Integrating the Derivative

Many people probably think of Star Trek* when you talk about science fiction, but if Gardner Dozois’ 1993 The Year’s Best Science Fiction is anything to go by, then those people don’t have a clue!  The stories in Dozois’ compilation range from alternate histories of historic figures and bizarre futures to time traveling bounty hunters.  Here are some short stories from the book that I would recommend taking the time to read if you can find them:

• Dust by Greg Egan – Is there a difference between a human mind and a perfect computer simulation?  Very thought-provoking.
• The Mountain to Mohammed by Nancy Kress – A doctor in a future where only the genetically-correct have access to health care gets into trouble after trying to do the right thing.
• A Long Night’s Vigil at the Temple by Robert Silverberg – A priest makes a startling discovery about his gods in a hidden chamber below his temple.
• Grownups by Ian MacLeod – A somewhat disturbing coming-of-age story in a world not-quite-like our own.
• The Glowing Cloud by Steven Utley – A time traveler has a choice to make as he tries to locate another traveler gone rogue.
• The Territory by Bradley Denton – An alternate history of Mark Twain.
• Naming the Flowers by Kate Wilhelm – A man stumbles across a little girl, pursued by government agents, who isn’t quite normal.
• Outnumbering the Dead by Frederik Pohl – A story about a mortal stage actor in a future world of immortal people.

I’m going to tackle a classic work of science fiction next, Dune by Frank Herbert.

*I like Star Trek myself so this isn’t intended as a slight. 

How fast do you read a book? If you’ve been keeping on eye on the “Currently Reading” widget on the sidebar you may have noticed that I’ve been blowing through the Harry Potter books. I distinctly remember reading Sorcerer’s Stone when I switched to the new theme. I just finished the sixth book today which means that I was able to finish all six books in just over three weeks! That’s not bad, considering that I was also reading Lost Christianities (which I found to be an interesting read by the way) at the same time and it took nearly a month to read.

That’s about the usual time it takes for me to get through a book; largely because I tend to fervently read it for a few days and then put it down for a week or more at a time.

I think I’ll continue reading two books concurrently and see how it goes. It’s nice to be able to switch topics when you need a break. My next two selections will be Karen Armstrong’s A History of God (which has been in the sidebar nearly a week and still remains untouched) and William Warren Sweet’s The Story of Religions in America (free at a yard sale and written in 1930!).

Since there’s clearly nothing more important than this going on in the world, I thought I should post about it.  J.K. Rowling revealed the title of the final Harry Potter book on her website today.  To find the title you have to go through an annoying series of steps and solve a hangman puzzle; fortunately the UK Times Online has it for me.  And the title is:

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows

Start here for speculation on the contents.

I’ve got quite a few books waiting to be read on my bookshelf.  Here’s the list:

• The Blank Slate by Steven Pinker
• Darwin’s Dangerous Idea by Daniel Dennett
• 1776  by David McCullough
• Classic Readings in American Politics compiled by Pietro Nivola and David Rosenbloom
• The Ancestor’s Tale by Richard Dawkins
• The Bible Unearthed by Israel Finkelstein and Neil Silberman
• The End of Faith by Sam Harris
• Endless Forms Most Beautiful by Sean Carroll
• Unweaving the Rainbow by Richard Dawkins
• Genome by Matt Ridley
• 1984 by George Orwell
• The Federalist by Alexander Hamilton, John Jay, and James Madison
• Common Sense and Other Writings by Thomas Paine (a compilation of his essays)
• How to Read a Book by Mortimer Adler and Charles Van Doren

Currently I’m reading The Demon-Haunted World by Carl Sagan.  I haven’t felt very motivated to read lately so it’s moving pretty slowly.  I’m pretty sure the list of un-read books will be expanding on Christmas. 

What’s on your to-read list?