What book from your past holds up?

Some beloved titles stand the test of time. Others…not so much.

Recently I reread two books that I enjoyed greatly when I was much younger. Much, much younger. One was Nine Princes in Amber by Roger Zelazny. I remember reading this in the mid-1980s and enjoying the series for its action and for the twists and turns as the novels progressed. However, upon rereading the first book the other week, it did not hold up very well at all. The lead character was the worst kind of a Gary Stu, the women were only there to be saved, betray, or be seduced, and the dialogue ping-ponged from 70s slang to courtly formal with no rhyme or reason. In fairness, there are some great ideas in the books, it’s just the execution seemed rushed and could have used a good editor demanding a second or third draft from the author.

On the other end of the spectrum, I reread Anne McCaffrey’s collection of short stories this weekend, The Ship Who Sang. I remembered it as fun, well-written space adventure and that part was true. What I had forgotten was how most of the stories were about dealing with grief and loss. But don’t let that deter you. McCaffrey’s prose is so smooth and well-crafted that delving into the sadness and coming out the other side with the smart and resourceful brain ship Helva is well worth the trip.

Another outstanding part of the stories is how McCaffrey’s vision of the future holds up now though these stories were written in the 1960s. Interstellar travel, computers out-thinking humans, the trials and tribulations of colonization across the stars, the social and personal issues of cybernetics, and the underlying desire of all creatures to be needed figure into her stories. Added to that being a woman struggling for independence, yet companionship in a man’s world, even if that woman is essentially a brain  permanently encased in a space ship. McCaffrey blends it all together into five beautiful and action-packed stories that still resonate 50 years later.

Have you recently picked up any beloved novels from long ago? How are they holding up for you?