• SF: Book recommendations

    From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Thu Jan 29 04:51:19 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:33:50 +1100, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    On a darker note, Greg Egan once wrote a story where a company found a
    way to encode the entire Koran in your junk DNA. Once enough people had
    taken that option, it turmed out to be the means to propagate a deadly >epidemic.

    I should track down his more recent books. He is, in my opinion, the
    most original SF writer of our time.

    Any titles you particularly recommend?
    --
    Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
    Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
    E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From kludge@kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Wed Jan 28 22:16:52 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:33:50 +1100, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    On a darker note, Greg Egan once wrote a story where a company found a
    way to encode the entire Koran in your junk DNA. Once enough people had
    taken that option, it turmed out to be the means to propagate a deadly >epidemic.

    "You can't inject Jesus with a hypodermic syringe! You have to put Jesus
    into your heart with the bible!"
    -- Robert Tilton
    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Peter Moylan@peter@pmoylan.org to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Thu Jan 29 15:11:32 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 29/01/26 13:51, Steve Hayes wrote:
    On Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:33:50 +1100, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    On a darker note, Greg Egan once wrote a story where a company
    found a way to encode the entire Koran in your junk DNA. Once
    enough people had taken that option, it turmed out to be the means
    to propagate a deadly epidemic.

    I should track down his more recent books. He is, in my opinion,
    the most original SF writer of our time.

    Any titles you particularly recommend?

    Two short story collections: Axiomatic and Luninous. If you like what
    you see, move on to the novel Luminous. Those, in any case, were the
    books I particularly liked.
    --
    Peter Moylan peter@pmoylan.org http://www.pmoylan.org
    Newcastle, NSW
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Peter Moylan@peter@pmoylan.org to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Thu Jan 29 15:50:54 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 29/01/26 15:11, Peter Moylan wrote:
    On 29/01/26 13:51, Steve Hayes wrote:
    On Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:33:50 +1100, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    On a darker note, Greg Egan once wrote a story where a company
    found a way to encode the entire Koran in your junk DNA. Once
    enough people had taken that option, it turmed out to be the means
    to propagate a deadly epidemic.

    I should track down his more recent books. He is, in my opinion,
    the most original SF writer of our time.

    Any titles you particularly recommend?

    Two short story collections: Axiomatic and Luninous. If you like what
    you see, move on to the novel Luminous. Those, in any case, were the
    books I particularly liked.

    Sorry, the novel I meant was Distress.
    --
    Peter Moylan peter@pmoylan.org http://www.pmoylan.org
    Newcastle, NSW
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Peter Moylan@peter@pmoylan.org to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Thu Jan 29 16:08:45 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 29/01/26 15:50, Peter Moylan wrote:
    On 29/01/26 15:11, Peter Moylan wrote:
    On 29/01/26 13:51, Steve Hayes wrote:
    On Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:33:50 +1100, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    On a darker note, Greg Egan once wrote a story where a company
    found a way to encode the entire Koran in your junk DNA. Once
    enough people had taken that option, it turmed out to be the means
    to propagate a deadly epidemic.

    I should track down his more recent books. He is, in my opinion,
    the most original SF writer of our time.

    Any titles you particularly recommend?

    Two short story collections: Axiomatic and Luninous. If you like what
    you see, move on to the novel Luminous. Those, in any case, were the
    books I particularly liked.

    Sorry, the novel I meant was Distress.

    PS For just about any SF author I can think of, I would recommend
    starting with short stories. Getting the author in bite-sized chunks is
    an excellent way of finding out whether you like his writing.
    --
    Peter Moylan peter@pmoylan.org http://www.pmoylan.org
    Newcastle, NSW
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From lar3ryca@larry@invalid.ca to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Thu Jan 29 23:30:11 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 2026-01-28 22:11, Peter Moylan wrote:
    On 29/01/26 13:51, Steve Hayes wrote:
    On Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:33:50 +1100, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    On a darker note, Greg Egan once wrote a story where a company
    found a way to encode the entire Koran in your junk DNA. Once
    enough people had taken that option, it turmed out to be the means
    to propagate a deadly epidemic.

    I should track down his more recent books. He is, in my opinion,
    the most original SF writer of our time.

    Any titles you particularly recommend?

    Two short story collections: Axiomatic and Luninous. If you like what
    you see, move on to the novel Luminous. Those, in any case, were the
    books I particularly liked.

    I like Greg Egan. I hadn't read Axiomatic. Thanks for reminding me. I
    found it and so far it looks like I'll apprciate it. Thanks!
    --
    I sneezed a sneeze into the air.
    It fell to earth, I know not where,
    But hard and cold were the looks of those.
    In whose vicinity I snoze.
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Pluted Pup@plutedpup@outlook.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Fri Jan 30 14:46:39 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 1/28/26 6:51 PM, Steve Hayes wrote:
    On Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:33:50 +1100, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    On a darker note, Greg Egan once wrote a story where a company found a
    way to encode the entire Koran in your junk DNA. Once enough people had
    taken that option, it turmed out to be the means to propagate a deadly
    epidemic.

    I like Didactic Fiction, too. So what's the whole plotline,
    so we won't feel cheated by "plot twists" if we start to
    read it.



    I should track down his more recent books. He is, in my opinion, the
    most original SF writer of our time.

    Any titles you particularly recommend?



    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 05:20:47 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Thu, 29 Jan 2026 15:11:32 +1100, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    On 29/01/26 13:51, Steve Hayes wrote:
    On Thu, 29 Jan 2026 08:33:50 +1100, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    On a darker note, Greg Egan once wrote a story where a company
    found a way to encode the entire Koran in your junk DNA. Once
    enough people had taken that option, it turmed out to be the means
    to propagate a deadly epidemic.

    I should track down his more recent books. He is, in my opinion,
    the most original SF writer of our time.

    Any titles you particularly recommend?

    Two short story collections: Axiomatic and Luninous. If you like what
    you see, move on to the novel Luminous. Those, in any case, were the
    books I particularly liked.

    Thanks vey much, I'll add those to my books to look for list.
    --
    Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
    Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
    E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 05:32:45 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:08:45 +1100, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    PS For just about any SF author I can think of, I would recommend
    starting with short stories. Getting the author in bite-sized chunks is
    an excellent way of finding out whether you like his writing.

    Agreed.

