Offending me as a lit-geek and a sci-fi geek

Glen Weldon has pulled off something special. He has irked me as both a lit-fiction guy as well as a fan of speculative fiction.

Glen, I am really glad that you feel comfortable speaking for both groups of fandom authoritatively.

And your use of the term "hard sci-fi" to define China Mieville shows that you fail to understand both Mieville and hard science fiction...but that is okay. I mean, you are just writing a "summer reading list for X group" list for NPR. It is not like you are going to be influencing anyone.

Though, I am really happy that you included Albert Brooks' 2030 on list. Well done.


Mind-Bending Sci-Fi Books For A Fantastical Summer : NPR:

"Publishers like to throw around the term 'speculative fiction,' but you won't see too many fans of the genres it comprises — fantasy and science-fiction — bandying it about. For one thing, it's redundant; all fiction speculates, or it isn't fiction. More importantly, true fans of science fiction or fantasy don't feel a particular need to justify that love, much less dress it up in more 'respectable' language. It's a mug's game, after all: Those readers who reflexively turn up their noses at genre fiction will continue to do so, no matter what name it goes by. (That they will do so while embracing 'literary fiction' — a genre replete with tropes and strictures of its own — is an irony lost on them.)"