Book reviews

Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction Of The Century
Orson Scott Card Book Review

Read a book review online (click here to search reviews)
Books Movies  
Sci-Fi/Fantasy Mystery/Thriller Literature Romance Biography Video
Orson Scott Card Books
New book search
Orson Scott Card Message Board
Get more information about this book
Plot Summary of Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction Of The Century
"
(editor)
Ace, Nov 2001, 24.95, 416 pp.
ISBN: 044100864X

    This latest “best ... of the century” actually consists of twenty-six tales from the second half of the twentieth century and one story from the 1940s. Either that means science fiction matured considerably after World War II, the editor is too young to appreciate the early years, or the anthology should be labeled differently. In either case, the contributions are all aces and represent the wide gamut of the genre divided into three classifications: “The Golden Age, “The New Wave”, and “The Media Generation”. Though I enjoyed the other two periods, my favorite stories are from “The New Wave” because I cut my molars on several of these including having read some while working on a masters thesis involving science fiction. Regardless of nostalgia or other reasons for personal taste, each entry is powerful and shows how enlightening the genre can be when written by masters like those who rendered entries to MASTERPIECES: THE BEST SCIENCE FICTION OF THE CENTURY.

Harriet Klausner
"

Harriet Klausner, Resident Scholar



Review Analysis of Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction Of The Century
Our unique search engine provides a wealth of detail about books by breaking them down into many different literary elements, all of which are searchable (click here).
Ratings are on a 1-10 scale (Low to High)
Plot
Tone of book - very upbeat
FANTASY or SCIENCE FICTION? - science fiction story
Explore/1st contact/ enviro story Yes
Plotlets: - exploring a wondrous planet or phenomena - colonizing/homesteading another planet - preventing an ecological disaster - stranded on alien planet, fighting aliens to survive - fighting a disease/illness affecting everyone - surviving natural elements on planet
Spying & Investigations Yes
What is main char. doing? - rescue mission/escape from confinement
If an invasion, from Earth/human POV: - fighting overt invasion (attacking aliens)
War or Invasion Yes
Is this an adult or child's book? - Adult or Young Adult Book

Main Character
Identity: - Male
Profession/status: - champion of justice
Age: - 20's-30's
How sensitive is this character? - middling sensitive to others' feelings
Sense of humor - Mostly serious with occasional humor
Intelligence - Smarter than most other characters
Physique - average physique

Main Adversary
Identity: - an entire race
How much of work is main antagonist actually present in: - a moderate amount

Setting
Spaceship setting: - futuristic human warship - alien spaceship - a space station - futuristic human freighter/transport - really, really giant spaceship/station - one or two man fighter/scoutship
Takes place in spaceship? Yes

Style
Person? - mostly 3rd
Accounts of torture and death? - generic/vague references to death/punishment
scientific jargon? (SF only) - a moderate amount of scientific explanation
How much dialogue? - roughly even amounts of descript and dialog
Most similar books to Masterpieces: The Best Science Fiction Of The Century
The Moon Men by Edgar Rice Burroughs
Mindbridge by Joe Haldeman
Healer by F. Paul Wilson
Deluge Drivers - Icerigger Trilogy 3 by Alan Dean Foster
The Venus Belt by L. Neil Smith


Click here for more information about this book


Orson Scott Card Resident Scholar Profiles

TOP SCHOLAR:
  
Will B.  

SCHOLARS:
sayruh  Beth  Katy Leung  Steven Potter  steven vanzant  David Gordon  Cec  Melissa Shauer  Anita Poon  


Note: the views expressed here are only those of the reviewer(s).
Three ways to search for Science Fiction books!

1) One-click plot searches! Simply click on a plot or subplot below!

Animal Story

Clones

Coming of age

Cultural problems, alien culture

Explore/1st contact/ enviro story

Family relations

GIANT monster(s)

Horror story?

Inner Struggle

Lifeform altered?

Mental/magical powers focus

Parody

Political power play

Religious overtones?

Repressive society story

Robots, Computers, VR

Romance

Spying & Investigations

Tech./$$$/Info hunt

Time Travel story?

Training/Apprent.

War or Invasion



or 2) Simple lookup
(title or author)

or
3) Even more search options available with a Detailed Booksearch (click here)

Use our site!
17 FREE Sci-Fi Ebooks!
FREE "How to be happy" Ebook!
Feedback


Most recent discussions:

General Book Talk
Book writing discussion
Off-topic message board
Suzanne Weyn 10:35:23 PM
George W. Bush 5:33:46 PM
Kin Platt 12:58:29 AM
Anonymous 12:47:34 PM
Lilian Jackson Braun 10:05:52 PM
Jane Rubino 10:04:38 PM
LaVyrle Spencer 10:04:00 PM
G.A. McKevett 10:03:31 PM
David Williams 10:03:01 PM
Steven Pressfield 10:02:30 PM
Jeanette Walls 10:00:19 PM
Darryl Ponicsan 9:59:27 PM
Ann Rinaldi 9:58:30 PM
R.L. Stine 9:57:34 PM
Geoffrey Huntington 9:57:14 PM
Betty Mahmoody 9:56:38 PM
Deric Longden 9:56:11 PM
Mary Downing Hahn 9:55:48 PM
Iris Johansen 9:55:24 PM
Marlo Morgan 9:54:58 PM

More message boards