posted
I just got Analog's Jan/Feb edition, the stories in it are standard Analog fare, rather completely unrealistic with things working in ways they never would, but still enjoyable. Until I came to "Uncreated Night and Strange Shadows." While I was willing to overlook some minor deficiencies, like the author's complete inability to tell a cohesive story, there are only so many bad writing techniques I can stand. The premise is that a group of people travel for three years and several galaxies in order to make contact with an alien race that, incidentally, gave them the plans for an antimatter machine that makes free energy and has solved the world's problems. Not that that's really important of course.
Upon reaching the alien world they find themselves surrounded by thousands of different alien ships. This illicits an, "oh, isn't that strange," from the crew. They then explore the planet and find bones that they don't have the time or the paleontologists to spare to look at them. This comes after a page or so complaining about how no one has anything to do, and they're stuck there until they can refuel the ship.
Finally, they manage to enter the underground tunnels of the aliens. However, after exploring a short way in and never actually seeing an alien they lose interest. Finally however, they make contact with the aliens and, as they are being told about the origins of life, and the aliens goals in bringing them there, they get bored. All of them. The whole ship of several hundred people gets bored during first contact with an alien species. *holds head in hands*
And this story is only slightly below average for Analog. Are all science fiction magazines this bad, or is Analog just blessed? And how has this magazine managed to survive for so long with so many crappy stories?
posted
You mean 'elicits', which is to say, 'brings forth', 'encourages'. Your 'illicits' is not a word; you are confusing it with the adjective 'illicit' meaning 'furtive', 'illegal'.
This thread derailing was brought to you by your friendly neighbourhood Grammar Communist.
Posts: 10645 | Registered: Jul 2004
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posted
Blacwolve, there's no question that there's an enormous amount of crap getting published (which is why Scott R's repeated rejection letters are so painful--Blackberry Witch is a good story), but there is good stuff as well. I usually enjoy a majority of the stories in Gardner Dozois' Year's Best Science Fiction anthologies.
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posted
If you haven't picked up Phobos' "All the Rage This Year" or the Writer's of the Future 20th Anthology, you're doing yourself a great disservice.
Oh yeah, and I cancelled my subscription to Analog years ago for just that reason.
Posts: 154 | Registered: Nov 2000
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posted
I really enjoy reading older sci-fi from the 60s and 70s, but I just read and really enjoyed a realitively new (about 10 years old) Science Fiction book:
Fire Upon the Deep by Victor Vinge.
Posts: 16551 | Registered: Feb 2003
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quote:Upon reaching the alien world they find themselves surrounded by thousands of different alien ships. This illicits an, "oh, isn't that strange," from the crew. They then explore the planet and find bones that they don't have the time or the paleontologists to spare to look at them. This comes after a page or so complaining about how no one has anything to do, and they're stuck there until they can refuel the ship.
Finally, they manage to enter the underground tunnels of the aliens. However, after exploring a short way in and never actually seeing an alien they lose interest. Finally however, they make contact with the aliens and, as they are being told about the origins of life, and the aliens goals in bringing them there, they get bored. All of them. The whole ship of several hundred people gets bored during first contact with an alien species.
You know, this part sounds like a post-modern-"we've-become-too-deluged-as-a-society-by-entertainment-that-everything-is-now-boring" reworking of OSC's script for The Dig...
Were there any references to a shovel? Posts: 1295 | Registered: Jan 2003
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posted
This is my speculation on speculative fiction.
Fire Upon the Deep is a seriously good novel. It's also often referred to as one of the best sci-fi novels of the 90s.
I think the nature of the question is more about the general level of quality, which seems to have slipped.
My guess is that it is partly because so many people can just write short speculative fiction and then publish it on the web, and IMO, that means people don't hone their skills enough to get really good at writing. "Oh well, I got three rejections, I'll just post on the web, instead." Not, "I got ten rejections, maybe I'll take a look at rewriting, or trying harder next time, or do a writers workshop." I don't know that this is the case, but it seems to match what I see.
Analog has to put out a magazine every so often, so they need to accept a certain number of the submissions, and if the general quality of the submissions is declining, then they have to go with what they get.
As far as novels, a decade ago I was in a SF writing group on the Internet populated by published SF writers. What they were saying then was that the publishers were looking for a specific set of things in their novels, and those things weren't necessarily what makes for interesting SF for the "conoisseur." Instead, they wanted to sell like Jordan, so they wanted books written like Jordan. "Under 400 pages? Don't even bother." "The world doesn't hang in the balance? Don't call us, we shan't call you." "The hero isn't tortured by inner demons? I believe that's your coat over there."
It was rather discouraging to a young man who desperately wanted to be a SF writer. Not as discouraging as discovering that I couldn't structure a plot to save my life, of course...
At any rate, I'm by no means an expert. I write for other media.
SF does seem to have hit some doldrums. It will in all likelihood pick up again at some point. Everything has cycles, IME.
Posts: 720 | Registered: Oct 2004
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quote: Analog has to put out a magazine every so often, so they need to accept a certain number of the submissions, and if the general quality of the submissions is declining, then they have to go with what they get.
I've read stories by people on hatrack who have been rejected by Analog, when their stuff is a hundred times better than the tripe it publishes. I really just can't believe that there aren't any good writers out there.
Posts: 4655 | Registered: Jan 2002
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