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I dunno, I think a lot of folks in their 40s remember him, having watched Cosmos re-runs as kids. Nice quote, btw.

I'm just here to speculate on what the age is that above it, more than half know who this is and below it, less than half. My guess would be 37. Or 41. Something like that.

Just finished Robert Silverberg's Downward to the Earth - was hooked immediately, then paused for a week or two, then re-upped and found it to be one of those rare books that got better and better and, by the end, probably ranks in my top 20 all-time for sf. Now reading Tanith Lee's Electric...

I used to teach at a private high school in which, as a private school, most of the kids came from wealthy families. To such folk, there was a common third post-secondary option beyond "enter the work-force" and "go to college" - taking a gap year. Some would take gap years. I see adventurers...

To be honest, sort of surprised at how meh the forum is in total. As of this writing, the average rating is 2.6, which is pretty much the definition of "meh." Not sure if we're just old, jaded, or turned off by WotC. Or some combination of all of the above and more. Even I voted above that (3)...

I voted 3. I'm semi-retired from playing, but still curious about the new edition, but not chomping at the bit to have it on the day it is released. I'll probably pick up the core books, though, just for fun.

I'm now 4+ years out from my last tabletop gaming experience and occasionally consider selling off most of my remaining collection (though I remain interested in RPGs, it has waned a bit to the point that I think it unlikely that I do any serious gaming again, although you never know). But one...

I'm sort of meh on it. I like it, but the bar for premium series is so high now, that it doesn't really stand out to me. Not sure exactly what it is, but it doesn't grab me.

I read it back in the 90s, I think, and liked it, but don't remember it very much except that it involved a lot of traveling. But I didn't mean to slight him, just going on something John Clute (I think) said, that after a hiatus after that prodigious "golden era" of 1967-76, he came back in the...

I read Spin shortly after it came out and really liked it, but never got to the 2nd and 3rd books. I'd re-read it and the next two if I didn't have so many other books to read. I've got a copy of Mysterium and it is on my to-read list (love gnostic stuff). Bookpilled, is that you? He said the...

Really? You could be right, and I could be misunderstanding the trend line, or at least how much of it was a post-2016 spike. But this doesn't negate ST being a major factor, as we do know that the major popularity of early 5E became stratospheric around 2018 or so.

And yes, I said just that. Just as I said that ST wasn't the only factor, just possibly the largest single, identifiable one. But I agree that we cannot know that with any degree of certainty. Again, we have a different view on this - on the influence of ST on 5E's popularity. I know you're...

Yeah, he's definitely a "grandmaster" and one of the dozen or so most important scifi authors, and arguably the most important "New Wave" writer. Definitely a character. At the least, he's one of the most prolific SF writers, with over 100 novels and collections published, plus tons of short...

I would question "runaway success." IIRC, it was a big success in 2014-16ish, but mostly in a way like "3E Plus." Meaning, it was a renaissance and re-gathering of the flock, but wasn't yet a cultural phenomenon like it was starting in 2017-18, but more so in by 2019 and on.

I jest. But... A few years ago, around the time there were at least speculations and rumors of the 50th but before official announcement, I made a poll here asking where the likely 50th anniversary edition would land on the ".x" scale. I think I described them like so: 5.1: Errata and new art...

Fair enough - I'll stand by my statement too, that we can make an educated guess ;). As for Stranger Things, I don't think it had an immediate impact, but as the show gathered viewers, so too did 5E's popularity rise. The first season was released in mid-2016, and D&D started spiking in...

Inspired by Bookpilled on Youtube (great sf reviewer), I'm going for a 100 Book Challenge, mostly drawn from books I already own, and mostly SF, with some fantasy, horror and mimesis thrown in. I don't plan on reading 100 books in 2024 - that is unrealistic - but I am including books I start but...

Maybe not with complete certainty, but I think we can make educated theories. Start with the fact that its popularity is largely due to the large number--a majority--of new fans it brought in. Sure, lots of folks came back-whether people who had moved from 4E to Pathfinder, OSR games, etc, or...

Thanks! So you're saying it is basically "5.2," but on the off chance that it is 5.3, let's freak out!