Table of Contents
1. Introduction
2. Why I Re-read
3. A Deepness in the Sky, the Tragical History of Pham Nuwen
4. The Singularity Problem and Non-Problem
5. Random Acts of Senseless Violence: Why isnt it a classic of the field?
6. From Herring to Marmalade: the perfect plot of Dirk Gentlys Holistic Detective Agency
7. Thats just scenery: what do we mean by “mainstream”?
8. Re-reading long series
9. The Dystopic Earths of Heinleins Juveniles
10. Happiness, Meaning and Significance: Karl Schroeders Lady of Mazes
11. The Weirdest Book in the World
12. The Poetry of Deep Time: Arthur C. Clarkes Against the Fall of Night
13. Clarke reimagined in hot pink: Tanith Lees Biting the Sun
14. Something rich and strange: Candas Jane Dorseys Black Wine
15. To trace impunity: Greg Egans Permutation City
16. Black and white and read a million times: Jerry Pournelles Janissaries
17. College as magic garden: Why Pamela Deans Tam Lin is a book youll either love or hate
18. Making the future work: Maureen McHughs China Mountain Zhang
19. Anathem: what does it gain from not being our world?
20. A happy ending depends on when you stop: Heavy Time, Hellburner and C.J. Cherryhs Alliance-Union universe
21. Knights Who Say “Fuck”: Swearing in Genre Fiction
22. “Earth is one world”: C.J. Cherryhs Downbelow Station
23. “Space is wide and good friends are too few”: Cherryhs Merchanter novels
24. “A need to deal wounds”: Rape of men in Cherryhs Union-Alliance novels
25. How to talk to writers
26. “Give me back the Berlin Wall”: Ken MacLeods The Sky Road
27. What a pity she couldnt have single-handedly invented science fiction! George Eliots Middlemarch
28. The beauty of lists: Angelica Gorodischers Kalpa Imperial
29. Like pop rocks for the brain: Samuel R. Delanys Stars in My Pocket Like Grains of Sand
30. Between Two Worlds: S.P. Somtows Jasmine Nights
31. Lots of reasons to love these: Daniel Abrahams Long Price books
32. Maori Fantasy: Keri Hulmes The Bone People
33. Better to have loved and lost? Series that go downhill
34. More questions than answers: Robert A. Heinleins The Stone Pillow
35. Weeping for her enemies: Lois McMaster Bujolds Shards of Honor
36. Forward Momentum: Lois McMaster Bujolds The Warriors Apprentice
37. Quest for Ovaries: Lois McMaster Bujolds Ethan of Athos
38. Why he must not fail: Lois McMaster Bujolds The Borders of Infinity
39. What have you done with your baby brother? Lois McMaster Bujolds Brothers in Arms
40. Hard on his superiors: Lois McMaster Bujolds The Vor Game
41. One birth, one death, and all the acts of pain and will between: Lois McMaster Bujolds Barrayar
42. All true wealth is biological: Lois McMaster Bujolds Mirror Dance
43. Luck is something you make for yourself: Lois McMaster Bujolds Cetaganda
44. This is my old identity, actually: Lois McMaster Bujolds Memory
45. But Im Vor: Lois McMaster Bujolds Komarr
46. Shes getting away! Lois McMaster Bujolds A Civil Campaign
47. Just my job: Lois McMaster Bujolds Diplomatic Immunity
48. Every day is a gift: Lois McMaster Bujolds Winterfair Gifts
49. Choose again, and change: Lois McMaster Bujolds Vorkosigan saga
50. So, what sort of series do you like?
51. Time travel and slavery: Octavia Butlers Kindred
52. America the Beautiful: Terry Bissons Fire on the Mountain
53. Susan Palwicks Shelter
54. Scintillations of a sensory syrynx: Samuel Delanys Nova
55. You may not know it, but you want to read this: Francis Spuffords Backroom Boys: The Secret Return of the British Boffin
