the mofo with the info.

A well-read friend of mine sent me a disturbing e-mail the other day. After another friend recommended Ender’s Game to her, she discounted the book after reading the amazon review:

I just started to read the Amazon synopsis of Ender’s Game and had to stop reading after this sentence: Aliens have attacked Earth twice and almost destroyed the human species.

I don’t think I can comment on this.

I consider this friend to be one of the most reliable litmus tests in terms of book recommendations; to see her reject a book out of hand (cart?) because of the mention of “Aliens” showed a closed mindedness that was disappointing, but not at all unusual, given the broad perception of the sci-fi genre as a whole. Between Star Trek Conventions and Hollywood remakes of Philip K. Dick novels, science fiction books and movies are generally seen as a niche, cult-appeal, sensationalist works meant mostly for the off-hours Dungeons & Dragons crowd looking for a break from the orc-hunting.

The odd thing is, that this same friend has a weakness for Magical Realism, most of which I would find has a thin line separating it from sci-fi. By all accounts, Saramago’s Blindness fits all the criteria for a sci-fi book, as does Murakami’s Hard-Boiled Wonderland and the End Of the World (complete with data-shufflers and psychic barriers). You’ll also find forays into sci-fi by mainstream, all-around respected writers (”The Janitor on Mars” by Martin Amis for one) which are usually well-regarded.

Sci-fi’s unrestricted media and broad definition means that, yes, there’s a lot of “Aliens bomb Mars” crap out there, but there is also the opportunity for a real exploration of philosophical and metaphysical topics that is not found in any other genre. I could rant for days about this one, so I’m going to keep it simple. Infomofo’s Guide to quality Sci-Fi:

• The Sirens of Titan by Kurt Vonnegut
• The Man in the High Castle by Philip K. Dick
• Ender’s Game by Orson Scott Card

Read these three books, and then we can have an intelligent conversation about the state of sci-fi. Then, if we have time, we will play tabletop role-playing games and debate the gender politics of Cylons in Battlestar Galactica.