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Author Topic: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?  (Read 11300 times)

280plus

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #25 on: September 06, 2010, 08:53:23 PM »
Nothing that a little self flagellation won't cure.  =|

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Jim147

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #26 on: September 06, 2010, 10:19:47 PM »
I have most of the Witch World books here and several of Norton's singles and short story books. Also have a whole shelf for McCaffrey's Dragonriders.

And I also have the Heinlein Room in the Robert A. and Virginia Heinlein Library Addition.  :P

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richyoung

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #27 on: September 07, 2010, 02:40:11 PM »
Quote from: Fistful on September 05, 2010, 11:11:06 PM
All I've read of Asimov is the original Foundation trilogy.  It left a bad, authoritarian taste.

http://www.armedpolitesociety.com/index.php?topic=16046.msg295647#msg295647


I think I probably started with Andre Norton, back in the eighties.  Then some Bradbury and Clarke in the next two decades, and Heinlein more recently.  I'm actually more fond of short stories, though.

Plus he helped popularize the "Freon is destorying the ozone" bullpucky.  The devil take him....
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HankB

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #28 on: September 07, 2010, 05:45:16 PM »
When I was a kid I read Asimov's The Rest of the Robots. I enjoyed it, particularly the short story Victory Unintentional, which may have been Asimov's most entertaining story. (Though not necessarily the most thoughtful or best written.)

Some of his other work . . . not so much. There were - and are - better authors.

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280plus

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #29 on: September 07, 2010, 06:50:01 PM »
Quote from: richyoung on September 07, 2010, 02:40:11 PM
Plus he helped popularize the "Freon is destorying the ozone" bullpucky.  The devil take him....
Why that SOB!!  :mad:

I'm going to dig out all his books and burn them just for that!  ;)
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sanglant

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #30 on: September 07, 2010, 08:47:16 PM »
he was writing fiction, what better place for fiction? ;)
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Sergeant Bob

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #31 on: September 08, 2010, 09:00:08 PM »
Quote from: 280plus on September 07, 2010, 06:50:01 PM
Why that SOB!!  :mad:

I'm going to dig out all his books and burn them just for that!  ;)

Ray Bradbury has something to say about that! ;)
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MechAg94

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #32 on: September 09, 2010, 09:54:01 AM »
I think at one time a lot of SciFi writers predicted that pollution would continue without ceasing until the world was uninhabitable or something.  I remember reading a short stories like that.  Heinlein assumed race relations would never end in the US.  Moon is a Harsh Mistress had some of that. 
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Silver Bullet

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #33 on: September 09, 2010, 10:29:22 AM »
Asimov is my favorite sci-fi writer.  I also like Heinlein and Saberhagen (Berserkers), and Niven/Pournelle (Mote in God's Eye is great, Lucifer's Hammer is good also).  I really liked Clarke's Rendezvous with Rama, a bit dry but very good "hard" sci-fi.

Right now I'm reading Cauldron by Jack McDevitt and I like it so far, although I seem to have picked up book 5 of a five book series.

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #34 on: September 09, 2010, 01:27:38 PM »
I always forget about Saberhagen.  I really liked the Berserker stories.  Keith Laumer started the Bolo tank series which are also good short story collections.  Rendezvous with Rama was recommended to me and I really liked it.  I found I didn't like the sequel though. 
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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #35 on: September 10, 2010, 09:29:19 AM »
I got hooked on John Ringo's Legacy of the Aldenata series, especially the first 4 books.  Have y'all noticed that, as soon as they get popular, writers like Ringo, Flint, Weber will then co-author some of their more popular story lines with, shall we say, less-gifted writers?  About the only counter-example are the collaborations between the above, and then the Ringo/Kratman books.  Being in a book drought, I picked up books by some of the co-authors.  Kratman is the most bestest, M. Z. Williamson not too bad, but Travis Taylor, whoa, horrible.
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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #36 on: September 10, 2010, 10:12:10 AM »
I read a lot of his stuff when I was a kid. I was never really impressed with his work. Of course I feel the same way about most of the other SF I read from his peers as well. Maybe because I picked out my SF books from the used book store I never got to read any good SF.
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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #37 on: September 10, 2010, 10:26:19 AM »
Quote from: slugcatcher on September 10, 2010, 10:12:10 AM
I read a lot of his stuff when I was a kid. I was never really impressed with his work. Of course I feel the same way about most of the other SF I read from his peers as well. Maybe because I picked out my SF books from the used book store I never got to read any good SF.

