SciFi and Fantasy Book Club discussion

Parody/Spoof won our vote for the May Sci-Fi Theme, smacking down the Prometheus Award (which led for much of the month) with a final powerful surge.

So now we need to talk about possible Sci-Fi Parody/Spoofs. Feel free to engage in any discussion you like, arguing the merits of any suggestions you make, but please make your suggestions in the following format (and please consider this the first nomination):

The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams.

Anyone second the nomination?

The books that are officially nominated in this format most often (assuming they are genuine Sci-Fi) will make the next poll to decide our May book.

Hope that works for everyone. Let the discussion begin.

p.s. I am going to close out this thread on March 31st, at which time I'll post our nominees on a poll for voting.

Not sure if it merits a nomination or even a spot on the poll, but the only parody that immediately comes to my mind is Bored of the Rings A Parody of J. R. R. Tolkien's Lord of the Rings by Harvard Lampoon. I've never read it so can't speak to it's quality.

I recently read To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis which a friend of mine told me is a parody or spoof of Three Men in a Boat by Jerome K. Jerome. I enjoyed Willis's novel but I have not read the classic by Jerome.

We could do tek war.

Oh wait william shatner thought it was real sci fi.

sorry my bad

I'll second Hitchhiker's Guide....it's what I imagined when I saw the theme category. To be honest, I can't quickly think of something else that fits the category, but is SciFi rather than fantasy. Other than Adams, everything I thought of fit the fantasy category.....

Kevinalbee wrote: "We could do tek war./Oh wait william shatner thought it was real sci fi./Sorry my bad"

Oooooooh! I like that, Kevinalbee. That cracks me up, and it could be an awful lot of fun.

Chris wrote: "I can't quickly think of something else that fits the category, but is SciFi rather than fantasy...."

Yeah, fantasy has far more parodies, although I think there are some fairly satirical works of Sci-fi (like Down and Out in the Magic Kingdom, which we did last year), that people will think of with a little time.

And I just thought of another (another personal favourite):

Angry Young Spaceman. by Jim Munroe.

What about something like John Scalzi's The Android's Dream? It's not precisely a spoof or parody but it's very humorous.

I'm just going to show my support for The Hitchhiker's Guide, so I guess I'm "thirding" it. I absolutely love those books and I would love to discuss them (or it, since technically I guess we'd only be reading the first one) here.

I'll get my towel! ;)

I thought about this a bit more.

*The Road to Mars by Eric Idle (from Monty Python). About a robot trying to understand comedy. Again, perhaps not a strict parody or spoof, but it might lean that way.

*Bimbos of the Death Sun by Sharyn McCrumb. A parody (in some opinions) of science fiction conventions, rather than science fiction. Technically a very light mystery. Not sure how much there would be to discuss other than whether it is a parody or just a disturbingly realistic description.

*Glory Lane by Alan Dean Foster. I think this is a parody, but it's been so many years since I read it I really don't remember.

I just searched for "science fiction" and "parody" on GR and found

*Star Wreck The Generation Gap by Leah Rewolinski. Definitely fits the bill but I know nothing about it.

*The Doctor and the Enterprise which appears to be a cross between Star Trek and Dr. Who.

These latter two may be way too obscure for anyone to find a copy.

The Mission Earth series by L. Ron Hubbard is definitely parody (probably more so than actually intended) but I couldn't recommend it with a clean conscience.

It really is a lot easier to come up with fantasy spoofs.

I freely admit that I am incredibly lazy. And that I google most of my life away.

So, what did I do when a google search revealed lists other people had kindly already created? Select, copy, paste.

http://c2.com/cgi/wiki?FunnyScienceFi...

http://www.guardian.co.uk/books/2000/...

And since I came across it so many times in my search...Hal the Spacejock

http://www.spacejock.com.au/HalSpacej...

Anyone familiar with these authors?

Even if something is merely humorous or satirical and not strictly a spoof, I think its presence here is welcome. We can all debate the merits of such books and then see how things play out with nominations and the eventual poll.

So great additions all.

I think the addition of L. Ron Hubbard is interesting, "This is Not..." Anyone else curious to stretch the bounds of our parody/spoof to the unintentional but still oddly spoofy?

