• Nebula Finalists 1973

    From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to All on Mon Mar 4 14:31:31 2024
    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
    When Harlie Was One by David Gerrold
    Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg
    The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg
    What Entropy Means to Me by George Alec Effinger
    The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad
    The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner

    All

    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?

    A Meeting with Medusa by Arthur C. Clarke
    The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe
    The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin
    The Gold at the Starbow's End by Frederik Pohl
    With the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama by Richard A. Lupoff
    Son of the Morning by Phyllis Gotlieb

    All but the Gotlieb. I still get angry thinking about what Ellison
    did to Lupoff.

    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?

    Goat Song by Poul Anderson
    Patron of the Arts by William Rotsler
    The Animal Fair by Alfred Bester
    The Funeral by Kate Wilhelm
    Basilisk by Harlan Ellison
    A Kingdom by the Sea by Gardner Dozois
    In the Deadlands by David Gerrold

    All but the Bester.

    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?

    When It Changed by Joanna Russ
    And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side by James Tiptree, Jr. Against the Lafayette Escadrille by Gene Wolfe
    Shaffery Among the Immortals by Frederik Pohl
    On the Downhill Side by Harlan Ellison
    When We Went to See the End of the World by Robert Silverberg

    All.
    --
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  • From Paul S Person@21:1/5 to All on Tue Mar 5 09:37:04 2024
    On Mon, 4 Mar 2024 15:36:49 -0500, William Hyde <[email protected]>
    wrote:

    James Nicoll wrote:
    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
    When Harlie Was One by David Gerrold
    Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg
    The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg
    What Entropy Means to Me by George Alec Effinger
    The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad
    The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner


    Another strong year. I must have been neglecting my studies as I've
    read all of these.

    I found "The Iron Dream" to be an excellent book to read - once. The
    dark humour of it did not survive a second reading. Or perhaps the
    times have changed and what was once satire is now disturbingly close to
    the beliefs of too many people.

    I found it interesting when I read it. But I then disposed of it (base
    library return slot) as it was, of course, turgid and hard to read.
    Which, after all, was part of artistry involved in writing it.

    I found /Venus on the Half-Shell/ to be similar: interesting when
    read, not worth hanging on to because it was so well done.

    There are times when I think that "Dying Inside" is Silverberg's best book.

    As to shorter pieces, I missed exactly the stories you did. Perhaps our >bookstore/library buyers were the same people.

    It was a good year for Pohl. I remember both stories well.
    --
    "Here lies the Tuscan poet Aretino,
    Who evil spoke of everyone but God,
    Giving as his excuse, 'I never knew him.'"

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  • From Chris Buckley@21:1/5 to William Hyde on Wed Mar 6 02:08:32 2024
    On 2024-03-04, William Hyde <[email protected]> wrote:
    James Nicoll wrote:
    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
    When Harlie Was One by David Gerrold
    Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg
    The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg
    What Entropy Means to Me by George Alec Effinger
    The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad
    The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner


    Another strong year. I must have been neglecting my studies as I've
    read all of these.

    I found "The Iron Dream" to be an excellent book to read - once. The
    dark humour of it did not survive a second reading. Or perhaps the
    times have changed and what was once satire is now disturbingly close to
    the beliefs of too many people.

    There are times when I think that "Dying Inside" is Silverberg's best book.

    As to shorter pieces, I missed exactly the stories you did. Perhaps our bookstore/library buyers were the same people.

    It was a good year for Pohl. I remember both stories well.
    William Hyde

    I forgot to list my Favorites in my earlier message, but both
    _Dying Inside_ and _The Book of Skulls_ are there. They are the only Silverbergs on the bookcase though there's another 4-5 that come
    close. I admit I never cared for his popular Majipoor books.

    Chris

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  • From Chris Buckley@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Wed Mar 6 01:56:04 2024
    On 2024-03-04, James Nicoll <[email protected]> wrote:
    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?
    The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
    When Harlie Was One by David Gerrold
    Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg
    The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg
    What Entropy Means to Me by George Alec Effinger
    The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad
    The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner

    Read all. A much better year for novels, IMO. Not that many novels
    on my Favorites bookcase, but all of them except _The Iron Dream_
    have been re-read several times. And _The Iron Dream_ is actually
    on my Favorites bookcase, for its very well done unpleasantness.

    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?
    A Meeting with Medusa by Arthur C. Clarke
    The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe
    The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin
    The Gold at the Starbow's End by Frederik Pohl
    With the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama by Richard A. Lupoff Son of the Morning by Phyllis Gotlieb
    All but the Gotlieb. I still get angry thinking about what Ellison
    did to Lupoff.

    All but the Gotlieb as well

    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?
    Goat Song by Poul Anderson
    Patron of the Arts by William Rotsler
    The Animal Fair by Alfred Bester
    The Funeral by Kate Wilhelm
    Basilisk by Harlan Ellison
    A Kingdom by the Sea by Gardner Dozois
    In the Deadlands by David Gerrold
    All but the Bester.

    All but the Bester and the Dozois

    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?
    When It Changed by Joanna Russ
    And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side by James Tiptree, Jr. Against the Lafayette Escadrille by Gene Wolfe
    Shaffery Among the Immortals by Frederik Pohl
    On the Downhill Side by Harlan Ellison
    When We Went to See the End of the World by Robert Silverberg

    All but the Tiptree.

    This was my last year of _Nebula Award Stories <N>_ anthologies. This
    one has many fewer stories than the previous year, but a nice essay by
    Asimov (where he says "of all the different things I write, science
    fiction is by far the hardest thing to do".) He also furnishes
    introductions to all the stories including Russ's where he
    admits that science fiction "was more male chauvinist than most" but
    times have changed and "there are more women writing and reading science fiction and there are more characters in the stories who are people as
    well as women." Quote included for James's interest.

