Comments on SFF Chat: The key to enjoying science fiction

I found the article very interesting and in a way ...

2010-02-04T01:57:17.910-05:00

I found the article very interesting and in a way it explained to me how I read.

I think sci-fi readers have two levels of science:
common science - the ordinary everyday science that most people are expected to understand (a combustion engine won't work without oxygen, humans can't float around unprotected in space etc)
extraordinary science - which can either be weird science that already exists (string theory) or futuristic science that may or may not be possible (time travel, warp drives)
Common science has to be logical and obey the law of physics, extraordinary science just has to be consistent.

Non-sci-fi readers seem to have difficulty 'letting go' and just accepting ideas they might not understand.

chelleyreads: I also really enjoyed the Hunger Gam...

2010-02-03T08:22:13.808-05:00

chelleyreads: I also really enjoyed the Hunger Games and because of that I started reading other dystopic books, which I had always previously avoided.

I'm somewhat relieved to see that I'm not ...

2010-02-03T08:22:04.257-05:00

I'm somewhat relieved to see that I'm not the only one intimidated by the scientific elements of scifi. But knowing that it's not necessary to actually understand everything makes me want to give one of those real SF books a try, perhaps something by Asimov.

I am not a reader of science fiction, but I would ...

2010-02-02T17:59:48.054-05:00

I am not a reader of science fiction, but I would like to be. I don't understand what it is that keeps me back, but I do worry about getting caught up in the technical details and that might be something that makes reading science fiction off putting to me. It sounds as though I might be missing something by focusing on the technical aspects and ignoring the story and the world building. I am going to have to give this some thought because I do have a ton of access to science fiction books. My husband loves them and has collected quite a few, and I think he would be thrilled if I gave them a try! Thanks for posting this awesome little piece. It has made me consider things in a different light!

I love sci fi, and I have to agree with that artic...

2010-02-02T06:02:16.499-05:00

I love sci fi, and I have to agree with that article you read. To be a good reader of sci fi, you have to understand that there are just some things that you aren't going to understand. And that maybe the author didn't even understand. A lot of times, I just have to tell myself that it works because of some futuristic technology that we don't yet have. Because that's what sci fi is about, isn't it. If you get too caught up in the details, sci fi can definitely get overwhelmingly hard to read.
I think, at the same time, understanding things at some level can help your enjoyment. I know I've started a doctorate in math and therefore have at least some basic scientific knowledge. There are some things I just intrinsically understand, and when other people read the same book, they are frustrated because they don't.
So while it is definitely not important to understand everything (more important to understand that you just won't understand everything), I do think that some understanding helps.
Anyhow, thanks for this great post!

I have to agree with you. I usually like to stick...

2010-02-01T22:37:02.774-05:00

I have to agree with you. I usually like to stick to my fantasy where things are... well maybe... simpilar? I don't have to figure out how the mechanics are to make my logical brain understand it. I do find in reading scifi that I try very hard to understand everything and WHY. With the last scifi I read I had to keep putting that out of my mind and enjoy the book for what it was... a fiction book for fun. I am not going to know how that thing runs because it just may not be real in our world any way. But I have to say I do try to figure it all out myself in reading and in that dilute what I am reading.

Thanks for sharing this!

hi simcha!! i hope you had a great monday :) i ag...

2010-02-01T20:28:48.876-05:00

hi simcha!! i hope you had a great monday :)

i agree with you actually. i too avoid reading science fiction because in the past i don't understand all the complicated stuff most sf books have and i just lose interest if i am not understanding what i am reading. i don't feel that i need to understand everything in the book but if it's a big part of the story like the setting and the rules that come with that world usually is in sf novels, then i need to understand it to enjoy the book.
the most recent sf book i've read was the hunger games and catching fire by suzanne collins--the world and its rules there is easy to understand so i loved it.