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From: steven@qubix.UUCP (Steven Maurer)
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
Subject: Preachy authors continued.....
Message-ID: <849@qubix.UUCP>
Date: Fri, 17-Feb-84 05:28:07 EST
Article-I.D.: qubix.849
Posted: Fri Feb 17 05:28:07 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 18-Feb-84 03:17:03 EST
References: <5212@uiucdcs.UUCP>
Organization: Qubix Graphic Systems, Saratoga, CA
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    I am sure that there are people out there who hate Heinlien,
    because of his "right wing" (and sometimes libertarian) slants.

    However, I might note that Heinlein is hardly atypical in this
    respect.  I have noticed that almost all authors try to fit their
    own particular brand of politics into their stories, from The
    Martian Way, up to 1984.

    What is really terrible is to see a once excellent author, like
    Heinlein, go bad.   A little politics is fine, especially if it
    is incorporated well into the plot line.  But when the author
    starts to harrangue, that is where is becomes not worth reading.
    There are some authors that I buy just because they have written
    the story, and I feel really ripped off when I start reading a real
    politicized dog.

    The latest author who has fallen into this pit is Marion Zimmer
    Bradley.   Her Darkover novels have always been written with a bit
    of "feminine slant" (i.e. the plots center around: women forced
    to have children, women rebelling against the sexist society they
    live in, the creulty of men, protagonists who are helpless in their
    fate, woman/woman relationships, etc.), HOWEVER her latest novel
    Thendara House really tears it.

    God what a suck novel.

    Instead of having the heroine try to choose between her husband,
    and her honor -- or choose between the Terran or the Darkover culture
    -- instead, she makes the husband become an absolute caracicature
    of MCPig'ism.   He is set up like a piece of cardboard.   He greedily
    lusts after her womb, and is generally so obnoxious it is hard to
    believe that she would stay with him for more than 1 chapter.  The
    rest of the book is drooling self-anylisis, streching a 2 chapter
    plot over 300 pages.

    I certainly hope that Ms. Bradley gets over her extremism.  I know
    it can be done, even Heinlein has gotten a lot better with his new
    book Friday.

    Steven Maurer