    There are very few full-length SF novels I've really liked. Out of
    curiocity I checked and found I'd read more than a thought I had -- I
    thought I'd mostly read short stories. But these are the ones I've
    given a 5-star rating to:

    Lewis, C.S. 1960. That hideous strength.
    Lewis, C.S. 1952. Out of the silent planet.
    Miller, Walter M. 1993 [1959] A canticle for Leibowitz.
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.
    Lewis, C.S. 1953. Voyage to Venus Perelandra.
    Huxley, Aldous. 1994 [1932] Brave new world.
    Orwell, George. 1984.
    James, P.D. 1992. The children of men.
    McCarthy, Cormac. 2009. The road.
    Willis, Connie. 1992. Doomsday Book.
    Wyndham, John. 1961. The Midwich Cuckoos.
    King, Stephen. 2011. 11.22.63.
    Stewart, George R. 1977. Earth abides.
    --
    Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
    Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
    E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Titus G@noone@nowhere.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 18:36:36 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 31/01/26 16:32, Steve Hayes wrote:
    snip
    But these are the ones I've
    given a 5-star rating to:

    McCarthy, Cormac. 2009. The road.

    His worst novel. Dull. Depressing. Absolutely no connection to science,
    not even the possible carcinogenic effects from eating fried long pig.
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Titus G@noone@nowhere.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 18:37:29 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 31/01/26 16:32, Steve Hayes wrote:
    Much snippage

    these are the ones I've
    given a 5-star rating to:
    Miller, Walter M. 1993 [1959] A canticle for Leibowitz.

    Brilliant. Christianity, Judaism both overwhelmed by the true nature of man.

    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    Canticle 5 stars, Mills and Boon 1 star.
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From occam@occam@nowhere.nix to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 09:42:01 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 31/01/2026 06:37, Titus G wrote:

    A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    [A.U.E.] I like 'handwavium'. It should be up there with 'unobtainium', 'administratium', Lunarium and Kryptonite. Alas, it's missing from this
    Wiki list.

    More here: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_elements,_materials,_isotopes_and_subatomic_particles>

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From occam@occam@nowhere.nix to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 09:42:13 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 31/01/2026 06:37, Titus G wrote:

    A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    [A.U.E.] I like 'handwavium'. It should be up there with 'unobtainium', 'administratium', Lunarium and Kryptonite. Alas, it's missing from this
    Wiki list.

    More here: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_elements,_materials,_isotopes_and_subatomic_particles>

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From occam@occam@nowhere.nix to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 09:42:18 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 31/01/2026 06:37, Titus G wrote:

    A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    [A.U.E.] I like 'handwavium'. It should be up there with 'unobtainium', 'administratium', Lunarium and Kryptonite. Alas, it's missing from this
    Wiki list.

    More here: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_elements,_materials,_isotopes_and_subatomic_particles>

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From nospam@nospam@de-ster.demon.nl (J. J. Lodder) to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 10:51:08 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    occam <occam@nowhere.nix> wrote:

    On 31/01/2026 06:37, Titus G wrote:

    A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romancef
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    [A.U.E.] I like 'handwavium'. It should be up there with 'unobtainium', 'administratium', Lunarium and Kryptonite. Alas, it's missing from this
    Wiki list.

    More here: <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_fictional_elements,_materials,_isotopes
    _and_subatomic_particles>

    A plot device for the incompetent, obviously.
    (Asimov excepted, perhaps)

    Jan



    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The True Melissa@thetruemelissa@gmail.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 07:18:29 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.


    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story. Read as a love
    story, it's nice IMO.
    --
    The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
    United States of America - North America - Earth
    Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
    Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From doctor@doctor@doctor.nl2k.ab.ca (The Doctor) to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 15:30:06 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    In article <MPG.43e7bd1e8c811bf5989a61@news.eternal-september.org>,
    The True Melissa <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:
    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.


    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story. Read as a love >story, it's nice IMO.


    Wow!

    --
    The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
    United States of America - North America - Earth
    Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
    Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
    --
    Member - Liberal International This is doctor@nk.ca Ici doctor@nk.ca
    Yahweh, King & country!Never Satan President Republic!Beware AntiChrist rising! Look at Psalms 14 and 53 on Atheism ;
    All I want to hear from Jesus is WEll Done Good and Faithful Servant.
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Don@g@crcomp.net to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 16:31:04 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    The True Melissa wrote:
    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story. Read as a love story, it's nice IMO.

    Agreed. Yet some rascally readers repress the romance as they try to
    twist the story into thirty-six year old Henry grooming six year old
    Clare.
    This perverted plot premise requires omission of how twenty year old
    year old Clare initially stalks twenty-eight year Henry at Newberry
    Library when the Catholic soulmates first meet.

    "Thou doth Protestant too much, methinks."

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. veritas _|_ telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. liberabit |
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' vos |

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From scott@scott@slp53.sl.home (Scott Lurndal) to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 18:37:09 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    Don <g@crcomp.net> writes:
    The True Melissa wrote:
    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story. Read as a love
    story, it's nice IMO.

    Agreed. Yet some rascally readers repress the romance as they try to
    twist the story into thirty-six year old Henry grooming six year old
    Clare.
    This perverted plot premise requires omission of how twenty year old
    year old Clare initially stalks twenty-eight year Henry at Newberry
    Library when the Catholic soulmates first meet.

    The same people complain about _Door into Summer_ and
    _The Tale of the Adopted Daughter_.

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ignatios Souvatzis@u502sou@bnhb484.de to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 18:28:01 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    ["Followup-To:" header set to rec.arts.sf.misc.]
    Don wrote:
    The True Melissa wrote:
    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story. Read as a love
    story, it's nice IMO.

    Agreed. Yet some rascally readers repress the romance as they try to
    twist the story into thirty-six year old Henry grooming six year old
    Clare.
    This perverted plot premise requires omission of how twenty year old
    year old Clare initially stalks twenty-eight year Henry at Newberry
    Library when the Catholic soulmates first meet.

    Niffenegger's book is an overly complicated version of a story
    written - actually at the same time, so I think nobody can have
    been influenced by the other - by a Spanish literature professor
    who worked at that time at an Austrian university. Can't remember
    the name of author or book. In short, there are only two encounters
    with reverse individual timelines.

    -is
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ignatios Souvatzis@u502sou@bnhb484.de to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 19:01:39 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    ["Followup-To:" header set to rec.arts.sf.misc.]
    Don wrote:
    The True Melissa wrote:
    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story. Read as a love
    story, it's nice IMO.

    Agreed. Yet some rascally readers repress the romance as they try to
    twist the story into thirty-six year old Henry grooming six year old
    Clare.
    This perverted plot premise requires omission of how twenty year old
    year old Clare initially stalks twenty-eight year Henry at Newberry
    Library when the Catholic soulmates first meet.

    Niffenegger's book is an overly complicated version of Elia Barcelo's
    "El secreto del orfebre" (The Secret of the Goldsmith. I don't know
    whethere there's a translation to English; there is one to German.)

