In Which the Sf Signal Mind Meld Talks About First SF Reads

September 16th 2009 at 6:28 am

I got to participate again.  I really like these – both doing my little snippets for them, and seeing what we all come out with on the end.  Of note this time:  Many of us started with Heinlein.  There is also a Facebook thread on this based on a  tweet I  made at 2:00 AM (do people ever sleep?) and that thread follows the same pattern – a lot of Heinlein-era writers.  I guess this group is mostly my age.  :)

Another commonality to note is that these are almost all adventure stories.  I think teenagers everywhere yearn for good adventure (and we want it later in life too – I still like to read a good tale of adventure).

Drop by the Mind Meld at SF Signal if you have time.

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2 Responses so far

  1. 1. Kim Sannes on Sep 18th, 2009 at 10:43 am

    My first exposure to solo reading novels for fun was “Orphans of the Sky” by Heinlein when I was in 3rd grade, in 1973, while the Apollo Missions were still ongoing and an interest of mine. His books, and later those by Clarke and Asimov began the foundation of my fiction reading. They were also the beginning of my love for sharing books with friends.

  2. 2. brenda on Sep 18th, 2009 at 1:20 pm

    Yep – those are some of my favorite writers, too. What lovely brilliant books those were for our young minds to find. I hope this generations i finding things they will remember as fondly.

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Books

Wings of Creation by Brenda Cooper

Reading the Wind cover image

Available November 10th, 2009 from Tor Books.

Reading the Wind by Brenda Cooper

Reading the Wind cover image

Audio promo:

"Brenda Cooper's newest novel is a feast of character and concept. She depicts the devastation of war on microcosmic and macrocosmic levels, and even more so, the driving motives of young men and women caught in deadly conflict. Cooper is a master explorer of the interaction of society and individuals. She probes the psychology of her genetically enhanced characters with both rare depth and fidelity to scientific plausibility. Moral conundrums drive the plot in this unforgettable narrative. Don't miss this compelling work by a major new talent." - Mary A. Turzillo, An Old-Fashioned Martian Girl.

"Brenda Cooper tells a tale of a powerful brother and sister in a fight for their lives, offering insights along the way into the nature of courage and the hunger for community that burns in every human being. This is a lively book, full of colorful images and a memorable cast of human and animal characters, a worthy successor to The Silver Ship and the Sea." - Louise Marley

Available in July, 2008, from Tor Books.

The Silver Ship and the Sea by Brenda Cooper

Silver Ship and the Sea cover image

Audio promo:

"The first solo novel by Larry Niven's Building Harlequin's Moon (2005) coauthor portrays the thoroughly convincing human colonial society on Fremont, a dangerous planet rife with vicious predators, frequent earthquakes, and falling meteors....Distinctive characterizations, well-limned interrelationships, and the vividly realized Fremont contribute to an exciting coming-of-age story with a strong message about the evils of prejudice." - Sally Estes, Copyright American Library Association.

Mass Market Paperback, July 2008.
Included by Booklist as a "Best Adult Book for Young Adults."

Building Harlequin's Moon by Brenda Cooper and Larry Niven

Building Harlequin's Moon cover image

"Fans of both hard and softer, psychological SF will welcome veteran Niven and newcome Cooper's well-written tale of a 60,000 year layover in space, in which physical challenges of world building are matched by the social challenges of collaboration among disparate groups." - Publisher's Weekly

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