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Powell's Staff:
Five Book Friday: In Memoriam
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Every year, the booksellers at Powell’s submit their Top Fives: their five favorite books that were released in 2023. It’s a list that, when put together, shows just how varied and interesting the book tastes of Powell’s booksellers are. I highly recommend digging into the recommendations — we would never lead you astray — but today...
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Brontez Purnell:
Powell’s Q&A: Brontez Purnell, author of ‘Ten Bridges I’ve Burnt’
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Rachael P.:
Starter Pack: Where to Begin with Ursula K. Le Guin
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Customer Comments
Eric Schultheis has commented on (3) products
Ultimate Guide To Science Fiction
by
David Pringle
Eric Schultheis
, February 04, 2007
On the one hand, this book is of limited use and is now dated, having been published in 1990. This is a collection of descriptions, ratings and 50 word average capsule reviews for over 3,000 science fiction books. While David Pringle is an expert editor and trusted critic, see his Science Fiction: The 100 Best Novels, this book simply doesn't have the space for elaborate reviews of any sort. On the other hand, if you need a what-do-I-read-next book, you might be delighted to flip through this listing of titles A-Z and decide what you want to try out. It also has an author index at the back to help you, but a theme index would have been nice. Pick up a cheap copy and place it in your library next to Anatomy of Wonder, and A Reader's Guide to Science Fiction.
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World Beyond The Hill Science Fiction & the Quest for Transcendence
by
Alexei Panshin
Eric Schultheis
, February 04, 2007
Science fiction writers Alexei and Cory Panshin attempt to correlate the history of the philosophy of science with the history of science fiction. As each succeeding generation absorbed the scientific discoveries of generations past, so too did each generation of writers envision a different universe of possibilities. I will leave it up to the likes of Brian Aldiss to determine whether the Panshins have done a perfect job, but I found this book immensely enjoyable and great food for thought. While we would all agree that H.G. Wells was a superior writer to E.E. "Doc" Smith, only a book like this could argue in one of its chapters that Smith was a successor who blazed a trail out of the philosophical bog that Wells could not leave. This book explores every corner that science fiction has had to turn to become what we recognize today, and it examines the authors and works that have helped turn those corners. If you are wondering what is next for science fiction, or perhaps pondering the problem of the post-human singularity in modern science fiction, you should pick up this book and see how many philosophical dead-ends were overcome to get us here.
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More Issues At Hand Critical Studies I
by
James Blish
Eric Schultheis
, February 04, 2007
There was very little criticism of science fiction (as opposed to fannish praise or literary scorn) until James Blish and Damon Knight started taking a serious look at the field in the mid-fifties. If you enjoy science fiction of the forties, fifties, and sixties you should pick up Blish/Atheling's Issues at Hand, and More Issues at Hand. This is a very readable collection of book and author criticism. It is better read for reader education, than as a collection of book reviews. If you have some familiarity with the science fiction available when the essays were written, mid-fifties to mid-sixties, you should have no problem understanding what Blish is getting at. In More Issues at Hand he tackles Heinlein, Sturgeon, Budrys, Merritt, other works of criticism, SF as prophecy, and the SF New Wave. As an early critic of science fiction, Blish set a standard that raised the level of conversation about science fiction. The essays in these volumes steered me toward some great writing: I read Algis Budrys' cold-war thriller Who because of the essay on Budrys' other classic, Rogue Moon. They have also helped me avoid some of the clunkers that still inhabit vintage bookstore shelves. The two Issues at Hand volumes should sit in the library of anybody who not only reads science fiction, but also likes to read about science fiction.
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