Anyone care to distinguish between rationalist science fiction and science fiction rationalists are apt to like? I don’t think Card has huge amounts of rationalist content.
I have a category of cognitive fiction—fiction which rewards thought. I think cognitive fiction is mostly likely to be found in mystery, sf, and historical fiction, though there should be some in every genre.
I recommend Mary Renault’s The Persian Boy. Who knew that the difficulties of putting together an empire of the very civilized Persians and the very uncivilized Macedonians could be so interesting? SF fans tend to like Renault—she had a talent for choosing the details which indicate a lot about a society.
And if you like puzzles, not to mention ER Burroughsian invention presented in a large vocabulary, try Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun. People have put a lot of thought into figuring out who Severian’s parents are. Also, there’s a duel with razor-edged hypnotic orchids? It’s definitely a novel with a fantasy presentation and science fictional elements, but I’m not sure whether all the events have a more or less scientific explanation.
science fiction recommendations
Anyone care to distinguish between rationalist science fiction and science fiction rationalists are apt to like? I don’t think Card has huge amounts of rationalist content.
I have a category of cognitive fiction—fiction which rewards thought. I think cognitive fiction is mostly likely to be found in mystery, sf, and historical fiction, though there should be some in every genre.
I recommend Mary Renault’s The Persian Boy. Who knew that the difficulties of putting together an empire of the very civilized Persians and the very uncivilized Macedonians could be so interesting? SF fans tend to like Renault—she had a talent for choosing the details which indicate a lot about a society.
And if you like puzzles, not to mention ER Burroughsian invention presented in a large vocabulary, try Gene Wolfe’s The Book of the New Sun. People have put a lot of thought into figuring out who Severian’s parents are. Also, there’s a duel with razor-edged hypnotic orchids? It’s definitely a novel with a fantasy presentation and science fictional elements, but I’m not sure whether all the events have a more or less scientific explanation.
I loved New Sun—especially the first few volumes.