Comments | borgmama: I need some help!

borgmama

I need some help!

Feb 03, 2009 08:46

Hey everybody - I need some help - and before I get any cracks about my mental health . . . My department chair asked me to come up with some suggestions for a sci-fi or fantasy book to replace a Wizard of Earthsea on our summer reading list. Remember now, this is a book that is going to be taught in a Catholic high school in NoVa. Any thoughts?

Comments 10

You asked. caryabend February 3 2009, 16:37:14 UTC

Should I even ask why it needs replacing? Or should I wonder how it got there in the first place?

There's a very well-received book by Mary Doria Russell, called The Sparrow, referring to Matthew 10:29-31, about how a Jesuit Priest on Earth's first contact with aliens fails on his mission.

Personally, I thought the book was total crap, as the author is not an SF writer, but a Professor of Biological Anthropology, and this shows, though the distinction does make some of the book's exposition far more comprehensive and understandable. The writing is very beautiful.

I read this as part of my SF Book group, and the discussion was very lively and highly polarized. My final analysis: It's a piece of bound fecal printed matter. The book's wikipedia page also presents a brief comparison with James Blish's similar A Case of Conscience which I have not read, but would probably say was better based on the fact that Sparrow simply exists at all.

Russell also published a sequel, Children of GodNote: this is not the worst SF book that I ( ... )

av_lad February 3 2009, 17:24:33 UTC

Chapterhouse Dune!!!!

They'll LOVE it!

*runs away*

borgmama February 3 2009, 19:45:06 UTC

You, minion, are far too saucy! You will be punished.

Oooooo-kay, let me restate . . . borgmama February 3 2009, 19:43:16 UTC

I'm looking for good sci-fi that would be acceptable to be taught in a Catholic school. It doesn't have to be about something explicitly Catholic. :)

av_lad February 3 2009, 20:39:41 UTC

Okay... okay...

Ummmmm...

- Azimov's Foundation (Pick One)
- Herbert's Dune (Pick One of FRANK's books)
- Card's Ender/Bean (Pick One)
- Clark's 2001/2010/2061/3001 (Pick One)
- *aaaaaiiiiggghhhhhh!!!*

BUT YOU HATE EVERYTHING I READ!

sunnys February 3 2009, 22:38:03 UTC

Oooo! E, Tim read the Ender books at his Catholic High School.

borgmama February 4 2009, 18:03:12 UTC

Yeah, I was thinking seriously about suggesting Ender's Game. Most kids seem to love it. I've been meaning to read it for a long time and this would give me a good excuse. :) Thanks.

borgmama February 4 2009, 18:01:41 UTC

Since when do I hate everything you read?! Just because I don't read a lot of hard sci-fi doesn't mean I hate it. And btw, most of these I haven't even read, so, how would I even know if I hated it or liked it, or couldn't care less. So ppppbbbbbbttttt! :P

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