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> The one problem I have with solarpunk is that much of the fiction is simply not that good. I agree. I was intrigued by the genre and picked up what happens t

> The one problem I have with solarpunk is that much of the fiction is simply not that good. I agree. I was intrigued by the genre and picked up what happens to be the only books mentioned in the article by name: The Dispossessed and Sunvault. They're both fairly boring. Slow paced, lack of nail-biting moments, some stories from Sunvault completely went over my head (barely understood anything from them)... I have respect for Doctorow from an advocacy perspective, but I'm not a fan of his fiction at all.

vector_spaces 6y ago
Le Guin is all about the slow burn. I recommend giving her another chance -- her short stories IMO are better for getting your feet wet than her novels particularly the anthology "The Wind's Twelve Corners"[1] which introduces many of her universes, including the Hainish Cycle (the universe of The Dispossessed) and Earthsea. The first story in TWTC in particular, Semley's Necklace, is wonderful -- I remember being frustrated 3/4 of the way through it because it felt very "high fantasy" which is not generally my preference, only to be dealt a bucket of ice water in the face by the end. Much of her work is that way. Her parents were anthropologists and she herself was politically engaged, so much of her work deals with themes of culture, the relationship between culture and technology, cultural supremacy, gender, and power in general. Much of her work inverts the racial and gender order of traditional scifi. "The Rule of Names" is another short story in that anthology that I loved -- this one was less political in nature, and introduces her Earthsea universe. It's fairly easy to find a PDF copy of this one on the internet. As far as her novels go, "A Wizard of Earthsea" might be the best starter novel if you're interested in giving her novels another shot. IMO this quote from it captures the essence of her writing (and the experience of reading it) pretty well: “You want to work spells,' Ogion said presently, striding along. 'You've drawn too much water from that well. Wait. Manhood is patience. Mastery is nine times patience. What is that herb by the path?' 'Strawflower.' 'And that?' 'I don't know.' 'Fourfoil, they call it.' Ogion had halted, the coppershod foot of his staff near the little weed, so Ged looked closely at the plant, and plucked a dry seedpod from it, and finally asked, since Ogion said nothing more, 'What is its use, Master?' 'None I know of.' Ged kept the seedpod a while as they went on, then tossed it away. 'When you know the fourfoil in all its seasons root and leaf and flower, by sight and scent and seed, then you may learn its true name, knowing its being: which is more than its use. What, after all, is the use of you? or of myself? Is Gont Mountain useful, or the Open Sea?' Ogion went on a half mile or so, and said at last, 'To hear, one must be silent.” [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind%27s_Twelve_Quarters https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind%27s_Twelve_Quarters

vector_spaces 6y ago

Le Guin is all about the slow burn. I recommend giving her another chance -- her short stories IMO are better for getting your feet wet than her novels particularly the anthology "The Wind's Twelve Corners"[1] which introduces many of her universes, including the Hainish Cycle (the universe of The Dispossessed) and Earthsea. The first story in TWTC in particular, Semley's Necklace, is wonderful -- I remember being frustrated 3/4 of the way through it because it felt very "high fantasy" which is not generally my preference, only to be dealt a bucket of ice water in the face by the end. Much of her work is that way. Her parents were anthropologists and she herself was politically engaged, so much of her work deals with themes of culture, the relationship between culture and technology, cultural supremacy, gender, and power in general. Much of her work inverts the racial and gender order of traditional scifi. "The Rule of Names" is another short story in that anthology that I loved -- this one was less political in nature, and introduces her Earthsea universe. It's fairly easy to find a PDF copy of this one on the internet. As far as her novels go, "A Wizard of Earthsea" might be the best starter novel if you're interested in giving her novels another shot. IMO this quote from it captures the essence of her writing (and the experience of reading it) pretty well: “You want to work spells,' Ogion said presently, striding along. 'You've drawn too much water from that well. Wait. Manhood is patience. Mastery is nine times patience. What is that herb by the path?' 'Strawflower.' 'And that?' 'I don't know.' 'Fourfoil, they call it.' Ogion had halted, the coppershod foot of his staff near the little weed, so Ged looked closely at the plant, and plucked a dry seedpod from it, and finally asked, since Ogion said nothing more, 'What is its use, Master?' 'None I know of.' Ged kept the seedpod a while as they went on, then tossed it away. 'When you know the fourfoil in all its seasons root and leaf and flower, by sight and scent and seed, then you may learn its true name, knowing its being: which is more than its use. What, after all, is the use of you? or of myself? Is Gont Mountain useful, or the Open Sea?' Ogion went on a half mile or so, and said at last, 'To hear, one must be silent.” [1] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind%27s_Twelve_Quarters https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Wind%27s_Twelve_Quarters