X-Message-Number: 4364
Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 19:57:34 -0500 (CDT)
From: N E U R O M A N C E R <>
Subject: SF Reviews (far, far from complete)! MAC TONNIES
SCIENCE-FICTION CATALOGUE by Mac Tonnies (c) 1995
KURT VONNEGUT
1.) Cat's Cradle
Arguably the best Vonnegut book, dealing with an off-beat fringe
religion and a substance capable of solidifying all of Earth's water
supply.
2.) The Sirens of Titan
A satiric romp through the solar system revealing a quirky future
Earth and a variety of intriguing aliens.
3.) Galapagos
Vonnegut's ode to Darwinian evolution.
4.) Hocus Pocus
Biting discourse on education and commercialization.
5.) God Bless You, Mr. Rosewater
Subtle, yet hysterical. Famous for Eliot Rosewater's glorification
of science-fiction writers ("I love you son of a bitches...") See
also: "Mother Night"
6.) Player Piano
Vonnegut's first novel. A relatively quaint rebellion-adventure
in an automized future. The "futuristic" machines are laughable in
light of today's information revolution, evocative of the clumsy
Victorian hardware of Fritz Lang's "Metropolis."
7.) Slaughterhouse-Five
Classic kaleidoscopic anti-war novel. Aliens from the planet
Tralfalmadore make some stimulating guest appearances.
WILLIAM GIBSON
8.) Neuromancer
The staggering classic credited with starting the "cyberpunk" genre.
Glitzy, vibrant prose and unforgettable concepts melded into a taut,
engaging package.
9.) Count Zero
Riveting sequel to "Neuromancer."
10.) Mona Lisa Overdrive
Finale to Gibson's loose "cyberspace trilogy." Excellent.
11.) Virtual Light
Gibson's recent departure from the cyber-reality popularized by
"Neuromancer" and "Count Zero." A postmodern mystery brimming with
futuristic thrills and nerve-jangling wordplay.
12.) Burning Chrome
A collection of fantastic short stories. Highlights include
"Fragments of a Hologram Rose," "Red Star, Winter Orbit" (w/ Bruce
Sterling), and the haunting title piece.
13.) The Difference Engine (w/ Bruce Sterling)
A heady and brilliantly original collaboration, transplanting
the information era to a grim Victorian society run by monolithic
Babbage Engines.
GREG BEAR
14.) The Forge of God
Well-written tale of near-future alien invasion by planet-eating
machines.
15.) Heads
Wonderful short novel delving into the weirder possibilties of
cryonics and quantum mechanics.
16.) Moving Mars
Startlingly unique among the recent Mars-based sf. Highly
recommended.
BEN BOVA
17.) Millenium
Excellent Cold-War standoff novel. High suspense and well-plotted
action.
18.) Mars
Scientifically-literate depiction of humanity's first trip to the
Red Planet.
19.) Voyagers
A mysterious alien vessel triggers an epidemic of wonder and fear
on an unsuspecting near-future Earth.
RAY BRADBURY
20.) The Martian Chronicles
Famous anthology of some of Bradbury's best Martian fantasies.
21.) The Illustrated Man
Stylish and thoughtful short story collection. Contains "The
Veldt" and "The Rocket."
22.) I Sing the Body Electric!
Long-winded follow-up to Bradbury's earlier story collections.
Good but not great. See also: "The Toynbee Convector."
23.) Fahrenheit 451
Indespinsable outcry against censorship and the suppression of
knowledge. Ranks with Orwell's "1984." See also: "Mockingbird" by
Walter Tevis and "Anthem" by Ayn Rand
24.) R is for Rocket
More enticing short fiction by one of the genre's best and most
pioneering authors.
PHILIP K. DICK
25.) Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep?
Beautiful existential thriller. Inspiration for the cult classic
"Blade Runner."
26.) A Scanner Darkly
Bleak, all-too-believable portrait of dementia and paranoia in a
warped future society. Probes deep into the mechanics of addiction and
the nature of identity.
27.) Time Out of Joint
Philosophical story of the fragility of perceived reality and
mind-control.
28.) Martian Time-Slip
Hallucinogenic glimpse into the lives of desperate Mars colonists.
Examines autism and precognition through a variety of fascinating
characters and decrepit landscapes.
29.) The Man in the High Castle
Provocative alternate-history in post-WWII America.
30.) The Three Stigmata of Palmer Eldritch
The story of a futuristic messiah and the bizarre drugs that mark
his passage.
31.) Flow My Tears, The Policeman Said
Story of an amnesiac world and its bewildered protaganist.
32.) Radio-Free Albemuth
One of the most eloquent statements ever made against Communism.
A taut, ideologically-charged book that weaves metaphysics and McCarthy-
esque paranoia.
33.) Eye in the Sky
A particle-accelerator mishap plunges a group of tourists into
the strange worlds of each other's subconscious. A surreal plunge into
solopsism and characterization.
ISAAC ASIMOV
34.) Robot Dreams
Some of his best, most prophetic stories. Includes "The Martian
Way."
35.) I, Robot
Campy, intriguing robot mysteries. Wonderful story-telling.
