Finished book

[bethlakshmi]

Just finished "I, Robot" by Asimov. Part of the "You mean you haven't read that??" series. Was definitely worth it. I don't think of myself as a short story person, but it was basically a set of short stories strung together, all in one world, all organized by time. Had always been intimidated by the seriousness and classicness of Asimov - my mother used to read him, and I think I decided that it was thus too grown-up for me. :) Glad I tried it.

Sadly, a bit of a quick read. I guess not surprising, as it is half the thickness of most of the books I read. A quarter of the thickness of some of them. But 3 days seems a bit fast.

Bought Caves of Steel to keep going. Would you believe that the Borders on Rt. 9 in Framingham has a better selection of the classics of Sci Fi than Pandemonium. Shameful I tell you. Picked up Bradbury's "Something Wicked This Way Comes" and Vernes' "Journey to the Center of the Earth", as I am genetically incapable of buying Just One Book in a bookstore.

Comments

[tpau]

HAv eyou read any Lem? if not ,you should

[lakshmi-amman.livejournal.com]

No... got a title recommendation?

[tpau]

Solaris
Cyberiad (unsure of spelling here)

[new-man.livejournal.com]

Solaris is the classic Stanislaw Lem novel. It's very, very odd. It's about a man who falls in love with a planet (odd) -- and the planet falls back in love with him (very, very odd).

[mermaidlady]

Something Wicked This Way Comes is good. You should definitely read Fahrenheit 451 if you haven't already. I think it's not as lyrical as, say Dandelion Wine, but it's truly a classic.

[lakshmi-amman.livejournal.com]

Haven't - you're right, I should. Got daunted again by "it's a classic" nature of it. Don't know why.

[tpau]

and then see the movie. really. it is actually good (there is a british one i think)

i was truly truly scared that i was the only one who knew the burning point of paper in HS...

[lakshmi-amman.livejournal.com]

I don't believe I know the burning point of paper...

I have a feeling for the burning point of beewax and parafin wax, but my life doesn't focus on not setting fire to paper. Mostly I stick with fire + paper = bad unless you are trying to start a campfire. :)

[tpau]

paper burns at 451 degrees farenheit :)

[jducoeur]

my mother used to read him, and I think I decided that it was thus too grown-up for me.

Oh, heavens no -- while he may be one of the classics, Asimov's books are all pretty lightweight. I think I'd read his entire ouvre by the time I was 12. (He was the first author I simply read all the way through.) We probably still have much of it in the bookcase, if you want to borrow some stuff.

If you decide you like "The Caves of Steel", the sequel "The Naked Sun" is also pretty good. There are also a number of other Asimov books I'd recommend if you like his style (especially the original Foundation trilogy). Some people don't care for his writing, but I find it good popcorn reading. (Or used to, anyway -- it's been a fair number of years since I've reread any of them.)

IMO, Bradbury's best work is his short stories, so you might want to give one of his collections a try. "The Martian Chronicles" is my personal favorite, and is a collection of loosely-connected short stories, sort of like "I, Robot". His writing style is somewhat heavier but far more lyrical than Asimov -- of the classic authors, he's probably the one I consider the best *writer*, although there were others who were better at the science and the plots.

If you ever want to understand where my libertarian leanings come from, I'll loan you Jack Williamson's "The Humanoids" sometime. It's a very creepy series of stories about what happens when you try to make sure everyone is completely safe.

Would you believe that the Borders on Rt. 9 in Framingham has a better selection of the classics of Sci Fi than Pandemonium.

Actually doesn't surprise me all that much. Consider: Pandemonium is focused on the hardcore geek crowd, and they have pretty limited space. Since many of the geeks have already read many of the classics, they probably do much better sales-wise focusing on the new stuff. It's a sad state of affairs, but probably the rational decision on their part.

reading classics

[wren13.livejournal.com]

Feel free to come borrow from our library - I have all the robot novels as well as Foundation, a hefty chunk of Heinlein, all of Anne McCaffrey and Mercedes Lackey, and I think I'm just 2 books shy of all Charles deLint. Great stuff, always willing to loan books.