Why Do Some Classic Sci-Fi Stories Fail to Engage Modern Readers?

[Astronuc]

One of my favorite books or series, depending on how one buys it, is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Noel Adams, 1978.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Adams

Adams also wrote Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988), and co-wrote The Meaning of Liff (1983), The Deeper Meaning of Liff (1990), and Last Chance to See (1990).

 

[pinball1970]

One of my favorite books or series, depending on how one buys it, is The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy, by Douglas Noel Adams, 1978.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Hitchhiker's_Guide_to_the_Galaxy
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Douglas_Adams

Adams also wrote Dirk Gently's Holistic Detective Agency (1987) and The Long Dark Tea-Time of the Soul (1988), and co-wrote The Meaning of Liff (1983), The Deeper Meaning of Liff (1990), and Last Chance to See (1990).

HGTTG One of my favourite books as a kid, I read it and bought all the rest.
I made sure my son read them too.

Not a huge sci fan in terms of reading but the below was interesting. Stark but interesting.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Killing_Star

All the sci fi tech in the book (cloning ,nano bots, weapons etc) is summarized at the end as a separate summary.

This is what is in the book and this is where the science is currently.

It would be interesting to read it again now and see how much of the sci fi is close to science fact.

 

[Lren Zvsm]

I was just browsing the Beloved stories from when you were much younger thread and began thinking about the beloved stories that aren't beloved by me.

I could not make it past the first few chapters of Dune, no matter how many times I tried. I literally kept falling asleep.

Halfway into Foundation, still wondering when the backstory exposition would be done and it would move on to the actual story, I realized, this is the story, and it's not going to spontaneously sprout characters and a plot.

And now, in my third crushing betrayal, I could not finish The Left Hand of Darkness. Virtually the entire story seems to be comprised of pre-meal political chit chat in residence after residence.

Although I like the books you don't like, your post is well-written and witty, so it gets my upvote.

 

[Lren Zvsm]

I'll have to disagree. There is a difference between stories just given an SF setting, and those where the SF idea is essential to the plot.
A lot of Sf in mass media fits the first model. The basic story could still be told in a completely different setting.

The second model is different.
Let's use the example of teleportation. The first model just uses it as a means to get characters from place to place quickly. The second model might look at what effect this type of technology would have on society.

If you could step into a booth, dial up a location and get there instantly, would cities become antiquated? ( Cities developed sprawling suburbs because the car made it easier to commute. Would teleportation cause them to disperse completely?)
What happens if you could leave a room of crowded people, jump into a teleport booth, transport yourself halfway around the world, shoot someone, teleport back, and then walk back into the room, all in the time it would taken you to use the restroom? Just saying you were at a party at the time would not be enough to establish an alibi.

Now these aren't my ideas, but just a couple of the issues that Larry Niven addressed when he considered the idea.

You've got some good story ideas in this post.