56. Faster Than Light at any speed
57. Gender and glaciers: Ursula Le Guins The Left Hand of Darkness
58. Licensed to sell weasels and jade earrings: The short stories of Lord Dunsany
59. The Net of a Million Lies: Vernor Vinges A Fire Upon the Deep
60. The worst book I love: Robert Heinleins Friday
61. Indias superheroes: Salman Rushdies Midnights Children
62. A funny book with a lot of death in it: Iain Bankss The Crow Road
63. More dimensions than youd expect: Samuel Delanys Babel 17
64. Bad, but good: David Feintuchs Midshipmans Hope
65. Subtly twisted history: John M. Fords The Dragon Waiting
66. A very long poem: Alan Garners Red Shift
67. Beautiful, poetic, and experimental: Roger Zelaznys Doorways in the Sand
68. Waking the Dragon: George R.R. Martins A Song of Ice and Fire
69. Who reads cosy catastrophes?
70. Stalinism vs champagne at the opera: Constantine Fitzgibbons When the Kissing Had To Stop
71. The future of the Commonwealth: Nevil Shutes In the Wet
72. Twists of the Godgame: John Fowless The Magus
73. Playing the angles on a world: Steven Brusts Dragaera
74. Jhereg feeds on others kills: Steven Brusts Jhereg
75. Yendi coils and strikes unseen: Steven Brusts Yendi
76. A coachmans tale: Steven Brusts Brokedown Palace
77. Frightened teckla hides in grass: Steven Brusts Teckla
78. How can you tell?: Steven Brusts Taltos
79. Phoenix rise from ashes grey: Steven Brusts Phoenix
80. I have been asking for nothing else for an hour: Steven Brusts The Phoenix Guards
81. Athyra rules minds interplay: Steven Brusts Athyra
82. What, is there more?: Steven Brusts Five Hundred Years After
83. Orca circles, hard and lean: Steven Brusts Orca
84. Haughty dragon yearns to slay: Steven Brusts Dragon
85. Issola strikes from courtly bow: Steven Brusts Issola
86. Dear Lords of Publication, Glorious Mountain Press of Adrilankha, (or any appropriate representative on our world)
87. The time about which I have the honor to write?: Steven Brusts The Viscount of Adrilankha
88. Dzur stalks and blends with night: Steven Brusts Dzur
89. Jhegaala shifts as moments pass: Steven Brusts Jhegaala
90. Quiet iorich wont forget: Steven Brusts Iorich
91. Quakers in Space: Molly Glosss The Dazzle of Day
92. Locked in our separate skulls: Raphael Carters The Fortunate Fall
93. Saving both worlds: Katherine Blake (Dorothy Heydt)s The Interior Life
94. Yearning for the unattainable: James Tiptree Jr.s short stories
95. SF reading protocols
96. Incredibly readable: Robert Heinleins The Door Into Summer
97. Nasty, but brilliant: John Barness Kaleidoscope Century
98. Growing up in a space dystopia: John Barness Orbital Resonance
99. The joy of an unfinished series
100. Fantasy and the need to remake our origin stories
101. The mind, the heart, sex, class, feminism, true love, intrigue, not your everyday ho hum detective story: Dorothy Sayerss Gaudy Night
102. Three short Hainish novels: Ursula Le Guins Rocannons World, Planet of Exile and City of Illusions
103. On reflection, not very dangerous: Harlan Ellisons The Last Dangerous Visions
104. Why do I re-read things I dont like?
105. Yakking about whos civilized and whos not: H. Beam Pipers Space Viking
106. Feast or famine?
107. Bellona, Destroyer of Cities, Jay Schreibs play of Samuel Delanys Dhalgren
108. Not much changes on the street, only the faces: George Alec Effingers When Gravity Fails
109. History inside-out: Howard Waldrops Them Bones
110. Id love this book if I didnt loathe the protagonist: Harry Turtledove and Judith Tarrs Household Gods
111. Screwball comedy time travel: John Kessels Corrupting Dr. Nice
112. Academic Time Travel: Connie Williss To Say Nothing of the Dog
113. The Society of Time: John Brunners Times Without Number
114. Five Short Stories with Useless Time Travel
115. Time Control: Isaac Asimovs The End of Eternity
116. Texan Ghost Fantasy: Sean Stewarts Perfect Circle
117. The language of stones: Terri Windlings The Wood Wife
118. A great castle made of sea: Why hasnt Susanna Clarkes Jonathan Strange & Mr. Norrell been more influential?
119. Gulp or sip: How do you read?
120. Quincentenniel: Arthur C. Clarkes Imperial Earth
121. Do you skim?
122. A merrier world: J.R.R. Tolkiens The Hobbit
123. Monuments from the future: Robert Charles Wilsons The Chronoliths
124. The Suck Fairy
125. Trains on the moon: John M. Fords Growing Up Weightless
126. Overloading the senses: Samuel Delanys Nova
127. Aliens and Jesuits: James Blishs A Case of Conscience
128. Swiftly goes the swordplay: Poul Andersons The Broken Sword
129. The work of disenchantment never ends: Kim Stanley Robinsons Icehenge
130. Literary criticism vs talking about books