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Confluence
Jul. 18th, 2009 09:22 amScene 1 - a workplace conversation discussing the relative merits of the 2001 and 2010 movies. This leads to comparisons between these and the corresponding Arthur C Clarke novels. The conversation ends with the statement "but Clarke basically wrote idea porn". There was a nodding of heads and a return to work.
Scene 2 - me looking at Zima Blue, a short story collection by Alastair Reynolds and wondering if there is anything worth writing about it, or should it go straight on the shelves. It was really rather entertaining and it reminded me of something but I couldn't really articulate it.
The turning point in this little play was remembering the work conversation. The chain of association goes something like this. Clarke wrote idea driven stories about using ideas derived from science. Most of his work was short fiction. Most of the best idea driven work is short - single ideas are not, by themselves, enough to sustain a novel. The collection in front of me is short stories. Most of them are strongly science idea driven. "Ah ha".
Now I know the comparisons between Reynolds and the rest of the new space opera crowd to the golden age writers has been around for ages. But it always struck me as a pretty superficial comparison and when looking at the novels I think that is right. But comparing the short stories, it looks much deeper - they have the same heart.
Not that Reynolds actually writes like Clarke. He is a modern writer with modern sensibilities dealing with ideas modern science. He very much has his own style. Still, I grew up reading idea based short SF - it is good to know that there is still a bit of it around.
Scene 2 - me looking at Zima Blue, a short story collection by Alastair Reynolds and wondering if there is anything worth writing about it, or should it go straight on the shelves. It was really rather entertaining and it reminded me of something but I couldn't really articulate it.
The turning point in this little play was remembering the work conversation. The chain of association goes something like this. Clarke wrote idea driven stories about using ideas derived from science. Most of his work was short fiction. Most of the best idea driven work is short - single ideas are not, by themselves, enough to sustain a novel. The collection in front of me is short stories. Most of them are strongly science idea driven. "Ah ha".
Now I know the comparisons between Reynolds and the rest of the new space opera crowd to the golden age writers has been around for ages. But it always struck me as a pretty superficial comparison and when looking at the novels I think that is right. But comparing the short stories, it looks much deeper - they have the same heart.
Not that Reynolds actually writes like Clarke. He is a modern writer with modern sensibilities dealing with ideas modern science. He very much has his own style. Still, I grew up reading idea based short SF - it is good to know that there is still a bit of it around.