JMS Inspired Reading
Professor
when he was growing up, in college, etc. I was not much of a reader
when I young so when I read something that JMS said inspired him to
write, I often look it up, and if it is interesting, I will read it.
Examples of what I have read re JMS' inspiration are
-Chronicles of the Lensmen, Volume 1 and 2
-The Collected Stories of H. P. Lovecraft: Volume One
I would like to know if JMS inspired any of you to read any books that
you had not before.
David
Amy Guskin
(in article
<aee6f136-8e74-4e81...@l35g2000vba.googlegroups.com>):
Yeah. I read some Bester after discovering him through JMS. I mean, it's
not that I hadn't heard of him before -- "The Demolished Man" is a pretty
famous book, after all -- but I had never read him before noting the
connection to JMS's character, Alfred Bester.
Amy
--
Ten Thousand Questions
A Question a Day for Journaling, Self-Discovery, and Transformation
"2009 is the Year of Questions"
tenthousandquestions.com
Dennis (Icarus)
news:aee6f136-8e74-4e81...@l35g2000vba.googlegroups.com...
The Demolished Man, and a couple others by Alfred Bester.
.
Giovanni Wassen
Bester's Demolished Man. But that's #14 on the SF Masterworks serie and I'm
currently at #3 so it will take me a while to read that one.
Also I've bought Triplanetary (with the intention of reading the whole
series) but by Haruhi I simply can't get through it. I thought it was
incredibly droll, the people are far too two dimensional and the way Smith
talks about 'our' galaxy and stuff is incredibly... droll.
--
Gio
http://www.watkijkikoptv.info
http://myanimelist.net/profile/extatix
http://watkijkikoptv.info/animeblog
Kathryn Huxtable
> Professor <david.bu...@gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> I have read JMS state his work was inspired by XYZ author that he read
>> when he was growing up, in college, etc. I was not much of a reader
>> when I young so when I read something that JMS said inspired him to
>> write, I often look it up, and if it is interesting, I will read it.
>>
>> Examples of what I have read re JMS' inspiration are
>> -Chronicles of the Lensmen, Volume 1 and 2
>> -The Collected Stories of H. P. Lovecraft: Volume One
>>
>> I would like to know if JMS inspired any of you to read any books that
>> you had not before.
>
> Bester's Demolished Man. But that's #14 on the SF Masterworks serie and I'm
> currently at #3 so it will take me a while to read that one.
>
> Also I've bought Triplanetary (with the intention of reading the whole
> series) but by Haruhi I simply can't get through it. I thought it was
> incredibly droll, the people are far too two dimensional and the way Smith
> talks about 'our' galaxy and stuff is incredibly... droll.
"Droll". That's a good word to describe Smith's writing. I like it.
Personally, I think it's impossible to really like "Doc" Smith unless
you encountered him at a young and impressionable age, as I did. Much
past early teenage years and the cardboard characters, the Edwardian
narration, not to mention the gender stereotyping, will turn you off.
That said, I did encounter both the Skylark and Lensmen series in my
early teen years and despite their obvious problems, I reread them every
few years.
-K
Mike Ross
<kat...@kathrynhuxtable.org> wrote:
>Giovanni Wassen <ext...@gmail.com> writes:
<snip>
>> Also I've bought Triplanetary (with the intention of reading the whole
>> series) but by Haruhi I simply can't get through it. I thought it was
>> incredibly droll, the people are far too two dimensional and the way Smith
>> talks about 'our' galaxy and stuff is incredibly... droll.
>
>"Droll". That's a good word to describe Smith's writing. I like it.
>
>Personally, I think it's impossible to really like "Doc" Smith unless
>you encountered him at a young and impressionable age, as I did. Much
>past early teenage years and the cardboard characters, the Edwardian
>narration, not to mention the gender stereotyping, will turn you off.
>
>That said, I did encounter both the Skylark and Lensmen series in my
>early teen years and despite their obvious problems, I reread them every
>few years.
