Is character development a necessary component of the sci-fi novel? (For some reason I'm thinking of the novel that was written without the letter E here..)
I'm currently reading the Baron-Cohen book on extreme brains and I'm starting to think that in the case of lots of SF, both the author and target audience are such extreme systematisers that character development as conventionally understood is more alien to them than actual aliens. Or - more reasonably - just not a priority to the readers.
I just took a look through the list of Hugo and Nebula winners. Apart from noticing that I've not read most of those from the past 20 years and that there is considerable overlap between the lists, The Terminal Man jumped out at me. I've read it and didn't think much of it; I suspect that like Rollback it got the award for dealing with "big ideas" like "what it means to be human" ...
Its hard to name A favourite - but Ursula le Guinn's Earthsea series - especially the last one, The Other Wind are books I read over and over. although now that I start to think about it. Anne McCaffrey's, 'The Ship Who Sang' still makes me cry every time I re-read it. I've given away over 8 copies to new friends, often my students.
Maybe its a guy thing - they like all that exposition with little or no real emotion to make them uncomfortable. Although I do like William Gibson.
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(For some reason I'm thinking of the novel that was written without the letter E here..)
I'm currently reading the Baron-Cohen book on extreme brains and I'm starting to think that in the case of lots of SF, both the author and target audience are such extreme systematisers that character development as conventionally understood is more alien to them than actual aliens. Or - more reasonably - just not a priority to the readers.
I just took a look through the list of Hugo and Nebula winners. Apart from noticing that I've not read most of those from the past 20 years and that there is considerable overlap between the lists, The Terminal Man jumped out at me. I've read it and didn't think much of it; I suspect that like Rollback it got the award for dealing with "big ideas" like "what it means to be human" ...
What's your favourite SF novel?
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Earthsea series - especially the last one, The Other Wind are books I read over and over. although now that I start to think about it. Anne McCaffrey's, 'The Ship Who Sang' still makes me cry every time I re-read it. I've given away over 8 copies to new friends, often my students.
Maybe its a guy thing - they like all that exposition with little or no real emotion to make them uncomfortable. Although I do like William Gibson.
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