Innovative science fiction/speculative fiction:
Feb. 11th, 2008 | 08:01 am
Innovative science fiction:
So over dinner Saturday night![[info]](http://p-stat.livejournal.com/img/userinfo.gif)
mlxplx advanced the argument that science fiction hasn't offered anything new since the 1990s.
This seemed wrong to me, but then again, I mostly read fantasy. I could only think of two counterarguments from 2007, both recommended by Jeff VanderMeer in a Locus article summing up 2007: Shelter and Bright of the Sky. I'm hoping to track down Brasyl as well. A large problem here is that for budget reasons I'm stuck with the library, which does a great job of mainstream books and a not-so-great job with the more obscure – and thus often more innovative – smaller press. I also read a lot of speculative fiction online: I can strongly recommend Ideomancer, Clarkesworld (although that's more fantasy), Strangehorizons, and yes, before I'm reminded by some on my friends list, Dog versus Sandwich (again, so far more fantasy oriented, but Mr. Payne's taste is eclectic and I am anticipating some major surprises there), and many, many more.
I think perhaps as well we're seeing more and more works that blur the line between fantasy and science fiction, in that field now called "speculative fiction" in that trendy way. I know some people wanted to use "speculative fiction" in the hopes of moving the field past its association with space opera, but I like the term as well since it seems to be more embracive of works of high imagination and unreality, as I like to call fantasy and science fiction – knowing, of course, that that term is too longer for the book shelf at Barnes and Noble.
Recommendations formlxplx?
So over dinner Saturday night
mlxplx advanced the argument that science fiction hasn't offered anything new since the 1990s.This seemed wrong to me, but then again, I mostly read fantasy. I could only think of two counterarguments from 2007, both recommended by Jeff VanderMeer in a Locus article summing up 2007: Shelter and Bright of the Sky. I'm hoping to track down Brasyl as well. A large problem here is that for budget reasons I'm stuck with the library, which does a great job of mainstream books and a not-so-great job with the more obscure – and thus often more innovative – smaller press. I also read a lot of speculative fiction online: I can strongly recommend Ideomancer, Clarkesworld (although that's more fantasy), Strangehorizons, and yes, before I'm reminded by some on my friends list, Dog versus Sandwich (again, so far more fantasy oriented, but Mr. Payne's taste is eclectic and I am anticipating some major surprises there), and many, many more.
I think perhaps as well we're seeing more and more works that blur the line between fantasy and science fiction, in that field now called "speculative fiction" in that trendy way. I know some people wanted to use "speculative fiction" in the hopes of moving the field past its association with space opera, but I like the term as well since it seems to be more embracive of works of high imagination and unreality, as I like to call fantasy and science fiction – knowing, of course, that that term is too longer for the book shelf at Barnes and Noble.
Recommendations for
mlxplx?