--- title: "Meaning & Key Takeaway of: I had - and continued to have - great fun…" description: "\"I had - and continued to have - great fun exploring the Revelation Space universe, but it was always clear to me that I wanted to write other kinds of ..." image: "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/alastair-reynolds-2186_books_i-had-and-continued-to-have-great-fun-ex_311008.jpg" --- # I had - and continued to have - great fun exploring the… ![“I had - and continued to have - great fun exploring the Revelation Space universe, but it was always clear to me that I wanted to write other kinds of books, even within what might be termed the fairly narrow overlapping genre categories of hard SF and space opera.” quote by Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/alastair-reynolds-2186_books_i-had-and-continued-to-have-great-fun-ex_311008.jpg) [Download](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/alastair-reynolds-2186_books_i-had-and-continued-to-have-great-fun-ex_311008.jpg) [Open image](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/alastair-reynolds-2186_books_i-had-and-continued-to-have-great-fun-ex_311008.jpg) > “I had - and continued to have - great fun exploring the Revelation Space universe, but it was always clear to me that I wanted to write other kinds of books, even within what might be termed the fairly narrow overlapping genre categories of hard SF and space opera.” [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) ## About This Quote This interpretation was drafted with AI assistance. It is one reading of the quote, not the author's own explanation. He enjoys writing hard SF but seeks broader creative horizons beyond genre limits. **In simple terms:** He wants to write beyond hard SF and space opera. Key Takeaway Explore new genres. Themes creativity genre growth Mood enthusiastic reflective Type inspirational reflective When to use this quote - author planning - career transition - genre blending Key Concepts hard SF space opera literary ambition Questions to Reflect On - What new themes could you explore? - How to balance fan expectations with personal growth? A Different Perspective Genre expectations may limit experimentation. ★ ★ ★ ★ ★ No ratings yet [Books](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) [Fiction](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fiction/) [Fun](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/fun/) [Space](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/space/) [Universe](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/universe/) ## Related quotes > [In the 'Revelation Space' books, the spaceships are a bit old and rusty, and things go wrong, and they don't work quite how they're…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/in-the-revelation-space-books-the-spaceships-are-a-bit-old-and-rusty/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [I don't like a lot of what's published as hard SF. Much of it is right-wing, reactionary crap.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-don-t-like-a-lot-of-what-s-published-as-hard-sf-much-of-it-is-right/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > ['The Stars are Legion' is part space opera, part thriller, about two warring families battling it out for control over a legion of organic…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kameron-hurley/the-stars-are-legion-is-part-space-opera-part-thriller-about-two/) [Kameron Hurley](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kameron-hurley/) > [“Sci-Fi, Space-Travel, Space-Opera, Chance-Encounters, Adventure-Reads, Speculative-Fiction, Book-Quotes”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/max-nowaz/sci-fi-space-travel-space-opera-chance-encounters-adventure-reads/) [Max Nowaz](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/max-nowaz/) > [Science fiction is for real, space opera is for fun.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anonymous/science-fiction-is-for-real-space-opera-is-for-fun/) [Anonymous](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anonymous/) > [“HARD SF and EPIC FANTASY – both of these forms have been conventionalised, proscribed and prescribed, such that they constitute valid GENRES in a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/hal-duncan/hard-sf-and-epic-fantasy-both-of-these-forms-have-been/) [Hal Duncan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/hal-duncan/) > [Jeff Carver is a hard sf writer who gets it right-his science and his people are equally convincing. NEPTUNE CROSSING combines his strengths, from…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/jeff-carver-is-a-hard-sf-writer-who-gets-it-right-his-science-and-his/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [Peter Watts delivers-solid, inventive hard sf about the deep sea, but as we've never seen before. This moves like the wind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/gregory-benford/peter-watts-delivers-solid-inventive-hard-sf-about-the-deep-sea-but/) [Gregory Benford](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/gregory-benford/) > [I think the rising and falling popularity of areas like hard SF and far-future SF is, to a considerable extent, the same as any…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/stanley-schmidt/i-think-the-rising-and-falling-popularity-of-areas-like-hard-sf-and/) [Stanley Schmidt](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/stanley-schmidt/) > [What kind of hard SF do I write? Everything from near-future, Earth-centric techno-thrillers to far-future, far-flung interstellar epics.