I think I'll pass on Hubbard...

This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For wrote: "What about something like John Scalzi's [b:The Android's Dream|7081|The Android's Dream|John Scalzi

Or his novel agent to the stars. Very funny and it is a parady

Wouldn't Harry Harrison qualify? I haven't read any of his stuff, but I remembered the name....

Harry Harrison would indeed, Chris. Got a fave you want to put out there?

No, I sure don't, Brad. I just saw his name on a list of Isaac Asimov stories and remembered that he wrote parody-type stuff. Didn't he do the Stainless Steel Rat? I'm really not familiar with his work...perhaps someone else will have a memory trigger from this....

I think a good choice from Harrison would be Bill The Galactic Hero. It's sort of a Catch-22 in space. Fine book.

I love everything and anything by Terry Pratchett but I believe The Color of Magic was already done. I also love Hitchhiker's but I'm guessing many of us have already read it. I'd love to find a new author but that's just my two cents.

Another good one by Harrison would be Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers. It's a spoof on Campbellian SF. If you've read any of Campbell's "Arcot, Wade & Morey" trilogy, you'll really recognize the spoof, but it works for most of the stuff he wrote & edited. He was one of the most influential editors of the 'Golden Age' of SF, as I recall.

Philip José Farmer just died. How about Lord Tyger? Not really a spoof, but a re-write of Tarzan in a real world. It spoofs the original some. Or Venus on the Half-Shell where Farmer wrote a book as Kilgore Trout, Kurt Vonnegut Jr.'s sleazy SF writer in his books?

Venus on the Half-Shell looked pretty interesting. Lord Tyger too. I'll second a vote for a work by Philip Jose Farmer.

Lots of good stuff so far. Here's what I've got for our current crop of nominees If I've left something out that you want added make sure you nominate your choice or second someone else's nomination. I am going to close out this thread on March 31st, at which time I'll post our nominees on a poll for voting.

Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy by Douglas Adams
Venus on the Half-Shell by Philip José Farmer,Kilgore Trout
Star Smashers of the Galaxy Rangers by Harry Harrison
The Android's Dream by John Scalzi
Tik-Tok by John Sladek
Phule's Company by Robert Lynn Asprin
How Much for Just the Planet? by John M. Ford

Also, I am limiting our list to one book per author, so if there is a book you'd rather see from an author I am currently listing feel free to carry on the debate. If the group wants a different choice I will make the change.

I'm new to the group and this is my first post, but I would like to nominate a book.
Tik-Tok by John Sladek
I have yet to read it, but from what I know of it and it's author, I think people would find it interesting.
To quote and paraphrase from 100 Must-read Science Fiction Novels :

The narrator of Sladek's blackly satirical novel is the robot, Tik-Tok, whose malfunctioning 'asimov circuits' have turned him into an amoral psychopath.
Tik-Tok is a malevolent Machiavellian, prepared to manipulate both fellow robots and human beings in his relentless pursuit of his own ends. Far from proving a handicap, his amorality propels him to the top of American society.
Tik-Tok shows Sladek at his most slyly inventive, appropriating characters and ideas from classic American fantasy and SF and using them for his own purposes; the entire plot subverts the famous Three Laws of Robotics used in Asimov's fiction.


I also thought this would therefore be a nice follow on from reading "I Robot" in April.
Sorry this post is so long, but I gather people (Mods?) would like justifications for nominations.
Cheers,
Richard.

Excellent justification, Richard. Sounds like a good pick. Any seconds?

Brad wrote: "Excellent justification, Richard. Sounds like a good pick. Any seconds?"

Sure, I'll second that. Looks interesting. :)

I would second Bill the Galactic Hero, but my local library only has it in Russian (Bill-geroī Galaktiki, tom 1.)

Brad wrote: "Excellent justification, Richard. Sounds like a good pick. Any seconds?"

Me too (or three), this one sounds good!

Jason Cosmo, by Dan McGirt
Another Fine Myth, by Robert Asprin
A Voice for Princess, by John Morrissey
The Phoenix Guards, by Steven Brust, a terrific take-off on the Three Musketeers.

