Where Do I Start?
December 30, 2021 7:14 AM Subscribe
Over at Tor.com, science fiction author Jo Walton has a delightful series where she wanders through her bookshelves, letter by letter, and recommends which book to start with for each author. Start here.
It's not just science fiction authors. In the comments, readers are invited to fill in the blanks for authors she did not mention.
Warning: Reading these is like eating potato chips. You may go through all of them in one sitting like I did yesterday.
It's not just science fiction authors. In the comments, readers are invited to fill in the blanks for authors she did not mention.
Warning: Reading these is like eating potato chips. You may go through all of them in one sitting like I did yesterday.
I must warn everyone that a lot of the links are broken so of you if you are like me and open up tabs for everything you found interesting you will deal with a fair bit of frustration.
posted by nolnacs at 8:18 AM on December 30, 2021
posted by nolnacs at 8:18 AM on December 30, 2021
No Ray Bradbury? The first comment under the B's catches that...
posted by jim in austin at 8:20 AM on December 30, 2021
posted by jim in austin at 8:20 AM on December 30, 2021
this can't possibly be comprehensive in library terms? Maybe only authors she has lots of?
As a data point, she makes an implicitly disparaging reference to Asprin in another entry without making an entry for Asprin himself.
This is delightful, thank you for posting.
posted by HeroZero at 8:41 AM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
As a data point, she makes an implicitly disparaging reference to Asprin in another entry without making an entry for Asprin himself.
This is delightful, thank you for posting.
posted by HeroZero at 8:41 AM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Awesome, thanks! I love Walton's book reviews but apparently completely missed this series until now (looks like it's from shortly before I found her blog). Guess I'll probably be devouring these in one sitting now as well...
posted by equalpants at 8:49 AM on December 30, 2021
posted by equalpants at 8:49 AM on December 30, 2021
It is always fun to study other people's shelves (I believe Douglas Adams coined a term for this activity in The Meaning of Liff, but I do not have it handy) – there is some good stuff here, and the occasional odd lacuna, e.g., Disch, but no Ballard or Dick? No Lem or Strugatsky? No Wolfe? OTOH, she includes Cordwainer Smith, which is a plus.
posted by bouvin at 8:53 AM on December 30, 2021
posted by bouvin at 8:53 AM on December 30, 2021
Also worth noting that these are from 2010, thus missing the past (really good) decade of SFF publishing.
posted by HeroZero at 8:54 AM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by HeroZero at 8:54 AM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
In the U-V page:
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:58 AM on December 30, 2021
V is a rather better populated letter.Indeed. She overlooks Jack Vance (which multiple comments bring up). I can say from experience that decades of studying the V shelf of the sf section in used bookstores renders one quite able to rattle off the titles of much of the oeuvres of Vinge, Varley, van Vogt, van Sycoc, van Lustbader, Vonnegut, and a bunch more.
posted by ricochet biscuit at 8:58 AM on December 30, 2021
Bouvin: Ahenny is “the way people stand when examining other people’s bookshelves.”
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:00 AM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by ricochet biscuit at 9:00 AM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Jo Walton is great and this is great. I've been enjoying her podcast with Ada Palmer as well.
posted by Wretch729 at 9:24 AM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by Wretch729 at 9:24 AM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Anyone read A Fire on the Mountain? She makes it sound really cool.
posted by freecellwizard at 9:27 AM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by freecellwizard at 9:27 AM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Fire on the Mountain, and in fact anything by Terry Bisson, is amazing.
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 9:40 AM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by ivan ivanych samovar at 9:40 AM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
I was thrilled to do discover in the height of the pandemic that my library has a solid AF digital catalog and a decent ereader app. (Granted it’s the New York Public Library, but maybe your library has the same or similar options. Maybe you could spoof your location with a VPN.) Not everything is available, but it definitely holds its own. These kinds of lists, with which MeFi seems to abound, really come in handy for searches. Anyway, as soon as I saw this post I knew exactly what to do with it.
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 10:17 AM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by Conrad-Casserole at 10:17 AM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
No David Almond (Skellig) surprised me quite a bit given her tastes in general, but nothing about William Blake either, so maybe the Christianity? But then C S Lewis, whom I really abominate in all his works, including his literary criticism.
Agree that The Worm Ouroboros is unreadable, but I read it anyway in the afterglow of Tolkien, hence the little knot of scar tissue which will never be fully resorbed, apparently.
posted by jamjam at 10:53 AM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Agree that The Worm Ouroboros is unreadable, but I read it anyway in the afterglow of Tolkien, hence the little knot of scar tissue which will never be fully resorbed, apparently.
posted by jamjam at 10:53 AM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
She's an amazing author in her own right. The Thessaly series of philosophical science fiction is terrific. "Among Others" is brilliant too.
posted by TheophileEscargot at 11:05 AM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by TheophileEscargot at 11:05 AM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
For Banks (with the M) i'd go for my first read Excession. For Brust, yeah Jhereg for the long long long thing starting (lol your waiting on Game of Thrones... try waiting on Brust's stuff) but even maybe better To Reign In Hell gets you into his style.
