I Have a New Favorite Science Fiction Author [100 Book Challenge #91-93]

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00:00 The Gamesman by Barry Malzberg
03:17 Overlay by Barry Malzberg
07:06 One On Me by Tim Huntley

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26 июл 2024

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Комментарии : 103

@chrisw6164 7 месяцев назад

Finding “new” authors is one of my favorite things about RU-vid. I wish it had existed when I used to browse all those jam-packed used bookstores back in the 90s. All those books from writers I’d never heard of, and passed on buying. Ugh.

@mostlyguesses8385 7 месяцев назад

Life b4 internet was hell, trying to find by hitting and rehitting all the 30 used bookstores in ones metro, for books fm author yr trying to read.

@user-kq6yy1nz1j 7 месяцев назад

I've been reading Malzberg for over 50 years now. The most shockingly underrated sf writer of the 1960s/70s. Many of his books are difficult to obtain, and that is a scandal.

@outlawbookselleroriginal 7 месяцев назад

Delighted to see you're enjoying Barry- I've felt like a lone voice crying in the wilderness for years about his work. There's a trade paperback from Stark House of the thematic trilogy ('Overlay', 'A Bed of Money' and 'Underlay'- the latter is probably his most challenging work and one he's very proud of). His interest in addiction can only be compared to Walter Tevis' masterful 'The Man Who Fell To Earth', 'Queen'S Gambit' (forget the TV show) and 'The Hustler'. I also strongly recommend the Anti-Oedipus Press editions of the Paranoid Astronauts Trilogy - 'Beyond Apollo', ' The Falling Astronauts' and 'Revelations'- they have amazing additional material by other writers- really great criticism. I suspect, however, that Barry will be too much for some stomachs...

@Bookpilled 7 месяцев назад

Yes, I was dimly aware of him but your coverage was the thing that focused me on his work. Thanks for that. I will have to get the Anti-Oedipus editions at some point when I'm not going to be married to my kindle. Malzberg definitely seems to split opinions. I've been getting mixed notes from people since I started recommending Beyond Apollo.

@outlawbookselleroriginal 7 месяцев назад

@@Bookpilled Well, I'm sure you know from reading him why he doesn't grab a lot of people- he's that fine example of a guy writing literature and elevating Genre SF into areas many are uncomfortable with. He always cheers me up- he shows you the naked lunch- what's really on the end of the fork! Take care, my friend.

@christophernoto 7 месяцев назад

Barry Malzberg! I haven’t heard his name spoken out loud in many years, but I am thrilled to be reminded of his work! I still have an ancient copy of his novel “Phase IV,” which was made into one of my favorite science fiction films. Powerful stuff! Thank you! 🔥❤️🔥

@Gruso57 7 месяцев назад

Just wanted to pop in and say thank you. Thank you for putting Blindsight on my radar. It blew me away and it's now my gold standard in the genre.

@Bookpilled 7 месяцев назад

You love to hear it

@jnc8358 7 месяцев назад

I had been mostly stuck in a rut rereading authors I knew as a teen in the 80's. When I was a kid, I am sure that the only reason I was bought books by Asimov, Heinlein and Clarke was because my dad asked the seller at the bookstore which authors to pick for me. This channel and Stephen E. Andrews's have opened my eyes to a much broader exploration of SF. Jay

@dizzyishere. 7 месяцев назад

Word. They are my only watchable book RU-vidrs. Great knowledge and many hidden gems. No platitudes or attitudes either.

@MrVvulf 7 месяцев назад

As you were describing the "game" in the novel I couldn't help but recall the novel "Split Infinity", written in 1980 by Piers Anthony. I haven't read it since the early 1980s, but there is zero doubt in my mind that Anthony was "inspired", to say the least (shall we be generous?), by "The Gamesman".

@mostlyguesses8385 7 месяцев назад

Piers maybe saw other gladiatorial books. Piers has Game that is fun for amateurs, more like a weekend disneyland that makes people want to work on the planet for decade. Malzberg in 70s w inflation and commies winning drew darker future than Piers.

@Landshark23 7 месяцев назад

already bought five Malzbergs after hearing you and Sean enthuse about him and loving what I’ve read so far. some really fantastic/ bizarre covers even for the time which is a bonus

@Reflekt0r 7 месяцев назад

Now that you've put him aside my SF hero Silverberg, I MUST read Malzberg. Thank you! 🙏

@kerribrown1046 6 месяцев назад

Some more to put on my list! It's been such a pleasure to find your videos. Thank you so much for rekindling my passion for Science Fiction! :)

@joshuakinworthy9546 6 месяцев назад

That tree in the background you focused on for a moment reminded me of a shot in “No Country for Old Men.” It’s the tree where he finds the money next to a dead Hispanic fellow.

