A trip down memory lane: returning to the fold

Times were dark in the worlds of man. I was an adult now, without time for silly things like TV and books. I was working a job that was showing itself to be more than just a job – it was the mark of my having a career. I was married, we had a house, and two little girls. All very practical and very grown up.

But the kids wanted to go to the library. Craved it. They loved going through the books and being able to take them down from the shelf and cart them home for a few weeks. For me, it was a nice trip through nostalgia. I’d worked for the library system for nearly ten years, and there was something comforting about being surrounded by so many books.

Cover of "Ragamuffin (Sci Fi Essential Bo...
Cover of Ragamuffin (Sci Fi Essential Books)

We were walking through when one of the book displays caught my eye. I hadn’t really branched out in books in years, so the cover of Tobias Buckell‘s Ragamuffin really caught my eye. I picked it up not knowing it was the second book in a series. By the time I put it down, I didn’t care. Also on that trip I picked up a copy of Scalzi’s Old Man’s War, which was being pushed by the SciFi Channel (before they became a disease). OMW was good, but Ragamuffin was what really opened my eyes. I didn’t remember (memory block?) that science fiction could still be action packed and fun. Yet here were two authors proving me wrong, proving that you could have a kick in the pants book just for the hell of it.

It was glorious.

My library card, and then my wallet, became well taxed from that point forward. Unlike that first venture into Rama, this was a baptism. I walked away glowing, excited to lay my hands on more. I had returned to the world of impossible things and amazing dreams.

Enhanced by Zemanta

2 thoughts on “A trip down memory lane: returning to the fold”

    1. I *never* would have called you a son of a bitch. How would I get that drink from you the next time we’re both at the same con?

Comments are closed.