books 2007: To Your Scattered Bodies Go, by Philip Jose Farmer

[supercheesegirl]

Woot! Another Hugo Award winner down. This was a really good book. I spent a while being shocked at the sexism in this book, but then I thought about it, and realized that Farmer's hero died in 1890 and had the masculine ideas of the era, and that in general many billions of the billions of people in the book died in centuries well before this one, when people had different ideas about women. So then I felt a bit better--would have liked to see a female character who was important for more than just sex, but hopefully in the next book. I'm interested to read the next one, chiefly because NOTHING WAS ACTUALLY RESOLVED in this one, but we'll see when I get around to getting it from the library.

Comments

[woodwardiocom.livejournal.com]

Yah, the Riverworld books are moderate classics. I think you'll like the next one better . . .

[sleepyworm.livejournal.com]

god, I thought book 2 was far weaker. I'm sort of dreading the day when I find a copy of book 3 (the bookstores in new york seem to refuse to stock Farmer at all). I've heard it just keeps getting worse the farther along the series you go.

[tisana.livejournal.com]

This might be a good reading list for me to work my way through. Far too many sci-fi classics I haven't read for me to be a real fan.

[sleepyworm.livejournal.com]

Just a warning, though...things aren't always good just because they won the hugo. Phillip K. Dick's book The Man In The High Castle was conceptually interesting but boring as hell to read.

[supercheesegirl.livejournal.com]

I totally recommend doing that. Most of the books I've read on there, I wouldn't have found on my own, and I've really enjoyed every single Hugo I've read. Plus, then you get to read the sequels--there's almost always a sequel or two that aren't on the list--so that makes for lots of good sci fi reading!