If, like me, you are an avid reader of fantasy and science fiction you'll know that the majority of the titles are escapist fiction with no pretences to being works of significant literature. Don't get me wrong, that's one of the reasons I love the genre. In fact I believe the world could do with a lot more of that type of writing rather than the current trend towards reality or daytime talk show fodder that seems to be flooding the market.
With few exceptions, anytime science fiction or fantasy starts to take itself too seriously it merely sounds pretentious. I mean outside of Trekkies does anyone really think that Star Trek has added anything of profound significance to our culture? The writers who do succeed in creating something of lasting impact only do so because instead of trying to be significant they find ways to realize the full potential of their genre.
Various writers have taken stabs at creating the unique reality concept, a la Tolkien, where you create a world and an accompanying history, with varying degrees of success. It just seems that there's always something missing from their attempts. You can create as many characters as you want and say that their adventures all take place in the same world, but if you haven't established the world sufficiently for it to be as tangible as ours you might as well not have bothered.
One of the few modern writers who have managed to achieve this goal has been Steven Erikson with his creation The Malazan Book Of The Fallen. The series currently stands at book seven of a proposed ten volumes and has already surpassed any other efforts at attempting something similar. Civilizations, races of people, cultures, belief systems and all the other attributes of a living breathing world have been realized in such a manner that the information is imparted to the reader almost without their awareness.
Characters ranging from a foot soldier in an imperial army to gods and goddesses with human foibles all share the same pages, and as their stories unfold, the mysteries of the world are revealed and its history is told. Erikson has done his job so well that another author, with Erikson's full knowledge and co-operation, has begun work on titles set in the same world (the recently released Night Of Knives by Ian C. Esslemont).
Article comments
1 - Anna Creech
While I completely disagree with your comments about science fiction and fantasy literature, as well as your snide remarks about Star Trek, I think you did a good job with this review.
Maybe I have had the good fortune to read science fiction and fantasy that explores complex social issues without being pretentious, while you have had the unlucky circumstance of missing those books in your reading regimen. I think there area a lot more of them out there than you give credit for.
As for your comment about Star Trek, there is no doubt that it has influenced elements of modern technology. And, it dealt with social issues such as race and gender long before those things were being discussed on daytime talk shows. You don't have to be a Trekkie to recognize the influence that Star Trek has had on society, you just have to open your eyes and your mind.
2 - Christopher Rose
Well said, Anna. Science Fiction and Star Trek's influence have both been profound.
3 - El Bicho
You really do a disservice to the author of the book you are reviewing by making comments unrelated that call into question your judgment and knowledge.
Aside from the first interracial kiss on TV, Trek showed a future where people of different races worked harmoniously side by side a year after people were rioting in the streets in America over racial issues. You don't have to know the name of Spock's mother, and I don't, to have picked up on that.