libertariansf

**libertariansf** · Posted: Thu Dec 13, 2007 1:38 pm Post subject: American vs. British SF

Are there any major differences between American and British SF? If so, what are they and what is the reason for them?

In the latest issue of Locus Magazine (Dec 2007), reviewer Graham Sleight says a couple of interesting things about the differences between American and British SF:

wombatron · Joined: 22 Feb 2008 Posts: 16

I don't think that dystopianism is universal in British sf, although I haven't read enough of it to really be sure. For example, Ian Banks is pretty optimistic in his "Culture" stories (although the Culture is a communist "post-scarcity" society that can be criticized on other grounds). The stuff about Reynolds is right, though; he tends to be pretty pessimistic. The ending of Redemption Ark, the ending of the "Inhibitor" story arc of the Revelation Space universe, pretty much goes about and says that all of the striving of the past 1000 or so pages was in vein.
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**veritasnoctis** · Posted: Mon Mar 10, 2008 9:53 am Post subject:

I doubt it is universal myself. These things are usually just identifiable distinctive tendencies. The waters are muddied by intellectual cross-pollination between the two countries. Writers from one country can easily be influenced by writers of the other. But the culture they grow up in will have a strong influence as well. I haven't read enough British SF myself either, or even enough American SF really...I'm still playing catch-up. I read some science fiction as a kid, but much more fantasy.
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