Oryx and Crake

[Floyd-the-k]

Hi sci fi fans,

I haven't read much sci-fi for a long time. However, I recently borrowed the audio version of Oryx and Crake by Margaret Attwood and it's very good.  The story starts with a man, apparently the last human being, sitting in a tree, surrounded by non-human children and slowly gets around to explaining how he got there. The scifi ideas aren't anything very special (gene manipulation, gated communities etc) but it's got Attwood's usual keen observation of how people work and her humanism/feminism.

anyway, that's my tip for the day. anyone else read it?http://www.misterkitty.org/extras/stupidcovers/fant2.jpg">

[Art]

That would be the "not Sci-Fi" book...

[Floyd-the-k]

Has someone said it's not sci-fi? It seems pretty sci fi to me. Anyway it's good.
  She does comics toohttp://www.owtoad.com/comics/new%20comics/booktour/radio02.gif">

[Floyd-the-k]

ah I see. According to the link here, the book is "speculative fiction, not science-fiction proper" because there are no Martians, teleportation or intergalactic travel in it.
  That's a distinction I could hardly care less about myself

Link: http://www.randomhouse.com/features/atwood/essay.html" target="_blank">BIg up to her fanz

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

I read it earlier this year and thought it was terrific.

A bit slow in the middle maybe.

I also liked The Handmaid's Tale, arguiably her most well know (not) sci-fi tale.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

I read it earlier this year and thought it was terrific.

A bit slow in the middle maybe.

I also liked The Handmaid's Tale, arguably her most well know (not) sci-fi tale.

[El Spurioso]

Was chatting to a publisher bloke about this the other day.  They (publisher blokes) get pretty irritated by the whole "not sci fi/not fantasy" malarky (see also: Time Traveller's Wife, Cloud Atlas, etc).  Infuriatingly, what we think of as "sci-fi" tends to be inferior regurgitations of original stuff, just as a lot of fantasy is a tonal regurgitation of Tolkien.  "True" sci-fi or "true" fantasy is all about redefining the frontier of the genre, which is what people like Atwood, Mitchell, Niffenegger, Melville et al are actively doing.  The fact they strive so hard not to be labelled as Sci-Fi/Fantasy writers whilst doing so just goes to show how much of a stigma it's become: you're relegated to the gloomy "genre books" section in Waterstones and never shift a single bloomin' copy.

See also: Spurrier's Comics Shops Are Killing Comics rant.

[Dan Kelly]

"Never Let Me Go" by Kazuo Ishiguro also falls into this category.  I had a rather spirited debate with one of the guys at my Book Club over his belief the it wasn't Science Fiction and mine that it was.

My point was that Science Fiction fans are happy to read Literature, but that Literature readers don't want to read Science Fiction.

Dan

[SamuelAWilkinson]

>See also: Spurrier's Comics Shops Are Killing Comics rant.

Is that the one about blokes with bad hygene behind the counter and the whole place being a big nerdy boys' club?

[Quirkafleeg]

I'm sure I've read somewhere that Atwood thinks her stuff isn't sf is that she doesnt realise that there is some good science fiction out there and it's all sub Star-Wars "squids in space"

And yes, whilst comics are sold in special geek shops they'll remain a minority interest.

[Dan Kelly]

Its the old "Sci-Fi" vs. "Science Fiction" arguement.

Is there a difference?  

Some try and use "Sci Fi" for "squids in space" and "Science Fiction" for the Lit. stuff

[Mikey]

You mean saying 'hard SF' to differentiate isn't cool anymore?

Arse!

I am inherently distrustful of authors who distance themselves,seemingly at every opportunity,from SF.I know you need to promote genre fiction beyond the ghetto,but it's like all the peeps in work who read the 'adult' cover editions of Harry Potter, isn't it?

M.

[The Enigmatic Dr X]

Bollocks to all that. I just like a good story, well told.

[Art]

"Hard SF" just means "hey, i'm vaguely going to obey the rules of physics".

[Quirkafleeg]

hey, i'm vaguely going to obey the rules of physics... and hand-wave over with vaguely realistic sounding technobable when it doesnt.