tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446909080273999927.post8158497911005818618..comments2023-07-10T01:33:06.660-07:00Comments on Book Walrus Reviews: Sci-fi Do’s and Don’ts Part IFilmWalrushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14822833888119348361noreply@blogger.comBlogger4125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446909080273999927.post-31015301034691341222007-02-05T21:31:00.000-08:002007-02-05T21:31:00.000-08:00good initial topic, and i enjoyed the back and for...good initial topic, and i enjoyed the back and forth. the challenge is how far does the author go in creating an entirely new setting for his story. i guess a really good writer does all the things to develop a believable world/universe view such that the reader gets immersed and is not jarred with echos of the writers present.jim vacekhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/18251837816705089633noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446909080273999927.post-73881590238988923002007-02-03T12:21:00.000-08:002007-02-03T12:21:00.000-08:00Haha, well put. I think if the author really wants...Haha, well put. I think if the author really wants to mention a particular artist, he or she better not rely too much on the recognition thereof. I think classical music is in a general sense widely understood, but I agree that conveying the mood or what-have-you through more well-described thoughts is better. And it is laughable to think of playing a full 12" record in a spaceship - what a joke. I'm sure those 60s punks would have a hard time imagining an iPod, but that was their job to imagine that sort of thing. Maybe mentioning the "classic" bands alongside the futuristic-contemporary bands and describing those would get the same idea across, sort of as you mentioned. I think you make good sense here.Pattihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17295562938792511228noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446909080273999927.post-89100697879718742262007-02-02T21:49:00.000-08:002007-02-02T21:49:00.000-08:00Your point is well taken patrick. To formulate the...Your point is well taken patrick. To formulate the music issue more clearly I'd like to identify the three most common uses I've seen of music in sci-fi literature.<br />1) Characterization - to establish the personality or taste for a character.<br />2) Atmosphere - to create a certain feel or mood by evoking music in the reader's mind.<br />3) Culture construction - to add details and background about the culture of the fictional universe.<br /><br />In the first and second case, it is almost always necessary to use a peice of music that already exists so that the proper meaning can be conveyed to the reader. In both cases, if the reader (who may be reading the book long after the music has gone out of style) does not recognize the tune, the meaning is lost. Also, music in both these cases is being used as a shortcut (as it is often used in movies) to establish pre-concieved associations, emotions, moods, etc. To my mind, better than naming specific titles would be to describe the music in detail. This brings us to the third use.<br /><br />When music is literature is invented, the author is forced to describe it and find words that convey the sounds. This can be hard but it is more creative and universal. It also helps distinguish how a culture in a far-flung future may differ from ours in terms of musical taste (as opposed to the nearly ubiquitous assumption that it is the same as today).<br /><br />An example: Early cyberpunk literature almost always involves character or bands that fit into punk or noise when one would think synthesized or digital music would be more thematically relevant. Perhaps neither would be popular and we would have something entirely new (rarely postulated).<br /><br />I feel that futuristic stories that reference only pre-existing music have to be regarded with suspicion. Do they mean to imply that no one, not a single character, cafe or vehicle plays the popular music of the current time? Are we suppose to think that there has been no new music? That what we regard as the 'golden age' or current best remains the eternal taste. Our own history would seem to show trends that are just the opposite. New tastes, styles, bands, countries, hybrids, instruments and ideas seem to be only increasing in acceleration. Consider the way that online music stores and ipods have changed the industry in recent times. I rarely see that type of innovation thought about in books. In Burgess, Dick and Heinlein novels characters still buy records at stores to play in their spaceships. I think authors should think about the way music production, popularity, format, marketing, social impact, volume, duration, etc might change.<br /><br />As I mentioned in my essay, I do think some references to the presence can be justified especially if they are proportionally weighted or have a specific plot motivation. My problem is with books that show a consistant lack of vision for the way culture changes dynamically and rapidly.FilmWalrushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/14822833888119348361noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2446909080273999927.post-23924877305031760382007-02-02T04:29:00.000-08:002007-02-02T04:29:00.000-08:00Jeez, Brian, why would I ever want to read a sci-f...Jeez, Brian, why would I ever want to read a sci-fi book again? Or write one, if I'm not allowed for the characters to only listen to Radiohead and The Smiths? Just kidding. I see you've already been quite productive here in a short amount of time. No schoolwork to bog you down? Well, that's cool I guess. I've added a few of the books you reviewed to my list, so there you go. Already making a difference. Keep it up. And what you say in the post does make sense to me. I mean, who listens to music make 40 years ago? The Beatles? The Doors? No one. And who listens to the 200+ year old stuff? What was that one guy? Mozart? No Philharmonic Orchestra dares play that old trash anymore.<br /><br />Just kidding. But you do make a good point. The average listener cares mostly about music of the last five (or fewer) years, and most of the high-society people at the Vienna Philharmonic aren't likely to be the characters of a sci-fi novel. But they could be. After all, the orchestra did perform the debut performance of a rather (post?)modernist work. Anyhow. Good stuff.Pattihttps://www.blogger.com/profile/17295562938792511228noreply@blogger.com