    Barcelo lets her protagonists meet exactly hm... three times? But
    the first two times with reverse individual timelines, so that the
    one can't remember the other.

    I liked it better than Niffenegger's work.

    -is
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From William Hyde@wthyde1953@gmail.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sat Jan 31 15:26:07 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    Steve Hayes wrote:
    On Thu, 29 Jan 2026 16:08:45 +1100, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    PS For just about any SF author I can think of, I would recommend
    starting with short stories. Getting the author in bite-sized chunks is
    an excellent way of finding out whether you like his writing.

    Agreed.

    There are very few full-length SF novels I've really liked. Out of
    curiocity I checked and found I'd read more than a thought I had -- I
    thought I'd mostly read short stories. But these are the ones I've
    given a 5-star rating to:

    Lewis, C.S. 1960. That hideous strength.
    Lewis, C.S. 1952. Out of the silent planet.
    Miller, Walter M. 1993 [1959] A canticle for Leibowitz.
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.
    Lewis, C.S. 1953. Voyage to Venus Perelandra.
    Huxley, Aldous. 1994 [1932] Brave new world.
    Orwell, George. 1984.
    James, P.D. 1992. The children of men.

    If you liked this try the original, "Greybeard" by Brian Aldiss.

    I like everything I've read by PDJ, but this perhaps the least.

    William Hyde
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Titus G@noone@nowhere.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sun Feb 1 17:03:59 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 1/02/26 01:18, The True Melissa wrote:
    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.


    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story.

    Yes. I agree. But I bought it thinking it was SF and was angry!

    Read as a love
    story, it's nice IMO.


    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Titus G@noone@nowhere.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sun Feb 1 17:04:18 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 1/02/26 05:31, Don wrote:
    The True Melissa wrote:
    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story. Read as a love
    story, it's nice IMO.

    Agreed. Yet some rascally readers repress the romance as they try to
    twist the story into thirty-six year old Henry grooming six year old
    Clare.

    It is a long time since I read it but wasn't that aspect there?

    This perverted plot premise requires omission of how twenty year old
    year old Clare initially stalks twenty-eight year Henry at Newberry
    Library when the Catholic soulmates first meet.

    "Thou doth Protestant too much, methinks."

    My protest is principally with genre impersonation.
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The True Melissa@thetruemelissa@gmail.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sun Feb 1 06:15:28 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    Verily, in article <10lmj7i$3ecue$2@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:

    On 1/02/26 05:31, Don wrote:
    The True Melissa wrote:
    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance >>> with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story. Read as a love
    story, it's nice IMO.

    Agreed. Yet some rascally readers repress the romance as they try to
    twist the story into thirty-six year old Henry grooming six year old Clare.

    It is a long time since I read it but wasn't that aspect there?

    It's also been a long time since I read it, but in my memory, he is
    careful to treat her like the child she is during that scene.
    --
    The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
    United States of America - North America - Earth
    Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
    Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Don@g@crcomp.net to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sun Feb 1 14:14:04 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    The True Melissa wrote:
    Verily, in article <10lmj7i$3ecue$2@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Don wrote:
    The True Melissa wrote:
    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance >> >>> with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story. Read as a love >> >> story, it's nice IMO.

    Agreed. Yet some rascally readers repress the romance as they try to
    twist the story into thirty-six year old Henry grooming six year old
    Clare.

    It is a long time since I read it but wasn't that aspect there?

    It's also been a long time since I read it, but in my memory, he is
    careful to treat her like the child she is during that scene.

    Thirty-six year old Henry does groom six year old Claire to provide his immediate, non-romantic, basic needs whenever he happens to show up in
    the meadow bare bones. But bear in mind, Claire's a willing accomplice -
    as are most women in my life. They can not bear to see a creature go
    thirsty or hungry.

    "A traditional list of immediate 'basic needs' is food (including
    water), shelter and clothing. Many modern lists also include also
    transportation, sanitation, education, and healthcare. Different
    agencies use different lists."

    # # #

    When asked how his Catholic faith has shaped him, Alito said
    his faith provides him meaning and purpose.

    rCLThe title of a book by Tolstoy has been translated as What
    Then Should We Do? My faith gives me an answer. It would be
    terrible to think that life has no meaning, that we are going
    nowhere, and that what we do until we die is a matter of
    indifference. That is what tortures so many today.rCY

    <https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/justice-alito-warns-seminarians-religious-liberty-is-in-danger>

    WHAT THEN SHOULD WE DO? appears in Luke 3:10rCo14. Tolstoy's non-fictional
    work describes the Russian social conditions in 1886. It begins with a
    Moscow beggar being thrown into jail for begging.
    WHAT THEN SHOULD WE DO will be the next book heard (eg read) by me.

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. veritas _|_ telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. liberabit |
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' vos |

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sun Feb 1 16:41:13 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Sat, 31 Jan 2026 07:18:29 -0500, The True Melissa
    <thetruemelissa@gmail.com> wrote:

    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.


    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story. Read as a love >story, it's nice IMO.

    It's more than a love story. It's based o fictional science, without
    which it wouldn't work. I enjoyed it too,
    --
    Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
    Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
    E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Don@g@crcomp.net to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sun Feb 1 16:48:41 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    Steve Hayes wrote:
    The True Melissa wrote:
    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.

    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story. Read as a love >>story, it's nice IMO.

    It's more than a love story. It's based o fictional science, without
    which it wouldn't work. I enjoyed it too,

    Great observation! Here's a pertinent excerpt:

