I have a general rule of thumb when it comes to books that still holds true from my high school days - if a book outside of the true classics is beloved by the NYT bestseller/NPR/old ladies book club crowd, stay the hell away. It has stood me in good stead. Other knee-jerk preferences have fallen by the wayside. I no longer head straight to the SF&F shelves at the bookstore. Outside of authors I’ve gotten to know or recommendations I’d gotten from friends, I basically ignore the genre. Especially if it’s from TOR. All of the big SF&F houses have fallen prey to the same sickness, Baen only to a lesser degree, that infests the “good” literature.
Foucault's Pendulum
Foucault's Pendulum
Foucault's Pendulum
I have a general rule of thumb when it comes to books that still holds true from my high school days - if a book outside of the true classics is beloved by the NYT bestseller/NPR/old ladies book club crowd, stay the hell away. It has stood me in good stead. Other knee-jerk preferences have fallen by the wayside. I no longer head straight to the SF&F shelves at the bookstore. Outside of authors I’ve gotten to know or recommendations I’d gotten from friends, I basically ignore the genre. Especially if it’s from TOR. All of the big SF&F houses have fallen prey to the same sickness, Baen only to a lesser degree, that infests the “good” literature.