• Johnny_Arson [they/them]@hexbear.net
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      1 month ago

      I’m quite liking the one I am reading now. I will maybe have to save that for last if you think it’s the best. I love pulp sci-fi, probably my favorite genre of fiction.

        • Johnny_Arson [they/them]@hexbear.net
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          1 month ago

          Yeah, I love that stuff too. As much as I like stuff like The Expanse, I grew up on the classics like Asimov and am currently really enjoying Pluribus. I saw there are some haters on here (regarding the latter) but I agree with the line that it is not necessarily anti-communist drivel but more conceptual thought experiment type sci-fi.

          • Marxism_Sympathizer [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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            1 month ago

            chrysalsis isnt really anti-communist just much more “end of history, communists/communism isnt even mentioned” and there is definitely a bit of a “UN is flawed but ultimately will save the day” type liberalism in it but i think a lot of the musing on revenge, what it means to be human, learning to let go, etc. might still be good (i need to reread it from my newfound “everything sucks and is fascist” perspective but im kinda afraid to ruin my fond memory of the story lol)

            also i was listening to the audiobook recording just now that’s promoted on the reddit post and if you like audiobooks seemed like a very high quality one for being hosted by some random channel

            • Johnny_Arson [they/them]@hexbear.net
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              1 month ago

              chrysalsis isnt really anti-communist

              Oh I was referring to Pluribus. I am firmly in the “we are still allowed to enjoy things” camp. I still love the Ender’s Game books for example, even though I have revisited the series with a Marxist lens.

              • Marxism_Sympathizer [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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                1 month ago

                oof, i’ve tried but the eugenics in it is nauseating i literally couldnt get through it. especially the ender’s shadow series, used to love those side books but the eugenics shit is like 10x worse than in the main books

                • Johnny_Arson [they/them]@hexbear.net
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                  1 month ago

                  Oh yeah it’s real bad, but I also like Dune which is chock full of eugenics and it is pretty clear even in the shadow spinoff that all they did was create narcissistic monsters.

                  Also both Ender’s siblings are pretty prescient in terms of the rise of social media influencer celebs now that I think of it.

                  I also maintain (and my memory is very foggy) the one story about the other kid that ends up spilling the beans and telling all the other kids that were subject to the same project they put Ender through was pretty good where he, at the last moment tells them what they are doing, was pretty good.

                  I haven’t read the spinoff series in about 25 years.

        • purpleworm [none/use name]@hexbear.net
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          1 month ago

          I haven’t read it yet, so idk, but I would consider a lot of Philip K Dick’s stories pulp and like half of them come across like he was trying to be the Kafka of sci-fi.