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Science Fiction recommendation? (pg. 3)
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| Spam |
It's a book primarily targeted at youth, but I was 21 last year when I read these two books and enjoyed them immensely.
Ender's Game
followed by
Ender's Shadow
They're the same story, but 'Shadow' is told from the perspective of a different character. Very interesting read. |
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| eRRaTiK |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cosmic Fur
Doesn't it look bad on the sci-fi writers' behalf then? That they must stoop to the same tactics as MAXIM and STUFF in order to entice readers? |
Isn't a similar approach used for romance novels?
Sex sells. |
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| EvilTree |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cosmic Fur
Doesn't it look bad on the sci-fi writers' behalf then? That they must stoop to the same tactics as MAXIM and STUFF in order to entice readers? As opposed to writers of detective novels, horror novels, espionage novels, war novels, etc etc who somehow sell books without appealing to the same demographic that reaches for MAXIM on the news stands. I imagine that if what you're saying is true, then sci-fi writers must get the same amount of respect in the writers' circles as the women who write romance novels (whose entire plot consists of stringing one sex scene to the next). |
the thing is that most sci fi/fantasy writers don't get a say in what goes on the cover of their books. usually it's the publisher that pays an artist fifty bucks and tell them to come up with something with an alien and macho hero and something blowing up, and the artists draws something, with no clue to what the book is actually about. (maybe the back of the book blurb but that's about it)
you're right. it does look silly. I've seen book covers of a series, and the main heroine's face change from every book cover.
but considering avg attention span of a possible buyer is like 2 secs, if there isn't something that will get the buyer's attention within those 2 secs, that book isn't going to get bought.
so. any means necessary to get that attention, if it means book looks like an attention whore. sex sells |
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| EvilTree |
| quote: | Originally posted by Spam
It's a book primarily targeted at youth, but I was 21 last year when I read these two books and enjoyed them immensely.
Ender's Game
followed by
Ender's Shadow
They're the same story, but 'Shadow' is told from the perspective of a different character. Very interesting read. |
well, there's like an entire series based on ender's game. all decent read, but none will come close to ender's game.
I don't consider Ender's game to be geared towards any age group, and can be read by grade 5 and up. though later series is geared more towards older age group |
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| Cosmic Fur |
| quote: | Originally posted by eRRaTiK
Isn't a similar approach used for romance novels?
Sex sells. |
Yes, and I've covered romance novels in my previous post.
The question I pose, sirs (I've been playing devil's advocate while writing an essay for the past week, so I'm in the mood for that kind of thing), is, "Shouldn't the "sex sells" matra apply to pretty much all books then?"
I may be out of touch with what books teenagers read nowadays(if they read at all, which I'm somewhat doubting, considering I was one of the few that read anything back in HS), but they can't ALL be reading sci fi novels (and thus other genres would have to resort to selling sex). In fact, I would suppose that those few brave teenage souls that do devote their time to books and not to XBOX540, would prefer to be taken seriously in their reading habits, and would abstain from buying books that take an immature approach to their hobby (just like I specifically abstain from buying car mags that feature bikini models on the covers, because then I automatically know that the editors know that the only reason I bought the magazine was for the low-brow fappage material, and not the technical articles).
Not to mention, you'll only be fooled by the cover the first time you read the book and find out there's really no sexy women in scantily-clad clothes riding tigers in the actual story. So I doubt sci fi readers would consistently keep falling for the "sex sells" method of selling the books.
I dunno. It doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. From what I remember from my teenage years, if I wanted to read, I'd get an interesting book (and most of them were classic hardcovers without any cover art at all); and if I wanted something to tickle my loins, I'd pick up the latest issue of MAXIM. |
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| infinity HiGH |
| Ooooo this thread is so win. Any other must-read sci-fi classics? I like deep thought-provoking stuff. |
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| EvilTree |
| quote: | Originally posted by Cosmic Fur
Yes, and I've covered romance novels in my previous post.
The question I pose, sirs (I've been playing devil's advocate while writing an essay for the past week, so I'm in the mood for that kind of thing), is, "Shouldn't the "sex sells" matra apply to pretty much all books then?"
I may be out of touch with what books teenagers read nowadays(if they read at all, which I'm somewhat doubting, considering I was one of the few that read anything back in HS), but they can't ALL be reading sci fi novels (and thus other genres would have to resort to selling sex). In fact, I would suppose that those few brave teenage souls that do devote their time to books and not to XBOX540, would prefer to be taken seriously in their reading habits, and would abstain from buying books that take an immature approach to their hobby (just like I specifically abstain from buying car mags that feature bikini models on the covers, because then I automatically know that the editors know that the only reason I bought the magazine was for the low-brow fappage material, and not the technical articles).
Not to mention, you'll only be fooled by the cover the first time you read the book and find out there's really no sexy women in scantily-clad clothes riding tigers in the actual story. So I doubt sci fi readers would consistently keep falling for the "sex sells" method of selling the books.
I dunno. It doesn't seem to make a whole lot of sense. From what I remember from my teenage years, if I wanted to read, I'd get an interesting book (and most of them were classic hardcovers without any cover art at all); and if I wanted something to tickle my loins, I'd pick up the latest issue of MAXIM. |
Well, a lot of sci fi & fantasy, to think of it, most fiction have some sort of romance angle/sex involved. |
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| Intuition |
| quote: | Originally posted by EvilTree
well, there's like an entire series based on ender's game. all decent read, but none will come close to ender's game.
I don't consider Ender's game to be geared towards any age group, and can be read by grade 5 and up. though later series is geared more towards older age group |
+1 simply awesome |
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| EvilTree |
| quote: | Originally posted by infinity HiGH
Ooooo this thread is so win. Any other must-read sci-fi classics? I like deep thought-provoking stuff. |
-Starship Troopers by Robert Heinlein: lots of shoot em up stuff, plus interesting philosophy from Heinlein
-Beggars in Spain by Nancy Kress: what would happen if humans start tinkering with DNA to produce elite group of super human?
-Strangers in Strange Land by Robert Heinlein: a boy born in Mars comes back to Earth, and start 'grokking' with everything. Interesting religion angle
-Midshipman's Hope by David Feintuch: a young midshipman has to take over a starship after all senior officers die, going to potential mutiny, aliens and whatnot. One of my fav series
-Heirs to the Empire by Timonthy Zahn: for people who like Star Wars. started off the entire bazillions of SW novels. About what happens if a genius Imperial Grand Admiral comes and starts kicking ass, and Luke and Han has to stop him.
I gotta give more thought about the recommendations. Have to browse through my library. lol |
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| Endlesswave |
Checking out Asimov's Foundation series first...then I'll catch Ender's Game. Heard of it for sure but haven't read it.
Matt, as for Cold Equations will check it out. The Machine Stops is a stone cold classic though, let me know what you all think of it, the link has the entire short. |
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| Ryan1524 |
I like the Dune series. It's about the same scale as Lord Of The Rings in terms of epic-ness, but for sci-fi, not fantasy. Set about 10,000 years in the future, it went way beyond the whole AI vs humans hoopla, or the Earth apocalypse type of story and invented an entirely new universe.
The storyline is soo complicated, the first few dozen pages of the first book is actually a glossary of terms. hahah. :p |
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| EvilTree |
| Agreed. Dune is a must read. Though the series gets really awkward after the 2nd book, and the prequels make ok read, but nowhere near the complex storyline that the original series has. |
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