36.) Prelude to Foundation
Engaging tour of a far-future civilization bent on forgetting its
remarkable past.
37.) The Currents of Space
The struggle of an amnesiac trying to save a planet ruled by a
haughty elite.
38.) Pebble in the Sky
A man from the 1940s stumbles through a portal in time and finds
himself a pawn between a despicable government and a group of far-
sighted rebels.
FRANK HERBERT
39.) Dune
The epic first installment in the life of Paul Atreides, an
unwitting messiah to a strange and unforgiving planet.
40.) The Dosadi Experiment
In this sequel to "Whipping Star," a secret agent unravels the
morbid scheming behind a nightmarish planet and its unsuspecting
inhabitants.
41.) Destination: Void
A deep and engaging plunge into the meaning of awareness, as cloned
astronauts attempt to bring sentience to their space vessel. See also:
"Frankenstein" by Mary Shelley
WHITLEY STRIEBER
42.) War Day (w/ James Kunetka)
Chilling narrative of a nuclear exchange between the United States
and the Soviet Union.
43.) The Forbidden Zone
A quantum derangement looses a bizarre parallel reality on a panic-
stricken New England town. See also: "The Tommyknockers" by Stephen
King
44.) Majestic
A haunting re-creation of the infamous Roswell UFO crash of 1947.
Highly recommended.
ARTHUR C. CLARKE
45.) The Other Side of the Sky
Mind-expanding short stories by one of the all-time greats.
46.) 2001: A Space Odyssey
Famous story of Man's first contact with nonhuman intelligence.
Chillingly plausible and thoroughly entertaining. A must.
47.) 2010: Odyssey Two
The page-turning follow-up to "2001."
48.) 2061: Odyssey Three
Weak conclusion to Clarke's space odyssey trilogy.
49.) Expedition to Earth
Early short stories.
50.) The Songs of Distant Earth
A beautiful story expanded from the short piece of the same
name (and included in "The Other Side of the Sky").
51.) Rendezvous with Rama
Spine-tingling classic of first contact. See also: "Childhood's
End."
52.) The Hammer of God
A rogue asteroid threatens Earth with extinction.
53.) Rama II (w/ Gentry Lee)
54.) The Garden of Rama (w/ Gentry Lee)
55.) Rama Revealed (w/ Gentry Lee)
Although engaging, the Rama follow-ups fail to capture the alien
wonder portayed in the relatively slim original.
PATRICIA ANTHONY
56.) Cold Allies
Futuristic warfare is plagued by the appearance of inexplicable
alien life forms.
57.) Brother Termite
The haunting escapades of Reen, an insect-like alien involved
in a quiet takeover of the planet Earth.
TOM ROBBINS
58.) Even Cowgirls Get the Blues
Quirky classic documenting the life of a misfit female hitch-hiker.
59.) Skinny Legs and All
A free-wheeling Kerouacian odyssey struck through with biblical
metaphor, irreverant fantasy, engaging nonsense, and brilliant prose.
An exaltant cry for freedom.
WALTER TEVIS
60.) The Man Who Fell to Earth
Touching, wonderfully-written story of an alien castaway
struggling to complete a mission for his dying home world.
61.) Mockingbird
A far future tale of automazation gone rampant. Frightening
and beautiful post-apacolyptic landscapes and wonderful, heart-felt
characters.
WILLIAM S. BURROUGHS
62.) Naked Lunch
The fragmentary Beat masterwork. A synthesis of bizarre location
and disgusting characters: a vivid portrait of urban decay and under-
world dealings.
63.) Nova Express
Third in Burroughs' celebrated trilogy. Contains liberal samples
of the famed "cut-up" technique. Hard-to-follow but conceptually
compelling.
64.) My Education
Vivid dreams compiled into a weird and relentless autobiography.
While not science-fiction, "My Education" deals with an assortment of
far-flung topics and archetypes accessed by contemporary sf.
MICHAEL SWANWICK
65.) Griffon's Egg
Short novel about a Moon colony in dire trouble and the web of
technology it depends on. See also: "Heads" by Greg Bear
66.) The Iron Dragon's Daughter
Overlong synthesis of traditional fantasy elements and the hip
sleaziness introduced by cyberpunk. Slightly edgy, but without soul
or likeable characters.
JAMES P. HOGAN
67.) Inherit the Stars
Excellent scientific mystery centered around the unlikely discovery
of a human skeleton on the Moon. Brilliant plotting and breathtaking
scope make this one of the best hard-sf works ever.
68.) The Multiplex Man
A Philip K. Dick-like adventure complete with manufactured
personalities and unique extrapolation on today's eco-politics. Fun
reading with brain-tingling ideas and superb scope.
NORMAN SPINRAD
69.) Bug Jack Barron
Ultra-hip TV personality Jack Barron latches onto a fiendish plan
behind anti-aging technology and government-sponsored cryonic suspension.
High-resolution prose and a heroic title character make for a tense,
enveloping story. Highly recommended.
70.) Deus X
Highly readable fable of the Catholic church faced with the
prospect of artificial afterlives. "God isn't dead until you pull
the plug."