posted by zengargoyle at 11:06 AM on December 30, 2021
posted by zengargoyle at 11:06 AM on December 30, 2021
Thanks for this - I hadn't come across them but do enjoy her other series, Jo Walton Reads.
posted by paduasoy at 11:06 AM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by paduasoy at 11:06 AM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
My bookshelf starts with Kobo Abe. A good introduction to him would be one of his short story collections.
posted by hoodrich at 11:19 AM on December 30, 2021
posted by hoodrich at 11:19 AM on December 30, 2021
The only place to start with Brust is The Phoenix Guards – Paarfi of Roundwood is an amazing author.
posted by bouvin at 11:33 AM on December 30, 2021
posted by bouvin at 11:33 AM on December 30, 2021
Is this something I'd have to alphabetize my bookshelves by author in order to understand? (Great post, and actually I'm in awe of folks who are this systematic with their bookshelves. Mine are all just organized by vibes.)
posted by merriment at 12:10 PM on December 30, 2021 [5 favorites]
posted by merriment at 12:10 PM on December 30, 2021 [5 favorites]
Great list - definitely bookmarking & taking follow-up notes!
No EE Doc Smith? Shouldn't be able to use 'coruscating' in a sentence until a Lensman book has been read. Probably hasn't aged well tho'. Loved them as a kid and I was in my late 20's before I realised they were written in the late 40's / early 50's; obviously much more Flash Gordon than Star Wars in retrospect.
posted by phigmov at 12:11 PM on December 30, 2021
No EE Doc Smith? Shouldn't be able to use 'coruscating' in a sentence until a Lensman book has been read. Probably hasn't aged well tho'. Loved them as a kid and I was in my late 20's before I realised they were written in the late 40's / early 50's; obviously much more Flash Gordon than Star Wars in retrospect.
posted by phigmov at 12:11 PM on December 30, 2021
Went straight to V just to check.
posted by brook horse at 12:22 PM on December 30, 2021
Joan D. Vinge—start with Psion.Yep, okay, these lists will be super relevant to my interests. Can't wait to dig through them.
posted by brook horse at 12:22 PM on December 30, 2021
phigmov: While the Lensmen series certainly is a product of its time, it is still hilariously good fun that consistently takes it to 11 and beyond. I have the SFBC editions, but I have been rereading them on my Kindle, as they are being released by the Standard Ebooks organisation.
posted by bouvin at 12:43 PM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by bouvin at 12:43 PM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Odd that in V she omitted Jack Vance but plenty of commentators were right on pointing it out in the ensuing thread.
posted by y2karl at 12:48 PM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
posted by y2karl at 12:48 PM on December 30, 2021 [1 favorite]
Peter Dickinson—anything.
This is true.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:52 PM on December 30, 2021 [3 favorites]
This is true.
posted by TWinbrook8 at 12:52 PM on December 30, 2021 [3 favorites]
. "Among Others" is brilliant too.
I was going to say, Among Others is a guide to 60s and 70s SF and fantasy books as well as a wonderful story.
posted by Bee'sWing at 12:58 PM on December 30, 2021
I was going to say, Among Others is a guide to 60s and 70s SF and fantasy books as well as a wonderful story.
posted by Bee'sWing at 12:58 PM on December 30, 2021
The Worm Ouroboros is unreadable
Untrue!! I thought it was wonderful - just very, very weird.
The only book I can think of that is both essential and well and truly unreadable is Hodgson's The Night Land.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 2:28 PM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Untrue!! I thought it was wonderful - just very, very weird.
The only book I can think of that is both essential and well and truly unreadable is Hodgson's The Night Land.
posted by BlackLeotardFront at 2:28 PM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Several times I clicked on a link to open in another tab while continuing to peruse the list, then when I finished I checked out the links... all went to dead links and now I don't remember any of the books that sounded interesting. So I'd suggest taking better notes as you read through.
posted by GhostintheMachine at 3:00 PM on December 30, 2021
posted by GhostintheMachine at 3:00 PM on December 30, 2021
Richard Adams is a no brainer. Start with Watership Down. Then stop.
LOL.
posted by ikahime at 3:50 PM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
LOL.
posted by ikahime at 3:50 PM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
James Joyce - start with Ulysses and never ever finish.
posted by storybored at 7:15 PM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
posted by storybored at 7:15 PM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]
Oh man. This is great but I've already got a backlog of maybe two years' worth of books and now I see this?? I just want that time-stopping stopwatch from that Twilight Zone episode so I can make the time to read.
posted by zardoz at 5:06 AM on December 31, 2021
posted by zardoz at 5:06 AM on December 31, 2021
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Starting with Persuasion for Jane Austen is a solid choice of hers; it's arguably my favorite book. Unnecessary diss of Pride and Prejudice is not; and I refuse to believe it is anyone's "least favorite" when Northganger Abbey is also a book.
posted by mark k at 8:10 AM on December 30, 2021 [2 favorites]