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/what-kind-of-hard-sf-do-i-write-everything-from-near-future-earth/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [Science works as a way to make sense of life and the universe. Hard SF as my preferred fictional genre just feels natural.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/edward-m-lerner/science-works-as-a-way-to-make-sense-of-life-and-the-universe-hard-sf/) [Edward M. Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/edward-m-lerner/) > [Space opera was the sort of story on which I grew up. When I was younger, I read heavily in pulp magazines. They were…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/roger-zelazny/space-opera-was-the-sort-of-story-on-which-i-grew-up-when-i-was/) [Roger Zelazny](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/roger-zelazny/) > [Evidence has been mounting for the key role that black holes play in the process of galaxy formation. But it now appears that they…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/priyamvada-natarajan/evidence-has-been-mounting-for-the-key-role-that-black-holes-play-in/) [Priyamvada Natarajan](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/priyamvada-natarajan/) > [I don't know how much of a market there is for space opera. Just because it's in the movies doesn't mean magazines are buying…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/octavia-e-butler/i-don-t-know-how-much-of-a-market-there-is-for-space-opera-just/) [Octavia E. Butler](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/octavia-e-butler/) > [I love space opera, and I believe that every sub-genre has potential no matter how old it is.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/erica-brown/i-love-space-opera-and-i-believe-that-every-sub-genre-has-potential/) [Erica Brown](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/erica-brown/) ## More by Alastair Reynolds > [“We have made some collective mistakes as a species, it’s true – invested too much power in things we can’t see, let alone control.…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/we-have-made-some-collective-mistakes-as-a-species-it-s-true-invested/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [“So much for the tolerant acceptance of the other. We’re forging out into deep space – who knows what we’ll meet out there? If…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/so-much-for-the-tolerant-acceptance-of-the-other-we-re-forging-out/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [“Believe me, when you're dealing with infectious alien mind parasites, I always find primitive is best." Then, calmly, almost as if it were a…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/believe-me-when-you-re-dealing-with-infectious-alien-mind-parasites-i/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [“There's a vorg loose," Meroka explained. "In case that escaped your attention. Ricasso's doing his bit for Swarm, trying to kill the thing before…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/there-s-a-vorg-loose-meroka-explained-in-case-that-escaped-your/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [“The two men -- Fray and Malkin -- were standing near each other. They were not unarmed. They were quite seriously not unarmed. Both…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/the-two-men-fray-and-malkin-were-standing-near-each-other-they-were/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [I couldn't think of anything more pointless than reading a piece of fiction written by a robot.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-couldn-t-think-of-anything-more-pointless-than-reading-a-piece-of/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [When I'm working on one book, part of my imagination is thinking ahead to the next one.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/when-i-m-working-on-one-book-part-of-my-imagination-is-thinking-ahead/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [There is enough material in the Kuiper Belt to build anything out there. We could gobble up all the little asteroids, filtering out all…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/there-is-enough-material-in-the-kuiper-belt-to-build-anything-out/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [Victory loses its meaning without the memory of what you've vanquished.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/victory-loses-its-meaning-without-the-memory-of-what-you-ve-vanquished/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [“I don't know." That was typical Sajaki; like all the genuinely clever people Sylveste had met he knew better than to feign understanding where…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-don-t-know-that-was-typical-sajaki-like-all-the-genuinely-clever/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [Autocratic governments are masters of self-contradiction. They say one thing, do another.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/autocratic-governments-are-masters-of-self-contradiction-they-say-one/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [Speaking for myself, I really struggle to pinpoint whether I became a scientist because I like science fiction, or did I gravitate to science…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/speaking-for-myself-i-really-struggle-to-pinpoint-whether-i-became-a/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [“It’s not the span of time that counts, but what you do with it. While you humans have been grubbing around the galaxy, looking…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/it-s-not-the-span-of-time-that-counts-but-what-you-do-with-it-while/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [Dreams of warp drives and hyperspace are just that - dreams.