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Rob's Novels in the Classroom The Science Fiction Novels of Hugo and Nebula Award-Winner ROBERT J. SAWYER FREE BOOKS! For FREE SAMPLE COPIES, please return this form (or send a note with this information) to: Looking for Carolyn Clink PH2-4470 Tucana Court Some NEW Mississauga, ON, Canada L5R 3K8 Or email: [email protected] Science Fiction I’D LIKE A FREE SAMPLE COPY OF (CIRCLE ANY THREE): to Teach? Rollback WWW: Wake Mindscan Hominids Frameshift Calculating God Factoring Humanity Name: ______________________________________________ Address: ____________________________________________ ____________________________________________________ I teach (circle all that apply): English Sciences Humanities I TEACH AT (NAME OF INSTITUTION): ____________________________________________________ SFWRITER.COM Teaching the Novels of WHO IS ROBERT J. SAWYER? ROLLBACK ROBERT J. SAWYER “Sawyer is one of the foremost science-fiction Hugo Finalist! writers of our generation.” — SF Site Science-fiction novels by Hugo and Nebula A story of rejuvenation, Award-winner ROBERT J. SAWYER are “Sawyer is just about the best science-fiction ethics, love, and SETI taught in courses as diverse as Anthropology, writer out there these days.” Astronomy, Canadian Literature, English, — Denver Rocky Mountain News “One of the year’s ten best History of Science, Philosophy, Posthumanism, science-fiction novels.” Religion, Science Fiction, and Sociology. “Sawyer is the science-fiction genre’s northern American Library star — in fact, one of the hottest SF writers Association His books are required reading at dozens of anywhere. By any reckoning Sawyer is among the universities and colleges across the United most successful Canadian authors ever.” “A novel to be savored by SF States and Canada, including Johns Hopkins, — Maclean’s: Canada’s National Newsmagazine and mainstream readers alike.” Texas State, and the University of Calgary. The Globe and Mail FACTORING Robert J. Sawyer is one of only eight people in “A superior effort.” For free review copies, see back cover. history to win all three of the world’s top awards HUMANITY Publishers Weekly for best science-fiction novel of the year: the (starred review) Hugo Finalist! Hugo Award, the Nebula Award, and the John W. Campbell Memorial Award. “Factoring Humanity was the best novel we “Highly recommended.” Included on The Ottawa read all year.” Library Journal Citizen’s list of the He’s also won the top SF awards in Japan (Seiun), (starred review) year’s ten best novels of France (Le Grand Prix de l’Imaginaire), Spain — Jennifer Infuso, student, any type by writers (Premio UPC de Ciencia Ficción), China (Galaxy), “Thoroughly engaging with Science Fiction course of any nationality and Canada (Aurora). beautiful characterization.” York University SFRA Review A journey into humanity’s Other honors for Sawyer include Analog’s collective unconscious Analytical Laboratory Award, the Crime Writers Tor Books, New York “My students love Sawyer’s books.” of Canada’s Arthur Ellis Award, and the ISBN 978-0-7653-3240-0 “Sawyer’s finest novel to date. Science Fiction Chronicle Reader Award, all for US$14.99 / Cdn$16.99 — David DeGraff, Ph.D. Scientifically plausible, best short story of the year. Department of Physics and Astronomy fictionally intriguing, and Alfred University, Alfred, NY ethically important.” He holds an honorary doctorate from Laurentian New Scientist University, and in 2008 was named one of the “30 most influential, innovative, and just plain “I loved it.” “Informal advice to instructors offering our powerful people in Canadian publishing” by Analog SF-fantasy course for the first time points to Quill & Quire, Canada’s publishing trade journal. Robert J. Sawyer’s work as new, interesting, and “So literally mind-blowing it most teachable. By merging science and For more information, visit his million-plus-word literature, his hard SF appeals to both English will please any true SF fan.” Hartford Courant website (called “the most elaborate and students and those from other disciplines who interesting of any created by a Canadian writer” take SF as a breadth course and for enjoyment.” Tor Books, New York by The Oxford Companion to Canadian ISBN 978-0-765-30903-7 Literature) at: — Ian Lancashire, Ph.D. US$19.99 / Cdn$22.95 Department of English University of Toronto SFWRITER.COM “I took a survey at the end of my Religion in “In the class I am taking, we are reading your HOMINIDS brilliant novel Hominids and writing on the Science Fiction course, and Calculating God various social themes you have so realistically won out over titles like The Three Stigmata of Hugo Winner! Palmer Eldritch, A Canticle for Leibowitz, and Out of incorporated. I honestly did not read science the Silent Planet.” fiction prior to this; now I am so excited to read A parallel world in which — Kate S. Kelley more.” Neanderthals survived to the Department of Religious Studies present day and we did not University of Missouri — Jackie Nelson, student, Lexington Community College “Vintage hard SF, filled with Lexington, KY ideas, both from science and from SF. I loved the read.” “As