@wmeisel 7 месяцев назад

Outlaw Bookseller also got me to read a lot of Malzberg’s novels as well. I recommend Tactics of Conquest and The Men Inside, both of which I just read around Christmas. (Interestingly, I couldn’t get through Overlay - I found the horse racing stuff boring, but I didn’t get rid of the book, so maybe I’ll give it another try…)

@Jarlaxleify 6 месяцев назад

I love how your videos have evolved into these zen escapes on top of the primary content. Your recent stuff creates little pockets of calm in my day.

@artscience9981 7 месяцев назад

Thanks for sharing your passion for SF with us. Loved the location where you sot this one!

@Blitnock 6 месяцев назад

Next to and on my bed are books that form my "Currently Reading" list. Among them is, "The Best of Barry N. Malzberg", Pocket Books, 1976. I haven't read any of his novels, and know him mostly from his inclusion in various anthologies of short stories, such as the Orbit series. He is certainly one of the more 'literate' SF authors that I enjoy. If you can, you should get your hands on this anthology. Before each story he has an illuminating introduction. As a teaser here is the first sentence of his introduction to the short story, "The Man in the Pocket": "The issue with this story is one of my five or six obsessive themes (others: paranoid astronauts; wives who know their wives are crazy; husbands who know their wives are crazy; horse-racing and another Not To Be Mentioned), and I am heartily sick of it, finally. " Given your current interest in Malzberg, this anthology is a must have for your collection. Cheers! Edit: This is not to be confused with "The Very Best of Barry N. Malzberg". This recent book, edited by Malzberg, has 32 stories, compared with 38 in the anthology above. I don't know if the new book has all the introductions found in the old. I just ordered a copy.

@spooksmalloy 7 месяцев назад

First time viewer fresh off your visit to the SF Ultra podcast and very glad I did, always good to find another thoughtful commentator. Also, shout out to Sean for introducing your work, would absolutely recommend his stuff for fans of this as well!

@Bookpilled 7 месяцев назад

Thank you, welcome to my zone. Sean rules.

@MemphiStig 6 месяцев назад

That's some beautiful scenery you've found there!

@YourQueerGreatAuntie 7 месяцев назад

Hit you with wrenches?!! Dude, you are comedy gold in your reviews! Doing a search now for Malzberg - your high praise is a great barometer for my tastes. The Gamesman sounds like a stone-cold classic. And your nature shots feed my soul - thank you for leaving us with time to soak them up.

@tomlabooks3263 7 месяцев назад

Wow. Never heard of him! As soon as you said “Silverberg”, I ordered his book. Thanks 🙏🏻

@HarryTo1 6 месяцев назад

I picked up a copy of The Men Inside by Barry Malzberg about a year ago from a charity shop, but having never heard of him it's been sat on my shelf unread since then. Because of your recent reads of him I think I'm going to have to put this next on my list to read!

@joelstainer65 7 месяцев назад

Love the nature shots. I gave a Malzberg a shot with three books this month (including Beyond Apollo) and I'll be moving the rest of mine along onto Ebay. Strongly disliked all of his books. Thanks for the reviews.

@DSM907Maniak 7 месяцев назад

Can't wait to check out Malzberg, appreciate the solid content as always!

@sethball2475 7 месяцев назад

It'll be interesting to see how Underlay, Galaxies, and Herovit's World fit in, whenever you get to them. Glad you found a new favourite.

@keithdixon6595 7 месяцев назад

I had a copy of Beyond Apollo for years but never felt compelled to read it, thinking Malzberg was second-tier. Now I'll have to get it again and read it, damn you, Matt! 😊

@AStrang3r 7 месяцев назад

Great video. I only discovered Malzberg this year and am sooo glad I did! Overlay was a strange one for me. I didn't take to it at first because I was expecting something else, but my appreciation of it grew. I love his writing. If you can, I urge you to try Tales of a Darkening World: The Davy series by Edgar Pangborn. His writing is wonderful. I'm keen to hear what you think of it.

@williamdirks5805 7 месяцев назад

Nice setting; excellent reviews; thank you.

@billsezame4132 7 месяцев назад

Try to find "The Remaking of Sigmund Freud", the clone of Sigmund trying to help aliens with mental illness. I think its one of the best Malzberg's. Thanks for all your critics, always so... ( dont know what, but always so...)

@wmeisel 7 месяцев назад

Thanks for recommending this one. There is a cheap Kindle edition which I am currently reading and I am enjoying it very much.

