FACT SF Reading Group

October 2008

October 6: The Complete Roderick by John Sladek

This meeting at the North Village Library drew thirteen participants. Our topic was The Complete Roderick, a classic robot book by ArmadilloCon 6 Guest of Honor John Sladek. The book was original published in two volumes: Roderick (1980) and Roderick at Random (1983). Five of us had read Sladek before. Ten of us started the book. Seven finished the first part (the novel Roderick) and three finished the whole thing. Four of us had read this work many years ago.

Many in the group enjoyed the book for its humor and social satire.  It worked well as a commentary on the culture of the late 70s/early 80s and as a parody of the literary fiction being published at the time. We appreciated Sladek’s clever prose and stream-of-consciousness storytelling approach. Those of us who’d attended graduate school appreciated the crazy goings-on at the university in the book. One person detected a strong message of “distrust authority.”

The scenes of Roderick’s development and the reactions of those who observed him were interesting.  It was curious how people treated Roderick differently as his appearance changed. Many of us enjoyed reading about Roderick as a child robot. One person liked the discussions of Roderick’s soul. Another felt the book was a subtle attack on Asimov.

One reader simply loved the book. He liked the sequence with Roderick at a Catholic school. He appreciated the use of the 3 Laws of Robotics. He felt the whole book is a critique of Artificial Intelligence.  If a machine reaches intelligence, why not join a rock band?

Those who tried to read the book strictly as a hard sf novel were disappointed. Many from this contingent are active in the Austin Robot Group. One person felt that the technology was so dated that it hurt the story. He found it unbelievable that a robot could be around for 30 years and not be obsolete without regular upgrades. He felt that the title character, the robot Roderick, was clearly sentient, and wished the author had explored this idea more. Another complained that the book was a tedious slog, and gave up after about 100 pages. He did not find it believable when the robot did little boy things, and did not like any of the characters.

A few people felt that the book did not really have a story to tell. One person thought the book was a framework for the author’s pet peeves. Clearly some passages were parodies, but she did not know the subjects of the parodies. This group felt that there were too many characters and plot threads, and the story was confusing.

Overall it was an interesting discussion full of diverse opinions. We would recommend the book to people who like literary sf and who want to read about the culture of the 70s and 80s. After the meeting, many of us had a nice dinner at Fuddrucker’s.

October 21: On Basilisk Station by David Weber

Ten people attended this meeting at A. T.’s house. Our topic was David Weber’s first novel, On Basilisk Station, which is also the first in the Honor Harrington series. The book is a military sf novel influenced by C. S. Forester’s Horatio Hornblower series of naval adventures. Five of us had read Weber before. All of us started the book, and nine finished it.

Many of us found the book to be a quick, energetic, enjoyable read. We thought it showed a good understanding of the military mind.  We liked the scenes of Honor interacting with her subordinates. We thought the action scenes were well-done and appreciated the author’s approach to 3D space combat. Many of us enjoyed Commander Harrington’s pet cat.

One reader commented that it was refreshing to read a book where the good guys kick ass.  He thought Honor was squeaky clean, strong, and fast.

Another felt it was a realistic portrayal of military management and strategy. He thought it was a fun book that did not try to be great literature. He liked the attempts to discuss politics.

We found problems common to first novels. Some had to read over 100 pages before getting engaged in the story. Many of us disliked the book’s many long infodump digressions. Several felt the characters were cardboard cutouts.

Most in the group thought it was clever how Weber had translated the situations from the Hornblower novels to a futuristic spacefaring society. However a few felt this seemed too contrived. One person thought the political context of the book was weak.
We thought the book clearly showed Weber to have rightwing political leanings. One person felt that the story depicted entitlements (welfare, universal health care) essentially as the villains of the story.

The women in the group did not find Honor to be a believable woman. They felt that she was almost a man in women’s clothing. One noted that the book mentioned Honor had a soprano voice, and found it difficult to believe that Honor could be an effective commander with such a voice.

Overall we had a good discussion. Many found On Basilisk Station to be an above average first novel. About half of us plan to read more in the series (or have already done so). After the meeting, several of us went to dinner at Opal Divine’s.

-- A. T. Campbell, III