What initially inspired you to get into Fantasy or Science fiction??

[mchc]

Grew up in the 50's. Only access to books was in libraries. Got hooked into SF: 1) Escapism 2) Loved the radio space operas when I was a child. Which progressed naturally into the Sat. cliiffhangers on early TV, Flash Gorden and such.
As I learned how to read, gravitated to hard SF, where I was first exposed to hard core satire and the possibility that maybe, just maybe, a world could be created that was ruled by justice and rationality.
However the older and more cynical I became the less I believed that world would or could be planet Earth.
The "moon" and this solar system was just to close for comfort.
Then came writers who'd actually built worlds from scratch based on the known physics of our universe. From there I've just progressively read whatever was new no matter where it went.
One of my biggest gripes, and why I don't think there was any so-called sf 'golden age',
was the dominant macho male / alien phobic / sexist thinking that oppressed the genre for so long.

[celestia]

I think it all started for me when as a kid when Mum read for us "The Talking Parcel" by Gerald Durrell (now known as the Battle for Cockatrice Castle) then there was Narnia and Alice. Then when I was a teenager It was well a boy who got me into it again by introducing me to Pratchett.

[AE35Unit]

Cool way to get into books. I have collected Gerald Durrell for years and have over 30 now,most are first editions. Don't have the Talking Parcel tho. Anyone read his brother's stuff?

[celestia]

The Talking Parcel is one of the best pieces of work for young people (IMHO) I haven't read any of his brothers stuff though.

[AE35Unit]

One of gerald's best books for me is Rosy Is My Relative,his only novel, about a boy who buys and elephant and they get up to all sorts of scrapes. He was such a great story teller and his stuff is so easy to read but hard to put down. Simple,but elegant.

[celestia]

I shall have to read it. I have a couple of his in my bookshelf, one is "Two in the Bush" and I can't think of the other one. One of my sisters has "The talking parcel" which I need to recover back into my shelves. I always loved the Mooncalves, Cows crosses with Snails, who's slime was a very hard substance, yet it moulded to what ever your mind thought of, with taps on their sides that gave I think, warm milk cold milk and chocolate milk. what a story.

[AE35Unit]

*eyes up bookshelf*

Catch me a Colobus, Zoo in my Luggage? Fillets of Plaice?(which is actually him making fun of his brother's book Spirit of Place)

Oh the memories are coming back now...
Also have most of David Attenboroughs books,a few signed. I'm athiest but I'm quite sure that man is a God!

[celestia]

Fillets of Plaice is the other one.

Daved Attenborough is a legend. I only have one of his books. The only signed ones I have are Pratchett books, oh and the one my ma wrote.

[AE35Unit]

Oh I'm glad you know Attenborough in Australia too. He has a new Tv series out soon,Life in Cold Blood,about reptiles. You'd never think he was 84!
I'm afraid I cheated with the book signing. They were bought that way(tho I do have a signed photo of Stephen Baxter he sent me personally)

I bought a second hand copy of Life of Earth for £10 pounds and found it was signed. Nice bonus!

[celestia]

I have "The Life of Mammals" which is beautiful. He is amazing and he isn't boring. There are few who can keep you watching, He is one, Stevo was another and Jeff Corwin is really quite good.

[AE35Unit]

Hmmm not heard of Jeff Corwin. I used to watch an australian show called the bush tucker man,is that him?
Ever seen Mad Mike and Mark? They're 2 south african guys who go round photographing wild animals up close,great fun to watch!

[celestia]

OH they are Mental. I used to watch them when we payed for tv, I think they were national geographic, animal planet or discovery, one of those. I saw once one of them was almost right on top of lions feeding.
The Bush Tucker Man is Les Hiddins. Other Aussies are Malcom Dougless, Harry Butler and the Leyland Brothers.
Jeff Corwin is an American, I think he is in his mid to late 30's but he is like a less mental Stevo, but very very funny. He's a Herpatologist by speciality I think. Always seems ends the show with a snake or lizard.

Anyway I am going to bed soon, it is very very late here.

[AE35Unit]

Yea and once he dropped his video camera off a mountain,wrecked is but he was ok cos he got the shot. Mad buggers!(on Animal Planet here occasionally)
Yes it must be about 2 am there-3.55 pm here!
Been great chatting!

[celestia]

It has been, very much so. This place is a very friendly place I think.

I think they would almost equal Stevo in the "maybe gets a little to close to the dangerous animals" category

[AE35Unit]

I did kinda like Steve Irwin but find him annoying after a bit,reminds me of a David Bellamy on speed! It was tragic what happened tho,nature needs its balmy army,we need people with passion for their subject. I feel sorry for his little girl