Fair’s Fair “For Book Lovers”

In and around marking final papers, preparing semester-end exams and so on, I’ve been trying to read some science fiction. Now, I like Margaret Atwood’s type of science fiction, I like Timothy Findley’s novel Pilgrim, which I consider to be (in some ways) science fiction, and I like Ursula LeGuin’s and Doris Lessing’s Science Fiction that seem to be on that blurry edge between the absurd or surreal and sci. fi. I like Asimov’s “soft” science fiction. His early novel, Future Voyage relates nicely to things happening in the area of nanotechnology. But, admittedly, I am rather confused about a lot of other science fiction. For instance, I was standing in a bookstore the other day reading the first page of a Sci Fi novel where the main character had an extra set of arms and hands, was from an icy “other” planet, had purple hair (genetic) and a necklace made of real skulls. What I can’t understand is what purpose aesthetic or otherwise this character serves. Perhaps someone can explain it to me. I do understand Doris Lessing’s book The Fifth Child, where a baby is born and the parents aren’t sure whether or not he is human. He seems human in some ways, but he’s larger than the average baby, has different gestures, is extremely strong, ends up killing the family dog and finally joins a motorcycle gang. Her novel seems to question what it is to be human? It notes the absurdities that we all face in life in one way or the other. Still, there’s a lot of other Sci Fi that I just can’t fathom. Perhaps someone in the reading audience has some answers????????????????????????????????????????????????????