Clarke Award Finalists 1992

[james_davis_nicoll]

1992: The Royal Family teaches a masterclass in domestic tranquility, Labour selects as its new leader the memorably named John Smith, and, fced with strife in Ireland and economic woes at home, Prime Minister Major swiftly establishes a hotline so that the British can report excess traffic cones.

Poll #32950 Clarke Award Finalists 1992

Open to: Registered Users, detailed results viewable to: All, participants: 45

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Which 1992 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

View Answers

Synners by Pat Cadigan
20 (44.4%)

Eternal Light by Paul J. McAuley
9 (20.0%)

Hyperion by Dan Simmons
38 (84.4%)

Raft by Stephen Baxter
10 (22.2%)

Subterranean Gallery by Richard Paul Russo
1 (2.2%)

The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
32 (71.1%)

White Queen by Gwyneth Jones
11 (24.4%)

Bold for have read, italic for intend to read,, underline for never heard of it.

Which 1992 Clarke Award Finalists Have You Read?

Synners by Pat Cadigan
Eternal Light by Paul J. McAuley
Hyperion by Dan Simmons
Raft by Stephen Baxter
Subterranean Gallery by Richard Paul Russo
The Fall of Hyperion by Dan Simmons
White Queen by Gwyneth Jones

Comments

[patrick_morris_miller]

The ones that I've read, I wish I hadn't. Weird.

[oh6]

The Hyperion books are an example of how my enjoyment can depend on how familiar I am with whatever the author is cribbing from. If unfamiliar (Chaucer, Keats) fine, if familiar (artificial life) oh dear.

[mikeda]

Still none.

[eagle]

Still mad that Dan Simmons turned out to be an ass because wow did I ever love that series. And still loved them when I re-read them, although more of the cracks were showing.

I did not see what everyone else saw in White Queen. So many suspension of disbelief problems about the human society. Ah well.

[fred_mouse]

It's possible that I've read Synners and Hyperion, but I don't remember them if I did. I definitely own the Cadigan, and possibly the Jones.

[patrick_morris_miller]

Simmons is able at the words putting together stage, but even as early as Endymion / Endymion II: Endymion Harder I wanted to slug him. "You cannot have a food web with no energy input!" "You call that sentimental, manipulative crap a happy ending?"

And, of course, he has to keep reminding us that he has a degree in English. Dan, that makes me like you less, not more.

[eagle]

One of the places where my taste differs from our gracious host (and from a lot of other science fiction readers) is that I usually don't really care whether the science makes sense, which I admit is quite helpful for that series. Endymion has a lot of problems, but I truly like Rise of Endymion. It's one of the rare books built around a religion where the appeal of the religion feels like it makes sense within the world, and where the constructed religion taps in to the same sorts of desires that real religion taps into.

Also, I like people with degrees in English. :)

Hyperion is certainly the best book of the series, but Rise of Endymion, for all of its editing problems and blatant retcons, is my second-favorite because I just really enjoy reading it for some reason.