tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post7286785286126276896..comments2024-03-28T08:06:43.198-04:00Comments on The Silicon Graybeard: How Many Have You Read?SiGraybeardhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comBlogger12125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-16754516617073312032011-08-23T20:04:12.679-04:002011-08-23T20:04:12.679-04:00I read a lot of Anthony back in the day. Come to ...I read a lot of Anthony back in the day. Come to think of it, "Bio of a Space Tyrant" had a lot of weird sexual themes running through it. Very disturbing in light of Reg's information.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03889681055577032812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-83210760840427273672011-08-23T18:28:47.439-04:002011-08-23T18:28:47.439-04:00Wow, Reg, I had no idea. I would hate to stumble ...Wow, Reg, I had no idea. I would hate to stumble across something like that. <br /><br />Guess I'll be skipping the Piers Anthony.SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-6368350209791612172011-08-23T08:22:32.108-04:002011-08-23T08:22:32.108-04:00Wow, I *did not* know about that. I haven't r...Wow, I *did not* know about that. I haven't read anything by him in decades, but you can bet I won't go looking for his stuff again.<br /><br />Heh, I wonder if that librarian who was so concerned about "censorship" keeps "snuff films" in her/his movie section - to not do so would be "censorship" as well, would it not? Typical quasi-non-judgmental liberal/progressive hypocrite talk. I wonder what the librarian would have said if the book depicted a muslim man engaged in pedophilia with a young boy? (But that doesn't ever happen, right?)LeverActionhttp://leveraction.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-40883993676005323182011-08-23T01:23:45.583-04:002011-08-23T01:23:45.583-04:00I listed _Macroscope_ because it is an excellent b...I listed _Macroscope_ because it is an excellent book. I almost left it off though, because Piers Anthony is either a pedophile, or an apologist for pedophilia. He wrote a book called _Firefly_ in which an adult male has on-going sexual relations with a five year old girl, who insists upon having sex and won't let this adult male say "no". He is completely incapable of refusing her desire to be sexually penetrated by him, and he feels the need to satisfy her urges in spite of himself. Based on what I read (I didn't finish it), I don't believe it was irony or a tongue-in-cheek exposure of pedophilia. It read like an apology for pedophilia.<br /><br />Yes, it really is as bad as that. As a cop in San Diego, I dealt with a couple of teenage prostitutes, fourteen and fifteen years old, who I tried to get off the streets, returning them to their homes, arranging for counseling, etc. But this book is an order of magnitude worse than my failure to effect any change in their behavior. It truly reads as an apology for why adult males have sex with little girls.<br /><br />I took the book back to the library that I got it from, and advised the librarian that she might want to consider restricting access to the book by children or teens, but she claimed that would be censorship, and she refused to engage in any form of censorship.<br /><br />Sorry. Didn't mean to turn this into a rant against Anthony, but I felt moved to pass on this aspect of his character.Reg Tnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-18872902147054171922011-08-22T11:36:00.449-04:002011-08-22T11:36:00.449-04:00Another I would add to the list would be the "...Another I would add to the list would be the "Incarnations of Immortality" books by Piers Anthony. Not quite as whimsical or well known as his Xanth books, but I thought they were better myself (but it was more than 20 years ago that I read them and I was much younger then).<br /><br />I haven't combed the entire list, but I'll bet my number is a bit lower than most engineer/nerd type guys. Though I have read everything Tolkien ever wrote at least twice. My reading in the last 15 years, when I have the chance to read, has steered away from fantasy and sci-fi more toward history and how-to books. And blogs... :-)LeverActionhttp://leveraction.wordpress.comnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-72998130334404815062011-08-22T11:18:56.184-04:002011-08-22T11:18:56.184-04:00It's true that you might not like Job if the i...It's true that you might not like Job if the idea of a (very) sympathetic Satan character bothers you. That's not a problem for me, and I liked the book overall (though the epilogue is weak).