rachelmanija: (Blog Against Racism: Ninja)
rachelmanija ([personal profile] rachelmanija) wrote2007-07-30 09:12 am

On the positive side, I got to rec Lois McMaster Bujold

This weekend an acquaintance of mine noticed that I was reading an sf book-- which one, I don't recall, but it was by a woman. He remarked that he had only ever read one female sf author in his life, Octavia Butler. (And liked her work.) I asked him who else he liked, thinking to rec more women.

"I love Niven and Pournelle!" he replied.

"Hmm," I said, and recced Bujold.

"Don't you like them?" he asked, noting my lack of enthusiasm.

"Not really."

"Not even Lucifer's Hammer?"

"No... The prose was clunky and it bothered me that once the apocalypse happened, suddenly there were gangs of rampaging black cannibals."

He denied the existence of rampaging black cannibals, and suggested that I had gotten the book confused with a different post-apocalyptic work containing rampaging black cannibals, Heinlein's Farnham's Freehold. I turn the matter over to the wisdom of LJ!

[Poll #1030388]

[identity profile] elynne.livejournal.com 2007-07-31 12:40 am (UTC)(link)
I vaguely remember that book as being a fascinating idea that somehow ended up as a rather annoyingly dull or awkward story. It's definitely a book that I only vaguely remember - which my husband is now telling me over my shoulder was very good - and, after some dialogue, he's conceeded was "yeah, some plot with human stuff, but really cool science! Now I feel like a geek." That's only 'cause you are, hon. :)