Sean Kane wrote: > > I'm not really sure if Brin is becoming more of a message author > or if I'm just more familiar with his messages outside of fiction > so see them more clearly in his fictional works. Maybe it's more > there are strong theme books and weaker theme books? I have to > admit I'd not given it a lot of thought before... >
I would agree that Brin does seem to have some favorite themes, and you can watch them evolve somewhat in his writing. Some themes can be hot-button issues with him, such as the somewhat commonly held belief that the past was a better time to live, and that there "should" be some kind of class system. When he was on this list, these opinions would occasionally get posted, prompting something of a rant. As to whether he deserves the label "message author," I haven't noticed any cases where the message theme became more important than having an intersting story with an engaging plot. He never beats the reader over the head with his message. DB has said that his goal is to get complaints from his readers that they missed sleep, were late to work, failed midterms, and turned down sex because they couldn't put his book down. -- Matt
