60/

First, the litmus test of reading "from the last decade" is a very bad one.

Even if we assume that good SF is evenly distributed over time (it& #39;s not), why read a random selection of recent stuff instead of the top 1% of previous decades?

>>> https://twitter.com/iridienne/status/1290749897147215872">https://twitter.com/iridienne...
61/

But to answer the question, in the last year or so I& #39;ve read and loved SFF like @KarlKGallagher & #39;s Torchip Trilogy, @robkroese & #39;s Iron Dragon novel, William Gibson& #39;s Interface, some stuff by China Mieville, Lombardo& #39;s translation of the Odyssey, and more.
62/

"let me get this straight"

...and proceeds to get it wrong

No, I didn& #39;t say I don& #39;t read recent SF. I do. I pointed out an unexamined and false premise you had. https://twitter.com/iridienne/status/1290750884607954944">https://twitter.com/iridienne...
63/

"MOVED ON"

it& #39;s all caps so it must be true

yes, there is no other reason to read Heinlein other than historical interest -he certainly doesn& #39;t have a fun style, good plots, strong female characters, good moral lessons, or anything else

good point https://twitter.com/iridienne/status/1290751878867771392">https://twitter.com/iridienne...
64/

please read more carefully ; I didn& #39;t say that none of it is good; I said that greatness was not evenly distributed

> there are great science fiction writers right now

not that many! https://twitter.com/sharagodwinson/status/1290751817161138176">https://twitter.com/sharagodw...
65/

I& #39;m sorry that Heinlein wrote about women who were very competent at math, engineering, and other skills, while still being sexual beings.

I hope that him suggesting that some women are like this hasn& #39;t hurt your feelings too much. https://twitter.com/iridienne/status/1290753266851012612">https://twitter.com/iridienne...
66/

I strongly agree with this!

...and this is why I was saying that it& #39;s better to read a curated selection of classics than to concentrate on reading things merely because they& #39;re "recent".

Reading award winners of all yrs > reading random 2020 books https://twitter.com/doctorflopsy/status/1290753611794808834">https://twitter.com/doctorflo...
67/

That& #39;s not remotely what I said.

I made an observation about distribution, not a causal argument.

Please pay attention and engage constructively ; strawmen are boring. https://twitter.com/sharagodwinson/status/1290755300396417024">https://twitter.com/sharagodw...
68/

Still chuckling that I made an SJW mad by agreeing with Heinlein that some women are smart / good at things and enjoy sex.
69/

Agreed; am in the middle of her most recent novel. https://twitter.com/tr0g/status/1290757006597459973">https://twitter.com/tr0g/stat...
70/

I& #39;m not making that claim, necessarily, but it& #39;s certainly not IMPOSSIBLE to make that claim. https://twitter.com/doctorflopsy/status/1290756614035771392">https://twitter.com/doctorflo...
71/

why, exactly, Sir Kevin the White Knight, should I re-read that?

Are you upset that I had the temerity to civilly disagree with a female interlocutor, and use a book written by a female author as my cite? https://twitter.com/kevinmarks/status/1290768713520750603">https://twitter.com/kevinmark...
72/

we& #39;ve got a bluecheck tagging in

I guess I& #39;m a reactionary for saying that SF authors wrote, on average BETTER sf about gender issues, race, trans, etc. in the 1970s (when editors selected on merit) than in the 2020s (when they don& #39;t) https://twitter.com/nberlat/status/1290770912975912960">https://twitter.com/nberlat/s...
73/

> modern sci-fi is far better

not just better, but FAR better

LOL

as if

hey, have you read Hugo award winning novel "Redshirts" ? https://twitter.com/McfuckyouSweety/status/1290771837174140930">https://twitter.com/Mcfuckyou...
74/

I didn& #39;t say "no", I said "all but". Which, if you& #39;re familiar with the English language, you know means "nearly".

Jeff Vandermeer is a great author.

John Scalzi ... also, yes, writes. https://twitter.com/nberlat/status/1290772169899888643">https://twitter.com/nberlat/s...
75/

you still haven& #39;t answered the question, Sir Kevin. Why, out of nowhere, did you jump in and tell me that I need to read about people who don& #39;t respect women& #39;s rights?

Something I tweeted, one presumes?

