Science Fiction Is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi? • Hacker News Board

Re: Science Fiction Is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi?

#111

Post by readthenotes1 » Mon, Mar 09, 2026, 11:11 PM UTC

rsynnott wrote: post #83

ahhhhnoooo wrote: post #46

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Well there goes Orson Scott Card, Asimov, Heinlein, Orwell, etc. The politics and sexuality were always in these stories. They were just more familiar, so they don't seem as self righteous. The Moon is a Harsh Mistress is a classic example of a story with sexuality and politics in old timey sci fi.

> They were just more familiar, so they don't seem as self righteous. I mean, I think it's maybe just that a certain subset of the readership are now unhappy with any discussion of sexuality (I suspect that people like this simply didn't really read sci-fi in the past). In particular, look at Heinlein; a lot of his stuff would be very out there _today_ (the Moon is a Harsh Mistress is quite mild by Heinlein-weird-sex…

No, it's the poor quality of writing, using irrelevant lecture to try to push home a point as opposed to the story doing so seemingly naturally.

Re: Science Fiction Is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi?

#112

Post by rsynnott » Tue, Mar 10, 2026, 8:47 AM UTC

Rzor wrote: post #108

rsynnott wrote: post #82

Earlier quoted context omitted.

That's _mostly_ just Consider Phlebas and Surface Detail.

Some of Player of Games, too. Use of Weapons has a creative piece of furniture. You gotta excuse Banks, he was also a horror writer.

It's definitely _alluded_ to in Player of Games, mostly as a method of emphasising how unpleasant the Azad society is, but I don't think we ever really _see_ any of it?

(I may just be forgetting; it's probably at least a decade since I last read it.)

Re: Science Fiction Is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi?

#113

Post by Alan_Writer » Tue, Mar 10, 2026, 10:01 AM UTC

Well, as a sci-fi fan, I can say that there are not many good stories around, those that when you read the first pages, you know it'll be a fantastic trip. I think that sometimes authors try to make it so complex, along with the narrative and way or writting. Having said that, I believe people don't really look for, maybe, hidden gems from other countries or languages. Don't lose hope, there are many authors that still have that touch that makes you feel you are in some other world or dimension.

This week I started to watch Apple TV's series "Metabot". I'm giving it a try, and it's ok by now. I wasn't able to find something similar to The Three-Body Problem, The Expanse,or Battlestar Galactica so far.

Re: Science Fiction Is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi?

#114

Post by Rzor » Tue, Mar 10, 2026, 1:25 PM UTC

rsynnott wrote: post #112

Rzor wrote: post #108

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Some of Player of Games, too. Use of Weapons has a creative piece of furniture. You gotta excuse Banks, he was also a horror writer.

It's definitely _alluded_ to in Player of Games, mostly as a method of emphasising how unpleasant the Azad society is, but I don't think we ever really _see_ any of it? (I may just be forgetting; it's probably at least a decade since I last read it.)

If I remember correctly, Gurgeh's internal narrative reveals what he observes in one of the secret channels that are restricted to the upper class. Unpleasant is quite the understatement. lol But yeah, I don't think we actually see it firsthand, it's more disturbing than gory.

Re: Science Fiction Is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi?

#115

Post by washadjeffmad » Tue, Mar 10, 2026, 5:11 PM UTC

Finnucane wrote: post #27

I was part of the NY sf publishing scene in 1990s. In those days the genre felt like a constraining box. The commercial successes of the 1970s and 80s, and the corporatization of publishing in general, meant that there were limits, in literary and conceptual ways. It's funny that he mentions Jonathan Lethem--I saw Jonathan a lot in those days. How to break out of genre was a frequent topic of conversation. It really…

A friend recently related the life of Robert E. Howard in a really fascinating way, and one of the points he made about how he got into writing Conan really stuck with me.

Howard started out writing historical fiction, but the research was pretty grueling and the outcomes mediocre, so he switched to a sort of adventurous self-insert character in historical fantasy settings, which later turned into Conan.

When I consider notable science fiction authors, they all seem to start with some understanding of a facet of the natural universe, then tease ideas into explorations of those points. To the layman on reflection, this might seem like some sort of predictive exercise, but I see it as a sort of rote process of extrapolation. Contrast that to science fantasy authors who focus on theme and aesthetic, imagining Westerns in future-space with gadgets or contemporary plots in scifi-associated settings, and there's quite a vast and exciting landscape left to be explored.

Re: Science Fiction Is Dying. Long Live Post Sci-Fi?

#116

Post by throwpoaster » Thu, Mar 12, 2026, 2:00 AM UTC

komali2 wrote: post #87

bigstrat2003 wrote: post #73

Earlier quoted context omitted.

No, Star Trek was never "woke" like it was today. The writers actually were willing to depict moral dilemmas and let the audience members draw their own conclusions. These days they openly preach at the audience and then wonder why nobody wants to watch their stories any more.

People said the same thing about the interracial kiss or the "left side white, right side black" episode. You're suffering from recency bias and rose tinted glasses.

Do you watch Star Trek Academy?