Dani Zweig's Belated Reviews : archive

Standard introduction and disclaimer for Belated Reviews

Belated Reviews cover science fiction and fantasy of earlier decades. They're for newer readers who have wondered about the older titles on the shelves, or who are interested in what sf/f was like in its younger days. The emphasis is on helping interested readers identify books to try first, not on discussing the books in depth.

A general caveat is in order: Most of the classics of yesteryear have not aged well. If you didn't encounter them back when, or in your early teens, they will probably not give you the unforced pleasure they gave their original audiences. You may find yourself having to make allowances for writing you consider shallow or politics you consider regressive. When I name specific titles, I'll often rate them using the following scale:

**** Recommended.

***  An old favorite that hasn't aged well, and wouldn't get a good reception if it were written today. Enjoyable on its own terms.

**   A solid book, worth reading if you like the author's works.

*    Nothing special.

Additional disclaimers: Authors are not chosen for review in any particular order. The reviews don't attempt to be comprehensive. No distinction is made between books which are still in print and books which are not.

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Dani Zweig 
dani@netcom.com