There are no set rules to advocating a book at Manchester SciFi book club, but certain questions, discussion points and trains of thought often come up.
Introduction
If the advocate is particularly fond of the book, they may start by
telling everyone what it is that they like about it and when they
first read it.
A good introduction is to ask everyone in turn to say whether or not they liked the book and to make one comment about it, good or bad.
Perhaps even ask for a score out of five.
Science Fiction and Science Fact
Arguably the most important part of Science Fiction is the technical
or science element. Were there any science fiction elements in the
book and if so, are they plausible? This could depend very much on
when the book was written. If the book is current, what is current
scientific thinking on relevant scientific subjects. If the book is
older, did the story predict science fiction that has become science
fact? Is it still possible for such advancements to be made or have
they been ruled out? What are there any social implications of a
particular technology?
For books that are not current, it is worth finding out if there is
anyone in the group who read the book when it first came out. Did the
book appear to present ground breaking science when it was first
published?
Has the book stood, or will the book stand, the test of time in terms
of its scientific or technological content?
Were there any truly mind blowing, inspiring or clearly stupid
scientific concepts?
Is It SciFi?
Books are often classed as a particular genre. What counts as SciFi has always been a hotly debated topic. As a group we try to keep the books that we read within the Science Fiction genre but they do also contain elements of genres such as speculative fiction or dystopian novels for example. They may even contain elements of fantasy, however we avoid reading books that are classed only as fantasy.
For a bit of fun we compare the books with our light hearted definition of SciFi, which asks the question “does the book contain spaceships, aliens, killer AI, ray guns or time travel?”
Science and Society
Science Fiction novels often use technology or other worldly
environments as a means to discuss human behaviour on many different
levels, from personal interaction to that of whole societies.
Were there any behaviours of societies or individuals that you could relate to, shocked or inspired you?
What affect could technologies in Science Fiction have on society?
The Plot
Was the plot credible, did it hold our attention? Was there a steady
progression of the plot through the book or were parts boring or too
rapid? Was anything crow-barred in and did not sit quite right?
Use of Language / Description
What tense was the book written in? What type of language was used,
for example, were there words used that are or are not in common usage
such as dated words, slang, colloquialisms, foreign or made up words?
Was there references to things, books, films, brands or people that
date the book? Did these add to the book or were they a distraction?
Were scenes, places, people, animals, concepts and technology
described in details or was it left to the imagination? Did we feel
that aspects of the story were not adequately explained?
What techniques were used to explain background or technology?
The Characters
Do we like them, hate them or empathise with them? Are they
believable? What character development has there been throughout the story? How did they interact with other characters?
Other Points
Was there any humour in the story? Was it actually funny and did it
sit well in the story?
Were there any aspects that caught our imagination?
Were there any concepts or quotes that stand out as memorable?
Final Thoughts
Would we read sequels or other books by the same author?
Are the reviews/endorsements representative of the book? Are there any amusing comments?
A version of this post was previously published on our Google Groups Page.
Manchester SciFi Book Club #mcrsf 