What Makes This Book So Great
On sale
8th January 2015
Price: £13.99
Jo Walton is an award-winning author of, inveterate reader of, and chronic re-reader of science fiction and fantasy books. What Makes This Book So Great? is a selection of the best of her musings about her prodigious reading habit.
Jo Walton’s many subjects range from acknowledged classics, to guilty pleasures, to forgotten oddities and gems. Among them, the Zones of Thought novels of Vernor Vinge; the question of what genre readers mean by ‘mainstream’; the under-appreciated SF adventures of C. J. Cherryh; the field’s many approaches to time travel; the masterful science fiction of Samuel R. Delany; Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children; the early Hainish novels of Ursula K. Le Guin; and a Robert A. Heinlein novel you have most certainly never read.
Over 130 essays in all, What Makes This Book So Great is an immensely engaging collection of provocative, opinionated thoughts about past and present-day fantasy and science fiction, from one of our best writers.
Jo Walton’s many subjects range from acknowledged classics, to guilty pleasures, to forgotten oddities and gems. Among them, the Zones of Thought novels of Vernor Vinge; the question of what genre readers mean by ‘mainstream’; the under-appreciated SF adventures of C. J. Cherryh; the field’s many approaches to time travel; the masterful science fiction of Samuel R. Delany; Salman Rushdie’s Midnight’s Children; the early Hainish novels of Ursula K. Le Guin; and a Robert A. Heinlein novel you have most certainly never read.
Over 130 essays in all, What Makes This Book So Great is an immensely engaging collection of provocative, opinionated thoughts about past and present-day fantasy and science fiction, from one of our best writers.
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Reviews
Readers seeking an enthusiastic and informed guide to modern science fiction and fantasy could do worse than Jo Walton's collection of 130 short essays...a celebration of one reader's journey through the fantastic.
Walton's affection for many of these titles is contagious, and fans will find their own reading lists growing.
With plenty of jokes and interesting observations, this is definitely a fun read for the sci-fi fan. Give it a look if you’re after some humorous and intelligent analysis of the genre’s best.
Walton's critical gift is her ability to help you love your favorites even more, and to be fascinating, at length, on books you don't give a damn about. This is a remarkable guided tour through the field -- a kind of nonfiction companion to Among Others. It's very good. It's great.
Insightful and beautifully written . . .the perfect way to discover some of the classic science-fiction and fantasy novels that deserve a new audience.
A collection that is less criticism than a celebration of one reader's journey through the fantastic.
‘For readers unschooled in the history of SF/F, this book is a treasure trove; for those who recognize every title, Walton evokes the joy of returning to a well-worn favorite’
Winner of the 2015 Locus Award for Best Non-Fiction
What shines through time and again is Walton's love of speculative fiction . . . Walton frequently offers terrific insights.
A nicely eclectic, well considered essay collection that a reader can spend a few hours dipping into and following up on. It’s a great primer for someone who wants to know why we like SF & Fantasy, as well as provide books to try. It should lead the reader to many happy discoveries, or at least return to old favourites.