[amphibian]

Olympos features a scene in which a man sexually assaults a comatose woman in order to get to the next step of the McGuffin.

People praising Hyperion aren't paying particular attention to how Kassad was treated throughout.

[Abyss]

amphibian, on 04 October 2019 - 01:20 AM, said:

Olympos features a scene in which a man sexually assaults a comatose woman in order to get to the next step of the McGuffin.

People praising Hyperion aren't paying particular attention to how Kassad was treated throughout.

Ok fine, fond memories be damned, I'll bite... how was Kassad treated in your view?

[amphibian]

Kassad is a Palestinian gang member who kills a guy and then joins the military as an alternative to going to prison. He then does haphazardly well until losing his discipline regarding any sort of fight and for Moneta. He murders a religious figure to "stop" an ongoing Sunni/Shia conflict and Simmons keeps making the Shrike stuff a somewhat more extreme extension of what Kassad was already doing as a Muslim. Yes, Kassad fights the Shrike, but he's treated like a savage repeatedly and Simmons sets him up as a Muslim who will be the focal point of a gigantic war that will kill billions.

It's not as bad as The Song of Kali, but it's the beginnings of his public antipathy to brown people basically. Yes, 9/11 happened and he felt suddenly free to say the awful things that prompted this thread, but he was certainly thinking and writing stuff approaching that level of bad for a long time prior.

[Abyss]

amphibian, on 05 October 2019 - 06:05 PM, said:

Kassad is a Palestinian gang member who kills a guy and then joins the military as an alternative to going to prison. He then does haphazardly well until losing his discipline regarding any sort of fight and for Moneta. He murders a religious figure to "stop" an ongoing Sunni/Shia conflict and Simmons keeps making the Shrike stuff a somewhat more extreme extension of what Kassad was already doing as a Muslim. Yes, Kassad fights the Shrike, but he's treated like a savage repeatedly and Simmons sets him up as a Muslim who will be the focal point of a gigantic war that will kill billions.

It's not as bad as The Song of Kali, but it's the beginnings of his public antipathy to brown people basically. Yes, 9/11 happened and he felt suddenly free to say the awful things that prompted this thread, but he was certainly thinking and writing stuff approaching that level of bad for a long time prior.

Interesting, tnx.

My take on Kassad is dated as hell because it's been 20ish years since i read HYPERION. Again, a split reason to not/reread.

[Dolmen 2.0]

I actually didn't enjoy Simmons work all that much, I thought it appealed to a very different demographic and I just wasn't it.

I'd much rather read Asimov or Clark and even they had a few wobbles as far as time and literary trends go. It's best just to let the old-timer make his way out stage left. Gretas doing great just ignoring the naysayers and keeping the momentum of the movement. I was nowhere near as "woke" at 16 or even 30 and I am thoroughly impressed.

Does anyone know any good scifi books tackling the issue of Climate change? I cant think of anyone other than Ursula K LeGuin.

[worry]

I haven't personally read it (it's in the TRP) but The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi gets a lot of praise along this front. I'd like to hear about if anyone on this board has read it.

[Terminus Est]

Dolmen 2.0, on 14 October 2019 - 06:10 AM, said:

I actually didn't enjoy Simmons work all that much, I thought it appealed to a very different demographic and I just wasn't it.

I'd much rather read Asimov or Clark and even they had a few wobbles as far as time and literary trends go. It's best just to let the old-timer make his way out stage left. Gretas doing great just ignoring the naysayers and keeping the momentum of the movement. I was nowhere near as "woke" at 16 or even 30 and I am thoroughly impressed.

Does anyone know any good scifi books tackling the issue of Climate change? I cant think of anyone other than Ursula K LeGuin.

I might be wrong, but I think some of Kim Stanley Robinson's work also deals with these issues. Could be worth looking into.

[Morgoth]

worry, on 14 October 2019 - 07:06 AM, said:

I haven't personally read it (it's in the TRP) but The Water Knife by Paolo Bacigalupi gets a lot of praise along this front. I'd like to hear about if anyone on this board has read it.

I seem to remember enjoying that book. A drowned Bangkok I think? With an android as a main character.

[Werthead]

Dolmen 2.0, on 14 October 2019 - 06:10 AM, said:

I'd much rather read Asimov or Clark and even they had a few wobbles as far as time and literary trends go. It's best just to let the old-timer make his way out stage left. Gretas doing great just ignoring the naysayers and keeping the momentum of the movement. I was nowhere near as "woke" at 16 or even 30 and I am thoroughly impressed.

Asimov was a serial sex pest (especially at conventions) and Clarke had an unhealthy interest in considerably younger (and sometimes underage) men. Both are dead though, so by reading their books now you're not contributing to their lifestyle, which is not the case for Simmons.