Reviews for The detached retina

The average rating for The detached retina based on 2 reviews is 3 stars.

Review # 1 was written on 2013-05-26 00:00:00 Aimee Luther A solid collection of sf essays but the quality of essay is highly variable. There are a variety of audiences being addressed and topics bouncing all over the place. I think two books would have been better with one devoted to Aldiss discussing his own work and another to work of others. My favorite parts were early on as he builds cases for B. Malzberg and O. Stapledon as forgotten masters. However the work on HG Wells, Shelley, Orwell and CS Lewis just drags on for me. (Not helped by my lack of interest in all 4). I am massively spoiled after Engines of the Night by Malzberg; author driven lit crit for me is done after reading Engines - everything else will always be runner up to that seminal work. Parts of Retina are great - but I would borrow it from a university library before purchasing. I am working on a complete Aldiss collection so I own the hardcover but only the most hardcore devotee should have this on the shelf. 2 stars for me means very good, as I dont waste time reading anything truly bad. So not bad, but I prefer his excellent fiction.

Review # 2 was written on 2008-08-06 00:00:00 James Long Sci-fi theory can really suck. The life, the blood, the magic. This collection, however, represents an exuberant and thoughtful journey through the genre. I read this at the same time I was reading Delany's criticism, Medea and the chorus overlapping their lines on the stage, without their masks. Also, I was once again convinved that Frankenstein is great to talk about, but awful to read.