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I was probably ruined by reading a few hundred good science fiction novels before hitting that in a freshman lit class. It's basically Newbury-level dreck. It
by douche 9y ago
I was probably ruined by reading a few hundred good science fiction novels before hitting that in a freshman lit class.
It's basically Newbury-level dreck. It reminded me far too much of The Giver - wildly implausible dystopian societies bent on the authors childish ideological sympathies.
- PhasmaFelis 9y ago> It's basically Newbury-level dreck. That's a...really weird condemnation. I certainly haven't read all of them, but every Newbery Medal nominee I have read has been excellent.
- douche 9y agoGood lord, suffer yourself to Belle Prater's Boy or Out of the Dust, and come back to me. Granted, that's just late 90s Newbury's, maybe they sucked less going forward. If I wasn't already reading Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum and Tolkien by that point, that kind of horseshit might have turned me off reading altogether at around 11-12.
- Eric_WVGG 9y agoI gotta agree with you on that. All concept, no character. Which really makes ideal as a kicking-off point for a tv series. (ditto for Fahrenheit 451)
- throwanem 9y ago> All concept, no character. Also known as high-concept sf - though probably not in this case, unless Atwood has stopped swearing at people who refer to her work in such terms. On the other hand, postapocalyptic totalitarian religious dystopia isn't really what you'd call breaking new ground, even in 1985.
- tomtoise 9y agoFunny you should say that. Here in the UK we're three episodes into a Handmaid's Tale TV adaptation. It's surprisingly good and you're right, it's excellent TV, even if I found the book itself quite a struggle back in college.
- saturdaysaint 9y agoI essentially agree with this criticism of the book, so I've been surprised that the Hulu series is pretty strong. They effectively convert a lot of the dull/portentous stretches in the book into subtle horror, and add some badly needed doses of action (often in the form of flashback). Also, they've artfully given the ruling regime a bro-ey, Alt-Right style that gives a touch of plausibility. YMMV but I found it to be an interesting exercise in what talented people can do with middling material.
- saturdaysaint 9y agoI essentially agree with this criticism of the book, so I've been surprised that the Hulu series is pretty strong. They effectively convert a lot of the dull/portentous stretches in the book into subtle horror, and add some badly needed doses of action (often in the form of flashback). Also, they've artfully given the ruling regime a bro-ey, Alt-Right style that gives a touch of plausibility. YMMV but I found it to be an interesting exercise in what talented people can do with middling material.