My Guide to Science Fiction and Fantasy

Note: This guide is currently partially incomplete. I will try to get around to expanding the summaries at some time in the near future (in particular in the Fantasy section). Not to mention that almost undoubtedly, there will have been one or two books I will have wholly forgotten, to my future disbelief.

---

This post is a summary of my recommendations regarding fiction; specifically, in the genres of science fiction and fantasy, which have proven to be the types that have typically attracted my interest, though not quite the only types. Certainly, I feel that I have read enough of a variety within these areas now, that I can produce something of a useful guide for anyone interested in finding the real gems of these forms of literature. It is important to realise that the summaries that I have provided are not meant to be synopses or reviews of the books, but rather brief overviews of my personal takes on them, as well as suggestions relating to why you might be interested in them.

So without further preamble, here is my guide. I’ve listed my current favourites (by that I mean both most enjoyable and having greatest creative and literary merit) at the top, with others in a fairly arbitrary order.

Science Fiction

• Dune and the Dune series by Frank Herbert
  In my opinion (and seemingly that of many others), perhaps the greatest science fiction novel ever written. The scope and storyline are truly unparalleled by anything else within the genre, and maybe anything else in the entire body of 20th century literature. In a certain respect, this work almost belongs within the fantasy genre because of its nature and some of the motifs – it’s much more of a superb story than superb speculative science, with a bit of philosophy thrown in. Of course, it still very much deserves the categorisation of sci-fi, mainly because of the interstellar travel (run by the monopolistic Spacing Guild) as well as the ecology/terraforming ideas that are involved. Overall, I might think that classifying it as a planetary romance does it maximum justice, though in all fairness there’s no real way to get a decent understanding of its unique style and grand themes without reading the work in its entirity. It is certainly not so-called “hard sci-fi”, but that’s not especially what I’m interested in to be honest, and no-one who has a proper interest in literature should care either. I don’t way to say too much more about this book, since I think everyone with an interest in sci-fi should read this once (and preferably reread it) from a fresh perspective and to experience its wonder for themself. Now if you make it through the original Dune novel (I’m not sure how you can finish it and be anything less than stunned), then I would without hesistance suggest that you also pick up the second and third of the series (Dune Messiah and Children of Dune), which are excellent reads in their own rights, if not actually masterpieces. After that, I’m afraid to say that the standard of writing and storyline declines to a certain degree (with a short resurgence in the latter half of Heretics of Dune). The rest of it does tend to get slightly crazy (not helped by Herbert’s unusual and sometimes slightly opaque writing style), and even verges on becoming somewhat raunchy at times. Still, they are by no means poor works, albeit ones that I would only recommend to serious fans of Frank Herbert. (More precisely, they are still works of high quality, but only to a much diminished subset of people.) So that I don’t end on a seemingly sour note, I shall repeat and reinforce my statement that the the original Dune, written in 1965, is a piece of literature that should not be missed by anyone with an interest in speculative fiction.
• Foundation series by Isaac Asimov
  The original Foundation is perhaps the first truly epic sci-fi ever created, and to some extent the precursor of Dune and ultimately inspirational to the Star Wars universe (arguably alongside Dune itself). Unlike Herbert’s series, however, this one peaks somewhere in the middle, with both the head and tail ends being only marginally diminished in standard. Although it may not contain a single book that is the equal of Dune, the series as a whole is probably unbeatable. Its pace and sheer scale rarely drops, and there’s always a sense of the unexpected (though a few can be predicted, Ibelieve it was intended very purposely). Again, similarly to Dune, this book is what it is because of its storyline, although there is undoubtedly a greater emphasis on the science, not surprisingly given that Asimov is in fact a scientist (chemist) by training. It contains some genuinitely interesting and imaginative scientific concepts (as well as a few strange and outdated ones, having been written in the 50s), both in terms of hard science (mainly physics and astronomy) and soft science (psychohistory being the main one). The latter is particularly intriguing, as it demonstrates (albeit in superficial detail) an entire new branch of science, which is in essence a blend of history, sociology, and psychology turned into a mathematical study of analysis and prediction of the macro-events of the human race. As a matter of fact, I do believe that Asimov is showing some foresight in this respect. Though the level to which he proposes the usage of his psychohistory may not be very realistic, the core idea gets me thinking seriously about the possibility of such a field opening up in the future. To summarise, he explores a number of both scientific an human themes with exceptional insight, yet some amount of subtlety too. So if you want something that is enormous in scope, besides superb entertainment (yes, these novels even include a bit of humour!), you assuredly cannot go wrong with this series.
