I have read that novelist / poet / critic Kingsley Amis (whose works I have not read) once described the “purpose” of science fiction to be “to arouse wonder, terror, and excitement.
Hmm. Interesting. My own definition would be
“Science
Fiction exists to make the reader think by showing him what he’s never thought
of before. Of course, large amounts of whoa! should be added to that mix.”
But
back to Amis’s definition … I like it.
It works for me. In fact, I have
experienced copious amounts of each quality in some recent reads (recent
meaning over the past year):
WONDER:
Childhood’s End, by Arthur C. Clarke
TERROR:
Any of the more science-based tales of H.P. Lovecraft
EXCITEMENT:
Lord Valentine’s Castle and Majipoor Chronicles by Robert Silverberg
Now,
some may pigeonhole Lovecraft solely into the Horror genre, and perhaps exile
Silverberg’s Majipoor works to strict Fantasy.
Maybe I agree with that, maybe I don’t.
But
– what authentic SF works have I read that would heartily embody all three facets
of Amis’s definition?
Hmmm. A quick survey … how about:
Man Plus by Frederik Pohl
The Mind Parasites by Colin Wilson
“Sandkings”
by George R. R. Martin
Eifelheim by Michael Flynn
“Who
Can Replace a Man?” (short story anthology) by Brian Aldiss
The Sparrow by Mary Doria Russell
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
“The
Martian Chronicles” (short story anthology) by Ray Bradbury
Of
these, the first, third, fourth, and seventh are true exemplars of the
definition.
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