Please like to what I said. https://twitter.com/kevinmarks/status/1290772492366295041">https://twitter.com/kevinmark...
76/

Well argued, I appreciate the examples and footnotes. https://twitter.com/WenSchw/status/1290772823355428864">https://twitter.com/WenSchw/s...
77/

perhaps the worst mistake of the progressives in the 1970s was deinstitutionalization ---> https://twitter.com/nico_nicole97/status/1290772918104985600">https://twitter.com/nico_nico...
78/

Already answered up-thread in tweet #61

Thanks for tagging in at the top of the thread and asking questions that were already answered hours ago ; marks you as a serious interlocutor https://twitter.com/WenSchw/status/1290773138070896640">https://twitter.com/WenSchw/s...
79/

And I, in turn, find Vandermeer& #39;s politics and hubris despicable as well.

But (a) I don& #39;t care about his opinion of my politics; (b) I do care that he& #39;s good at the craft, which is why I read him. https://twitter.com/nberlat/status/1290773330119860224">https://twitter.com/nberlat/s...
80/

LOL, seriously, @nberlat , what kind of point is "some author disagrees with your politics" supposed to be?

Why would you even SAY that?

What do you think it& #39;s going to accomplish?

Heinlein and Haldemann had very different politics but they respected each others craft.
81/

Most of the authors I read and like the most (Mieveille, Macleod, Barnes, Banks, etc) are left of center.
82/

I see you put the words "real sf fans don& #39;t care about politics" in quotation marks.

Odd, as I didn& #39;t say those words.

What I said was that I don& #39;t care what Jeff V thinks of my politics. https://twitter.com/nberlat/status/1290774255374938113">https://twitter.com/nberlat/s...
83/

Please work on your reading comprehension.

I never said that I don& #39;t read anything recent, and in fact listed a half dozen books published in the last year or so that I& #39;ve read. https://twitter.com/WenSchw/status/1290774513307668481">https://twitter.com/WenSchw/s...
84/

I didn& #39;t claim to be "one true arbiter of science fiction", I claimed to have an opinion.

Also, the authors I laud have not stated any such thing; you& #39;ve created that out of whole cloth.

Please stop saying dumb things; it& #39;s tedious. https://twitter.com/nberlat/status/1290774729222234113">https://twitter.com/nberlat/s...
85/

> I love John Scalzi

I& #39;m embarrassed for you that you said this out loud, where people can hear it.

This ties into my thread earlier, about how critics can educate earnest but naive readers in what craft looks like. https://twitter.com/McfuckyouSweety/status/1290774885149663232">https://twitter.com/Mcfuckyou...
86/

I do, in fact, understand that quotation marks have multiple uses.

But in this case you were ascribing the words to me.

What other use of quotation marks did you intend? Scare quotes? https://twitter.com/nberlat/status/1290775132626092038">https://twitter.com/nberlat/s...
87/

I never said that there are no straight white male SF authors; I said that they are not getting published by Tor, etc., and are not receiving awards. Scroll up thread for footnotes documenting the correctness of this claim. https://twitter.com/McJohnson922/status/1290775411341717504">https://twitter.com/McJohnson...
88/

I& #39;m not sensitive, quite the opposite.

I& #39;m RTing you as part of a pedagogic project where I show my followers what modern SF fans are like.
89/

> I& #39;m not reading your thread

and yet you are, and you& #39;re responding to it. Odd.

> do something constructive

like what? write a book? start a company? run a farm? https://twitter.com/McJohnson922/status/1290775848652378113">https://twitter.com/McJohnson...
90/

No, I& #39;m referring to your claim that the right controls the government as an example of deinstitutionalization: a crazy person has been let out and handed a twitter account https://twitter.com/nico_nicole97/status/1290775963534491648">https://twitter.com/nico_nico...
91/

"You say that I am" https://twitter.com/McJohnson922/status/1290776280711884800">https://twitter.com/McJohnson...
92/

I& #39;m not whining.

I& #39;m holding my interlocutors up for contempt in front of an audience of my friends.

Thank you for playing your role in this little 1-act play. https://twitter.com/McJohnson922/status/1290777415430500354">https://twitter.com/McJohnson...
93/

No, it& #39;s not that you like things that I don& #39;t. There are many things that are good that are not to my taste (e.g. The Deptford Trilogy by Robertson Davies).

What I& #39;m saying is not that you& #39;re BAD but that your taste is IGNORANT and UNTUTORED. https://twitter.com/McfuckyouSweety/status/1290777782147059714">https://twitter.com/Mcfuckyou...
94/

Delta V was great; read it on suggestion of Neal Stephenson (I asked him for recommendations at a recent signing). https://twitter.com/micahodor/status/1290778083583234050">https://twitter.com/micahodor...
95/

I& #39;m not "whining"; I& #39;m *attacking*.

