tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390876285955310032.post4640621787757270974..comments2024-03-26T14:48:15.857-07:00Comments on Rocket Stack Rank: Purytans, by Brad R. TorgersenGreg Hullenderhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/16720604327299886491noreply@blogger.comBlogger2125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390876285955310032.post-48950502690458472192016-07-17T16:36:34.254-07:002016-07-17T16:36:34.254-07:00I didn't think about the connection to "B...I didn't think about the connection to "Brave New World," but you might have a point.<br /><br />A big problem with this story is that it has a message, and it hammers you over the head with it. That gets old fast, no matter what that message is.Greg Hullenderhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/16720604327299886491noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1390876285955310032.post-86652352163064312112016-07-17T15:20:44.966-07:002016-07-17T15:20:44.966-07:00Is it just me, or is this story a twisted retellin...Is it just me, or is this story a twisted retelling of Brave New World with an added conclusion about the meaning of life? And if it is, was that on purpose? Thematically speaking, the only real difference I can see between the two is that in Brave New World the character Linda accidentally falls in with the "primitive" natives in New Mexico, and ends up a wretched old drunk. In this story Melissa accidentally falls in with the (relatively) primitive unnamed cult, and ends up completely happy and fulfilled. In other words, in the older version Huxley leaves the question of human happiness open, and (in response to the anti-modernists) claims the answer is not to go back. In this newer version Torgersen claims to have found the answer, and the answer is to go back.<br /><br />I think religious themes (including Christian themes) can be used to great effect in science fiction and fantasy (e.g. L'Engle, C.S. Lewis, Dickens, etc.), but it just isn't interesting to read stories of the form, "We could all live in a perfect utopia if we only did [fill in the blank with the author's favorite dogma]. Now let me show you how utopian that utopia can be!" And that goes no matter what the dogma is. That's to say nothing of the fact that I think in stories of this form unbelievable characters and inexplicable motives are probably inevitable.<br /><br />All that said, this is the first thing I have read by Torgersen, and I really liked his style. I found it very readable. I also thought he gave just the right amount of detail in the right places, so the story to me read like a piece shorter than it actually was. I, unfortunately, agree with the 2 rating because of the lackluster content.<br /><br />I know the author has received a lot of praise from readers, so maybe this wasn't the best example of his work. I'll have to look up some of his other stories. It would be nice to read something of his that was a little more nuanced in its philosophy.<br />Anonymoushttps://www.blogger.com/profile/06416213494767953209noreply@blogger.com