The Evolution of Science Fiction discussion

This folder is to discuss December's group read - Amnesia Moon by Jonathan Lethem.

I've never read Jonathan Lethem before so this a new author for me. The premise of this book really appeals to me. Apparently it pays homage to Philip K Dick who has had a big influence on Lethem. I've only read the first few pages so far but I think it's going to be fairly easy to read.

I started Amnesia Moon this morning. I can see the PKD influence.

Lethem edited the three Library Of America Philip K. Dick omnibus editions and was co-editor of the new version of the Exegesis.

Finished. Definitely off the beaten SF path. Here's my review:

The best way to approach Amnesia Moon is to treat it like reading the telling of a dream. It is disconnected and nonlinear and weird, like a dream. Some terrible apocalypse has happened but nobody seems to remember exactly what it was. A nuclear war? An alien invasion? Something strange, sometimes referred to simply as 'the break'. By the end of the book, it really doesn't seem to matter. There's not much of a plot - it's more about learning what's going on, about why everything is so weird.

Not only is the story dreamlike, dreaming plays more and more of a role as the story advances. It has an element similar to the dreams in Ursula K. Le Guin's great book The Lathe of Heaven, except that our hero isn't the only dreamer (maybe?) and until late in the story he isn't aware that his dreams affect the weird world he lives in.

The title comes from nobody being able to remember much of anything and that the protagonist's name, one of his names, is Moon. Jonathan Lethem is supposed to have been influenced by Philip K Dick. That's easy to see, but his writing, in this book at least, is dreamier than PKD's.

Much of the situation finally is explained in a conversation between a clock and a bonsai tree. It's not an unpleasant book to read, and it does move along. In the end, though, we still don't know what the hell is going on or what caused all this weirdness.

According to the website worldswithoutend.com, Amnesia Moon has garnered no award nominations and is not on any major list of recommended books. Even though it was published in 1996, I was the first to read and rate it there. I guess it must be a little known book. I've certainly read many that fall far short of this one.

Buck wrote: "According to the website worldswithoutend.com, Amnesia Moon has garnered no award nominations and is not on any major list of recommended books. Even though it was published in 1996, I was the fir..."

Yes, I was surprised we picked this one. People usually read Gun, With Occasional Music, if they read Lethem for the first time. That or Motherless Brooklyn, which isn't Science Fiction, but is very good and has a similar feel to Gun, With Occasional Music. His next two novels As She Climbed across the Table and Girl in Landscape are even more ignored than Amnesia Moon. His later books have a better following. His short story collection is quite good. The Wall of the Sky, the Wall of the Eye Images from his story, Hardened Criminals, stay with me to this day, though their unclear now. It was pretty creepy. I should read it again.

David wrote: "Yes, I was surprised we picked this one. People usually read Gun, With Occasional Music, if they read Lethem for the first time. "

I think it's good to try something different that you know nothing about. I liked the premise of this one which is why I chose it over the others. Personally, I enjoyed it and wouldn't hesitate to read something else by Lethem.

As I'd just finished Dr. Bloodmoney I even managed to recognize one of the PKD references which is most unlike me :-) It's more dreamlike than PKD and less hectic but still nicely strange. I've been having problems concentrating on reading anything recently so the fact it managed to hold my attention, and I finished in 3 days means it gets a well deserved 4 stars from me.

Jo wrote: "David wrote: "Yes, I was surprised we picked this one. People usually read Gun, With Occasional Music, if they read Lethem for the first time. "

I think it's good to try something different that y..."

One of the things I liked about Lethem's first four novels is they were completely different from each other. Each one was a bit of a surprise as I read them.