Time

[threemonkeys]

I just read Timescoop by John Brunner. It is a good solid, albeit minor Brunner work basing an amusing story around the way attitudes have changed in society through history. But what I noticed was just how many Brunner titles have the word "time" in them in some form. A quick look at a bibliography suggests that he wrote nine books with "time" in the title. That is rather a lot especially when they aren't part of one of those series that have confusingly similar names. I guess he, or his editors, really like time. More in terms of the duration of time and historical perspective than time travel. The best of them, in my opinion, is The Crucible of Time. Apart from the two really famous titles*, I actually think it is best work and is the one I recommend to first time Brunner readers even to the exclusion of those two.

*Does anybody not know what two I mean? If you don't then shame on you.

Comments

[mundens.livejournal.com]

I'm presuming you're referring to The Sheep Look Up, and Stand on Zanzibar, as the "two really famous titles", if not why not ? :)

But I never thought Crucible of Time was very good, I much prefer Shockwave Rider (the original cyberpunk novel :) ) and The Jagged Orbit (which also has time travel elements in it).

Personally though, I'd recommend The Stone That Never Came Down, Times Without Number, or even the pulpy Into the Slave Nebula over the (IMO) turgid and boring Crucible of Time for first time Brunner readers. :)

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Of course it was those two. Just trying to provoke comments. ;-)

I have read all those you mention but I just like the way he develops an alien society in such detail and such sympathy across time in Crucible of Time. To each their own I guess.

[mundens.livejournal.com]

I would certainly agree it is a nicely developed alien society.

But I guess, like Aldiss' Helliconia series, and Niven & Barne's Integral Trees , while representing interesting concepts and some detailed background construction, they seem to have the story and character elements "tacked on", the concept seems more important to the author than the story.

I can forgive that in a short story, but if I'm going to read a whole novel, I need to have something more than a concept to keep me reading!

I found the combination society developed by Brin in Brightness Reef just as interesting, and the story and characters much more engaging.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Whereas I found found the alien characters in CofT engaging which gave it the boost over other similar things.

I liked Brightness Reef and found most of the characters engaging (I didn't like the dolphin society as much as the humans and other aliens) but afterwards Brin lost the ability to create distinct alien characters - all his strange and different aliens all started to seem the same.

[russellk.livejournal.com]

I am ashamed, though I'm not sure why, yet. I've not read any Brunner, nor heard of these famous titles. This is because I live in a universe slightly smaller than my head.

But any title with sheep in it sounds good.

[threemonkeys.livejournal.com]

Brunner had a great eye for the foibles of civilisation and at times was quite astonishingly prophetic. The Sheep Look Up is about life in an overpopulated polluted earth.

[thoatherder.livejournal.com]

I really like "Shockwave Rider" except for the ending which lets down the rest of the book.

Both the "Sheep Look Up" and "Stand on Zanzibar" are better in that respect (how many people these days tho realise that "Stand on Zanzibar" is written around the announced eugenics policies of Singapore in the 1960s -- policies which failed dismally).

The idea of sabotage as a hobby in "Stand on Zanzibar" is years ahead of its time ...