Assignment #1: This is the same question previously asked asked about one's chosen sites. Here, again, are my impressions of the SF site:
SF Site:This site is one I would not have ventured to read on my own and this is why I chose it. I have never freely chosen to read fantasy or science fiction unless required to read it. After reviewing some of the book reviews on this site, I have made a small, very small list of titles I would like to read. The ones I have on the list are ones that don't go all out on creating other universes with strange names. This small list may lead me to read more in the genre if I can really find a niche that I enjoy.
SF Site has a Content page that has a lot of author interviews and book reviews. This site also prides itself on the quality and quantity of link sites to related subjects in the fantasy and sf world. Some of the links are to SF conventions, TV shows and movies, etc.
The SF News is great for listing the SF awards, the upcoming dates for award title selections, and, eventually for the actual winners. Some of the awards mentioned are Asimov's & Analog Poll Winners, Aurealis Awards, Nebula awards, etc.
SF Site offers a search engine to search the site by using a local version of Google. It is easy to find what you think you found previously. The site also gives archival information on past entries. I would highly recommend this site to SF savvy readers in case they are unaware of it. I surely was, but I am not a SF reader. Maybe one day I will be!
Assignment #2: This Prezi link was really great, however, viewing was a horrific experience. There has to be a better way to view this chart and the current way is not the answer. It could have easily had a word document with the information on it so that one could have the information without going blind, losing one's patience, and/getting dizzy trying to zoom in and out with the chart.
Assignment #3: The science fiction subgenres I have chosen to reasearch are: Steampunk, Dystopia, and Cyberpunk.The website I found to be very helpful for this assignment is "World Without End: Science Fiction, Fantasy and Horror Books". It is so good I have been showing it to anyone in our branch who is interested. Great source for books and classics on the subject especially for subgenres!!!! It also allows one to track (trakr) their own reading history if you join it. It is just like Goodreads in tracking your reading history, but much better than Goodreads as a website. I found the website by googling: "science fiction sub-genres". I did not find anything that talked about current buzz other than lots of books that were being reviewed.
Steampunk: "Steampunk is a sub-genre of science fiction that refers to works set in an era where steam power is still widely used — usually the 19th century, and often Victorian era England — but with technological inventions like those found in the works of H. G. Wells and Jules Verne. Steampunk contains alternate history-style elements of past technologies like dirigibles or mechanical computers combined with futuristic technologies like multi-function goggles, giant robots and ray guns."
1.) A Transatlantic Tunnel, Hurrah! (1972) by Harry Harrison. (1972) A steampunk atlernate; a forgotten classic in the subgenre. Written in a very easy-to-read style.
2.) Railsea (2012) by China Mieville has won 2013 Cambell nomination and 2013 Loucus YA nomination.
3.) MorlockNight (1979) by K. W. Jeter. Jeter is one of the founding fathers of the steampunk genre. This classic was recently re-released in 2012. It is different from other steampunk in that it does not involve gadgetry, bronzing, and airships.
Dystopia: "Dystopian fiction is the opposite of Utopian: creation of a nightmare world, sometimes also described as "the victory of forces of reason over forces of kindness".
1.) Slow River (1995) by Nicola Griffith. 1996 Nebula winner.
2.) Never Let Me Go (2005) by Kazuo Ishiguro. 2006 Clarke Nominee and in SF: 101 Best Novels for 1985-2010. Booker Prize-winning author.
3.) The Diamond Age (1995) by Neal Stephenson. 1996 Hugo winner and many more award nominations to mention.
Cyberpunk: "Cyberpunk is a sub-genre of science fiction, noted for its focus on "high tech and low life" and taking its name from the combination of cybernetics and punk. It featured advanced technology such as computers or information technology coupled with some degree of breakdown in the social order. "Classic cyberpunk characters were marginalized, alienated loners who lived on the edge of society in generally dystopic futures where daily life was impacted by rapid technological change, an ubiquitous datasphere of computerized information, and invasive modification of the human body."
1.) Synners (1991, 2012)by Pat Cadigan. It is listed as an Award Winning Book by Women Authors and it is on a list of the 101 Best SF novels for 1985-2010 1991 Nebula nominated and 1992 Clarke winner.
2.) Pattern Recognition (2003) by William Gibson. This book will appeal to a wide audience.
3.) China Mountain Zhang (1992) by6 Maureen F. McHugh. 1992 Nebula and 1993 Hugo awards nominated. Made the "SF: the 100 best novels 1985-2012" list.
Mashup Subgenres:
1.) Glass Bead (1969) by Hermann Hesse has multiple subgenres: Utopia, Human Development and Alternate History(Fantasy). Rationale (worlds without end) found on website defining it as so.
2.) Lord of the Flies (1954) by William Golding has multiple subgenres: Human Development, Dystopia, and Utopia. Rationale (worlds without end) found on website defining as so.
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