Red Mars, Kim Stanley Robinson. Philosophically naive, but still a great story. I just read it for the second time. It’s a long book, so I took a break with some lighter reading before I go on to Blue Mars.
House of Stairs, William Sleator. I first read this book when I was about eleven or twelve years old, and I’ve never been able to get it out of my head. My son read it as part of the library’s summer reading program, so I thought I’d read it again too. Very thought provoking for a kid’s book. It pushes the envelope at times with some difficult adult themes, but still manages to be appropriate for kids. The psychiatrist was a complete wack job as most of them probably really are.
A Princess of Mars, Edgar Rice Burroughs. This was Burroughs’ first novel, and–believe it or not–my first Burroughs novel. In 1917, this probably would have been some pretty light reading, and very nearly pornographic. Today, the story just seems youthfully prurient. Fifteen minutes of prime time television holds more sexuality and questionable morals than this whole book. On the other hand, the vocabulary is above the heads of most high school students, and the character of John Carter reveals a respect for honor and courage completely absent from our world.
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