In Other Worlds: SF and the Human Imagination (2011)

I find there are two camps-those who cannot stand Margret Atwood and those who are rabid supporters. I kinda fall in the latter group. She is both though provoking and funny though often her humor is very dry. This book is a mishmash of essays that cover a wide variety of topics and is a must read. ( )

In Other Worlds was my first true foray into Atwood's non-fiction. I've browsed some of her essays that I've come across, but not an entire book. I was very impressed at the level of academic knowledge Atwood has, and how uniquely she views the terms "science fiction," "speculative fiction," "fantasy," etc.

Ursula K. le Guin once said that Atwood didn't want any of her work labeled "science fiction," but that isn't entirely true. The two women later had a discussion and realized their working definitions of "science fiction" and "speculative fiction" were sort of overlapping. I think that's why Atwood uses "SF" in the title rather than something written out. She talks extensively about the use of the terminology in one section of the book.

Another term that Atwood uses when talking about utopias/dystopias is "ustopia." Each utopia or dystopia contains the seeds of its opposite, therefore necessitating a combined term, in Atwood's opinion. She talked a lot about the terms and what they mean and evoke, and how they've been viewed in various novels, including hers.

A portion of the book is book reviews or essays about various books that seem to fall into the SF category in one way or the other. She discusses these books at length and their ramifications.

I this book to be fascinating and intellectually rewarding. Some of the essays I did not find relevant to me, however, hence not having five stars. ( )

My goodness, how often can a book namecheck Ursula Le Guin?

Margaret Atwood's writing is good and compelling, even when she's writing non-fiction -- though I confess to a personal tendency to drift off and stop registering exactly what she's saying, just reading for the pretty words. I had that a bit here, but her ideas are intriguing and the little scrap between her and Le Guin has always amused me. Well, the whole speculative-fiction vs. science-fiction as a genre label actually really tickles me -- the joys of not giving a shit.

Anyway, there's some stuff about Atwood's early foray into science fiction as a child, and about her reading habits (which were eclectic, and took in comics as well as literary classics with equal gusto). I'm not sure she isn't just weaselling around the accusation that she tries to avoid her work being classed as "genre", though, for all her protestations.

There's also a brief section of Atwood's sci-fi writing, such as it is. Nothing outstanding. ( )

Loved this. I'm a huge Margaret Atwood fangirl, but I don't think you have to be to appreciate these essays on speculative fiction. Which brings up a whole separate point: Atwood has gotten a lot of flak, being called a "snob" and worse, for referring to her own work as speculative fiction rather than science fiction. She explains her reasons clearly and eloquently near the beginning of this collection, and it's great food for thought that I definitely recommend to all fans of the genre.

Many of the essays focus on one particular work or author, and I definitely enjoyed the ones where I had read the original story more. For that reason, this will probably appeal more to people who are fairly well-read, though some of the selections are so eclectic that I'd be surprised if any average reader were familiar with all of them. Discussed: [b:Oryx and Crake|46756|Oryx and Crake|Margaret Atwood|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327896599s/46756.jpg|3143431], [b:The Year of the Flood|6080337|The Year of the Flood (MaddAddam Trilogy #2)|Margaret Atwood|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327906873s/6080337.jpg|6257025], [b:The Handmaid's Tale|38447|The Handmaid's Tale|Margaret Atwood|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1294702760s/38447.jpg|1119185], [b:She|682681|She|H. Rider Haggard|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1177116097s/682681.jpg|2334644], [b:Never Let Me Go|6334|Never Let Me Go|Kazuo Ishiguro|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1353048590s/6334.jpg|1499998], [b:Brave New World|5129|Brave New World|Aldous Huxley|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327865608s/5129.jpg|3204877], [b:Animal Farm|7613|Animal Farm|George Orwell|http://d.gr-assets.com/books/1327872845s/7613.jpg|2207778], [a:H.G. Wells|880695|H.G. Wells|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1201281795p2/880695.jpg], [a:Jules Verne|696805|Jules Verne|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1322911579p2/696805.jpg], [a:Ursula K. Le Guin|874602|Ursula K. Le Guin|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1244291425p2/874602.jpg], and [a:Octavia E. Butler|29535|Octavia E. Butler|http://d.gr-assets.com/authors/1242244143p2/29535.jpg], among others. ( )

Charming look at a foremost author's influences, what drives her to write what she does. Science Fiction, despite being sneered down upon by too many people in the past, is gaining traction as something of Literary Merit. Science fiction novels, when done right, are Novels of Ideas, and can transmit as much as any other form of literary fiction.

Good for fans of Atwood, or fans of scifi, or whichever. ( )