Spider Robinson can be funny, and entertaining in a Heinlein sort of way (he is actively trying to be Heinlein and says so repeatedly), but uhhhhhhh brace for Very Seventies. He tries but fumbles on such concepts as women are people like everybody else, racism bad, and queer people lead normal lives. He was quite progressive in his day-- but be aware that his day was 1976 or thereabouts, and he has not caught up. Also, he believes all human problems can be solved via telepathy, but that's more of a minor quirk. I have read a ridiculous amount of Robinson for how objectively not good he is, but not good and entertaining/readable are different vectors.
I first read The Witches of Karres at like ten so I may be the wrong person to say this, but I do think it holds up and it is a sheer delight which has caused me to read piles and piles of lesser Schmitz out of nostalgic appreciation. A classic.
And of course Delany is spectacular as always.
I wouldn't say Teckla is necessarily the most depressing Vlad book, but it's in the top three, and the series does get brighter for a bit after it.
Both the von Arnim and the Moore intrigue me and I shall have to look into them.
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Spider Robinson can be funny, and entertaining in a Heinlein sort of way (he is actively trying to be Heinlein and says so repeatedly), but uhhhhhhh brace for Very Seventies. He tries but fumbles on such concepts as women are people like everybody else, racism bad, and queer people lead normal lives. He was quite progressive in his day-- but be aware that his day was 1976 or thereabouts, and he has not caught up. Also, he believes all human problems can be solved via telepathy, but that's more of a minor quirk. I have read a ridiculous amount of Robinson for how objectively not good he is, but not good and entertaining/readable are different vectors.
I first read The Witches of Karres at like ten so I may be the wrong person to say this, but I do think it holds up and it is a sheer delight which has caused me to read piles and piles of lesser Schmitz out of nostalgic appreciation. A classic.
And of course Delany is spectacular as always.
I wouldn't say Teckla is necessarily the most depressing Vlad book, but it's in the top three, and the series does get brighter for a bit after it.
Both the von Arnim and the Moore intrigue me and I shall have to look into them.