My wife refer to Smith with disdain as "the man who put the 'tripe' into
'Triplanetary'". She doesn't Get It.
Mike
--
http://www.corestore.org
'As I walk along these shores
I am the history within'
Kathryn Huxtable
Actually, I think she has a point. _Triplanetary_ is a *terrible* novel.
-K, who rereads it.
Professor
>you encountered him at a young and impressionable age, as I did. Much
>past early teenage years and the cardboard characters, the Edwardian
>narration, not to mention the gender stereotyping, will turn you off.
To defend Lensman.
I actually enjoyed reading the Lensmen volumes and I am not young
anymore. Yes the heroes were clear, cut and clean. The “bad guys” were
sufficiently bad. But more than that, the scope was grand, over
multiple galaxies, many civilizations, and many generations. It was
vast, and I enjoy vast, since vast often makes us have to ask
important questions about where we are going as a species on a small
planet in the outer rim. Ideal for a movie.
I enjoyed Doc Smith’s Lensman just as I can enjoy stories by Phil
Dick, Asmivov, Straczynski, M John Harrison, China Mieville, and
Stanley-Robinson and other author's works I read. Each is part of a
different era in Science Fiction literature but they all combine to
create a nice messy mix that addresses very interesting questions.
David
Kathryn Huxtable
Well, I'm almost 51 years old. I've been rereading Doc Smith for almost
40 years now. I enjoy them, but that doesn't mean that the writing is
good or that the characters are realistic.
-K
Donald Arseneau
> Bester's Demolished Man.
A week ago I happened to see a used copy of Bester's "Golem100"
so I picked it up. It was BAD.
> Also I've bought Triplanetary (with the intention of reading the whole
> series) but by Haruhi I simply can't get through it.
I got Galactic Patrol, since I understand that is the better one to
read
first, but I (accidentally) left it on a plane half-finished, and have
not felt
the need to finish the book. I was disappointed with it, and I share
the judgement that it was written for young adolescents, particularly
boys in the 1940s.
Donald Arseneau
Alan Dicey
>
> A week ago I happened to see a used copy of Bester's "Golem100"
> so I picked it up. It was BAD.
Golem 100 is late Bester, 1980, and probably his worst novel. His best,
Tiger, Tiger (aka The Stars My Destination) and The Demolished Man, date
from 1955 and '53. Extro (1975, aka The Computer Connection, and
serialised in Analog as The Indian Giver) is also worth a read. His
short stories are generally very good, and have been issued in
collections several times.
He wrote for DC between 1942 and 46, notably on Superman and Green Lantern.
The Demolished Man (winner of the first Hugo) is set in a future world
where telepathy is common, and is one of the reasons JMS chose to name
his malevolent Psi-cop after the author.
> I got Galactic Patrol, since I understand that is the better one to
> read
> first, but I (accidentally) left it on a plane half-finished, and have
> not felt
> the need to finish the book. I was disappointed with it, and I share
> the judgement that it was written for young adolescents, particularly
> boys in the 1940s.
Doc Smith is resolutely Golden Age. Triplanetary dates from 1934, and
everything apart from Children of the Lens (1948) are pre-1942. I find
it very difficult to get past the writing style and the
big-bigger-biggest bang technobabble. The stories are certainly written
on a grand scale and incorporate some memorable characters.
They should make a cracking film, though - Golden Age has the advantages
of comparative simplicity and plenty of action.
Giovanni Wassen
> The Demolished Man (winner of the first Hugo) is set in a future world
> where telepathy is common, and is one of the reasons JMS chose to name
> his malevolent Psi-cop after the author.
O RLY?
>> I got Galactic Patrol, since I understand that is the better one to
>> read
>> first, but I (accidentally) left it on a plane half-finished, and
>> have not felt
>> the need to finish the book. I was disappointed with it, and I share
>> the judgement that it was written for young adolescents, particularly
>> boys in the 1940s.
