Science/Fantasy fiction bukes (1 Viewer)

[Psycho Punk]

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Marxism and other worlds: fantasy and sci-fi
Speaker: James Turley, Communist Party of Great Britain.
This speech was delivered at Communist University 2011

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I was reading some piece recently (or it might have been a post on thumped, i forget) and some lad was moaning about how steampunk left a lot to be desired from a marxist point of view, the books often featured unpaid or poorly paid serfs toiling in appalling conditions for some lordy type without any critique of this system, no effort on behalf of the authors to instil a revolutionary zeal in the masses that populate their sci/fi fantasy steampunk novels etc. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to read fiction. Is this the kind of shite yer man is spouting in your clip? I'm having doubts about attending this communist university now, sounds like it'll be a right spoilsport groan fest.

 

[Psycho Punk]

I was reading some piece recently (or it might have been a post on thumped, i forget) and some lad was moaning about how steampunk left a lot to be desired from a marxist point of view, the books often featured unpaid or poorly paid serfs toiling in appalling conditions for some lordy type without any critique of this system, no effort on behalf of the authors to instil a revolutionary zeal in the masses that populate their sci/fi fantasy steampunk novels etc. Some people just shouldn't be allowed to read fiction. Is this the kind of shite yer man is spouting in your clip? I'm having doubts about attending this communist university now, sounds like it'll be a right spoilsport groan fest.

Nah, James is a real SF fan. Yer man sounds like an auto eroticist. He analyses Marxism in SF & Fantasy and how some of the tropes lend themselves to advancing stories more laden with sociology and economics.

Sometimes an SF novel will have a marxist tinge to it, to me thats a bonus, but only if it adds to the storyline or the construction of the backgroun "universe".

An interesting series of books is the Charles Stross series The Merchant Princes. There are many parallel universes but so far a family with "powers" can move between three. One is at our level, another 12th century, another 19th century. So you see interactions between the different social an political systems. Al three societies are believable.

 

[Cormcolash]

Charles Stross rules alright

 

[magicbastarder]

i picked up iain m banks's latest one - the hydrogen sonata recently. it's a good read, but not his best.

 

[Cormcolash]

Didn't know he had a new one out. Have to get that, to add to my collection of every other sci-fi book he has written.

 

[Psycho Punk]

Didn't know he had a new one out. Have to get that, to add to my collection of every other sci-fi book he has written.

Haven't finished it yet but its pretty good. Plenty of smart ass AIs.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I've just finished Soldier of the Mist, Soldier of Arete and Soldier of Sidon by Gene Wolfe. He kinda writes the same book over and over. Still, they were enjoyable. Has anyone else read these? It's narrated by a mercenary in ancient Greece who forgets everything past about a day ago and so writes to remember. Pretty confusing, I hadn't a clue what was going on by the end of the second one. The first was probably the best, with that weird Drakaina character. I don't know if I'm in a mad rush to read more GW now since they all seem to be much the same.

 

[magicbastarder]

recently finished 'the forever war' by joe haldeman. excellent book, except for the cack-handed homosexuality plotline.

 

[Cormcolash]

I've just finished Soldier of the Mist, Soldier of Arete and Soldier of Sidon by Gene Wolfe. He kinda writes the same book over and over. Still, they were enjoyable. Has anyone else read these? It's narrated by a mercenary in ancient Greece who forgets everything past about a day ago and so writes to remember. Pretty confusing, I hadn't a clue what was going on by the end of the second one. The first was probably the best, with that weird Drakaina character. I don't know if I'm in a mad rush to read more GW now since they all seem to be much the same.

I read Soldier of the Mist years ago, it's great, but yeah mad as fuck and you spend half the time trying to figure out what is going on alright! Reminds me a bit of when I read at Swim Two Birds actually, it's all mad for a bit, then something clicks and it makes a bit more sense all of a sudden!

If you want more Gene Wolfe try the Wizard Knight books, they are pretty class.

 

[Denny Oubidoux]

I read Soldier of the Mist years ago, it's great, but yeah mad as fuck and you spend half the time trying to figure out what is going on alright! Reminds me a bit of when I read at Swim Two Birds actually, it's all mad for a bit, then something clicks and it makes a bit more sense all of a sudden!

If you want more Gene Wolfe try the Wizard Knight books, they are pretty class.

Yeah, I read the Wizard Knight, it was great. It was fairly confusing for most of the first half too.
I've also read first New Sun series, Urth of the New Sun, The Fifth Head of Cerberus, Peace and a bit of Castleview (I lost it then, didn't seem great anyway). I'll probably go for The Devil in a Forest next. I think I've had enough of his series

 

[Cormcolash]

The Devil in a Forest is really good I think.
I've read the first New Sun, The Fifth Head of Cerberus, Castleview (which is actually pretty good in the end), and I read the first Urth of the New Sun book, but I think the rest of the series was still being written at that stage so I never followed it up. Same as Game Of Thrones!