Great video. Wiki says Novella 1953, novel 1961. Would be interesting to see how much was added in the novel, hopefully just fleshed out more (i liked your review and listening to the novel’s audiobook now).

Yes yes yes, thank you, this will be a pleasure. I just finally managed to get a friend to start reading it and am on a huge reread experience.

Yet another one to add to my TBR list. Thanks, Sci-Fi Shed. The interesting thing (to me, at least) is how every ranking has an effect on every other work (in that category). It's tough, man. It would drive me nuts. I enjoy watching you do it, though.

Red Mars Moving Mars Mars Plus So many mars memories when i was younger. Good stuff. ✅

If my count is right this is the 45th novel on the ladder. What an accomplishment! Five more and you could make a top 50 video!

Memorable book. One of Miéville's best along with Embassytown and the last two Bas Lag novels. I think I like this one with the least reservations out of the four. Miéville always excels in cleverness and invention but all the rest also worked well for me. The problem you menton with the prose crops up for me too -- I can't point out any particular flaws but it requires extra effort in unexpected places that just aren't clear like they could be. Miéville's reach exceeds his grasp but that's not a bad flaw as flaws go.

Nice review. I haven’t read any Mieville yet but I’ve got Perdido on my bookshelf waiting for me

What a wonderful review! Looking forward to reading this book!

I liked it. It was a bit confusing at times tho but got easier the more you read. Dune influence is there for sure. Unspace was a great idea and probably the most interesting aspect of the whole world-building. It was a bit terrifying. Got the second book right away but at the same time got the first Mistborn novel and after I was done got the other two so haven’t been able to get to it yet unfortunately… and also got the first book of Stormlight Archives smh 🤦‍♂️

A serious misunderstanding of the story. The spiders seem like humans because the human interpreters are actively interpreting their society, not just their language. This is explicitly explained. Trying to understand a completely alien language would be useless without some kind of social context.

+1 to the scar 🎉 - It doesn't have the biggest of scope..... But the environment and the characters are so well drawn and so poetic with descriptions. It's an amazing read if you play some experimental music in the background. He's an incredibly talented author. Shame he didn't produce more or push science fiction elements more.

I really enjoyed Perdido Street Station and The Scar but I remember reading a so-so review of this one and passed it up. I actually have another copy of The Scar here to reread someday. I found that this type of fiction really appealed to me. The weirder the better. A tough one to rank. I considered it alternate universe fiction. Have you watched " Counterpart " you would probably really like it if you haven't. Cheers.

Great review thanks for sharing your thoughts, will add to the list to find and read

This is my least favorite of the Hugo and nebula winners that I've read so far It seems much more like a stage play than a novel With all the action taking place off stage And lots of expository dialogue.

Very short novel indeed! I've only previously heard of Fritz Leiber's sword and scorcery stuff, had no idea he'd won the Hugo for this one. Interesting premise despite the flaws. Might have to get a copy! Cheers for the review Pete!

I think part of your problem with 'The Big Time' is a matter of perspective. You were expecting an adventure story from Fritz Leiber, the teller of tall tales. What you got was a story from Fritz Leiber, the actor. I came across a review that explained that the story is a one-act play. You have a limited number of characters trapped in a single stage set who interact with each other in very subtle, and often confrontational, ways. If you approach it that way, you find yourself looking in awe at what Leiber accomplished. At least, that was the way it was for me. Also, let it sit for a few years and come back to it. It tops the list for re-readability.

This is a great novel but I seem to be in the minority from other contemporary opinions I’ve heard. What a showman and stylist Leiber was.

A good read! Just read this one recently.

The hero's real name is Holger Danske, a major figure in the Danish imagination. When the Danes formed a resistance group against the Nazis, they use his name.

I definitely love this book!!

I love this book! It would be great to see a movie of it!

Unfortunately, the "traveling to another world" (obviously in a fantasy, not science fiction way) is one of the tropes that interest me the least. And gaining certain "lessons" from that travel for our world... Also, incorporating existing myths (like from, say, Shakespeare) into the different world, as a sort of explantion for their origin in our world. Or like it is a great surprise and discovery (a rather dull discovery, honestly). I just don't like it particularly much. To me, it feels a little antiquated, like Victorian whimsy.

