this post was submitted on 11 Jan 2025
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What boggles my mind is that there have been about fifty movies based on Philip K. Dick and zero based on Poul Anderson.
Anderson has galactic empires, roguish heroes, dozens of alien species, strong females, etc etc.
I think that it because Dick could write short stories that could get made into movies. A lot more of the sprawling book series are only done justice with multi movie series or TV series.
Poul did a throwaway story that I'd love to see expanded into a series.
A group of time travelers from 4,000 AD travel back to Renaissance Italy. They run into an evil baron and his henchmen, including one very learned monk. A little torture and the Italians have their own time machine. They set up a base in 10,000 BC and raid across time. They know that the Time Patrol can only use things in the historical record, so as long as they keep a low profile they'll never get caught.
PKD is special somehow. He's the one author where, I think, the movies are better than the books pretty consistently. Maybe it's luck or my flawed opinion.
I think Dick was writing to be read in a particular time and place. Take Dashiell Hammett. 'Red Harvest' works a century later. there are some references that are dated [wearing a red tie] but overall you can give the novel to a modern person without a great deal of explanation needed. 'The Thin Man' requires a ton of annotation to be understood.
imho.
Agreed. Partly because the movies have actual endings...
I have just read one Poul Anderson (when I was a teenager) and the most important thing I remember was people fucking each other all the time.
You say that like it's a bad thing.
iirc, it was in "War Of The Wing Men' where a princess has been traveling through the galaxy looking for a human male to sire her child. She ends up picking a fat, boorish space trader over the hero-type because the trader actually knows how to get things done.
It was "The Avatar" in a German translation. I read it twice or so at that time - and it's many years since, so I have only a dim recollection of all the details, but a lot of politics, and (if I don't mix it up now) questionable physics regarding light speed and mass, a lot of sex and some weird gaelic inspired poetry.
Maybe I'll find a copy one day again, to have a new look with my now old eyes and different woldview.
From what I've seen on goodreads or so I had a bit of misfortune as The Avatar isn't known as his best work. But beggars can't be choosers, at that time I got my sci fi fix by browsing the one bookstand with scifi in the central station's bookstore next to my bus stop home after school... they threw me out once or twice "This is for buying books, not for reading"
Here are some old school paperback writers you might not have heard of. I present them in no particular order, just off the top of my head. I found them all on wire racks in drug stores, lo these many years ago...
Robert Beck aka Iceberg Slim. If you ever wondered why there were so many rappers with 'Ice' in their name, it's because Iceberg Slim was the author most widely read in the US prison system. I particularly liked 'Trick Baby' the story of a Black conman who could pass for White.
Donald Westlake aka Richard Stark. The other most widely read prion writer. Stark's 'The Hunter' has been filmed about a dozen times. His crooks are unemotional professionals.
Tanith Lee. The Goddess-empress of the hot read. 'Night's Master' has Satan as the hero. Every night he flies from his palace to seduce and/or terrorize mankind.
Enjoy.
Oh wow, thanks for the tips! I'll check them out.