• Space Odyssey series by Arthur C. Clarke
  2001: A Space Odyssey was one of the first proper science fiction novels I read (as a young teenager), and probably what really grabbed my fascination with the genre. As a novel written alongside a (faithful) film script, the storyline in fact ended up producing both a fantastic book and film, and counts for much of what made the Clarke the celebrity he was. Sadly, the great author passed away less than a year ago now, though he continued to write with much of his former skill well into the 21st century. Clarke’s works have always had the tendency to focus on space, the universe, and other intelligent species, and though they are perhaps not as grand in style as Dune or Foundation (he is clearly a realist opposed to the more romantic styles of the other two authors), they do have astoundingly good (hard) science, as well an undeniable element of suspense, which is present throughout almost all of his creations. The Space Odyssey series as a whole is one definitely worth reading to the end. If I remember rightly, only one of the four in the series (the others have the same names, replaced by the years 2010, 2061, and 3001) is a slight letdown, though the remainder (importantly, including the first and the last) are most enjoyable indeed. The first of the series I must however single out and include among my “big three” of sci-fi, the others being the original dune Dune and Foundation (despite a number of excellent sequels), as you might have suspected by now.
• Rendezvous with Rama and the Rama series by Arthur C. Clarke
  Belonging almost as much in mystery/thriller category as it does in science fiction, it is nevertheless an astonishing read. The highly unique view that this story offers in relating the first contact of humans with other intelligent life (of a much more advanced form in this case) may not be an especially grand one, but the imagination that went into this creation was surely immense. Being a mystery, I’m not going to comment any more about the book, even in vague terms. (Or maybe I’m just not too sure what to think of it as a whole.) Specifically, I would recommend that if your introduction to the works of Arthur C. Clarke is (or has already been) a pleasant one beginning with with 2001: A Space Odyssey, then this should definitely be next thing on your reading list. Most unfortunately however, akin to the Dune series, the quality of successive books  does deteriorate a certain amount. (I can confidently say that the second is worth a read, though, while the subsequent ones lose some, if not all, of their novelty.) If you need any more convincing, let me point out that Rendezvous with Rama won both of the highest commendations in science fiction, the Hugo Award and the Nebula Award, a feat that the original Dune similarly achieved.
• Brave New World by Aldous Huxley
  Who hasn’t heard of this work alongside The War of the Worlds as a prime example of classic science fiction? Again, not celebrated so much for its scientific content as the eloquent manner in which it conveys certain philosophical and speculative ideas. I won’t deny that this is a bit of a depressing read in some ways, but its philosophical and socilogical implications are beyond doubt not only captivating but also quite relevant to modern society. Perhaps I do have something of a penchant for philosophical prophecy in literature, but I don’t think anyone can finish this book not having had their own thoughts and outlook on life and society sincerely provoked, if not disturbed by this powerful portrayal of a dystopian world in the near future.
• Farennheit 451 by Ray Bradbury
  A curious title, let alone book, and perhaps science fiction is not the most obvious classification for this work, though I think in a sociological sense it is so speculative and strikingly relevant regarding our future that it should be deemed so. This book has many parallels with Brave New World, the evident ones being the examination of dystopian societies (albeit two different forms) and philosophical warnings with undeniable precautionary overtones. They are both surely championing the freedom of independent thought and behaviour over the horrors that extreme conformism might bring. And finally: a book about the destruction of books – is there not a wonderful irony (perhaps even mockery) in this predominant theme?

