RE: https://hachyderm.io/@mekkaokereke/116290338892571761

๐Ÿคฆ๐Ÿฟโ€โ™‚๏ธActually, nevermind.

Why is everything like this?

The author supposedly went on an anti-woke, right-wing podcast to promote the movie while trashing other books and movies that do have a "woke" message or that have inclusive representation? But... why?

Why was that necessary?

I'm not saying don't watch the movie or read the book. Do whatever makes you happy.

I'm also not interested in debating how much inclusion is in his stories, whether he realizes it or not.

And I'm not interested in comparing even bigger, "super woke" sci-fi franchises like Star Trek or Star Wars.

I'm just saying that I personally watched the last one (The Martian), and I watched this one (Project Hail Mary), but you can guess if I'm watching the next one.

So many choices in entertainment.

The actions that attract the MAGA customer base will probably alienate me, and vice versa. That's OK!

Whether or not I watch his next movie doesn't really matter that much to him. He's not going to go broke and that's okay. Good actually!

But it's so hard to be an author, let alone a woman author, in sci-fi, who tells stories with good representation? Those authors don't need to be punched down on.

๐Ÿค”Now I need to buy two IMAX tickets worth of sci-fi books written by authors that aren't anti-woke, just to put my part of the universe back in balance.

๐Ÿค”Actually to properly balance things out, I have to keep reading new sci-fi books until I find one that I can recommend to thousands of people.

@mekkaokereke iirc Iain M. Banks specifically wrote the Culture series of books because he hated how fashy 70's sci-fi was. not exactly new or even a deep cut, but worth a look if you've not picked them up yet?

@PsyChuan @mekkaokereke

+1 for the Culture series.

@CurlyParakeet @PsyChuan

I've only read Consider Phlebas so far.

@mekkaokereke

Itโ€™s good, but not my favourite. Player of Games, Excession (โค๏ธ Sleeper Service!) and Surface Detail are my amazing IMO.

And, always read the epilogue!!

@PsyChuan

@CurlyParakeet @mekkaokereke @PsyChuan

Seconding Player of Games as an entry point to Banks' Culture novels! It works well on its own, and it isn't as harrowing as some of the others.

Has anyone mentioned Ann Leckie yet? If you can manage to go into Ancillary Justice completely unspoiler'd, it's an absolute treat, and even if you already know the premise, it's still excellent. That's first in a trilogy. I'd also recommend Translation State, same universe but different setting/storyline:
https://sunny.garden/@booktrail/112818779349211019

Jennifer's BookTrail (@[email protected])

Ann Leckie - Translation State Three varied main characters. Family, friendships, humans, aliens, adoption, cousins, and a missing person. Complex, inventive science fiction with enjoyable domestic dimensions, in the same universe as the "Imperial Radch" trilogy (the "Ancillary" books). #SF #books #family #friendship #adoption #aliens #AnnLeckie

Sunny Garden

@unchartedworlds

I think Player of Games was the first one I read (youโ€™re right it stands on its own quite well), followed by Use of Weapons (๐Ÿช‘). Then I decided to read them in published order. Surface Detail (or the idea sitting behind it) was the one which stayed with me longest.

@mekkaokereke @PsyChuan