    As I enter Dr. Kendrick's office, he is making notes in a file.
    I sit down and he continues to write. He is younger than I
    thought he would be; late thirties. I always expect doctors to
    be old men. I can't help it, it's left over from my childhood
    of endless medical men. Kendrick is red-haired, thin-faced,
    bearded, with thick wire-rimmed glasses. He looks a little bit
    like D. H. Lawrence. He's wearing a nice charcoal-gray suit and
    a narrow dark green tie with a rainbow trout tie clip. An
    ashtray overflows at his elbow; the room is suffused with
    cigarette smoke, although he isn't smoking right now.
    Everything is very modern: tubular steel, beige twill, blond
    wood. He looks up at me and smiles.
    "Good morning, Mr. DeTamble. What can I do for you?"
    He is looking at his calendar. "I don't seem to have any
    information about you, here? What seems to be the problem?"
    "Dasein."
    Kendrick is taken aback. " Dasein? Being? How so?"
    "I have a condition which I'm told will become known as
    Chrono-Impairment. I have difficulty staying in the present."
    "I'm sorry?"
    "I time travel. Involuntarily."
    Kendrick is flustered, but subdues it. I like him. He is
    attempting to deal with me in a manner befitting a sane person,
    although I'm sure he is considering which of his psychiatrist
    friends to refer me to.
    "But why do you need a geneticist? Or are you consulting
    me as a philosopher?"
    "It's a genetic disease. Although it will be pleasant to
    have someone to chat with about the larger implications of the
    problem."
    "Mr. DeTamble. You are obviously an intelligent man...I've
    never heard of this disease. I can't do anything for you."
    "You don't believe me."
    "Right. I don't."
    Now I am smiling, ruefully. I feel horrible about this,
    but it has to be done. "Well. I've been to quite a few doctors
    in my life, but this is the first time I've ever had anything
    to offer in the way of proof. Of course no one ever believes
    me. You and your wife are expecting a child next month?"
    He is wary. "Yes. How do you know?"
    "In a few years I look up your child's birth certificate.
    I travel to my wife's past, I write down the information in
    this envelope. She gives it to me when we meet in the present.
    I give it to you, now. Open it after your son is born."
    "We're having a daughter."
    "No, you're not, actually," I say gently. "But let's not
    quibble about it. Save that, open it after the child is born.
    Don't throw it out. After you read it, call me, if you want
    to." I get up to leave. "Good luck," I say, although I do
    not believe in luck, these days. I am deeply sorry for him,
    but there's no other way to do this.
    "Goodbye, Mr. DeTamble," Dr. Kendrick says coldly. I
    leave. As I get into the elevator I think to myself that he
    must be opening the envelope right now. Inside is a sheet of
    typing paper. It says:
    Colin Joseph Kendrick
    April 6, 1996 1:18 a.m.
    6 lbs. 8 oz Caucasian male
    Down Syndrome

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. veritas _|_ telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. liberabit |
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' vos |

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Titus G@noone@nowhere.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Mon Feb 2 17:03:26 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 1/02/26 17:17, Peter Moylan wrote:
    On 01/02/26 15:04, Titus G wrote:

    My protest is principally with genre impersonation.

    Ah, yes. Like when the shelf in the bookshop says "Science Fiction" and
    all the books turn out to be fantasy. That's really annoying.

    I imagine so. My preference is for the Kindle.
    There are those here who could give you a more accurate reply but those
    genres have been merging for decades. I accept pre-human alien artifacts
    having fantastic aspects but find acceptance of the supernatural annoying.
    With regard to the infiltration of Romance into Science Fiction, most
    Science Fiction writers of the '60s kept women in the kitchen. If The
    Time Traveller's Wife was marketed as Romance, it would be an early
    example of an infiltration of Fantasy masquerading as Science Fiction.
    And, of course, Fantasy has no place in the reality of Romance.
    I'll get my coat.
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Mon Feb 2 07:13:06 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Sun, 1 Feb 2026 15:17:00 +1100, Peter Moylan <peter@pmoylan.org>
    wrote:

    On 01/02/26 15:04, Titus G wrote:

    My protest is principally with genre impersonation.

    Ah, yes. Like when the shelf in the bookshop says "Science Fiction" and
    all the books turn out to be fantasy. That's really annoying.

    Authors are not necessarily constrained by the genres decreed by
    publishers and booksellers.

    Publishers & booksellers presumably feel constrained to choose a genre
    for marketing purposes, but what criteria do you use to determine
    whether any given work fits?

    Booksellers tend to shove most works dealing with a hypothetical
    dystopian future (or indeed any future scenario) with "science
    fiction". Hence "The Road" being shoved in with science fiction. I've
    even seen that classic of Dispensationalist theology, Hal Lindsay's
    "The Late Great Planet Earth", on the SF shelves of booksellers.

    Would you put Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" in crime fiction?
    It's certainly a whodunit, but it's also a great deal more.

    Or take C.S. Lewis's so-called "Space Trilogy". The first book fits
    SF, in that it deals with an envisaged means of space travel. It has a
    mad scientist and an evil financier (probably modelled on Cecil
    Rhodes). The second one has no science at all -- space travel is by
    means of a coffin carried by angels. But it's shoved there because
    it's largely set on another planet. The third one deals with a
    dystopian future, and it has elements of science fiction, in the sense
    of the science of keeping a head alive without a body, but it's much
    more an exploration of the borders of science and superstition, and
    academic ambition and rivalry, with which Lewis was most familiar, but
    on the whole it is more fantasy than any of the other things. So where
    does a bookseller put it?

    What makes a "horror" story? Many books have one or more scenes that
    could be described as "horror", but they don't seem to warrant
    classifying the whole book as horror.
    --
    Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
    Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
    E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Ignatios Souvatzis@u502sou@bnhb484.de to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Mon Feb 2 08:27:14 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    Steve Hayes wrote:

    Would you put Dostoevsky's "The Brothers Karamazov" in crime fiction?
    It's certainly a whodunit, but it's also a great deal more.

    There is a piece by James Thurber about a lady he met in his hotel
    who complained that Shakespear's Macbeth was printed in the same
    format as her beloved - for travel reading - detective stories,
    then after reading it criticized it for the improbable murderer.
    Questioned, she claimed the natural bad person would have been
    ZnpQhss.

    (Thurber, James 1943 The Thurber Carnival Harper and Brothers, NY pp. 60-63)
    --
    A medium apple... weighs 182 grams, yields 95 kcal, and contains no
    caffeine, thus making it unsuitable for sysadmins. - Brian Kantor
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From John Ames@commodorejohn@gmail.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Mon Feb 2 08:04:14 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Sat, 31 Jan 2026 05:32:45 +0200
    Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

    Lewis, C.S. 1960. That hideous strength.
    Lewis, C.S. 1952. Out of the silent planet.
    Lewis, C.S. 1953. Voyage to Venus Perelandra.

    "That Hideous Strength" is kind of a mess, but an audacious one. His
    other two "Space Trilogy" books are fine indeed, and all three had a
    major influence on me as a writer. A fascinating blend of old-school
    "planetary romance," theology/mysticism, and social commentary.

    Miller, Walter M. 1993 [1959] A canticle for Leibowitz.

    And *speaking* of audacious sci-fi with a shot of theology/mysticism! Magnificent work, should be required reading.

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From The True Melissa@thetruemelissa@gmail.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Mon Feb 2 12:25:41 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    Verily, in article <20260202080414.000071c7@gmail.com>, did commodorejohn@gmail.com deliver unto us this message:

    On Sat, 31 Jan 2026 05:32:45 +0200
    Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

    Lewis, C.S. 1960. That hideous strength.
    Lewis, C.S. 1952. Out of the silent planet.
    Lewis, C.S. 1953. Voyage to Venus Perelandra.