I just looked up Appendix N in the 1st edition Dungeon Masters Guide (a list of books for inspirational reading) and sure enough, it’s the first book listed!

Poul is one of my favorite authors, both for fantasy and science fiction. Another author is Lord Dunsany, who wrote, among other things, Beyond the Fields We Know, and The King of Elfland's Daughter.

Thanks so much for the tip!

I just picked that one up the other day. I read the broken sword by him a few months back so I'm definitely going to get to this one.

very excellent beard

You might like the channel of KZbinr "TheWorstThingAboutNewBooks." He has video(s) that go into detail about the books that inspired Gary Gygax. Thanks for putting this book on my radar. Cheers.

Very perceptive review of a classic fantasy novel. I read and loved this book many years ago, and this inspires me to give it another read, since as you mention, it's only 150 pages. I also loved The Broken Sword, The High Crusade and Harold Kraki's Saga. Still looking forward to reading Operation Otherworld, A Midsummer Tempest, The Merman's Children and Conan the Rebel. And that's only looking at his fantasy output! Thanks for sharing your thoughts on this book!

Loved deathworld, stainless steel rat, and alittle newer west of eden. Your bookshelf looks like mine. LOL.

If this Malthusian non sense had took hold in the times of Asimov most of us wouldn't be alive. In caves of steel the Population was 8 billion and they lived crammed in caves of steel 😂. Food and renewable resources are populations too and it seems population controls itself naturally actually declining in first world and developing countries like Argentina and in some third world countries.

Deathworld 1 & 2 are free on the Internet.

This is weird. It is also named *The Killer Thing* I have never seen the title Killing Thing before.

*The Uplift War* is the only one in the trilogy really worth reading.

*Citizen of the Galaxy* to prepare for the weirdness of: *Stranger in a Strange Land* Heinlein's supposed preachiness never bothered me. I don't mind thinking about ideas even if I disagree with them. I decided that I was an agnostic at 12.

No! LOL

*The Long Tomorrow*

You should check out: *Voyage from Yesteryear* by James P Hogan Another economic dichotomy story but it has a resolution. I suspect Hogan knew more about economics and technology than Le Guin.

If you trawl charity shops you will have sometimes been lucky enough to pick up a nice collection by a single author. It happened to me once or twice -a dozen nice Charles Sheffield books in one go, Just about every one of the Warlock books by Christopher Stachaff (?), a nice pick of rare Asimovs... If you are lucky enough to find all the Sector General books...GRAB THEM.

Your videos are just so enjoyable! One of my top ten novels, not just sci fi novels, even above her LHoD. But I can only say that at age sixty now. The Dispossessed has grown in its inner impact on my conscious thoughts day by day as I have grown in years. It's gradually become one of the books that informs my world.

Recently pickup up the book - 'The Practice Effect' by Brin with the same livery (Bantam Books). Nice little review

Yes that would be a haul, thanks for sharing. Love an unboxing especially vintage SF and fantasy. Keen to checkout the Edmund Cooper (also a new author for me).

Economy of prose is a plus for me. I’d never heard of Bayley, or at least never came across any reviews. Sounds good.

Great review! First time I've heard of this author, but I do like philosophical SF and this sounds intriguing.

I'm down for all 31 robot flavours!

Great little review thanks for sharing - new sub today (love to see a fellow SF channel)

It's a really weird novel. It feels so different to other PKD novels which is one of my favourite authors. The concept is extremely interesting, that's for sure, but the execution doesn't work too well for me.

Ive read a bunch of her stuff and I really like her writing. This will be the next book of her's I get to.

Great characters, great story, but what I found most interesting was the novel's structure. Also, what I found striking (and brilliant) was how she was able to convey the differences between the two cultures (the pros and cons) as the characters experienced them. The world and characters felt very real, as did their biases, preferences depending where they came from. There was one scene (when they were children) I found particularly moving. It's one of those novels that's stayed with me, though I read many years ago. She's very good at writing male characters. Patricia Highsmith was good at it, too. Anyway, it does lack dramatic tension. For what it's worth, I agree with your ranking. Thanks for the video.

I remember this novel reminding me of Dostoyevsky. It’s been too long since I read either writer, so I can’t elaborate.