STEPHEN KING
71.) The Stand (Complete and Uncut Edition)
Horrific account of a genetically-engineered virus rampaging
across the continental United States. The first 200 pages are the best.
72.) The Tommyknockers
An ancient alien spacecraft exudes a gruesome transforming power
over the residents of Haven, Maine. Displays King's typical fascination
with length, but has some sf merit. More suspense than horror.
73.) The Dark Tower: The Gunslinger
74.) The Dark Tower: The Drawing of the Three
75.) The Dark Tower: The Waste Lands
The Dark Tower series is a stylish foray into metaphysics and
surreal speculation. "The Gunslinger" is far and away the most original
and creepy of the three.
OTHERS
Red Mars (Kim Stanley Robinson)
Epic portayal of Mars colonization and terraforming. Awesome scenery
and intriguing characters pitted agaisnt a highly original technological
backdrop. Highly recommended. See also: "Green Mars," and "Blue
Mars" (forthcoming)
The Crying of Lot 49 (Thomas Pynchon)
Paranoia takes the form of a secret postal service in this quirkly
second novel by the author of such underground classics as "Gravity's
Rainbow," "V.," and "Vineland."
Steel Beach (John Varley)
Whirlwind epic of an artificial utopia built on the Moon, combining
cyberpunk and superb speculation. Colorful scenery and exciting
characters. See also: "Griffon's Egg" by Michael Swanwick
Fear (L. Ron Hubbard)
Excellent horror by a controversial author.
Voyage to the Red Planet (Terry Bisson)
Unfunny account of Hollywood film-making on Mars. Not recommended.
Sundiver (David Brin)
Fun space-adventure by a true sf visionary. See also: "Earth"
The Demolished Man (Alfred Bester)
A murderer must thread his way through a society of telepaths.
Globalhead (Bruce Sterling)
A solid collection of short fiction, including collaborations with
Rudy Rucker and John Kessel. Contains the rollicking "Are You For 86?"
and the powerful, enduring "We See Things Differently."
The Space Merchants (Frederick Pohl and Cyrille Kornbluth)
Fast-paced look into the advertising world, loaded with postmodern humor
and adventure.
Twilight World (Poul Anderson)
So-so tale of nuclear war and the bizarre mutants that inherit mankind's
demolished world.
Einstein's Dreams (Alan Lightman)
Spare, poetic catalogue of images. An excellent exploration of the human
imagination and a successful hommage to one of the century's most original
thinkers.
A Canticle for Leibowitz (Walter M. Miller, Jr.)
Over-rated story of post-nuclear monks and the sweeping devastation of
humankind.
Gulliver's Travels (Jonathan Swift)
Classic precursor to many of today's sf themes. A feverish compendium of
strangeness and social satire.
Planet of the Apes (Pier Boulle)
Account of a planet where apes have surpassed humans on the evolutionary
ladder. Hysterical narrative and terrific climax.
Twilight of the City (Charles Platt)
Brooding account of a mindless near-future America on the brink of apacolypse.
Anthem (Ayn Rand)
Depiction of a nightmare future where ego is shunted aside in favor of a
lethargic hive-consciousness. See also: "The Fountainhead"
Contact (Carl Sagan)
Sagan's evocative plans to scour the cosmos for extraterrestrial radio signals
make for a lousy piece of fiction. Amaeturish prose and dismal
characterization. Stick with Sagan's eloquent non-fiction. Recommended: "The
Cosmic Connection," "Shadows of Forgotten Ancestors"
Timelike Infinity (Stephen Baxter)
Hard-core sf, studded with mind-blowing theories and motivations. Highly
recommended.
Ambient (Jack Womack)
A larger-than-life coverup and an ultaviolent future combine to form a medley
of villains and punked-out mutant heroes. See also: "A Clockwork Orange" by
Anthony Burgess
On the Beach (Nevil Shute)
Possibly the best of all post-nuclear fiction, this book chronicles the last
days of an Australian town as deadly fallout drifts inexorably closer.
1984 (George Orwell)
Fantastic and terrifying portayal of a stagnant, totalitarian world and its
frustrated protaganist. Grim and heart-wrenching.
Brave New World (Aldous Huxley)
"Companion volume" to "1984." Eugenics and class structure are dissected and
brought to life.
The Embedding (Ian Watson)
Harrowing story of mind control in a believable near-future. Exotic settings
and bizarre subplots abound.
Stand on Zanzibar (John Brunner)
Compelling story of overpopulation and near-future politics. See also: "Earth"
by David Brin
Beyond Apollo (Berry Malzberg)
A short novel about a manned expedition to Venus. Comes across as a lame
emulation of Vonnegut or Philip K. Dick. Not recommended.
A Clockwork Orange (Anthony Burgess)
Penetrating story of juvenile delinquints and behavior-control. A must.
Frankenstein, or The Modern Prometheus (Mary Shelley)
The original novel of Gothic terror. Tame in light of today's
techno-thrillers, "Frankenstein" is nevertheless the blueprint for many of
today's established sf novels.
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