| Re: Never Go Back
In the last couple of years I've had a bit more time for reading so I've been alternating between reading new (to me) books and re-reading old ones - sometimes for the first time in decades. I've been surprised by how well all my old favourites have held up; I didn't really expect that. Of course, since I now write as well as read I've become more conscious of stylistic issues and have spotted more flaws, but I still enjoy them.
What I have noticed is that I still most enjoy the relatively short, fast-paced novels which grip you so tightly that it's an effort to put the book down - and a lot of those were written in the 1950s and 60s. Too much modern SFF is over-long, over-padded, and pedestrian IMO. Some authors seem more concerned with achieving literary respectability than with writing a rattling good yarn! |