There are additionally a few books about which I have heard very positive reports but unfortunately haven’t gotten around to reading yet. I’ll update the summaries when I do get around to reading at least some of these books, which will most probably be some time over the coming summer break.

• Childhood’s End by Arthur C. Clarke
  [Summary to come.]
• The Robot series by Isaac Asimov
  [Summary to come.] For the time being, maybe pointing out that the film I, Robot was based on Asimov’s book of the same name will be enough to convince some to read it?

Fantasy

• The Lord of the Rings trilogy and The Hobbit, or There and Back Again by J.R.R. Tolkien
  How much do I need to say about this one? That it most likely surpasses all of the others in both of the categories I have listed here should say enough about my particularly high opinion of the works. (I am a self-confessed Tolkien fanatic, after all) In fact, if you need convincing to read this epic, then I would suggest that you stop reading this list now (not that I would have expected you to get this far anyway)! I’ve mainly just included this entry for completeness, not because it’s going to be of any supreme help to anyone. As a side note, The Hobbit, or There and Back Again (commonly simply referred to as The Hobbit) should without doubt be read alongside the trilogy – whether before or after ought not make much of a difference to its impact, at least as I see it. Though I’m not sure to what extent this perception exists, I will nonetheless suggest that you dispell all notions of this being a story for chlidren – indeed it is no less suitable for adults than it is for a child, despite its comparative light-heartedness, which has possibly given it such a reputation. While I, as many others, read the novel first when I was quite young, it has not since lost its endearing quality to me, and see no reason why it should for anyone else.
• The Silmarillion by J.R.R. Tolkien
  The epic historical prequel to The Hobbit and The Lord of the Rings, this may not be the easiest read when you first pick it up. (At least, it wasn’t for me, though perhaps that was because I was much younger at the time and the somewhat archaic language didn’t help – yet I can only say it adds to the character and feeling of the story nowadays.) Nonetheless, I would argue it is almost more magnificent than The Lord of the Rings in certain ways, being an true archetype of epic literature. (Though I haven’t read it myself, the Anglo-Saxon poem Beowulf may give some impression of its style; unsurprising, given that Tolkien was a professor who taught such works of literature.) To be honest, if you’re not immeresed in it by the half-way point, then put it down, but I suspect this will not be the case for any lover of The Lord of the Rings, and you will hopefully become immersed as I did by the histories.
• The Wheel of Time series by Robert Jordan
  This is a series that I’ve actually not managed to finish yet. (My excuse is that it’s composed of 12 books, each ranging from roughly 700 to 1000 pages. I’m never one to race through a book or series [at least not since I was younger], and in any case I’m at least getting some enjoyment out of the reading.) Influenced to large amounts by both Tolkien and Herbert’s works (and I didn’t even know this when I started reading it!), I believe this series will given time become as renowned as those two in its own right. This is the series to read if you’re looking for fantasy that is both entertaining and has great depth to its characters, something that arguably even the great Tolkien’s works were at times missing.
• Shannara series by Terry Brooks
  Shannara is Brook’s most well-known (and as of yet) unfinished series. With a total of 14 books (a set composed over individual stories and series in their own right), this beats even The Wheel of Time in that respect, though the fact that the various storylines are disparate to a large degree makes it significantly more manageable. Being epic high fantasy very much in the style of Tolkien (though not direct plagarism, as some critics were too keen to codemn The Sword of Shannara). In my opinion, this series needs to be read at least until the conclusion of the second book (The Elfstones of the Shannara), which is in my mind still the best fantasy work outside of Tolkien’s collection, since I initially read it seven years ago.
• The Word and the Void trilogy by Terry Brooks
  This is Brook’s lesser known series, though in fact considered by a sizable minority to be his best writing. With a dark, modern setting, this certainly isn’t his typical style (or at least the one by which he gained his reputation), though it is perhaps his most creative composition. It is additonally notable in representing his final break-away from the influence of Tolkien (not that I can deem this a wholly undersirable event), and really includes some very original content to its plot. Even if you were turned off by Shannara (or simply not particularly impressed), I would firstly respond in shock, but then suggest that this trilogy is worth a try regardless of your opinion.

Now, before some indignant Harry Potter fanboy comments on the absence of the series from my list (this is of course presuming I have any reading this post), I should stress that these are not books that have just slipped my mind. I’ve read them all (some more than once when I was a bit younger), and plainly, they are decent light entertainment, but nothing worth putting alongside the other greats, I’m afraid.

To end, I would only like to say that it would be very gratifying to hear whether anyone is making use of these recommendations. It would honestly be quite interesting just to gauge whether you as fellow fans of these genres concur with at least some of the views presented here, or conversely how you might view my summaries contrastingly. If not, I think I can still convince myself that I enjoyed writing this guide for its own sake!

RCSU Science Challenge 2009

The Royal College of Science Challenge is an annual competition open to all students of Imperial College London, and something I’ve decided to enter this year. At the present time, the midnight deadline has just passed and I’ve just taken a huge sigh of relief… As is my habit with most things (writings or otherwise), I ended up not even starting work on the submission until the past Friday, which has indeed turned out to be a very unwise decision. Anyway, the good news for me is that I did finally manage to get the essay completed and uploaded at a panicky 11:53 pm. (At this point I half-expected MS Word/Firefox/Vista to crash spectacularly, but my fortune in fact held out for a crucial 15 minutes!)

Now to the contest itself. I should note that everyone, irrespective of year and department, was able to pick any one of the four proposed questions and then proceed to write a 800 word essay on the subject. A disheartening thought if considered for too, but something told me it was worth a shot anyway. My choice was the following (third) question:

Will Homo Sapiens continue to evolve? If so, how?

For those who don’t know, I am currently studying for a Physics here, and haven’t taken biology for several years now – so it may initially seem rather silly for me to ignore the others and tackle the least physics-based topic of them all. (In actual fact, it figured that I had far too much to say and the awfully low word limit was the source of much exasperation for me!) An interesting short article in the January issue of this year’s Scientific American had gotten my pondering the issue lightly before I even new of the contest, which is probably half the reason. Although I’m sure I could have done a decent job of one or two of the others (certainly the one on the LHC, I would think), I guess the open-ended scope of the evolution one caught my fancy at the moment. Enough said – I do at least feel pretty satisfied with the end result. In getting there, I must also mention the kind assistance of my friend David in repeatedly proof-reading it and making some quite insightful suggestions.

