This post is a sequel of sorts to my previous post on Brad Torgersen and the Sad & Rabid Puppies, which you can read here.
To get a better idea of Brad Torgersen's problem with today's science fiction, let's take a look at some good, old-fashioned, reliably-packaged SF.
Hey, that looks like a space marine! This must be an old-fashioned classic of military SF, right? And, oh, hey, it won a Hugo in one of Brad’s favorite decades, the 1970s! Nope, turns out it’s really just some anti-Vietnam War propaganda. No fair drawing us in with gung-ho genre trappings and then giving us the horrors of war!
Hey, this one looks fun. It’s got space ships and all kinds of stuff. Wait, what? It’s about the evils of capitalism? Bait and switch!
Good ol’ Moses of the NRA in a rollicking adventure where he fights gorillas? Nope, turns out it’s really about racial prejudice. Oh, and the horrors of war. Man, that's a popular one!
Hey, look-- this one won a Hugo AND a Nebula in the ‘70s. It’s got some outer space-y stuff going on. Some kind of weird ice planet thing happening. What’s that? It’s also entirely about gender issues? Huh. Wait a minute… does Brad Torgersen think this book came out in the 2000s? That would explain a lot.
OK, Galaxy is gonna set everybody straight. Here’s a house ad from their first issue, where they explain that all SF fans want is straightforward adventure. Ummm… Oh, wait. Actually, it kinda sounsd like they're making fun of straightforward adventure stories. Says they’re basically just space westerns, and implies that that’s boring. Yikes.
Well, this one’s got space ships and stuff. But I read it and it turns out it’s just some weepy beta-male character study or something. Nobody gets blasted with a ray gun at all.
This seems like some kind of fun, lighthearted portal fantasy. But apparently it’s actually just a big Christian allegory. (Does that count as Puppy-saddening?)
Oh, I know that guy—that’s Captain Kirk! This must be one of those straightforward, rock-‘em, sock-‘em, social-justice-messages-need-not-apply space adventures that attracted us to SF in the first place. Yeah, and Brad even quoted its opening monolog when he was talking about what great SF is supposed to be! This must be the thing. Wait, what? This one’s about racial prejudice and the horrors of war?
Well, shucks. I give up. Maybe Brad Torgersen really is just pining for a future that never was.
The Forever War: A guy sitting with his weapon resting on his lap, while the backround reveals a multitude of clocks. The tittle of the work is "The Forever War." I do not know if you have any military backround or experiences, but there is a whole lot of waiting to be done when you are in the 'army.' Waiting for something to happen. Waiting to reach somewhere. Waiting in silence while your mind is left to wonder what shall happen. Thus to me the cover art got the waiting part right, and makes me wait for something realistic to read.
The Space Merchants: On the backround we have a world on fire. Pitch black rockets, one of wich is taking off with the 'supports' still attached to it. The face of the man is either frozen in mid scream, or his last breath of air. The tiny men behind him seem to be running away from something. I am not expecting a comedic space adventure with a splash of romance and swashbuckling.
Planet of the Apes? Is it the novel, or the movie you refer to? I guess it is the movie, but you could have still linked cover images.
The Left Hand of Darkness: A planet of ice, with two faces sticking out. One feminine and the other masculine with both attached to the same head. Is that what remains of a two-faced alien "Statue of Liberty?" Anyhow, since the head or pillar with the two faces is not standing straight, the feminine face appears more dominant. Right, so we got an ice world and two faces of opposite human genders. Sounds like stuff about genders on an ice world.
On the first issue of Galaxy: Well, they appear quite frank about what they publish... but are they still publishing their brand of science fiction? Oh, not since 1980? Hmn... what was the best recent 'Science Fiction' series on television? I think most will agree when I bring up something called; Firefly, basically nothing but a western in space!
Gateway: We have spacecraft flying away from planets. Spacecraft that kind of look like luxury yacths, or just basically boats. There is a strange red line, but I have no idea what that is, since it does not appear to come from a gun of any kind. Oh, it is the engine trail for a third ship not on the cover. Thus, ships going away from planets, which means I would expect stuff to take place on those spaceships that design wise are not military on the first glance.
The Lion, the Witch, and The Wardrobe; bunch of kids who surround a lion. Witch on the background with a stick raised ready to slap someone... with other random objects placed all around. Following the children's book art conventions, those are expectedly parts of the story. Is it about neverland found through a wardrope?
Star Trek: Should I provide links to the Star Trek episodes and scenes that were not about racial prejudice and the horrors of war?
Now, as for what Brad was talking; a story should not be just prejudice and the horrors of war. Although, both do make wonderful aspects of a story.
Posted by: Tuomas Vainio | May 28, 2015 at 06:42 AM
I think you may not have understood the purpose of this exercise. Brad was pretty clear he thinks this "problem" of social issues hiding under book covers with spaceships on them emerged in the last 20 years. These are just a few examples showing that that very thing has been a big part of SF since the early '50s, with tongue-in-cheek commentary. (Sarcasm, I know, does not translate well to the written word.)
Posted by: Gabriel Mckee | May 28, 2015 at 09:11 PM