>
>
> Doc Smith is resolutely Golden Age. Triplanetary dates from 1934, and
> everything apart from Children of the Lens (1948) are pre-1942. I find
> it very difficult to get past the writing style and the
> big-bigger-biggest bang technobabble.
The whole romance thingie in the beginning of Triplanetary is one of the
main reasons I stopped reading it. That was baaaaaaaaaaaaaaad.
I will eventualy finish this book but it isn't any priority right now.
Doug Freyburger
>
> Personally, I think it's impossible to really like "Doc" Smith unless
> you encountered him at a young and impressionable age, as I did. Much
> past early teenage years and the cardboard characters, the Edwardian
> narration, not to mention the gender stereotyping, will turn you off.
Yet that's a type of book that does map into movies. Star Wars.
> That said, I did encounter both the Skylark and Lensmen series in my
> early teen years and despite their obvious problems, I reread them every
> few years.
The same can be said of Burroughs whose Tarzan books have
been made into popular movies. I recently read a Niven spin off
of his John Carter of Mars series and I have re-read parts of his
Mars series recently.
voxwoman
wrote:
> Donald Arseneau wrote:
>
> > A week ago I happened to see a used copy of Bester's "Golem100"
> > so I picked it up. It was BAD.
I remember reading that when it came out (hardcover first edition had
a Frazetta cover which probably drew me to it). I had a lot of trouble
understanding what was going on (reminded me a lot of Delaney at the
time), and there
were some weird things that didn't make sense to my 21-year-old self,
but I don't remember it being BAD. Not like John Norman BAD.
-Wendy
Wes Struebing
True, true. But they're FUN to read!
wrrlykam
> >> On Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:11:36 -0400, Professor wrote
>
> Yeah. I read some Bester after discovering him through JMS. I mean, it's
> not that I hadn't heard of him before -- "The Demolished Man" is a pretty
> famous book, after all -- but I had never read him before noting the
> connection to JMS's character, Alfred Bester.
>
> Amy
> --
Who stole the weather Amy?
Dave
wrrlykam
Not any book in particular, but all the talk of the Lensmen series
poked me into dusting of Galactic Patrol and follow Kinnison one more
time.
The Stars My Destination / Tiger, Tiger & The Demolished Man remain on
my ebook reader as regular reads. At least once a year. I remember
Golom 100 coming out and picking up a copy but after that I have no
recollection of it.
Gully Foyle's qualtrain always reminds me somewhat of Gideon's
responses from the Crusade opening titles.
Gully Foyle is my name
And Terra is my nation
Deep space is my dwelling place
And death's my destination.
Dave
Amy Guskin
(in article
<7469587f-2eda-48a5...@j4g2000yqa.googlegroups.com>):
?
Joseph DeMartino
> >> On Fri, 4 Sep 2009 04:23:22 -0400, wrrlykam wrote
> > Who stole the weather Amy? <<
>
> ?
"What's the frequency, Kenneth?"
"Someone set us up the bomb?"
I'm just tryin' to work with you here...
<g>
Joe
P.S.
What is a "Weather Amy"?
wrrlykam
> >> On Fri, 4 Sep 2009 04:23:22 -0400, wrrlykam wrote
>
> (in article
>
> > On Sep 1, 4:49 am, Amy Guskin <aisl...@fjordstone.com> wrote:
> >>>> On Mon, 31 Aug 2009 21:11:36 -0400, Professor wrote
> > <snip>
>
> >> Yeah. I read some Bester after discovering him through JMS. I mean, it's
> >> not that I hadn't heard of him before -- "The Demolished Man" is a pretty
> >> famous book, after all -- but I had never read him before noting the
> >> connection to JMS's character, Alfred Bester.
>
> >> Amy
> >> --
>
> > Who stole the weather Amy? <<
>
> ?
> --
Sorry. Dishonest Abe got loose for a moment.
Dave
Kathryn Huxtable
Kathryn Huxtable
Gully Foyle's quatrain is based on Stephen Dedalus's quatrain in _A
Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man_, by James Joyce.