I& #39;m not asking anyone to feel bad for ME; I& #39;m asking people to feel bad for YOU (plural) because you have bad taste and argue poorly.

https://twitter.com/Gearoid_Dubh/status/1290778435711897604">https://twitter.com/Gearoid_D...
96/ https://twitter.com/orthonormalist/status/1290778672182386689">https://twitter.com/orthonorm...
97/

No, this thread is not about anti-diversity.

This thread is about how modern SF authors do diversity so POORLY. https://twitter.com/rise804/status/1290778905671073797">https://twitter.com/rise804/s...
98/

I thought about what it would feel like to write a book as bad as Scalzi& #39;s typical output while I was writing my novels.

...and that& #39;s why I did six drafts, to make sure that that wouldn& #39;t happen. https://twitter.com/ZombieDevaney/status/1290779081647312897">https://twitter.com/ZombieDev...
99/

I know you only by your words in this thread.

I critique you only based on your words in this thread.

https://twitter.com/Gearoid_Dubh/status/1290779266356060167">https://twitter.com/Gearoid_D...
100/

The last time I had a blog I ended up with a farm. https://twitter.com/melico24/status/1290779322618347521">https://twitter.com/melico24/...
101/
102/

The problem, Brittany, is that affirmative action in publishing worked exactly like affirmative action always does: selecting people based on criteria other than ability.

Have you LOOKED at the kind of stuff that wins the Hugo these days?

Ooof. https://twitter.com/brittania_/status/1290779506156789760">https://twitter.com/brittania...
103/ https://twitter.com/thepiclord/status/1290779826945654786">https://twitter.com/thepiclor...
104/

https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đŸ€”" title="Denkendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Denkendes Gesicht">

https://twitter.com/Gearoid_Dubh/status/1290779773636096001">https://twitter.com/Gearoid_D...
105/ https://twitter.com/micahodor/status/1290780066021027845">https://twitter.com/micahodor...
106/

Good night! https://twitter.com/JASutherlandBks/status/1290776569116602373">https://twitter.com/JASutherl...
107/

Now I& #39;m curious to hear the whole story! https://twitter.com/Ranba_Ral/status/1290780563968794624">https://twitter.com/Ranba_Ral...
108/ https://twitter.com/TheAgeofShoddy/status/1290780696378630145">https://twitter.com/TheAgeofS...
109/ https://twitter.com/TheAgeofShoddy/status/1290780697292967942">https://twitter.com/TheAgeofS...
110/ https://twitter.com/TheAgeofShoddy/status/1290780697938915328">https://twitter.com/TheAgeofS...
111/

When have I painted myself as a victim, Brittany?

My books sell thousands of copies, I win awards, I make good money from my writing. I don& #39;t NEED or WANT mainstream publishers.

Sharing data on how the market works != claiming victimization. https://twitter.com/brittania_/status/1290780821607993344">https://twitter.com/brittania...
112/

many such cases! https://twitter.com/SonnyFab/status/1290781279684661248">https://twitter.com/SonnyFab/...
113/

I do, in fact, not realize that that is the subtext, because it& #39;s not.

I write well, I& #39;m content with what I write, I& #39;m happy with the awards I& #39;ve won, I& #39;m thrilled with the money.

I just lament that entryists have taken over the big publishers. https://twitter.com/brittania_/status/1290782054234255360">https://twitter.com/brittania...
114/

"Oh, you consider yourself knowledgeable about the traditions of science fiction? Name 20 novels published by Tor in the last three weeks that you& #39;ve read!"

- far too many people
115/

No, by the book https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="😉" title="Zwinkerndes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Zwinkerndes Gesicht"> https://twitter.com/TeflonMask/status/1290785784208007168?s=19">https://twitter.com/TeflonMas...
116/

Their entire world view is that only stupid evil people oppose them, so they go through the rituals to demonstrate that I am much dumber than they are.

They don& #39;t always succeed. https://abs.twimg.com/emoji/v2/... draggable="false" alt="đŸ€”" title="Denkendes Gesicht" aria-label="Emoji: Denkendes Gesicht"> https://twitter.com/monsteriszero/status/1290784987378331649?s=19">https://twitter.com/monsteris...
117/

This puzzles me as well https://twitter.com/Mr_Boffin/status/1290786318272757760?s=19">https://twitter.com/Mr_Boffin...
118/

Perfect https://twitter.com/monsteriszero/status/1290786623664410625?s=19">https://twitter.com/monsteris...
119/
Show yourself, coward. I will never log off! https://twitter.com/p33nix/status/1290786564608421888?s=19">https://twitter.com/p33nix/st...
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