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"I've grown to see it as a kind of hack genre..." Be careful with the word "hack" in this case, though; it means something very different in the literary world
by jonnathanson 15y ago
"I've grown to see it as a kind of hack genre..."
Be careful with the word "hack" in this case, though; it means something very different in the literary world than it does in the tech world! :)
But I agree with you. Generally speaking, the best fantasy and sci-fi writing can raise and tackle real-world issues in very bold ways -- ways that, in almost any other genre, would be considered too ballsy, or too crazy, or too preachy to address.
- sampsonjs 15y agoIndeed, it actually is widely viewed as a genre for 'hacks', so much so that I assumed he was using the old, non-stupid connotation of the word. See: last Sunday's episode of the Simpsons, which mercilessly mocked Harry Potter and its imitators. That being said, I enjoyed McCaffrey back in the day.
- sliverstorm 15y agoYeah, I was quite confused by his comment for a few minutes, what with calling it a hack genre and praising it, all in the same comment!
- unalone 15y agoHeh, I was hoping Hacker News would get it. Didn't want to add a cluttery disclaimer.