a teacher of Gifted and Talented students, I New York Review of find Sawyer’s novels invaluable. His well-crafted Science Fiction plots weave together characters and themes to produce books that inspire very rewarding and “A novel that appeals to both passionate classroom discussions. My students CALCULATING GOD the intellect and the heart.” have devoured everything he has written. It is Publishers Weekly without reservation that I highly recommend the Hugo Finalist! “Real sense-of-wonder, clearly use of Sawyer’s titles in your classroom.” written, well-paced. The pages Number One on the fly by. Full marks to Sawyer.” — John Michalko Locus Bestsellers list! Interzone Canandaigua Middle School Canandaigua, NY Top-Ten Canadian “Amazingly well thought out. National Bestseller! Highly recommended.” Slashdot An alien comes to Toronto “I use Calculating God when teaching evolution looking for scientific proof for to university-bound grade-12 students. I thank Tor Books, New York the existence of God you for writing a book that I can use to challenge ISBN 978-0-765-34500-4 my students on the science, religion and US$7.99 / Cdn$9.99 “Unusually thoughtful SF.” philosophy front all at the same time.” Publishers Weekly “I could see Hominids being used in a utopian- literature course or to represent the utopian — Siobhan Watters “A thoughtful narrative that subgenre in a science-fiction course, and Ascension of Our Lord Secondary School does not shy away from obviously in anthropology and sociology courses. Mississauga, Ontario confronting profound questions. How can you go wrong?” This novel could also be used in a religion or The Globe and Mail philosophy course. Its examining and questioning of such issues as our belief systems, organized “Rollback is chock-full of interesting discussion religion, and ecological responsibility allows for points about biotechnology, gender, aging, and what “Smoothly combines ethical questions and comical dialogue many teaching possibilities. Recommended.” it means to be human. Highly recommended.” in a highly absorbing tale.” — Warren G. Rochelle, Ph.D. — Fiona Kelleghan Booklist Department of English Science Fiction scholar Tor Books, New York University of Mary Washington University of Miami ISBN 978-0-7653-2289-0 US$16.99 / Cdn$18.99 “Rather than exhausting themselves in trying to “I’ve used Sawyer novels in courses on science drum up student interest in contemporary fiction, the history of science, and religion since problems in morality, professors should adopt a 1994 and they’ve proved to be among the most work like Sawyer’s Frameshift. It raises so many popular and effective texts in my reading lists. interesting problems in ethics and bio-ethics and it does so with all the suspense of a first-class “Most recently, I’ve taught Mindscan, in which thriller.” Sawyer explores rifts between reason and feeling, between science and religion. He ponders – as — Joseph Novak, Ph.D. the story unfolds on Earth and on the Moon, in Department of Philosophy the courtroom and in the human heart – the University of Waterloo meaning of embodied personhood, of the soul in the machine, of future transformation. “My students come from a wide variety of ethnic, cultural, linguistic, and religious backgrounds, and “I taught Robert J. Sawyer’s Frameshift and found WWW: Wake from across the arts and science spectrum. All MINDSCAN it stimulated lively discussion around respond positively to Sawyer’s books, and they’ve contemporary SF and hard science: chemistry, Hugo Finalist! stimulated exceptional classroom discussions.” John W. Campbell biology, and genetic research. My students were Aurora Winner! Memorial Award stimulated by the ethical and social issues raised — Rev. Paul Fayter Winner! by Sawyer’s questions of genetic testing, The World Wide Web wakes up Historian of Science and Religion determination, and discrimination. York University The future of uploaded “Wildly thought-provoking humanity hangs in the balance “Sawyer’s website at sfwriter.com, which thematic diversity and provides essays, links and reading questions, also profundity.” “Richly informed by current interdisciplinary “Truly a work of literary art. focuses attention on the science issues in this SF Publishers Weekly research in the burgeoning field of consciousness In Sawyer's capable grasp the thriller.” (starred review, denoting a studies, and alive with provocative speculation of its story positively sings with book of exceptional merit). own, Mindscan is a heady brew of hard SF, humor, insight, and depth.” — Nancy Johnston, Ph.D. blended with enough comedy, romance, and SF Site Department of English “Sawyer’s approach to machine adventure to appeal to a wider audience, as well.” Ryerson University consciousness and the Internet “An exciting crowd-pleaser; is surprisingly fresh.” a hard-SF reader’s delight.” — Philip Snyder Booklist SFRA Review Professor of English and Philosophy Monroe Community College, Rochester, NY “Sawyer’s erudition, eclecticism, “Sawyer lucidly explores and masterly storytelling make fascinating philosophical “Sawyer’s books are incredibly thought provoking.
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