thought experiment
Dec. 14th, 2004 11:39 am![[personal profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/user.png){kind=small}
katstergrr, parents, making me miss my one morning pleasure. So yeah, Mal, that's why I wasn't around. It wasn't because I was procrastinating on my paper, it was because I was getting donuts for my *mother*. :P
But besides that, here's the ponderance I've got for y'all to ponder. Let's pick the hypothethical. You're asked to teach a course on science fiction. Which books and short stories would you have your class read? Bonus points for why. :)
But besides that, here's the ponderance I've got for y'all to ponder. Let's pick the hypothethical. You're asked to teach a course on science fiction. Which books and short stories would you have your class read? Bonus points for why. :)
![[identity profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/openid.png){kind=small}
![[community profile]](https://www.dreamwidth.org/img/silk/identity/community.png){kind=small}
no subject
Date: 2004-12-14 10:50 pm (UTC)Terry Bisson - Bears Discover Fire.
(Very odd and strange right at first. However, well-written in an interesting model. Bisson paints a picture for the reader and convinces you that something quite ludicrous is not only possible, but even probable.)
Arthur C. Clarke - A Walk in the Dark.
(Suspense/Drama/Horror/Mystery all rolled into one really. A classic, and a basically How-To on writing a sci-fi short story
Gaiman/Pratchett - Good Omens.
(The best marriage of comedy and actual storyline I think I've ever read. Stuff like Adams is great, but the story sometimes suffers at the expense of the funny. Good Omens, on the other hand, doesn't lik to ignore the storyline which in and of itself is intriguing even if you ignore the comedy aspect of it all.)
John Steakley - Armor.
(Because everyone needs to read the book if for no other reason than to see how even a confusing, poorly-editied story can still really rock as long as you have a good core story. Bonus points if it's assigned immediately after reading Starship Troopers as a Compare/Contrast.)
Orson Scott Card - Ender's Game.
(Everyone could give tons of reasons, but the fact is Card is very good at explaining the thought processes of his characters, and the ideas and concepts behind things. He's very thorough [almost too thorough] and if you're paying attention it's very difficult to lose you as the reader. Too many writers can't pull that off.).
-- Primis.