    "That Hideous Strength" is kind of a mess, but an audacious one. His
    other two "Space Trilogy" books are fine indeed, and all three had a
    major influence on me as a writer. A fascinating blend of old-school "planetary romance," theology/mysticism, and social commentary.

    I loved both Out of the Silent Planet and Perelandra even as a kid, but
    I didn't appreciate That Hideous Strength until I was older. It's
    definitely different from the other two.

    I love short stories from the Golden Age. I recently reread Isaac
    Asimov's collected short stories, and I enjoyed it very much.
    --
    The True Melissa - Canal Winchester - Ohio
    United States of America - North America - Earth
    Solar System - Milky Way - Local Group
    Virgo Cluster - Laniakea Supercluster - Cosmos
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From kludge@kludge@panix.com (Scott Dorsey) to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Mon Feb 2 19:27:57 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    Ignatios Souvatzis <u502sou@bnhb484.de> wrote:
    There is a piece by James Thurber about a lady he met in his hotel
    who complained that Shakespear's Macbeth was printed in the same
    format as her beloved - for travel reading - detective stories,
    then after reading it criticized it for the improbable murderer.
    Questioned, she claimed the natural bad person would have been
    ZnpQhss.

    I don't think it would take much to add a butler to the story. You
    would expect a palace to have a full staff.
    --scott
    --
    "C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Tue Feb 3 07:05:32 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Mon, 2 Feb 2026 08:04:14 -0800, John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    On Sat, 31 Jan 2026 05:32:45 +0200
    Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

    Lewis, C.S. 1960. That hideous strength.
    Lewis, C.S. 1952. Out of the silent planet.
    Lewis, C.S. 1953. Voyage to Venus Perelandra.

    "That Hideous Strength" is kind of a mess, but an audacious one. His
    other two "Space Trilogy" books are fine indeed, and all three had a
    major influence on me as a writer. A fascinating blend of old-school >"planetary romance," theology/mysticism, and social commentary.

    As you can see from my ordering, I like "That Hideous Strength" best.
    If you take "genre" beyond the publishers and booksellers ones, and
    divide things into subgenres as some like to do, then it comes closer
    to the genre of Charles Williams's novels, which I also like, but are definitely fantasy rather than science fiction, and that is the
    element that predominates in THS.

    Which reminds me, and more in the line of AUE, I had a discussion with
    someone on exTwitter the other day, in which he said that
    "predominate" wasn't in the dictionary, or something of that sort --
    and here I just used it in a sentence. I gather from what he said that "predominate" is used as an adjective in AmE, either instead of or as
    an alternative to "predominant".

    Back to Lewis, the scene at the end of "Out of the Silent Planet" when
    Ransom tries to translate Weston's bloviating for the Oyarsa of
    Malacandra is a magnificent send-up of colonialism, and Devine, as
    I've already mentioned, was probably based on Cecil Rhodes, a
    budinessman turned politician, one of whose spiritual descendants is undoubtedly Donald Trump.

    For more on that see here: <https://khanya.wordpress.com/2016/08/10/the-cult-of-rhodes/>

    or here: <https://khanya.wordpress.com/2016/11/07/that-hideous-strength-and-rhodes-must-fall/>
    --
    Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
    Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
    E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From John Ames@commodorejohn@gmail.com to rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Tue Feb 3 12:20:30 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:05:32 +0200
    Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

    "That Hideous Strength" is kind of a mess, but an audacious one.
    His other two "Space Trilogy" books are fine indeed, and all three
    had a major influence on me as a writer. A fascinating blend of
    old-school "planetary romance," theology/mysticism, and social
    commentary.

    As you can see from my ordering, I like "That Hideous Strength" best.
    If you take "genre" beyond the publishers and booksellers ones, and
    divide things into subgenres as some like to do, then it comes closer
    to the genre of Charles Williams's novels, which I also like, but are definitely fantasy rather than science fiction, and that is the
    element that predominates in THS.

    Back to Lewis, the scene at the end of "Out of the Silent Planet" when
    Ransom tries to translate Weston's bloviating for the Oyarsa of
    Malacandra is a magnificent send-up of colonialism, and Devine, as
    I've already mentioned, was probably based on Cecil Rhodes, a
    budinessman turned politician, one of whose spiritual descendants is undoubtedly Donald Trump.

    Nitpicks aside (Lewis himself admitted to having an "expository demon,"
    and my biggest complaint with THS is that there are a couple crucial
    points where he should be showing rather than *telling* - but then he
    does a fine job of showing in his depiction of a man sliding into
    collaboration with Evil by inches,) I really do enjoy it. Bringing
    planetary archangels and Arthuriana into a proto-Orwellian sci-fi
    political thriller is *exactly* my kind of gonzo genre-busting.

    (Thanks for the tip on Williams; will have to check into his work...)

    And it's felt uncomfortably timely, the last 10-15 years; the vintage colonialism skewered in OSP seemed like a distant thing to me as a
    young reader (though not nearly so much as I learned more of the side
    of 20th-century history the Powers That Be don't like to talk about,
    later in life,) but the cooption of institutions by authoritarians and transformation of an everyday setting into a police state was familiar
    from "Animal Farm," even before I discovered the throughline from THS
    to "1984," and it's going to feel much, much closer to home the next
    time I revisit it :/

    For more on that see here: <https://khanya.wordpress.com/2016/08/10/the-cult-of-rhodes/>

    or here: <https://khanya.wordpress.com/2016/11/07/that-hideous-strength-and-rhodes-must-fall/>

    That's an interesting perspective - I confess that my familiarity with
    South African history is limited, and I'd noticed but hadn't really
    processed the reference to Rhodes on my last reading. The bit about a
    national "haunting" has stuck with me for years (there's something
    *essential* in there, and one day I'll figure out how to capture it in
    my own work;) all the moreso now that I'm watching the fractures which
    latticed my own country since before my grandparents were born turn
    into seismic rifts...

    (That Chesterton quote is *savage* - and, again, eerily reminiscent.)

    Interesting take on "Prince Caspian," too - that's one I enjoyed as a
    kid, but didn't fully appreciate 'til I'd grown up enough to understand
    what the smaller oppressions of confining but "normal" society can look
    like next to the Big Things the main plot is concerned with - that the liberation from a dreary school and lifeless curriculum isn't just a
    whimsical aside thrown in "for the kiddies," but part and parcel with
    the main theme of the book.

    (And it has been *endlessly* amusing, over the years, to hear so many
    starchy, moralizing parents of "Evangelical" conservative persuasion
    laud a series that has this liberation from conformity accomplished
    with Bacchus and his nymphs in the procession...!)

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Snidely@snidely.too@gmail.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Tue Feb 3 18:11:26 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    The True Melissa suggested that ...
    Verily, in article <10lk4a9$2le82$3@dont-email.me>, did
    noone@nowhere.com deliver unto us this message:
    Niffenegger, Audrey. 2005. The time traveler's wife.

