cover art by Richard Powers, dean of 1950s & 1960s SF paperback cover artists
All advice to writers includes two stipulations in common: (1) write a lot; and (2) read a lot (of good writing, although sometimes reading books that fail to work well can also be instructive). I try hard to follow both bits of advice. Here are reviews of books I have read or re-read recently and have found noteworthy (interesting to reflect upon, if not necessarily top-notch).
Who Killed Science Fiction? by Earl Kemp
Two Bildungsromans: Gladiator by Philip Wylie and The Adventures of Augie March by Saul Bellow
Thrill of the New: the Disaster Novels of J. G. Ballard and Two Novels by Robert Silverberg
The House on the Borderland by William Hope Hodgson
SF Goes to College: Drunkard’s Walk by Frederik Pohl and Kampus by James Gunn
The Cozy Apocalypse: On the Beach by Nevil Shute
