Standard Candles for SF

[james_davis_nicoll]

9: James: But Heinlein makes "boy enters contest: will he win?" fascinating, whereas Clarke... doesn't.

I use frequently covered songs as standard candles to compare musicians with. I wonder if "young adult enters contest to go into space" could be used in a similar way for SF authors?

Comments

[mishalak]

I am not a great reader of SF, but I cannot recall any contest to go to space stories in the last decade or two. I think it might have only been a story idea when memories of barnstorming pilots were fresh.

[zeborah]

Connie Willis, D.A. (2007) (Though the protag didn't actually apply, she just won...)

Not one of her best.

[mishalak]

Not aware of that story, but good to know that my idea was wrong so I will not repeat it. Randomly winning a ride to space though... That seems odd to start with.

[zeborah]

I think someone entered her without her knowing; the mystery tied into the plot somehow but it was alas all very unmemorable.