Neal Stephenson

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Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
Don't Ask The Wall Street Journal How To Wean Your Kids Off Reading Science Fiction
How Do You Get Science Fiction To Have "Book Club Lit"?
Hugos 2009: The Fashion, The Fervor And The Suspense!
The 10 Greatest Eternally Young Heroes (Who Aren't Vampires)
Neal Stephenson Gets Half A Million Dollars, But Did He Have To Switch Genres To Get It?
Have Science Fiction Books Become Too Self-Referential?
Liberation Is A Better Novel Than Anathem, Says Amazon
A Web of Footnotes — How We Will Read Books in the Future

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mikecap
10/05/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
Maybe it's not specifically a novel, but D.C.'s Crisis on Infinite Earths is another area worth mentioning here, there's a rich history of multiverse reaching back to the 1950s, around the time "many worlds" was first posited: [en.wikipedia.org])
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Anekanta - Go Play!
10/03/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
Sorry for being so late in reading this post, but very cool article Grey / Chris. By the by, if you do have the chance to check out Charlie Jade, I highly recommend it. I only wish they'd continued it past the first season.
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Grey_Area
10/03/09

@Anekanta: Will do, thanks.
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mostlysane
10/03/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
the name of the heinlein classic in this particular genre (we all know there's at least one for each genre) would be 'the number of the beast'.. I know, you knew that, just killing a little time here
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ShikhaKristi
10/03/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
And here I thought I was the only Mick Farren fan (none of my friends have enjoyed him the way I do). Don't forget his wonderful "Jim Morrison's Adventures in the Afterlife!"
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TroyFergasun
10/03/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
I feel that The Schrödinger's Cat Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson deserves to be mentioned.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
10/04/09

@TroyFergasun: Yes, it does. Don't know if it's still in print, but it was a delightful mind-blower.

The standalone Fredrik Pohl book "The Coming of the Quantum Cats" is good stuff too. Our hero (version the first) gets arrested for exposing his chest while in a public swimming pool in Chicago! (the US is run by Saudi Arabia, y'see)
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mikecap
10/05/09

@Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.: Thanks for mentioning Quantum Cats - I was a little surprised that one got missed... where else is Stephen Hawking a hero??
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CrowsandBones
10/03/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
Despite the flunctuating quality, I love both Amber series. Something about Zelazny's trickster heroes and pure adventure never fails to deliver for me. Hal Duncan's Vellum and Ink are definately multiverse novels, but I found them insufferably pretentious (the guy can write though).

I would also add The Schroendiger's Cat Trilogy by Robert Anton Wilson. Essentially, it's the sequel to Illuminatus! and involves a multitude of universes. Wilson was one of the influences for The Adventures Of Luther Awrkright.

In a parallel universe, Mick Farren is a rock star and a bestselling novelist. Necrom is his best Yancey Slide novel in my opinion.

PS: I 've had the pleasure of corresponding briefly with Michael Moorcock and Bryan Talbott in the past. They were as gracious and intelligent as one would expect from their work.
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AdoraBelle
10/03/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
*Kahm*any Discworld novel*kahm*
Especially Night watch and Jingo.
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Grey_Area
10/03/09

@AdoraBelle: I was really on the fence about including The Trousers of Time but this post was already pretty darn long. That bit at the climax of Jingo with Vimes' PDA from the other reality still gives me shivers.
"Bingley-bingley beep! Things To Do Today...die."
Our pal Bjørn reminded me of the uses of multiverse in the Science of Discworld books as well, excellent reading for the layman science fan.
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Emmanuel Goldstein
10/03/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
Agree on Amber, first five very strong. Everything that comes after = crap.
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Klebert L. Hall
10/03/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
Mick Farren also wrote for the surprisingly adequate Adventures of the Galaxy Rangers!.
-Kle.
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matthewabel
10/03/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
I feel it a garish oversight that you have neglected to mention "Goats" the webcomic. Originally a silly diversion about a bar, it has blossomed into an epic tale of universes and demons. I suppose it doesn't quite follow the line of parallel universes, as each universe is different significantly.

I love the multiverse concept. Anything, anywhere can happen. It's quite interesting.
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Grey_Area
10/03/09

@matthewabel: Aside from the assumption that everybody on the internet has seen or read every single creative effort of human civilization no matter how trivial, I thank you for the recommendation of "Goats". Never heard of it. Hmmm, let's take a look..."Quantum of Hitlers" story...

