From: wsretert@students.wisc.edu (WS Retert)
Date: Sat, 6 May 1995 01:42:03 -0600
Subject: short SF book reviews/mailbag
 
Hello,
        After reading over your book reviews/ratings and the reader mail
accompanying, I decided that I too could write a letter of response.
Unfortunately, I find little original that I could add to the already
listed materials, so I'll include a list of secondings.  I agree in general
with both your reviews and previous suggestions made on the mailbag page.
I cannot claim perfect agreement, but none of my quibbles are worth
mentioning here.
Now to the books!!
 
I second recommendations for the following:
 
Mervin Peake (_Titus_Groan_ at least)
more Heinlein (esp. _The_Moon_is_a_Harsh_Mistress_)
Sheri S Tepper (_Grass_)
Arthur C Clarke (I rather liked _Childhood's_End_)
Ben Bova (_Mars_)
Zelazny's _Lord_of_Light_
_City_ by Clifford Simak
Jack Vance (Although I stand by _The_Dying_Earth_)
Weis and Hickman are generally fun.
Dennis L McKiernan (epic fantasy, I liked _Dragondoom_ the most.)
 
Other suggestions off the top of my head:
(Please note some of these suggestions may reflect a strange lack of
distaste or any conscious need to make constant allowances with regard to
older speculative fiction or other works generally considered to lack
style.)
 
Jack Williamson _Darker_Than_You_Think_ and the novella(?) "With Folded Hands"
Philip K Dick
James P Hogan _Inherit_the_Stars_ (So the characters are one-dimensional!)
James Blish _A_Case_of_Conscience_
Cordwainer Smith (Dr. Paul Linebarger)
James Tiptree, Jr. (Alice Sheldon)
Elizabeth Hand (esp. _Winterlong_)
James P Blaylock
C M Kornbluth
Arthur Byron Cover
John Wyndham
Bradley Denton!!
Stanslaw Lem
If your reading Bester, don't forget _The_Stars_My_Destination_
Norman Spinrad, _Russian_Spring_
Clark Ashton Smith
Brian Jacques _Redwall_ (A bit cheesy, this tale of a warrior mouse is OK. I've
                            not read the rest of the series yet, but it'll put
                            something other than Jordan in your 'J' section.)
More in the horror department, I have so far enjoyed all of Kim Newman's books.
                            Unfortunately, the only one I can find in paperback
                            is _Anno-Dracula_.  I've managed to dig up and enjoy
                            a couple more of his books in hardcover from
                            libraries, and would especially recommend _Jago_.)
James Patrick Kelly, _Wildlife_
And sure, what the heck, Neil Stephenson, too.
 
        As alluded to above, all these mentions rest ultimately on nothing
but whether I liked reading the book, not any particular critical standard.
If pressed, though, I could likely justify most of their inclusion, but
ultimately such rationalizations would be as often false as they are true.
I hope that you manage to read and enjoy at least some of these.  I cannot
guarantee your approval, though it would be nice.  I know I plan on
tackling some of the books you recommend that I have as yet avoided, or
else never found to begin with.  Right Now, I would guess that means Thomas
Covenant (probably not until after finals, though).
 
Regards,
Bill.