Based on all the great recommendations, I ordered CANTICLE
FOR LEIBOWITZ and THE DEMOLISHED MAN, with all the other
suggestions duly noted. Science fiction used to be what I
read most. After I shifted to hardboiled and noir I found it
hard to even slip in an occasional sci-fi. I think I've been
away from it long enough to give it another go, especially
with a hardboiled or noir flavor.
Was it Etienne who couldn't think of much sci-fi with a
hardboiled flavor? I though Dick's DO ANDROIDS DREAM OF
ELECTRIC SHEEP? was definitely hardboiled. Not just violent,
but tough, too. Noirish, also.
George R.R. Martin's entered into the mega-series battle with
Robert Jordan and Terry Goodkind with a fairly
hardboiled/noir theme. The third in his series went mass
market paperback a few months ago. STORM OF SWORDS or
something like that. I read thousands of pages of Robert
Jordan, and even a couple books beyond where I enjoyed it. I
believe I was under some fantastical notion that the series
must be nearing an end and it was worth seeing it through.
Terry Goodkind's WIZARD'S FIRST RULE was a lot of fun, but a
couple later I dropped him. I've read two of Martin's entries
and I've sat at the bookstore reading into the third one.
I'll pick it up soon. Martin definitely has a more hardboiled
and noir atmosphere than Jordan and Goodkind.
Someone mentioned Frederick Pohl. I've always enjoyed his
books. They're intelligent and thoughtful without sacrificing
the entertainment factor. I'm trying to remember if he wrote
PLAGUE OF PYTHONS. It's a short book about the development of
headgear that allows a person to take over the thoughts of
another person. This allows people to indulge in wicked sins
without the physical dues. Those wearing the headgear settle
finally develop a new game where one puts the person under
control into a certain death situation, like jumping from a
building or scuba diving in shark-infested waters and slicing
an arm or leg. A group of people discover what is going on
and fight to destroy the technology. The ending is wicked
irony.
I second Joy's suggestion that January be hardboiled and noir
sci-fi month. That gives me a month to get in the
swing.
miker
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