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aaaaaaaaugh
Jul. 30th, 2009 07:37 pmRobert J. Sawyer.
Perhaps you have heard of him. He is a science fiction author. He is mildly successful. He is Canadian, I believe.
He is shit.
The only way to describe his work, I think, is "superficial." His characters are shallow and superficial. His plots are easily-resolved and superficial. His description of aliens, of physics, of the way the universe works... they're interesting, they're original, they're the best thing about his work in my opinion, but at heart very pat and glossed-over and inadequately explained.
He has one book where the existence of God is conclusively proven (apparently God's hanging out on the far side of the universe and looks sort of like a giant space starfish). He has another where the nonexistence of God is conclusively proven (apparently it all boils down to a horrible defect in the human brain). I read his stuff for a while. I really wanted to like it, because there is some incredibly original concepts in his stuff. However, the superficial, glossed-over way everything is presented eats at me like you wouldn't believe. He writes stories but there isn't anything to them. It's all shiny exterior, beautiful presentation, but there's no meat, no innards, nothing. It is the cotton candy of science fiction, except not as delicious.
Why do I bring this up?
Because he has apparently been writing Sherlock Holmes pastiche, in a science fiction style.
( It is horrendous. )
Perhaps you have heard of him. He is a science fiction author. He is mildly successful. He is Canadian, I believe.
He is shit.
The only way to describe his work, I think, is "superficial." His characters are shallow and superficial. His plots are easily-resolved and superficial. His description of aliens, of physics, of the way the universe works... they're interesting, they're original, they're the best thing about his work in my opinion, but at heart very pat and glossed-over and inadequately explained.
He has one book where the existence of God is conclusively proven (apparently God's hanging out on the far side of the universe and looks sort of like a giant space starfish). He has another where the nonexistence of God is conclusively proven (apparently it all boils down to a horrible defect in the human brain). I read his stuff for a while. I really wanted to like it, because there is some incredibly original concepts in his stuff. However, the superficial, glossed-over way everything is presented eats at me like you wouldn't believe. He writes stories but there isn't anything to them. It's all shiny exterior, beautiful presentation, but there's no meat, no innards, nothing. It is the cotton candy of science fiction, except not as delicious.
Why do I bring this up?
Because he has apparently been writing Sherlock Holmes pastiche, in a science fiction style.
( It is horrendous. )
