thegooddoctor
4/7/2026
POOR!
Brian Aldiss has written some amazing material - including Helliconia Spring, Helliconia Summer, and (to a lesser extent) Helliconia Winter. Billion Year Spree, a comprehensive review of science fiction, is likewise exceptional. These are all very highly recommended.
BUT - the novel:"The Longhouse of Earth" is utter crap - to the extent that Aldiss was admonished by expert reviewer/author James Blish (aka William Athling) for having taken such liberties with the physics that the novel could not properly be considered science fiction. For some reason that I absolutely cannot fathom, this novel made it onto the "Classics of Science Fiction" list - see the link on this website under "Books".
I'm afraid that a number of Aldiss' shorter works are likewise not to my taste. For example, see "Poor Little Warrior".