. Basically it details interaction between two worlds: Valan, a rocky/earthy world and Shora, a world with no dry land. More than half the Valan's portrayed are named for gems or minerals, such as Spinel (the main character) or Realgar (A Valan general). I've heard complaints that the conflict just sort of peters out without real resolution. I don't disagree with this, but I still really enjoyed it.
Left Hand of Darkness: As we've discussed.
The Stars My Destination: Foyle, Gulliver
Education: none
Skills: none
Merits: none
Reccomendations: none
I don't want to give away too much. Suffice to say I really enjoyed this.
Neuromancer: William Gibson wrote this, IIRC. It's nifty but can be a bit of an awkward read because new ideas/tech/human development is are introduced constantly and often with little explanation. A fun read though. Basically it's a story about cyberspace, a self aware artifical intelligence and a hacker by the name of Case. Supposedely the creators of The Matrix took a few ideas from here.
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Topic: Recommend a book (Read 10304 times)