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Cast up by the inland sea
Nov. 29th, 2004 01:54 pmA propos of a comment by the Inland C about Bicentennial Man:
One of the first books that affected me deeply was Asimov's I, Robot. I read and liked other books, kids' books, but this one was different -- it wasn't designed to teach me vocabulary, or how to be polite to adults. It wanted to do something entirely different. It wanted to show me the wonder of scientific discovery, and the often inadequate or tragic reaction of human beings to their own creations, or to the logical extension of their own ideas.
Some of you have heard this story; I don't remember how young I was when I read I, Robot. I was young enough to be confused by it, because it was set in the then-future, but I thought it was true.
Consider two watershed reading experiences: I, Robot and The Thorn Birds, which, honestly, explain a lot about me and my taste in reading material. Wonder and angst, please. Wonder, angst, and gratuitous sex. (Honey and haycorns and thistles.) (Lions and tigers and bears.)
And you, Dear Reader? What books turned you around, when you were young? Not just books you liked or even loved, but books that entered your consciousness? That stand as landmarks even now? Don't be shy. It's not Lasting Quality we're looking for here -- it's lasting effect. Sure, I can cite Catch-22, but I might also have to include the novelizations of the BBC Robin Hood series, and those were dreadful.
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One of the first books that affected me deeply was Asimov's I, Robot. I read and liked other books, kids' books, but this one was different -- it wasn't designed to teach me vocabulary, or how to be polite to adults. It wanted to do something entirely different. It wanted to show me the wonder of scientific discovery, and the often inadequate or tragic reaction of human beings to their own creations, or to the logical extension of their own ideas.
Some of you have heard this story; I don't remember how young I was when I read I, Robot. I was young enough to be confused by it, because it was set in the then-future, but I thought it was true.
Consider two watershed reading experiences: I, Robot and The Thorn Birds, which, honestly, explain a lot about me and my taste in reading material. Wonder and angst, please. Wonder, angst, and gratuitous sex. (Honey and haycorns and thistles.) (Lions and tigers and bears.)
And you, Dear Reader? What books turned you around, when you were young? Not just books you liked or even loved, but books that entered your consciousness? That stand as landmarks even now? Don't be shy. It's not Lasting Quality we're looking for here -- it's lasting effect. Sure, I can cite Catch-22, but I might also have to include the novelizations of the BBC Robin Hood series, and those were dreadful.
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