@rfgator22 7 месяцев назад

Beautiful background landscape!

@jeffpowanda8821 7 месяцев назад

I've read some of Malzberg (including Beyond Apollo) and much of Silverberg. I've always thought Silverberg was better, but now I'll try to read more Malzberg.

@clifb.3521 7 месяцев назад

gorgeous background / landscape // this would have been great in Black & White

@meesalikeu 7 месяцев назад

malzberg hells yeah -- phase iv is it -- if you watch the movie be sure to also check out the clip of the relatively newly discovered original ending. trippy af, but it ties the movie up well and as the story intended.

@kid5Media 7 месяцев назад

ALL of Malzberg's novels are dystopian. If not downright bummers.

@Denis-pj6zg 6 месяцев назад

Great vid. I love what you’ve been doing here for the last year or so. This Gamesmen story seems inspired by A.E. Van Vogt’s Null-A novel (1948 I believe) and perhaps PKD’s Solar Lottery which also seems to be inspired by Null-A. I have not yet read anything by Malzberg but there is a great interview with him published in Charles Platt in Dream Makers - a must read. You might find this interesting. I am enjoying your journey through science fiction very much. It reminds me of my own. Please keep up the great work.

@CulainRuledByVenus 7 месяцев назад

Suggestions from Malzberg: Guernica Night, In The Enclosure, and any of his short story collections, including those written under the pseudonym of K.M. O'Donnell.

@vdr3846 7 месяцев назад

-scarce resources -few creature comforts -international travel -testing intellectual prowess It's your life Matt. Youre reading about your life.

@sarahcleary7332 7 месяцев назад

A fellow Malz head!!!! Hell yeah!!!

@BooklessPete 5 месяцев назад

Glad to see people are still discovering the great Malzberg.

@wmeisel 7 месяцев назад

Forgot to mention - I agree with you on Malzberg’s writing style. I find that after I am 50 pages or so in, the book is un-put-down-able.

@tectorgorch8698 7 месяцев назад

Thanks for another fascinating report.

@hlawrencepowell 7 месяцев назад

I haven't gone through all of your videos yet, so excuse me if you already know of or have promoted or discussed Edgar Pangborn. He's like Malzberg to you -- an absolutely amazing writer that I had not heard of even many years after his books were published. I'd love to hear your take on Pangborn.

@BioPhoenixReviews 7 месяцев назад

just added the gamesman to my wishlist. it sounds really good

@mobyelse 7 месяцев назад

I really enjoy your videos.. You should check some spanish language authors. There are many in the sci fi genre. ROSA MONTERO is a spanish author with an excellent prose. She has a non consecutive trilogy, the firs book is TEARS IN THE RAIN., and it has a female replicant protagonist. Yes, replicants inspired by the Blade Runner movie. You should chek it out. I'd love to hear your thoughts on that. Cheers

@rickkearn7100 7 месяцев назад

Never a dull moment here on your channel, BP. Malzberg is a controversial literary figure on many fronts and non-apologetic. One of his stories as Mel Johnson might very well have inspired a song by the band Police: "Be My Girl". That aside, great topic! Cheers.

@ralphmarrone3130 7 месяцев назад

I read the Gamesman when it was published. I definitely have to dig it out and reread it. For a mordantly funny book check out The Blind Men and the Elephant by Russell M Griffin. It’s one hell of a witty, acerbic, moving novel. Unfortunately it’s also hard to find. The author died way too soon at 43. I still have the original Timescape version.

@durwoodmaccool890 7 месяцев назад

I think I read One On Me a long time ago in the 80s. I didn't really like the ending much. I don't remember a huge amount of stuff about it. Gonna have to check Malzberg. I really like your choice of locations.

@trombone7 7 месяцев назад

How to Save the World - ed. Sheffield has : Buyer's remorse / Kathe Koja & Barry N. Malzberg

@ACR4008 Месяц назад

Love that intro!

@mostlyguesses8385 7 месяцев назад

Piers Anthony wrote 2 hard wild scifi books, Mute (even animals have mutants w superpowers!! but most mutants are losers in ghettos in slums), and Macrosope (our super telescopes see allien worlds and all have collapsed too decadence and extinction, but our hero finds signal w tech tips, or other weiirdness)...

@OmnivorousReader 7 месяцев назад

I think I read The Gamesman years ago... Really must re-read...

@rickintx1125 7 месяцев назад

Malzberg once cited Underlay as his best novel. It's not remotely science fiction, but it is the distilled essence of Barry Malzberg.

@Bookpilled 7 месяцев назад

I definitely intend to read it.