<br /><br />I recommend Ender's Game, as I do most of Card's works that I've read. They aren't all classics, but they are entertaining, and Card is excellent at using character in drama.Xenoclesnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-85229758252949870262011-08-22T10:19:37.998-04:002011-08-22T10:19:37.998-04:00I've read 51, and just picked up some of Howar...I've read 51, and just picked up some of Howard's Conan stories at a Waldenbooks closeout.<br /><br />I thought JOB sucked, mostly because of the anti-Christian content.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03889681055577032812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-52739267567774062972011-08-22T10:14:25.210-04:002011-08-22T10:14:25.210-04:00There are other Pratchett books better than those ...There are other Pratchett books better than those listed, but anything by him is good.Chrishttps://www.blogger.com/profile/03889681055577032812noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-3048745123920835912011-08-22T00:19:36.081-04:002011-08-22T00:19:36.081-04:00Have read 33 of these. Have JOB in my to read sta...Have read 33 of these. Have JOB in my to read stack; just haven't gotten to it, yet. <br /><br />-GB<br /><br />IIIAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-62365898450986859162011-08-21T20:14:44.568-04:002011-08-21T20:14:44.568-04:00I don't think there is anything RAH wrote that...I don't think there is anything RAH wrote that I haven't read, including the posthumous collection Ginny put together. "Job" was strange enough I'm not sure I fully understood it. I'll have to sit down with it again sometime. Farnam's Freehold was the fellow who, with his family in a bomb shelter during WWIII finds his shelter has been kicked into the future by a near miss from a Russian (or was it Chinese?) nuclear missile. When contacted by the residents of America of that future time, it is a monarchy/empire of blacks, with whites as slaves this time. Quite well done, but considering that The One is our present leader, I hope it wasn't apochryphal ;-) <br /><br />The book that Spider Robinson wrote (Variable Star) that was supposed to have been based on notes that RAH made for a book he never got to write was a bust for me. The publishing company wrote it up as if Robinson had "channeled" RAH, but it was too full of pacifistic, liberal cant for it to even come close to sounding like Heinlein. I was disappointed.<br /><br />Oh! If you can find a copy at your library (or through their system of borrowing from other libraries) you should read Triumph, by Philip Wylie. It was published in '63, but well written and not a bad look at the Cold War turning hot. I think you'd really enjoy it.<br /><br />Since I couldn't highlight the books on the list, here are the numbers of the ones I've read: 1,2,3,4,6,7,8,9,13,14,16,17,19,20,21,23,24,25,26,27,28,30,31,33,34,35,36,37,38,39,40,42,44,45,46,49,51,53,55,56,58,61,65,71,75,76,78,79,86,91,94,96.Reg Tnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-55414346599839820672011-08-21T19:33:01.595-04:002011-08-21T19:33:01.595-04:00Time Enough for Love! How could I forget that one...Time Enough for Love! How could I forget that one? It should have definitely been on that list; it's one of my all time favorite books. <br /><br />I don't remember Farnam's Freehold very well, but I'm pretty sure I read it. Have you read "JOB, a Comedy of Justice"? Enjoyable. I read a few of his later books when I was between terms at school (I got my degree working full time and school at night - I'd read when I only had one full time job!).SiGraybeardhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/00280583031339062059noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1592992209402300549.post-27491457127715749802011-08-21T19:07:44.690-04:002011-08-21T19:07:44.690-04:00I've read 53. The comment section won't le...I've read 53. The comment section won't let me use bold type to indicate which ones. Pretty similar to yours SG, with additions, of course.<br /><br />Here are some I'd add, just off the top of my head.<br /><br />Farnam's Freehold, RA Heinlein<br />Time Enough For Love, RA Heinlein<br />Stand On Zanzibar, John Brunner<br />Three Hearts, Three Lions, Poul Anderson (fantasy involving Holger Danske)<br />Macroscope, Piers Anthony<br />The Weapon Shops of Isher, AE Van Vogt<br />The Voyage of the Space Beagle, AE Van Vogt (true origin of Star Trek)<br />The Dresden Files, Jim Butcher (much better than the video series)Reg Thttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14099612693763932005noreply@blogger.com