    Drek. A nonsensical attempt to outdo Nabokov's Lolita. Pathetic romance
    with handwavium time travel as a distraction.


    Huh, I enjoyed that one. It's not SF; it's a love story. Read as a love story, it's nice IMO.

    <URL:https://xkcd.com/3202>

    /dps "for shadowing time travel"
    --
    "I'm glad unicorns don't ever need upgrades."
    "We are as up as it is possible to get graded!"
    _Phoebe and Her Unicorn_, 2016.05.15
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Paul S Person@psperson@old.netcom.invalid to rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Wed Feb 4 08:43:00 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Tue, 3 Feb 2026 12:20:30 -0800, John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com>
    wrote:
    <snippo>
    (And it has been *endlessly* amusing, over the years, to hear so many >starchy, moralizing parents of "Evangelical" conservative persuasion
    laud a series that has this liberation from conformity accomplished
    with Bacchus and his nymphs in the procession...!)
    Just because they laud it doesn't mean they've actually /read/ it. Or
    anything else he wrote.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Cryptoengineer@petertrei@gmail.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Wed Feb 4 12:07:27 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 2/2/2026 11:04 AM, John Ames wrote:
    On Sat, 31 Jan 2026 05:32:45 +0200
    Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

    Lewis, C.S. 1960. That hideous strength.
    Lewis, C.S. 1952. Out of the silent planet.
    Lewis, C.S. 1953. Voyage to Venus Perelandra.

    "That Hideous Strength" is kind of a mess, but an audacious one. His
    other two "Space Trilogy" books are fine indeed, and all three had a
    major influence on me as a writer. A fascinating blend of old-school "planetary romance," theology/mysticism, and social commentary.

    Miller, Walter M. 1993 [1959] A canticle for Leibowitz.

    And *speaking* of audacious sci-fi with a shot of theology/mysticism! Magnificent work, should be required reading.


    Perelandra is a very strange book.

    The whole Space Trilogy is deeply imbued with Lewis's religous
    outlook.

    pt
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From John Ames@commodorejohn@gmail.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Wed Feb 4 09:24:24 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Wed, 4 Feb 2026 12:07:27 -0500
    Cryptoengineer <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    Perelandra is a very strange book.

    The whole Space Trilogy is deeply imbued with Lewis's religous
    outlook.

    I'd forgotten 'til revisiting it some years ago that there's a whole
    sequence at the end that almost plays like a Christian transcendental- meditation experience. Very strange book, indeed; captivatingly so.

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From John Ames@commodorejohn@gmail.com to rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Wed Feb 4 09:36:38 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Wed, 04 Feb 2026 08:43:00 -0800
    Paul S Person <psperson@old.netcom.invalid> wrote:

    (And it has been *endlessly* amusing, over the years, to hear so
    many starchy, moralizing parents of "Evangelical" conservative
    persuasion laud a series that has this liberation from conformity accomplished with Bacchus and his nymphs in the procession...!)

    Just because they laud it doesn't mean they've actually /read/ it. Or anything else he wrote.

    (As with certain other notable books that they're outspoken fans of...)

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From William Hyde@wthyde1953@gmail.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Wed Feb 4 15:57:43 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    Cryptoengineer wrote:
    On 2/2/2026 11:04 AM, John Ames wrote:
    On Sat, 31 Jan 2026 05:32:45 +0200
    Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

    Lewis, C.S. 1960. That hideous strength.
    Lewis, C.S. 1952. Out of the silent planet.
    Lewis, C.S. 1953. Voyage to Venus Perelandra.

    "That Hideous Strength" is kind of a mess, but an audacious one. His
    other two "Space Trilogy" books are fine indeed, and all three had a
    major influence on me as a writer. A fascinating blend of old-school
    "planetary romance," theology/mysticism, and social commentary.

    Miller, Walter M. 1993 [1959] A canticle for Leibowitz.

    And *speaking* of audacious sci-fi with a shot of theology/mysticism!
    Magnificent work, should be required reading.


    Perelandra is a very strange book.

    The whole Space Trilogy is deeply imbued with Lewis's religous
    outlook.

    I found the first two books to be of mild interest. From the Mars book
    I can only recall the speculations as to Martian grammar, which tells
    you how little the rest of the book interested me.

    "That Hideous Strength", on the other hand, I found far more
    interesting. Flawed or not it felt like more of a novel with actual
    people in it.

    Thumb firmly on the plot scales, and not subtly, but that is to be expected.

    William Hyde
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From John Ames@commodorejohn@gmail.com to rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc,alt.books.inklings on Wed Feb 4 15:53:54 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Wed, 04 Feb 2026 07:05:10 +0200
    Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

    Williams's novels are all fantasy set in *this* world, with the
    irruption of powers from beyond. If you haven't read any of his, I
    recommend starting with "War in Heaven" or "The Place of the Lion".

    Good to know =^_^=

    I first encountered Narnia just at the time that South Africa had
    become a police state, so Captain Maugrim and the statues in the
    witch's castle made immediate sense to me. I had read the space
    trilogy and Charles Williams several years before, when a lot of the symbolism went over my head, but rereading them after Narnia made a
    lot of other things fall into place.

    It's something I never imagined having personal context for, but here
    we are... :/

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc,alt.books.inklings,alt.books.cs-lewis on Thu Feb 5 05:12:04 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Wed, 4 Feb 2026 09:24:24 -0800, John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    On Wed, 4 Feb 2026 12:07:27 -0500
    Cryptoengineer <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    Perelandra is a very strange book.

    The whole Space Trilogy is deeply imbued with Lewis's religous
    outlook.

    I'd forgotten 'til revisiting it some years ago that there's a whole
    sequence at the end that almost plays like a Christian transcendental- >meditation experience. Very strange book, indeed; captivatingly so.

    It's the one I like least of Lewis's "space trilogy", but it has some interesting stuff on the banality of evil.

    If you want to know more about that, see here:

    <https://khanya.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/tales-from-dystopia-x-the-banality-of-evil/>
    --
    Stephen Hayes, Author of The Year of the Dragon
    Sample or purchase The Year of the Dragon: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/907935
    Web site: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
    E-mail: shayes@dunelm.org.uk or if you use Gmail hayesstw@telkomsa.net
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc,alt.books.inklings on Thu Feb 5 05:51:56 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Wed, 4 Feb 2026 15:53:54 -0800, John Ames <commodorejohn@gmail.com>
    wrote:

    On Wed, 04 Feb 2026 07:05:10 +0200
    Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

    Williams's novels are all fantasy set in *this* world, with the
    irruption of powers from beyond. If you haven't read any of his, I
    recommend starting with "War in Heaven" or "The Place of the Lion".