Stephen Dedalus is my name
And Ireland is my nation
Clongowes is my dwelling place
And heaven my expectation.
-K
voxwoman
> On Sep 4, 7:25 am, Amy Guskin <aisl...@fjordstone.com> wrote:
>
> > >> On Fri, 4 Sep 2009 04:23:22 -0400, wrrlykam wrote
> > > Who stole the weather Amy? <<
>
> > ?
>
> "What's the frequency, Kenneth?"
>
> "Someone set us up the bomb?"
All your base are belong to us!
(I still don't get the weather thing either)
-Wendy
wrrlykam
The 'who stole the weather' quote was a nod to The Demolished Man
story Amy was discussing.
"Without interrupting their work, the lab technicians responded with
loud raspberries. And amid a hail of derisory images came the raucous
cry of a backbiter: "Who stole the weather, Powell?" This apparently
referred to an obscure episode in Dishonest Abe's lurid career which
no one had ever succeeded in peeping, but which never failed to make
Powell blush. It did not fail now. A silent cackle filled the room. "
The other Police Espers several time taunt Lincon Powell with the
reference. Other than Linc's reaction to the jibe, no explanation of
the event or why Linc reacts the way he does is ever becomes clear.
Dave
wrrlykam
wrote:
> wrrlykam <wrrly...@googlemail.com> writes:
<SNIP>
> > Gully Foyle's qualtrain always reminds me somewhat of Gideon's
> > responses from the Crusade opening titles.
>
> > Gully Foyle is my name
> > And Terra is my nation
> > Deep space is my dwelling place
> > And death's my destination.
>
> Gully Foyle's quatrain is based on Stephen Dedalus's quatrain in _A
> Portrait of the Artist As a Young Man_, by James Joyce.
>
> Stephen Dedalus is my name
> And Ireland is my nation
> Clongowes is my dwelling place
> And heaven my expectation.
>
> -K
You know I learn something new every day with this group. More than I
did at school.
So Bester borrowed the quatrain from Joyce, would I be correct in
suspecting that Bester was pointing out that Foyle will be undergoing
an intellectual awakening like Stephen Dedalus? Joyce wasn't on our
schools curriculum if you hadn't guessed.
Dave
Amy Guskin
(in article
<2add55e1-0a8f-49d7...@x38g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>):
Wow. Really? I mean, I only read the book once, and it was a number of
years ago. Is that a really memorable bit that I'm just blanking on? Or are
you just one of those people who memorizes every line of every book he's ever
read? ;-)
Amy
Kathryn Huxtable
Well, Joyce is definitely in my library, and I reread _Portrait_ every
several years.
Yes, the allusion is deliberate.
-K
wrrlykam
> >> On Sat, 5 Sep 2009 16:19:57 -0400, wrrlykam wrote
<SNIP>
>
> Wow. Really? I mean, I only read the book once, and it was a number of
> years ago. Is that a really memorable bit that I'm just blanking on? Or are
> you just one of those people who memorizes every line of every book he's ever
> read? ;-)
>
> Amy
> --
> Ten Thousand Questions
> A Question a Day for Journaling, Self-Discovery, and Transformation
> "2009 is the Year of Questions"
> tenthousandquestions.com
Only those I have read over and over like Bester's TSMD and TDM.
Memorable to me sadly ;-)
You hit on one of my fav books, so my own Dishonest Abe made me do it.
Must go, he is getting the better of me again . . .
Dave
Amy Guskin
(in article
<51dcb050-82b3-4dea...@y42g2000yqb.googlegroups.com>):
Okay, this has all been kind of fun and intriguing. I might have to go back
and read it again...
Kathryn Huxtable
It's a fun book. You should also try to find a copy of Randall Garrett's
review in verse of TDM.
-K
Joseph DeMartino
> > > Who stole the weather Amy? <<
> > ?
> Sorry. Dishonest Abe got loose for a moment.
"Unfortunately, while all answers are replies, not all replies are
answers." - Ta'Lon
Regards,
Joe