Re: Book Recommendations?
@Stewee, Jack camble is a name that rings a bell, but I don't recall having read any of his books.
@Fastfinge, I See your point on Heinlein, though again I would argue it is a good author's prerogative, particularly in sf or fantasy literature which involves it's own world to make that world accessible without reference to external concepts. This is largely why Lotr succeeded so well, sinse while it is a book written in the 40's with a particularly cultural and linguistic bent, the story and fiction are just as accessible.
I don't really see the same arguement with harry potter, but then again I suppose sinse Harry potter is set in Britain anyway and has modernBritish culture as it's base besides the fantasy I never found any need to require greater information. Heck, even when someone like Steven king comes up with multiple references to America in various points in time that I do not unde rstand I don't find they spoil the book too much.
While I agree to an extent it is helpful with books 100 or 50 years old to know a little of the culture, language and assumptions at the time, at the same time a good book should stand on it's own merrits at least to some extent, particularly in sf or fantasy, even if it is necessary to say not get too upset at sexist or racist comments, or judge the scientific inaccuracies too crytically.
War of the Worlds by H G Wells is still a very well written and highly relevant story, and it's not necessary to know about the fashion of invasion literature at the time, or the victorian fear of soulless intelligence based on the final end of evolution to appreciate the story as a really awsome look at an alien invasion and a blighted, ruined landscape, heck I recently heard the 1937 Auson Wells dramatization (the one which famously caused the panic across America), and actually was really impressed at it as a peace of very well put together radio drama.
I also strongly disagree on Narnia being the least bit allegorical, indeed much like Tolkien i personally strongly dislike both allegory and allegorical int interpretations of literature.
lewis himself stated that Narnia was never intended as a directly christian series, indeed it's first route was a basic adventure story similar to those of E. Nesbit about four children staying with an old professor in a country house, with no fantasy elements at all.
Lewis himself stated that the books developed a christian theme, but this was simply due to Lewis' own Christian beliefs, not by any conscious attempt on Lewis part to make the books Christian in form. Lewis Did! write christian literature, such as his Pilgrim's regress, his book the Screwtape letters or his tale of heaven and hell the great devorce, not to me ntion his own scifi trilogy which began as science fiction and then finally developed bringing in christian and mythological themes in the third volume, so I think this is a case where he is definitely to be believed.
Sorry if this came across too strong, it just sort of irritates me when people dismiss narnia as straight off christian preaching and forget that there is a good story and some very human characters in there that can be just as well enjoyed without any reference to christianity at all.
Of course it doesn't help that Narnia has sort of been taken up by various christian groups in America as sort of the counter to harry potter, but that (and especially the hollywood films), is no reason to tar Lewis originals with the same brush, much as you wouldn't assume Beathoven's music is inherently fashist just because the Nazies happened to use it as a simple of German achievement.
URL: http://forum.audiogames.net/viewtopic.php?pid=169741#p169741
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