    Good to know =^_^=

    I first encountered Narnia just at the time that South Africa had
    become a police state, so Captain Maugrim and the statues in the
    witch's castle made immediate sense to me. I had read the space
    trilogy and Charles Williams several years before, when a lot of the
    symbolism went over my head, but rereading them after Narnia made a
    lot of other things fall into place.

    It's something I never imagined having personal context for, but here
    we are... :/

    And I've been writing a chidren's novel about a kid who is given a
    copy of "The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe" by a neighbour, and is
    then asked by the secret police to spy on that neighbour. Her family
    initially say she should be proud to serve her country in that way,
    but when she reads about Tumnus in LWW she resists, with unpleasant consequences for her, her friends and her family.
    --
    Stephen Hayes, Author of The Year of the Dragon
    Sample or purchase The Year of the Dragon: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/907935
    Web site: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
    E-mail: shayes@dunelm.org.uk or if you use Gmail hayesstw@telkomsa.net
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From John Ames@commodorejohn@gmail.com to rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc,alt.books.inklings,alt.books.cs-lewis on Thu Feb 5 09:42:50 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Thu, 05 Feb 2026 05:12:04 +0200
    Steve Hayes <hayesstw@telkomsa.net> wrote:

    It's the one I like least of Lewis's "space trilogy", but it has some interesting stuff on the banality of evil.

    Yeah, that stuck with me even as an adolescent. It's become a common
    point of reference in our household over the last decade, as we see one
    example after another of how the villains we're facing on the home
    front aren't the swaggering, operatic characters popular culture taught
    us to expect, but just grotesque, petty creeps operating at scale...

    If you want to know more about that, see here:

    <https://khanya.wordpress.com/2012/02/13/tales-from-dystopia-x-the-banality-of-evil/>

    Thanks for sharing.

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?=@ldo@nz.invalid to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sun Feb 22 06:16:55 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:05:32 +0200, Steve Hayes wrote:

    ... was probably based on Cecil Rhodes, a bu[s]inessman turned
    politician ...

    Calling Cecil Rhodes a rCLbusinessman turned politicianrCY is like ... I donrCOt know ... like referring to Genghiz Khan as a pastoral herder
    turned tribal chieftain ...

    Remember that the entirety of the territory called rCLRhodesiarCY in his
    name included both present-day Zimbabwe and South Africa (n|-e
    rCLSouthern RhodesiarCY).
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?=@ldo@nz.invalid to rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc,alt.books.cs-lewis on Sun Feb 22 06:19:45 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Thu, 05 Feb 2026 05:12:04 +0200, Steve Hayes wrote:

    ... has some interesting stuff on the banality of evil.

    That was a term from Hannah Arendt. She of rCLThe Origins Of TotalitarianismrCY.

    How (painfully) far do you want to go with relevance to current
    events?
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Cryptoengineer@petertrei@gmail.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sun Feb 22 10:33:15 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On 2/4/2026 12:24 PM, John Ames wrote:
    On Wed, 4 Feb 2026 12:07:27 -0500
    Cryptoengineer <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    Perelandra is a very strange book.

    The whole Space Trilogy is deeply imbued with Lewis's religous
    outlook.

    I'd forgotten 'til revisiting it some years ago that there's a whole
    sequence at the end that almost plays like a Christian transcendental- meditation experience. Very strange book, indeed; captivatingly so.


    It does. I can't remember if that's before or after all the human
    and animal couples simultaneously decide to f*ck. (The human couples
    do it in different rooms - they're decent Christians, after all).

    pt
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Robert Woodward@robertaw@drizzle.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sun Feb 22 10:47:18 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    In article <10ne70n$1st45$1@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence DrCOOliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    On Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:05:32 +0200, Steve Hayes wrote:

    ... was probably based on Cecil Rhodes, a bu[s]inessman turned
    politician ...

    Calling Cecil Rhodes a rCLbusinessman turned politicianrCY is like ... I donrCOt know ... like referring to Genghiz Khan as a pastoral herder
    turned tribal chieftain ...

    Remember that the entirety of the territory called rCLRhodesiarCY in his
    name included both present-day Zimbabwe and South Africa (n|-e
    rCLSouthern RhodesiarCY).

    Wrong. Zimbabwe was Southern Rhodesia and Zambia was Northern Rhodesia.
    --
    "We have advanced to new and surprising levels of bafflement."
    Imperial Auditor Miles Vorkosigan describes progress in _Komarr_. rCo-----------------------------------------------------
    Robert Woodward robertaw@drizzle.com
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Kerr-Mudd, John@admin@127.0.0.1 to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Sun Feb 22 20:30:44 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Sun, 22 Feb 2026 10:47:18 -0800
    Robert Woodward <robertaw@drizzle.com> wrote:

    In article <10ne70n$1st45$1@dont-email.me>,
    Lawrence D|ore4raoOliveiro <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    On Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:05:32 +0200, Steve Hayes wrote:

    ... was probably based on Cecil Rhodes, a bu[s]inessman turned
    politician ...

    Calling Cecil Rhodes a |ore4+obusinessman turned politician|ore4_ is like ... I
    don|ore4raot know ... like referring to Genghiz Khan as a pastoral herder turned tribal chieftain ...

    Remember that the entirety of the territory called |ore4+oRhodesia|ore4_ in his
    name included both present-day Zimbabwe and South Africa (n|a--e |ore4+oSouthern Rhodesia|ore4_).

    Wrong. Zimbabwe was Southern Rhodesia and Zambia was Northern Rhodesia.

    IAWTP. (posted in AUE). Maybe I should've just set FUs.
    --
    Bah, and indeed Humbug.
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc,alt.books.cs-lewis on Mon Feb 23 14:43:24 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Sun, 22 Feb 2026 06:19:45 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D|+Oliveiro
    <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    On Thu, 05 Feb 2026 05:12:04 +0200, Steve Hayes wrote:

    ... has some interesting stuff on the banality of evil.

    That was a term from Hannah Arendt. She of rCLThe Origins Of >TotalitarianismrCY.

    As was mentioned in the link.

    How (painfully) far do you want to go with relevance to current
    events?

    As far as is relevant.
    --
    Stephen Hayes, Author of The Year of the Dragon
    Sample or purchase The Year of the Dragon: https://www.smashwords.com/books/view/907935
    Web site: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://methodius.blogspot.com
    E-mail: shayes@dunelm.org.uk or if you use Gmail hayesstw@telkomsa.net
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Steve Hayes@hayesstw@telkomsa.net to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Mon Feb 23 14:55:05 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Sun, 22 Feb 2026 06:16:55 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D|+Oliveiro
    <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:

    On Tue, 03 Feb 2026 07:05:32 +0200, Steve Hayes wrote:

    ... was probably based on Cecil Rhodes, a bu[s]inessman turned
    politician ...

