The Skylark of Space by E. E. “Doc” Smith

[@ghostbeetle2950]

I first read The Skylark of Space at just the right age, when I was still a teen. (Although I think I read at least some of the Lensman novels first.) And those stories were just about as influential on me as they were on SF in general, oh boy!;) I love the sheer, exuberant inventiveness of those stories. Space opera is a clear descendant of romance - daring deeds of noble knights, fighting dragons, wars, evil wizards, and saving damsels and their father's kingdoms - and it's bred true. Which is also why many people call Star Wars "science fantasy". It has, after all, the classial romance form of fantasy stories. I have a loooong contentious relationship with literary criticism's dismissive perspective on romance. I would argue that romance - a "mode" of writing, not a "genre" - is the mother earth of pure story-telling and as such cannot just be reduced to its simplest examples. The Lord of the Rings is romance. So are Cervantes, Shakespeare, and Lois McMaster Bujold.;) So's the Bible, for that matter! The mode of romance in no way precludes depth of thought OR meaning, but on top of that, even in its simplest forms it is a pure reflection of the very form of human experience: The individual hero/agent confronted with a problem he has to solve, and it's always existential. That's life ("the universe and everything" - Sorry, couldn't resist;)). I always enjoy your choice of books to talk about and your breakdowns, please keep it up! I'll definitely be here for the Lensman video, cheers!

[@telltalebooks]

A lot of interesting thoughts here, a perspective I’ve never really thought of. Most people think of “romance” as the Harlequin variety, but of course it originally meant a lot more. Most of how we classify books today has to do with marketing and not real storytelling traditions. Thank you for the kind words!

[@michaelk.vaughan8617]

I’m behind on my Tell Tale viewing! I need to catch up. This was great. I didn’t know the history behind this story. Really interesting.

[@telltalebooks]

Thank you!