@JohnInTheShelter 6 месяцев назад

Malzberg's nonfiction is as good or better than his fiction. He was the first SF writer I read who criticized the publishing industry. ENGINES OF THE NIGHT is a good essay collection that's been expanded. I'm reading THE SODDOM AND GOMORRAH GAME, one of the flood of books he published in the seventies.

@PhilOutsider 7 месяцев назад

I can’t wait for the review of Gather in the Hall of the Planets.

@vilstef6988 7 месяцев назад

The book Solar Lottery by PKD might be in your wheelhouse. It's Dick'sfirst published book and deals with a worldwide game and game theory.

@darklingeraeld-ridge7946 7 месяцев назад

Very engaging. Am wondering what you make of BNM’s ‘Breakfast in the Ruins’.

@Bookpilled 7 месяцев назад

I haven't read that one yet

@darklingeraeld-ridge7946 7 месяцев назад

@@Bookpilled It’s an account of forty-odd years of sci-fi writing, & looks at the history of the genre & the work of some of the writers.

@rhclark6530 6 месяцев назад

Your review led me to read "One on Me. I thought it was quite good. Significantly less derivative than so much Science Fiction unfortunately is. I didn't find the incest theme to be particularly obtrusive. If anything it just seemed a relatively minor part of the satire.

@dimitrikorsakov2570 6 месяцев назад

Damn, where was this filmed? Such a beautiful landscape! Looks like an African savanna.

@angusorvid8840 Месяц назад

Malzberg is brilliant. He was a favorite of Philip K. Dick.

@themojocorpse1290 7 месяцев назад

Guernica night is a strange and wonderful read love malzberg .

@emosongsandreadalongs 2 месяца назад

Matt, I'm wondering if you've read much or any of Malzberg's short fiction? I haven't ever come across any of his novels, but I've got quite a few of his short stories in various SF anthologies

@Bookpilled Месяц назад

Haven’t yet, I’m sure they’re great

@adamlytle2615 7 месяцев назад

Funny, some of the elements in "One On Me" remind me a bit of "The World Inside" by Silverberg, which I just read. It was my first Silverberg. I quite liked it, but some of it is a bit icky, including some incest stuff.

@MemphiStig 5 месяцев назад

Also, idk if anyone's told you but your link on this channel to your other one redirects to this one or gives 404 message. The link in the box works just fine. Anyway, I'm about to try to dump a lot of books and other stuff, and if I have power for the month I'll do it online, so I was looking for suggestions. My friend's in the hospital in bad shape and about to lose his home, so we've started a gofundme and we're selling everything we can. I'd put a link on here but I don't want to be crass or disrespect your channel. It's on my channel if anyone cares to help. I just wanted to say I've enjoyed your videos and you've made me hopeful I can have some success in raising cash this way. So thanks. And carry on. You do great work.

@smb123211 7 месяцев назад

Thanks - always looking for new authors even if the books don't make sense....it's fiction. LOL

@W1ndF4lc0n 7 месяцев назад

I really want to know what's your backstory with Gene Wolfe. I mean you are avoiding him like the plague for a reason presumably, I am really curious what it is.

@mostlyguesses8385 7 месяцев назад

William Tedford scifi Rashahayn Red series was great, 10m years from now humanity fled fm half invasion in thousand 1c ships, and 1b years later most arrived and settled and many regressed orr moved to daughter planets, hiding. Then 1 amnesiac man awakes in a fast ship and rescues lil blue babe evolved to live on harsh planet and visits a few worlds. . . Or good ol Leo Frankowski.

@Carepedoit 7 месяцев назад

I don’t wanna hate on Malzberg, but your description is like listening to a glowing description of a Stalin five-year plan.

@OXyShow 7 месяцев назад

Hail!

@thescrewfly 7 месяцев назад

Wait, you never laughed at Lafferty or Sheckley or Eric Frank Russell or even Cordwainer Smith? Hmmm....

@ernestschultz5065 7 месяцев назад

the link to listen to overlay, I cant seem to find it in the discription. can you help me out, Matt?

@ernestschultz5065 7 месяцев назад

Edit: I found an audiobook of it on RU-vid, thanks for the usual great video.

@Bookpilled 7 месяцев назад

www.patreon.com/SFULTRA

@chrisdaniels6523 7 месяцев назад

On a Planet Alien!!!!!!!

@doublestarships646 7 месяцев назад

Do you just genuinely don't like books that lean heavily on comedy? I imagine I don't have to ask if you like humor in your books at all, I'm sure you like well crafted humor, lol. I feel like it's important to add instances of humor but it has to be more than just "haha" jokes. Like an actual comedian level of humor that will knock your socks off out of nowhere between certain acts or moments where a good instance of hard humor can be implemented if the author has the mind for it. I think it should be rare but very well thought-out.