    Calling Cecil Rhodes a rCLbusinessman turned politicianrCY is like ... I >donrCOt know ... like referring to Genghiz Khan as a pastoral herder
    turned tribal chieftain ...

    I was referring to the most relevant characteristics he had in common
    with Donald Trump. Neither was a pastoral herder. >

    Remember that the entirety of the territory called rCLRhodesiarCY in his
    name included both present-day Zimbabwe and South Africa (n|-e
    rCLSouthern RhodesiarCY).

    No.

    Northern Rhodesia is now called Zambia, and Southern Rhodesia is now
    called Zimbabwe.

    South Africa in his day no doubt included present-day Zimbabwe, but
    the only part of what became the Union (later Republic) of South
    Africa that he ruled was the Cape Colony, which which he was Prime
    Minister for a while, but it was never called by his name, much as he
    would have licked it to be (another thing he had in common with Trump,
    no doubt).
    --
    Steve Hayes from Tshwane, South Africa
    Web: http://www.khanya.org.za/stevesig.htm
    Blog: http://khanya.wordpress.com
    E-mail - see web page, or parse: shayes at dunelm full stop org full stop uk --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?=@ldo@nz.invalid to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Wed Feb 25 03:40:34 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Sun, 1 Feb 2026 14:14:04 -0000 (UTC), Don wrote:

    rCLThe title of a book by Tolstoy has been translated as What Then
    Should We Do? My faith gives me an answer. It would be terrible
    to think that life has no meaning, that we are going nowhere,
    and that what we do until we die is a matter of indifference.
    That is what tortures so many today.rCY

    <https://www.ewtnnews.com/world/us/justice-alito-warns-seminarians-religious-liberty-is-in-danger>

    WHAT THEN SHOULD WE DO? appears in Luke 3:10rCo14. Tolstoy's
    non-fictional work describes the Russian social conditions in 1886.
    It begins with a Moscow beggar being thrown into jail for begging.

    WHAT THEN SHOULD WE DO will be the next book heard (eg read) by me.

    Religious-based answers always require a certain degree of selective
    thinking, though, donrCOt they: namely, that if your rCLfaithrCY gives you
    one answer, then those with a rCLdifferentrCY faith will be given a
    different answer -- because if the answer is the same, then the
    specific rCLfaithrCY involved becomes irrelevant.

    But if the answer to the meaning of life is rCLfaithrCY-dependent, then it
    is a matter of arbitrary belief, not based on fact.
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?=@ldo@nz.invalid to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Wed Feb 25 03:48:02 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Mon, 2 Feb 2026 17:03:26 +1300, Titus G wrote:

    With regard to the infiltration of Romance into Science Fiction,
    most Science Fiction writers of the '60s kept women in the kitchen.
    If The Time Traveller's Wife was marketed as Romance, it would be an
    early example of an infiltration of Fantasy masquerading as Science
    Fiction. And, of course, Fantasy has no place in the reality of
    Romance. I'll get my coat.

    Talking about genre drift, yourCOd be aware of the traditional snobbish attitude towards SF from aficionados of rCLmainstreamrCY or rCLseriousrCY fiction. And the old stereotypes prevalent among them of SF being
    about rockets and spaceships, bla bla bla.

    ThatrCOs why it was amusing to me to find out that the winner of the
    2024 Booker Prize is a novel called rCLOrbitalrCY, set on the
    International Space Station <https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/orbital>.

    So rockets and spaceships are now part of mainstream fiction? And the
    topmost level of arty mainstream fiction, at that? Of course they are!
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Lawrence =?iso-8859-13?q?D=FFOliveiro?=@ldo@nz.invalid to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Wed Feb 25 03:50:52 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Mon, 2 Feb 2026 19:27:57 -0500 (EST), Scott Dorsey wrote:

    I don't think it would take much to add a butler to the story. You
    would expect a palace to have a full staff.

    YourCOd have a whole lot more serving staff to choose from than just one
    butler ...

    rCLThe ostler did it!rCY
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From John Ames@commodorejohn@gmail.com to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Wed Feb 25 10:47:56 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Sun, 22 Feb 2026 10:33:15 -0500
    Cryptoengineer <petertrei@gmail.com> wrote:

    I'd forgotten 'til revisiting it some years ago that there's a whole sequence at the end that almost plays like a Christian
    transcendental- meditation experience. Very strange book, indeed; captivatingly so.

    It does. I can't remember if that's before or after all the human
    and animal couples simultaneously decide to f*ck. (The human couples
    do it in different rooms - they're decent Christians, after all).

    That's "That Hideous Strength," the final book in the trilogy.

    And even the animals are discreet about it ;)

    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2
  • From Paul S Person@psperson@old.netcom.invalid to alt.usage.english,rec.arts.books,rec.arts.sf.written,rec.arts.sf.misc on Wed Feb 25 13:50:21 2026
    From Newsgroup: rec.arts.books

    On Wed, 25 Feb 2026 03:48:02 -0000 (UTC), Lawrence D|Oliveiro
    <ldo@nz.invalid> wrote:
    On Mon, 2 Feb 2026 17:03:26 +1300, Titus G wrote:

    With regard to the infiltration of Romance into Science Fiction,
    most Science Fiction writers of the '60s kept women in the kitchen.
    If The Time Traveller's Wife was marketed as Romance, it would be an
    early example of an infiltration of Fantasy masquerading as Science
    Fiction. And, of course, Fantasy has no place in the reality of
    Romance. I'll get my coat.

    Talking about genre drift, youAd be aware of the traditional snobbish >attitude towards SF from aficionados of omainstreamo or oseriouso
    fiction. And the old stereotypes prevalent among them of SF being
    about rockets and spaceships, bla bla bla.

    ThatAs why it was amusing to me to find out that the winner of the
    2024 Booker Prize is a novel called oOrbitalo, set on the
    International Space Station ><https://thebookerprizes.com/the-booker-library/books/orbital>.

    So rockets and spaceships are now part of mainstream fiction? And the
    topmost level of arty mainstream fiction, at that? Of course they are!
    Perhaps similar to what /Superfolks/ did way back in 1977 with comic
    book heroes. <https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Superfolks>
    I remember it because of the moral dilemma it poses: return to Earth
    and to his family, grow old, and die; or stay in space, young, strong,
    immortal again -- but without his family.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"
    --- Synchronet 3.21b-Linux NewsLink 1.2