Clifford Simak is most often described as the "pastoralist" of science fiction, and it's an interesting label. I'm not quite sure what it means, but I read Simak for a particular feeling. I mean, great stories, fascinating ideas, and always a light, humorous touch — Simak was a...
science fiction
Actually, classifying Stasheff's books is not that straightforward. They're right there on the fuzzy line between scifi and fantasy, on the line between science and magic. Stasheff's specialty is taking a man from a scientific world and throwing him into a world where the people, for one reason...
It was a long, long time ago, in a galaxy far far away … no, sorry, scrub that. But it was a long time ago that I first heard The Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy. It started life as a radio show, and at the time the only radio I had was the radio in the car. So when the...
I think the Litany against Fear — not simply the Litany, but the whole concept of the Bene Gesserit's instruction in mental control and discipline — was a major reason for my initial attraction to Dune.Very attractive to a teenager, and to an adult too, if it comes to that! Herbert's...
There is no real connection between Ender's Game and the next three in the series except that Ender and his sister are in them. Ender's Game started simply as a short story, grew to a book, and then, many years later, took off on a completely different tangent. I don't mean there is no story...