Au contraire, the best scifi back in the day was found at used book stores.
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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #38 on: September 10, 2010, 11:35:42 AM »
Quote from: roo_ster on September 10, 2010, 10:26:19 AM
Au contraire, the best scifi back in the day was found at used book stores.

Still true today. :D
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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #39 on: September 10, 2010, 12:21:30 PM »
I had discovered Asimov in High School and I liked his stuff. Also all for of Clarks Space Odyssey books I liked. And Dune, only read the first one.
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Headless Thompson Gunner

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #40 on: September 10, 2010, 01:00:12 PM »
I find Asimov is good as mindless entertainment, but not if you insist on thinking too deeply about things.  Asimov tried to deal in grand ideas, and failed.  But stories about robots and space colonies and mind-controlling aliens are always fun.

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #41 on: September 10, 2010, 02:33:22 PM »
Quote from: Headless Thompson Gunner on September 10, 2010, 01:00:12 PM
I find Asimov is good as mindless entertainment, but not if you insist on thinking too deeply about things.  Asimov tried to deal in grand ideas, and failed.  But stories about robots and space colonies and mind-controlling aliens are always fun.


Yeah, there were a lot of good short stories. 
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MechAg94

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #42 on: September 10, 2010, 02:34:24 PM »
Quote from: roo_ster on September 10, 2010, 10:26:19 AM
Au contraire, the best scifi back in the day was found at used book stores.
I've found some good ones in old books, but also some liberal fantasy doom and gloom stuff also.  But if you go through them every few days, you might as well start with the cheaper stuff. 
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MechAg94

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #43 on: September 11, 2010, 12:21:43 AM »
I recently read Witches of Karres by James Schmitz.  Some other authors wrote a couple sequels that are good reads.  I read a couple short story books called Interstellar Patrol by Christopher Anvil that were pretty good. 

John Dalmas and Ian Douglas are a couple of other more recent authors.  I am not sure if all their stuff is okay or not. 
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sanglant

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something i just remembered.
« Reply #44 on: September 11, 2010, 04:40:25 AM »
just avoid SFBC's best of the year books. there are a few good shorts in each, but there is some [barf] REALLY disgusting stuff in there to. and oddly sfbc is the cheapest place to get some old scifi, the collectible stuff isn't affordable any other way. omnibuses. there are a few i try to grab a hand full of each time there printed.
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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #45 on: September 11, 2010, 02:47:52 PM »
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White Horseradish

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #46 on: September 11, 2010, 02:55:52 PM »
Quote from: richyoung on September 07, 2010, 02:40:11 PM
Plus he helped popularize the "Freon is destorying the ozone" bullpucky.  The devil take him....
Meh. Freon would have still got banned, except it would have happened circa 2002, because turrurists can make phosgene out of it.
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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #47 on: September 11, 2010, 03:03:02 PM »
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Jim147

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #48 on: September 12, 2010, 01:29:21 AM »
You guys are going to have to start paying Dupont some money. Freon is a registered trademark. :police:

It's called refrigerant.  :P

And there's nothing like the smell of phosgene when your on the west side of a house on a 105 degree afternoon.

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zahc

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Re: Am I the Only SciFi Aficionado Who Does Not Like Asimov's Work?
« Reply #49 on: September 12, 2010, 01:49:10 AM »
Actually it's known on the street as "chill".
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