The tone of The Hand-Reared Boy is lightly humorous, with a sentiment that never drops into sentimentality. It presents without swagger, much that is not easy to accept.
Brian W. Aldiss
- Lived
- -
- Prizes judged
As a child, Brian w. Aldiss discovered the pulp fiction magazine Astounding Science Fiction, which proved a gateway to the likes of H.G. Wells and Philip K. Dick and his own career as a sci-fi writer
Aldiss was the author of some 41 novels, the majority science fiction. As part of the ‘new wave’ in speculative fiction, which sought to bring a literary sensibility to the oft-derided genre, he was a key figure in turning science fiction into a respected art-form. As well as his novels, he was a prolific short story writer and an assiduous editor of science-fiction anthologies. He also (somehow) found time to write poetry and plays, and make vivid abstract paintings. The Steven Spielberg film A.I. Artificial Intelligence (2001) is based on Aldiss’ story Supertoys Last All Summer Long. His novel The Hand-Reared Boy featured on the longlist for The Lost Man Booker Prize.