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Loading... The dreams our stuff is made of : how science fiction conquered the worldby Thomas M. Disch
None. By turns, acerbic, witty, thoughtful, arrogant, vicious and sympathetic, this book is really more a collection of essays about various themes and issues related to the genre that Disch wants to talk about rather than a very coherent look at how science fiction has impacted the modern world. One doesn't always agree with what he is saying, and one can even be offended by some of his rather cutting remarks, and his tendency to be rather reductive in the way he presents a particular work, person or agenda that he has it in for, but at the same time, this can also be an engaging, entertaining and even insightful read. (  ) iftyzaidi | May 31, 2010 |  Despite a fantastic title, a promising subject matter (the impact of Science Fiction on the world we live in), and a fairly cool cover, this book was a solid disappointment. I was frustrated in the early chapters, which were more of a rambling history of some aspect of science fiction with which he was familiar (and no real solid evidence as to why that aspect was /important/). Most of the book is like that - a lot of history, some rambling, but no ability to pull it all together and match it up with real world events or societal and technological changes. The one section that stood out as interesting to me discussed Star Trek as a sort of sneakily utopian science fiction which, although it had its own issues, did the world a service in presenting what a workplace with no official recognition of gender or racial differences might look like. Unfortunately, this was a small section, and by the time I'd reached the chapter titled 'Can Girls Play Too? Feminizing Sci Fi', I was done. Most of the chapter is devoted not to the changing role of women in science fiction, both as subject and author, but to complaining about particular female authors, in particular LeGuin, whose efforts at inclusiveness the author finds distasteful in the extreme. At one point, I nearly threw the book. The book does a lot of rambling, very little point making, and almost none of the connection-creating I'd hoped for. I stopped about 3/4 of the way through, which is unusual for me, but by that point I'd realized that not only was I not learning much about the actual impact of Sci Fi, but I was being actively irritated in the process. (  ) Aerrin99 | Mar 31, 2010 | This 1999 Hugo-Award winning non-fiction book takes an interesting look at science fiction's influence on American society. Disch, who committed suicide in early July, has an extremely confrontational manner of presenting his arguments, but the book presents a nicely conversational tone that makes for easy reading. Speculative Fiction enthusiasts may have a few bones to pick with Disch over his opinions here, but casual science readers and those interested in the influences of popular culture should find this one to be right up their alley. No ( ) cannellfan | Mar 14, 2009 | I started reading this book as research for the sci-fi class I am teaching this semester, but I kept reading it because Tom Disch's writing is delightful. Erudite and opinionated, Disch had me laughing and nodding at some of the oddest things -- his perspective on Scientology is sharp and brilliant, for example, and his attitude towards Star Wars is something I can relate to. I did not agree with everything he had to say -- he harshes on some classics and some favorites -- but even when I found myself disagreeing, I thought his points were fair. Some were even enlightening. For anyone interested not only in science fiction, but in the impact of SF on the rest of the world, this is worth your time. 1  beserene | Oct 4, 2008 | hyperpat | Dec 7, 2007 | no reviews | add a review
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