@raresaturn 7 месяцев назад

Sounds like Taskmaster

@gordonshumway8030 7 месяцев назад

...i do believe that you are on the verge of reading-off your own ear...

@TheRealBozz 4 месяца назад

The fact that you would choose to edit these books to conform to your generational societal zeitgeist is telling. Is there any history that you would like to rewrite so as to better conform to your superior sense of morality?

@fanuluiciorannr1xd212 7 месяцев назад

I'm glad you like this author. But I feel like I already had my fill of dystopian fiction for the foreseeable future. My oversaturation is half of the scheme the other half is how I feel a lot of the genre is build on the childish understanding that if only you start thinking the good ideas you won something great and the ending of the dystopia is close now. Which I do not think is true. Chains and traps do not get spooked and run away when the person which they were desgined to keep down looks at them. More complex attempts sometimes suck because the author has no idea why one side should be better or how the side with les spower could avoid doing bad things like the other and they just stick with either both are bad or the evil one just manifested one day and that manifestation is treated like it somehow was breaking the fundamental laws of nature. Like they exist in the story there is nothing unnatural about them if they were unnatural they wouldn't have happned. Other times bad things associated with dictatorships get treated in a good light if somebody does them but said person didn't have the intention to see the consequences or hadn't palnned them long in advance.

@dondada1460 7 месяцев назад

So the hunger games

@outlawbookselleroriginal 7 месяцев назад

...more Robert Sheckley, the King of Kill Game SF since the 1950s....

@Robert-gr9mj 7 месяцев назад

You seem to mistake toxic themes in sci-fi as being good and beautiful themes and writing in sci-fi. Maybe tour left leanings seem to have turned your judgment completely upside down unfortunately. Maybe reflect and try to reset.

@Landshark23 7 месяцев назад

what

@mostlyguesses8385 7 месяцев назад

Yes thinking pessimism is smart is a connection some make. It's fair to suggest otherwise when book reviewers like 70s books. Book reviews lead to fun debates it's all meant in fun.

@outlawbookselleroriginal 6 месяцев назад

There are no 'toxic' themes in Art. In fact, such themes usually make for the very best and most enduring literature. The best chance SF has of surviving as an Art as opposed to bubblegum is to tackle such subject matter. This is why Malzberg is so admired by many, many serious devotees. Life is more like his works than the wish fulfillment escapism of say a Becky Chambers novel.

@mostlyguesses8385 6 месяцев назад

Toxic maybe is view leading to self harm, or even not having next generation. If a group starts to die out they seems toxic. . . Humans lack objectivity, even if 70s we were richer than our grandparents a small 5% loss of national income was seen as US is hellhole. So lots of 70s books about poverty. Put this way, human nature will see failure even amid plenty, we re not made to be happy but to be spoiled and demand more including from self.. Western thought seems all toxic, vs Buddhism seeing we are out own slave master.... Sentience and family and sex is so weird, rarely is this explored, books mostly skip the basics of life and jump to political issue of organizing society of millions, rarely how to organize self or family.. books are rarely deep by this measure.... few books have a working family that shows this it often a author who is hermit writing characters who are hermits... a working family is suportive and avoids danger and few would leave joyous family to climb mountain and have adventure so ALL books sorta are set amid crappy family situation, most books imply a cold abusive family and character feels what the heck let's risk death it beats normal life I've got .. The silent majority write few books or heck are angsty so read books... . Sorry rambly thoughts today.. be honest most scifi readers are the few loners not integrated happy family members who visit parents and cousins often (time w extended family in China is 1000 hours a year in US 10, in olden times 2000, lonerism is rife in West)). Rambly thoughts today

@Robert-gr9mj 6 месяцев назад

@@outlawbookselleroriginal SF "Art" is not actually an independent phenomenon from reality - many of our current technology leaders read and were inspired by positive-future, expansive SF works. The "messaging" in fiction is not always just a writer's "artistic expression" but is influenced by publishers, editors and sometimes even authors who consider how this messaging impacts irl readers/society - and works if popular e.g. Dune, can have some level of irl impact, or for example Heinlein inspired von Braun. While negative messaging can feel attractive or even addictive to espouse (e.g. the "woke mind virus") the real-world impact should be heavily born in mind. If you are prioritizing just historical SF literature for how enduring it is, I would recommend Das Kapital which continues to be popular with many readers - but when absorbing its messaging, consider what impact it could have and look at the quality of life of places where it has had the most impact.