Not sure if we want the first books in the series or not, but Asprin and Morrissey both have quite a few books..

I'll second Another Fine Myth. I've been wanting to try Asprin

Unfortunately, Another Fine Myth by Robert Lynn Asprin doesn't fit into Sci-Fi. It's about magicians, after all. So that one will have to wait for a Fantasy Parody/Spoof month.

I loved the The Pheonix Guards! It would be great to re-read that one.

All of your choices would be fantastic for a Spoof/Parody for Fantasy, and I imagine there will be a chance to present those ideas for a future Fantasy Theme month, but none of the four are actually Sci-Fi. Sorry about that.

But now that I know about The Phoenix Guards, I am going to check it out. Thanks for the tip.

Brad wrote: "All of your choices would be fantastic for a Spoof/Parody for Fantasy, and I imagine there will be a chance to present those ideas for a future Fantasy Theme month, but none of the four are actuall..."

I would argue that The Phoenix Guards is the same sort of sci-fi-fantasy that Pern is or Recluce. It's been quite awhile since I read it, but I remember there being some science fiction elements. It might be stretching it a bit though for the hard core science fiction fans. :)

That's a tough call to make. I almost think we should have a third stream, Sci-Fantasy to go along with Sci-Fi and Fantasy.

Actually, a better idea that just occurred to me is to simply add "Sci-Fantasy" as a theme for our next theme month. Then if it's chosen we can bring in all those books that split the difference. Make sure you bring The Phoenix Guards back into the running when that happens, Jon. And good point about Pern and Recluse.

For this month, though, I want to keep it as Sci-Fi as possible.

Good points Brad re fantansy - they are too often lumped together, Sci/Fi and Fantasy, and there are certainly books that are hybrids, but I'd agree with sticking to the distinctions. I don't like to see one genre eaten up by another when each has its own distinct qualities.

I like "The Phoenix Guards" & Brust's series, but I think it's strictly fantasy. I'd love to read it & the rest of the series with the group some time, though.

Should I add "Sci-Fantasy" as a Fantasy theme choice when I create the May theme poll? Or would it be more appropriate for the next SF theme month?

How about How Much for Just the Planet?, by John M. Ford?

I love Hal Spacejock.

Tik Tok is great, though so dark it trascends its spoof nature. I would second it.

If people are interested in Robert Asprin, he has another series that is sci-fi (and definitely strikes me as spoof-y), the Phule series. The first book is:

Phule's Company, by Robert Asprin

I'd definitely vote for this one, even if I wasn't suggesting it.

Excellent suggestion, Dana. I will take that as a second since we've already had Asprin mentioned. Any seconds for Hal Spacejock?

I've never read How Much for Just the Planet, but I see that it is a Star Trek book. Is it actually a Star Trek spoof? That could be a lot of fun. Or is it a tongue and cheek spoof, simply because it is poorly done?

It's a Star Trek novel done in the style of a screwball comedy. It is in fact very well done, simply because it's a John M. Ford novel. His The Final Reflection is one of the best Trek novels around.

Marc wrote: "It's a Star Trek novel done in the style of a screwball comedy. It is in fact very well done, simply because it's a John M. Ford novel...."

Excellent. Does anyone want to second How Much for Just the Planet.

I'll second it.

Brooke wrote: "Should I add "Sci-Fantasy" as a Fantasy theme choice when I create the May theme poll? Or would it be more appropriate for the next SF theme month?"

I say absolutely yes. I think that's fair game for either side of the coin. At least until Sci-Fantasy becomes an official genre in its own right.

With only a few hours left until I officially close off nominations and make the new poll I thought I would mention the books that weren't seconded by anyone, just in case there's something you want to bump onto the poll.

To Say Nothing of the Dog by Connie Willis
Angry Young Spaceman by Jim Munroe
The Road to Mars by Eric Idle


Do we hear any seconds for these?

I will second To Say Nothing of the Dog.

This Is Not The Michael You're Looking For wrote: "What about something like John Scalzi's The Android's Dream? It's not precisely a spoof or par..."

I second the Android's Dream.

Thank you, Amy.

The Android's Dream was already covered, Michael, so you have thirded it ;)