Farah Mendlesohn

This slender volume was first published in 2003, and so only contains papers on MacLeod's Fall Revolution Quartet and the trilogy Engines of Light. Although very erudite, it it not written in the sort of dense language normally associated either with Marxist theory or literary criticism, although fairly obviously, it contains both. It also has a piece by MacLeod on his friend Iain Banks (the introduction to a German edition of IMB's Consider Phlebas), and another of the papers contrasts political themes in Macleod's and Banks' work (though be aware that Banks was still alive at this point and so the comparison is incomplete).

There were matters of fact in one of the papers that I dispute - fairly straightforward ones, at that - but otherwise I found this book enlightening and indeed, it made me want to re-read MacLeod's Fall Revolution novels, even though I only read them within the last ten years.

Be aware that anyone reading this will not only gain insights into Ken MacLeod's first seven novels, but they will also be given something of a crash course in radical politics, mainly of the British Left, but also of libertarian thought as this is a secondary strand in MacLeod's writings. These themes have continued in his writing since the early 2000s, although never in an uncritical way. Perhaps one of the most interesting things about the novels of Ken MacLeod is that just when you think he has exhausted all the possibilities that radical Leftist politics has to offer, there will be a new book that at least touches upon, if not relies upon, another aspect of socialist thought or experience. This book will prepare readers for the depth of MacLeod's political engagement in all of his works, based on the analysis of the first seven novels.… (meer)

Like many boys of my generation, I was introduced to science fiction by a small number of authors, most prominently Robert A. Heinlein. Farah Mendlesohn, a scholar of speculative fiction, has reviewed Heinlein's works including those left unpublished at his death, and written a critical assessment in (mostly) plain language. Some of her conclusions may surprise you: she decides Heinlein is a feminist (outstanding in relation to most men of his generation) and (again in the context of his generation and formative years) a certain type of progressive all his life. This was a fascinating read and has helped me see Heinlein through a different lens. I'm still not going to reread "Farnham's Freehold" or one or two others of his books but she even explains his, to me, embarrassing female-male dialogues. An excellent book, which argues that the Sad Puppies are wrong about Heinlein.… (meer)