It seems nearly adequate.
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Edited by Grey_Area at 10/03/09 9:43 AM Grey_Area was starred Grey_Area was unstarred

FactWino
10/02/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
I can think of one Blue Oyster Cult Song, Veteran of the Psychic Wars, can anybody help out with the others?
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Grey_Area
10/03/09

@FactWino: Okay, I kinda flubbed that one. There are two songs about JC by Hawkwind, "Needle Gun" and "Kings of Speed". Moorcock wrote the lyrics to BÖC's "Black Blade" and "The Great Sun Jester". He also preformed live with them at DragonCon in '87, that must have been badass.

Blue Öyster Cult also has songs written by John Shirley and the use of "(Don't Fear) The Reaper" in the intro was just the coolest thing about The Stand TV miniseries. Don't even get me started about "Godzilla".

They are the most bestest 70's SciFi Pro Rock Band like totally forever. Waaay better than lame ol' Rush.
And now Annalee and I must battle until the end of time over this...
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Emmanuel Goldstein
10/03/09

@Grey_Area: Rush is better, but the first piece of music I ever bought was Extraterrestrial Live on cassette--I think I paid seven dollars in loose change (mostly pennies) for it.
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Grey_Area
10/03/09

@Emmanuel Goldstein: Mine was an 8-track of Styx so that shows how lame I am.
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FactWino
10/03/09

@Grey_Area: Thanks for the extra info, though I don't think I needed any help thinking BOC were the most bestest band ever.
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hangingfire
10/03/09

@Grey_Area: There's also the stuff that Moorcock recorded as "Michael Moorcock and the Deep Fix", in particular New World's Fair. There's also the Entropy Tango and Gloriana demos that you can get here. Good stuff.
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FactWino
10/04/09

@Grey_Area: Let's also not forget Stormbringer, by Deep Purple, more 70's sci-fi rock legends.
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Evil Tortie's Mom: R.O.A.C.H.
10/04/09

@Grey_Area: You have my sword.
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James7344
10/02/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
Someone needs to mention Andre Norton. A lot of her novels have multiverse themes.
Keith Laumer dabbled, as well.
And A Bertram Chandler had a few good ones.
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Zyg
10/02/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
I think things are very multiversey right now because the world is in turmoil and the economy is a mess no matter where you live. People want escapism. What is a better place than a parallel universe or an alternate history?
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mordicai
10/02/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
Anathem was legitimately AMAZING.
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Grey_Area
10/02/09

@mordicai: Totally should have won the Hugo.
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mordicai
10/08/09

@Grey_Area: To be fair, I would have read JUST the gossip of math-monks for 1000 pages, easy, without any namby pamby "plot."
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Grey_Area
10/08/09

@mordicai: I agree, the first third really pulled me into the cozy nerd world of the Maths. But when gears shifted and the action really kicked in I was not disappointed.
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ArthurByronCover
10/02/09

In reply to Bad Boys of the Multiverse: An Alternate Universe Reading Guide
Actually, it probably wouldn't hurt to bring to folks' attention to earlier multiverse stories written under the old-fashioned concept of the parallel world, such as Murray Leinster's rather cool "Sidewise In Time" from the 30s. I believe it was reprinted in Asimov's Before the Golden Age anthology. Then there's Hall and Flint's The Blind Spot, from 1921, Hodgson's House on the Borderland, Kuttner (and Moore's) The Dark World, and Simak's extremely cool Ring Around The Sun. There are even precursors to those, according to my ancient Nicholls SF Encyclopedia.
I don't think it's merely theorectical that Michael Moorcock's fiction is one big multiverse. He told me once it started out as coincidence, with characters having similarities between fates and names etc. as befits writers who are obsessive with certain themes, but then once friends pointed out the patterns, he elaborated on them, just for fun. Now he has a gigantic deck of cards which he can shuffle about however he chooses.
I do believe the multiverse tag was first used to describe Michael's use of parallel worlds.
One of my favorite parallel world stories (I insist on being old-fashioned) is Bob Shaw's The Two-Timers. It was made into a bad movie with Joan Collins but you shouldn't hold that against the book. It's been awhile since I read it (and a lot of my sf collection is in boxes at the moment, thus hindering my research), but as I remember, our hero's marriage is hell, but when through a migraine he travels to a parallel world, that version of the woman is his perfect mate. Men always complain their women don't understand them, though the truth is, maybe they do and that's the problem. I'm not sure which scenario applied to the perfect mate in this case.
Then of course, there's the door that was opened by "Flash of Two Worlds".
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Grey_Area
10/03/09

@ArthurByronCover: Thanks for the input! There's Fritz Leiber's Big Time as well but I have no recollection of that at all. Too much of Leiber's work needs to be reprinted.
Like now.
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