Writer Anthony Pacheco has some thoughts on libertarianism and science fiction. I think there are a few more writers and books worth mentioning than the ones he covers.
Category: books (Page 13 of 19)
Everybody compiles lists. These usually are of the “top 10” kind. I started compiling a personal list of individualist titles in the early 1990s. When author China Miéville published one entitled “Fifty Fantasy & Science Fiction Works That Socialists Should Read” in 2001, I started the following list along the same lines, but a different focus. Miéville and I have in common some titles and authors, but our reasons for picking these books probably differ greatly.
Some rules guiding me while compiling this list included: 1) no multiple books by the same writer; 2) the winners of the Prometheus Award do not automatically qualify; and, 3) there is no limit in terms of publication date. Not all of the listed works are true sf. The first qualification was the hardest, and I worked around this by mentioning other notable books in the brief notes. I mostly excluded shorts stories but included two plays, one of which appeared several thousand years ago. This is a personal list. As with any list there may be debate and questions of the compiler’s taste and sanity, etc. We read and enjoy fiction for a variety of reasons, but these books I believe are compelling for the spirit of liberty, which burns brightly within their pages.
Some of these books I last read decades ago, others very recently. They are ordered alphabetically by author, and mostly ignore the political beliefs of the author: the idea of liberty is one shared across the political spectrum. While some political philosophies clearly are at odds with individual liberty, names and labels change over time, and thus someone who considers themselves a socialist may end up writing a book that seems to counter certain views of socialism. Liberalism in the 19th and early 20th centuries is far closer to modern ideas of individualism than the idea of capitalism at that time.
Also, books have a life and soul of their own, often at odds with those of the author. Authors’ life experiences amidst certain world events also influence their fiction. As they fictionalize their experiences, thoughts and emotions bubble up into their fiction in ways they must see through to the end. Thus, you have the socialist writer George Orwell penning perhaps the greatest critique ever of socialism:Animal Farm. Once released into the wild, a book no longer belongs to the author, and must be judged on its own. Continue reading
Wired weighs in with some thoughts on the future of book publishing.
Caveat author. If you’re selling books through Amazon in a niche market, watch out as your royalties might drop.
Another article about the push to create (er, patent) a market for used electronic books.
I’ve been to Waterstones in several UK cities. They have an awesome selection of books, and great specials. Alas, in the US, bookstores are disappearing in many cities. Borders is gone, Barnes & Noble on shaky ground. If you live in a big city there might be a store somewhere. Then again, I’m in the 10th biggest city and there are few book stores. When I lived in Austin I went to sf book stories all the time. These are now closed, and here there are none with large sf selections. So, sadly, I buy from Amazon, as driving 20 minutes to a bookstore and not finding what I want is frustrating. But if I lived in the UK I’d shop at Waterstones even if they didn’t add cool stuff in books to lure people away from Amazon. Because nothing beats a good physical book store.
I haven’t heard of Hugh Howey’s novel Wool, but what’s more interesting is how he managed to keep his electronic rights and make himself a lot of money, while also selling print rights to a major publisher. Most publishers demand exclusive rights, and according to SFWA, in the case of Random House’s imprint Hydra and Alibi, seem unreasonable and predatory.
Every author should seek to protect their interests, as publishing companies are rightly concerned about how they can make more money.
Per Publisher’s Weekly, a report of that the Association of American Publishers oppose Amazon.com owning the .book domain. In the future, so-called “generic top-level domain” may be owned exclusively by certain companies. Even though there are many other book publishers than just Amazon, having Amazon own this may set a dangerous precedent.
Not just 100 books, not even the top 10, but 1000 novels! The Guardian ran this in 2009, so many a couple more books since published might make the list some day. Grouped by genres rather than author, there are many repeat authors, and many omissions. Not a single Jack Vance novel, nothing by Tim Powers, James Blaylock, one of Robert Heinlein’s worst books makes the list and no other novels of his. As far as Terry Pratchett, rather than list one or two of five books (like Muriel Spark), they are grouped under “Discworld series” which has over 30 books. Nice cop-out, Guardian. Like any list, I suppose. Definitive is a subjective term.
Recent article on what really drove Orwell to write 1984 (intellectually), and how many communists disavowed Orwell. both prior to and after the publication of the book.
