Brian Aldiss - short and long fiction

[Fried Egg]

Long fiction, would have to be the "Helliconia" trilogy.

Short story, probably ""Incentive".

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

I find it very hard to pick any particular favorite from this author. All of his work seems to be good, solid writing. I am mostly familiar with older works, so I might think of Cryptozoic (AKA An Age) for a long work and "Poor Little Warrior" for a short work.

 

[Fried Egg]

Errr...where did the OP go?

 

[Bick]

Novels: Greybeard, Hothouse
Haven't read many Aldiss ss

 

[Stephen Palmer]

The Helliconia Trilogy is Aldiss' masterpiece. Hothouse is great too.

I read The Mallacia Tapestry ages ago andremember enjoying it.

 

[iansales]

Equator: an excellent little sf/spy novella. Also Somewhere East of Life, and short story 'FOAM' on which it was based.

 

[AE35Unit]

Novel: Greybeard
SS:They Shall Inherit from the collection Canopy of Time, aka Galaxies like Grains of Sand.
Also from the same book the novella (novellette?) Visiting Amoeba

Details:
http://sfaddict.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/time-for-some-aldiss-stories.html?m=0

 

[eternalmetal]

I kept hearing how good Helliconia was so I decided to pick it up. At first the strong fantasy nature of the novel was a bit overbearing, but I thought that once it picked up maybe I would find myself engrossed with it. But no. I probably didnt even get to the good parts (only 200-300 pages into it), but quite frankly I couldnt bear to continue reading it because of the complete and utter lack of direction. Im sure there is some value to be had with the book considering the thought the author put into it and it's reputation, but I just found it to be very boring and directionless. Though maybe I should have known I wouldnt like it since im not too crazy about fantasy. And this is coming from somebody who loved Star Maker and enjoyed Last and First Men.

Considering I didnt enjoy Helliconia, are any of his other works or short story compilations worth checking out?

 

[AE35Unit]

I kept hearing how good Helliconia was so I decided to pick it up. At first the strong fantasy nature of the novel was a bit overbearing, but I thought that once it picked up maybe I would find myself engrossed with it. But no. I probably didnt even get to the good parts (only 200-300 pages into it), but quite frankly I couldnt bear to continue reading it because of the complete and utter lack of direction. Im sure there is some value to be had with the book considering the thought the author put into it and it's reputation, but I just found it to be very boring and directionless. Though maybe I should have known I wouldnt like it since im not too crazy about fantasy. And this is coming from somebody who loved Star Maker and enjoyed Last and First Men.

Considering I didnt enjoy Helliconia, are any of his other works or short story compilations worth checking out?

Try Greybeard, its post apocalyptic future sf but very good.
Also Hothouse (aka The Long Afternoon of The Earth), which tho reads initially like fantasy is a weird twist on far future sf.
Then there's The Dark Light Years, a short novel of first contact in which the aliens are physically repulsive.
Story wise try The Canopy of Time aka Galaxies Like Grains of Sand, a decent collection of sf stories.

 

[Fried Egg]

Considering I didnt enjoy Helliconia, are any of his other works or short story compilations worth checking out?

The Helliconia trilogy is actually SF but that fact is not immediately apparent. But anyway, it is quite different from everything else of his I have read so definitely don't give up on him as an author just yet. I would recommend the following novels: "Non-Stop", "Hothouse", or perhaps "The Interpreter". I would also recommend the short story collection "Space, Time And Nathaniel".

 

[Stephen Palmer]

I'm gobsmacked to read that somebody thinks 'Helliconia' is directionless. That's possibly the last word I'd use to describe it. It has incredible scope, drive, ambition and humanity. A masterpiece almost unequalled in genre literature.

 

[Fried Egg]

I'm gobsmacked to read that somebody thinks 'Helliconia' is directionless. That's possibly the last word I'd use to describe it. It has incredible scope, drive, ambition and humanity. A masterpiece almost unequalled in genre literature.

Although it has to be said that it is somewhat slow paced and it takes a while before its direction becomes apparent. While I do love it, it's not going to be everyone's cup of tea.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

You mean Yuli in the snow? I loved that bit. Maybe it is a teensy bit slow compared with the rest of the novel, and the two that follow, but that's hardly a criticism in my book - more an indication of the trilogy's great worth. I rate Helliconia as second only to The Book of the New Sun.

 

[Fried Egg]

Don't get me wrong, I loved it too. But I think it takes a while to realise that it's not really about the characters as such, or rather the the character is the planet itself and the way it's eco system has adapted to cope with it's long solar cycle.

 

[Stephen Palmer]

But I think it takes a while to realise that it's not really about the characters as such, or rather the the character is the planet itself and the way it's eco system has adapted to cope with it's long solar cycle.

It's totally about the characters! Frail, obessed, vulnerable, insightful, brave, stupid. They've got the lot. You are right though, the planet itself and its wonderful seasons are another character. But who could forget Aoz Roon and Shay Tal? Harbin Fashnalgid and Luterin Shokerandit? Unforgettable.

 

[AE35Unit]

It's totally about the characters! Frail, obessed, vulnerable, insightful, brave, stupid. They've got the lot. You are right though, the planet itself and its wonderful seasons are another character. But who could forget Aoz Roon and Shay Tal? Harbin Fashnalgid and Luterin Shokerandit? Unforgettable.

Sounds like Mission of Gravity by Hal Clement where the planet Mesklin becomes a character in its own right.

 

[Victoria Silverwolf]

My review of an Aldiss collection I read a while back:

Seasons in Flight by Brian Aldiss

This is a collection of short stories, mostly fantasy, although one is near-future SF with a touch of fantasy, and a couple are mainstream fiction. They all share exotic locations (either fantasy worlds, or remote parts of the real world that might as well be fantastic to the typical stay-at-home American.) The tone is generally that of fables or folk tales, often with a clearly allegorical intent. Sometimes the characters have no name, and are just called "the fisherman" or "the priest." The language is plain and simple. All the characters, no matter how strange a world they inhabit, are ordinary human beings (even if they are princes.) (There is one exception: in "The Plain, the Endless Plain," the characters, just called "the Tribe," are slowly revealed to be utterly unlike human beings in every way.) The tone of the stories ranges from gently ironic to gently optimistic to gently melancholy. (Again, an exception: "The Gods in Flight," the only SF story, is a bitter account of humanity's talent for self-destruction.) The low-key feeling of these stories seems very British.

 

[AE35Unit]

See I find Aldiss is very uneven. When he's good he's really good but when he's off form, best to avoid!
Heres my review of Canopy of Time with a great Bruce Pennington cover:

http://sfaddict.blogspot.co.uk/2010/03/time-for-some-aldiss-stories.html?m=0

 

[clovis-man]

All the fuss about the novel (P.D. James) and film, Children Of Men, had me groaning when Aldiss did it much earlier and much better with the novel, Greybeard.

 

[antiloquax]

Currently reading Helliconia Summer I think it is brilliant. And the idea of the Avernus watching it all and (mostly) resisting the temptation to interfere is very interesting. I'm a fan of Lovelock's Gaia books, so I was fascinated to read that Aldiss was influenced so strongly by that concept.