    Chris

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  • From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to [email protected] on Wed Mar 6 14:06:09 2024
    In article <[email protected]>,
    Chris Buckley <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 2024-03-04, James Nicoll <[email protected]> wrote:
    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?
    The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
    When Harlie Was One by David Gerrold
    Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg
    The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg
    What Entropy Means to Me by George Alec Effinger
    The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad
    The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner

    Read all. A much better year for novels, IMO. Not that many novels
    on my Favorites bookcase, but all of them except _The Iron Dream_
    have been re-read several times. And _The Iron Dream_ is actually
    on my Favorites bookcase, for its very well done unpleasantness.

    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?
    A Meeting with Medusa by Arthur C. Clarke
    The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe
    The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin
    The Gold at the Starbow's End by Frederik Pohl
    With the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama by Richard A. Lupoff >> Son of the Morning by Phyllis Gotlieb
    All but the Gotlieb. I still get angry thinking about what Ellison
    did to Lupoff.

    All but the Gotlieb as well

    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novelettes Have You Read?
    Goat Song by Poul Anderson
    Patron of the Arts by William Rotsler
    The Animal Fair by Alfred Bester
    The Funeral by Kate Wilhelm
    Basilisk by Harlan Ellison
    A Kingdom by the Sea by Gardner Dozois
    In the Deadlands by David Gerrold
    All but the Bester.

    All but the Bester and the Dozois

    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?
    When It Changed by Joanna Russ
    And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side by James Tiptree, Jr. >> Against the Lafayette Escadrille by Gene Wolfe
    Shaffery Among the Immortals by Frederik Pohl
    On the Downhill Side by Harlan Ellison
    When We Went to See the End of the World by Robert Silverberg

    All but the Tiptree.

    This was my last year of _Nebula Award Stories <N>_ anthologies. This
    one has many fewer stories than the previous year, but a nice essay by
    Asimov (where he says "of all the different things I write, science
    fiction is by far the hardest thing to do".) He also furnishes
    introductions to all the stories including Russ's where he
    admits that science fiction "was more male chauvinist than most" but
    times have changed and "there are more women writing and reading science >fiction and there are more characters in the stories who are people as
    well as women." Quote included for James's interest.

    That anthology series is a huge gap in my reading but tackling it
    more than half a century late is daunting.

    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

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  • From Don@21:1/5 to James Nicoll on Wed Mar 6 15:03:26 2024
    James Nicoll wrote:
    Chris Buckley wrote:
    James Nicoll wrote:

    <snip>

    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Short Stories Have You Read?
    When It Changed by Joanna Russ
    And I Awoke and Found Me Here on the Cold Hill's Side by James Tiptree, Jr. >>> Against the Lafayette Escadrille by Gene Wolfe
    Shaffery Among the Immortals by Frederik Pohl
    On the Downhill Side by Harlan Ellison
    When We Went to See the End of the World by Robert Silverberg

    All but the Tiptree.

    This was my last year of _Nebula Award Stories <N>_ anthologies. This
    one has many fewer stories than the previous year, but a nice essay by >>Asimov (where he says "of all the different things I write, science
    fiction is by far the hardest thing to do".) He also furnishes >>introductions to all the stories including Russ's where he
    admits that science fiction "was more male chauvinist than most" but
    times have changed and "there are more women writing and reading science >>fiction and there are more characters in the stories who are people as
    well as women." Quote included for James's interest.

    That anthology series is a huge gap in my reading but tackling it
    more than half a century late is daunting.

    It was only the Tiptree in my case. Her characters are people as well as
    women, as well as misanthropes too. One of the few things more
    despressing than Tiptree is reality itself - the Higgs Boson big show,
    for instance.

    For people in the know, "missing step" Asimov's male chauvinist
    complaints can come across as gaslighting.

    Danke,

    --
    Don.......My cat's )\._.,--....,'``. https://crcomp.net/reviews.php telltale tall tail /, _.. \ _\ (`._ ,. Walk humbly with thy God.
    tells tall tales.. `._.-(,_..'--(,_..'`-.;.' Make 1984 fiction again.

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  • From James Nicoll@21:1/5 to Michael F. Stemper on Mon Mar 11 17:06:49 2024
    In article <usn9ns$3mgiv$[email protected]>,
    Michael F. Stemper <[email protected]> wrote:
    On 04/03/2024 08.31, James Nicoll wrote:
    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novels Have You Read?

    The Gods Themselves by Isaac Asimov
    When Harlie Was One by David Gerrold
    Dying Inside by Robert Silverberg
    The Book of Skulls by Robert Silverberg
    What Entropy Means to Me by George Alec Effinger
    The Iron Dream by Norman Spinrad
    The Sheep Look Up by John Brunner

    I am surprised to find out that I have read all except Skulls,
    and that's sitting on my shelves. (I might have read it before
    1993, which is when I started a book log.)

    Which 1973 Nebula Finalist Novellas Have You Read?

    A Meeting with Medusa by Arthur C. Clarke
    The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe
    The Word for World Is Forest by Ursula K. Le Guin
    The Gold at the Starbow's End by Frederik Pohl
    With the Bentfin Boomer Boys on Little Old New Alabama by Richard A. Lupoff >> Son of the Morning by Phyllis Gotlieb

    "Forest" is all that I've read from this lot.

    I credit having read so many of these to having read the Dangerous Visions duology and all of Orbit.


    --
    My reviews can be found at http://jamesdavisnicoll.com/
    My tor pieces at https://www.tor.com/author/james-davis-nicoll/
    My Dreamwidth at https://james-davis-nicoll.dreamwidth.org/
    My patreon is at https://www.patreon.com/jamesdnicoll

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