|
Loading... The dreams our stuff is made of : how science fiction conquered the worldby Thomas M. DischLibraryThing recommendationsMember recommendationsLoading...
won't like
will probably not like
will probably like
will like
will love Sign up for LibraryThing to find out whether you'll like this book. 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. beserene | Oct 4, 2008 | hyperpat | Dec 7, 2007 | Well, I've read Aldiss, Delany, LeGuin, Dick and others (Ellison, Moskowitz, Amis) on SF Lit/Crit and Analysis. Disch had the advantage of writing after all the above, but this is the most well reasoned, insightful and enjoyable one I've read. Feminists beware. Disch does not pull his punches. (  )1  Farree | Jul 23, 2007 | interesting cultural crit ( ) zakvreeland | May 30, 2007 |  no reviews | add a review
References to this work on external resources.
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Book description |
|
For example, if you ever wanted to know why L. Ron Hubbard managed to start a cult but Philip K. Dick didn't, Disch is your man. Beginning with Edgar Allan Poe, Disch elaborates a vision of science fiction as one of the twentieth century's most influential manifestations of America as a culture of liars. Among the frauds are the alien abduction stories of Whitley Strieber, the sadomasochistic dominance fantasies of John Norman, and the co-opting of cyberpunk by postmodern academics and avant-gardists trying to stay hip.
Disch plays very few favorites, and when ideology gets in the way of good writing, it doesn't matter what side you're on. Subliterary feminist fantasies of matriarchial utopias get slammed just as hard as subliterary conservative militaristic wet dreams. Not even one of sci-fi's most beloved Grand Masters, Robert Heinlein, is unimpeachable; Disch correctly nails Heinlein on his consistent sexism and racism, as well as his gradual descent into solipsism. One of Heinlein's last novels, The Number of the Beast, is described as "the freakout to which [Heinlein]'s entitled as a good American, whose right to lie is protected by the Constitution."
What does Disch like? For starters: Philip K. Dick, the British New Wave as exemplified by J. G. Ballard and Michael Moorcock, and Joe Haldeman's Hugo- and Nebula-winning The Forever War, described as being "to the Vietnam War what Catch-22 was to World War II," and which he believes deserved a Pulitzer as well.
Disch may confirm your suspicions, or he may raise every last one of your hackles. But one thing this book will definitely not do is bore you.
(retrieved from Amazon Fri, 24 Apr 2009 07:58:08 -0400)
The first test round has been closed. Visit the Open Shelves Classification group for details.
Quick Links |
)
Wikipedia in English (4)