Without further ado, here is my entry.

Each year, the infamous Darwin awards are given out in order to “salute the improvement of the human genome by honoring those who accidentally remove themselves from it” (1). This “award” is of course proclaiming to recognise those people who supposedly perform supreme acts of stupidity and thus assist the process of natural selection in the human race, first described by Charles Darwin in the 19^th century. Behind this purely ironic prize is however a much deeper question: have we, as members of humanity, changed significantly over the recent past, and will we perhaps evolve into something quite different in the near or distant future?

It is commonly believed that our bodies have remained static from at least the time of the birth of civilization around 7,000 years ago. The greatest period of “recent” alteration occurred as the species branched off from those of other primates hundreds of thousands to millions of years ago. A recent study by American two universities[1], however, threatens to entirely reshape this perception of our evolution. It contends that a minimum of 7% of the human genome has changed over the past 5,000 years or so. These scientists even go as far as asserting that “humans have evolved as much as 100 times faster than any other time” (2).

One thing is agreed upon pretty much for sure: human evolution, however significant, will follow a radically path in our future than it has for most of our past. Firstly, it is generally believed that our brain size is not likely to increase anything like it has done in our early history. This is not to say that human behaviour will not be transformed – rather, it is considered one of the most probable of man’s characteristics to do so, thanks to the rapidly changing nature of society and growth of technology. Conceivably the most extraordinary course for our evolution to take is some form of symbiosis with machines. Even presently, human dependence on machines is immense. Economies, societies, and even many individuals require them merely to survive. Perhaps the merging of mind and machine is but the next step in a natural progression? Symbiosis, if chosen by most people, would likely add selection pressure towards purely functional behaviour. The thought of abandoning many of the pleasures of human life may be enough to prevent us from following this route, though it does not remove the prospect that one day our species might seriously consider it. The ultimate human stimulus for evolution may in fact be space travel: such a scattering of the species would be liable to produce great diversification and force adaptation.

Perhaps the most astounding change in the manner of our evolution will come as a result of human intelligence. We are now beginning to understand properly the process of evolution on both macroscopic and microscopic levels. The very fact that we are aware of such a process working upon ourselves is exceedingly likely to alter the “natural” course of evolution, maybe even unintentionally. Our efforts to perform artificial selection have already begun and are currently highly controversial issues (often in such guises of genetic engineering or “designer babies”). These ideas and associated fears are certainly not new; science fiction has long speculated on possible paths that we might take in our search for a “better world”. Aldous Huxley’s classic novel Brave New World, written in 1931, describes a future dystopian society where people are engineered to fulfil certain roles within society, reproduction being an entirely artificial, state-controlled operation. Somewhat differently, Frank Herbert’s Dune series explores a universe in which a powerful organization of women operates a long-term secretive breeding program that aims to produce a man with supreme mental capabilities. The common theme in these works is an important one; namely, that there must exist some relatively small group of individuals who possess the authority to direct the course of evolution and the workings of society. Indeed, we all know to where eugenics can lead. Now let us ask ourselves whether, as inherently fallible human beings, we can be trusted with this sort of power?

The future path of human evolution is an uncertain thing, to say the least. If modern research hints anything at what is to come, we should undoubtedly expect huge change. That we may soon have the opportunity, at least in part, to direct our own evolution, will make it especially unpredictable. Yet if we can make sensible decisions and learn to accept what it outside of our control, we may find ourselves transformed into something rather new and astonishing. After all, why should our species, one so devoted to expansion and improvement, suddenly remain static?

Bibliography

1. Darwin Awards. The Darwin Awards. [Online] [Cited: 28 2 2009.] http://www.darwinawards.com/darwin/.

2. What will become of Homo Sapiens? Ward, Peter. January 2009, Scientific American, Vol. 300, pp. 68-73.

3. Huxley, Aldous. Brave New World. London : Chatto and Windus, 1932. ISBN 0-06-080983-3.

4. Herbert, Frank. Dune. s.l. : Chilton Books, 1965.

---

[1] Teams headed by Henry C. Harpending at the University of Utah and John Hawks at the University of Wisconsin-Madison.

I now only await the news of the shortlist, with some little hope that few enough students of science would bothered to voluntarily enter an essay competition. (Yes, this is a purely unscientific hypothesis.) Regardless, it will soon be seen whether such expectation is in vain.