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/dreams-of-warp-drives-and-hyperspace-are-just-that-dreams/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) > [“We have worlds to save, Doctor Aziba.” “That sounds ... compelling,” the physician allowed.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/we-have-worlds-to-save-doctor-aziba-that-sounds-compelling-the/) [Alastair Reynolds](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) [Explore all 176 Alastair Reynolds quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/) ## More Books quotes > [I think a new world will arise out of the religious mists when we approach our Bible with the idea that it is not…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aiden-wilson-tozer/i-think-a-new-world-will-arise-out-of-the-religious-mists-when-we/) [Aiden Wilson Tozer](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aiden-wilson-tozer/) > [If I had a dollar for every time I couldn’t sleep, I could buy a billion locks and finally read a book in peace.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/aesop-rock/if-i-had-a-dollar-for-every-time-i-couldn-t-sleep-i-could-buy-a/) [Aesop Rock](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/aesop-rock/) > [If what I write is literature, I guess you'd better emphasize the 'litter.'](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/lydia-lunch/if-what-i-write-is-literature-i-guess-you-d-better-emphasize-the/) [Lydia Lunch](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/lydia-lunch/) > [My sentences got sharper and my stories more efficient, and I gradually learned to imagine the reader more clearly and to empathize with that…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/karen-thompson-walker/my-sentences-got-sharper-and-my-stories-more-efficient-and-i/) [Karen Thompson Walker](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/karen-thompson-walker/) > [Young men, especially in America, write to me and ask me to recommend “a course of reading.” Distrust a course of reading! People who…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/andrew-lang/young-men-especially-in-america-write-to-me-and-ask-me-to-recommend-a/) [Andrew Lang](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/andrew-lang/) > [“Within the pages of books, I've journeyed to Mandalay, the Milky Way and Santa Fe, without once having to leave my armchair.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/kevin-ansbro/within-the-pages-of-books-i-ve-journeyed-to-mandalay-the-milky-way/) [Kevin Ansbro](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/kevin-ansbro/) > [The Rosary is the book of the blind.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/fulton-j-sheen/the-rosary-is-the-book-of-the-blind/) [Fulton J. Sheen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/fulton-j-sheen/) > [“Tacitus did not write a most dangerous book. His readers made it so.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/christopher-k-krebs/tacitus-did-not-write-a-most-dangerous-book-his-readers-made-it-so/) Christopher K. Krebs > [“Take some books and read; that’s an immense help; and books are always good company if you have the right sort.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/louisa-may-alcott/take-some-books-and-read-that-s-an-immense-help-and-books-are-always/) [Louisa May Alcott](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/louisa-may-alcott/) > [Reader, if you are gifted with nerves like mine, aspire to any character but that of a wit.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/charles-lamb/reader-if-you-are-gifted-with-nerves-like-mine-aspire-to-any/) [Charles Lamb](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/charles-lamb/) > [I have many who keep me going, I am very fortunate in this sense. There is nothing like a child who knows more about…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/floyd-cooper/i-have-many-who-keep-me-going-i-am-very-fortunate-in-this-sense-there/) [Floyd Cooper](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/floyd-cooper/) > [I think books in which people are really happy and things are going well are probably the most challenging novels there are to write,…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/anna-quindlen/i-think-books-in-which-people-are-really-happy-and-things-are-going/) [Anna Quindlen](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/anna-quindlen/) > [It's like the query letter problem that I just mentioned, magnified a hundredfold. You might be good at telling a story, but that doesn't…](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/patrick-rothfuss/it-s-like-the-query-letter-problem-that-i-just-mentioned-magnified-a/) [Patrick Rothfuss](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/patrick-rothfuss/) > [“Be careful about reading health books. Some fine day you'll die of a misprint.”](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/markus-herz/be-careful-about-reading-health-books-some-fine-day-you-ll-die-of-a/) Markus Herz > [But editors are still the world's readers. And thus the eyes of the world.](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/betsy-lerner/but-editors-are-still-the-world-s-readers-and-thus-the-eyes-of-the/) [Betsy Lerner](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/betsy-lerner/) [Browse all 59,485 Books quotes ](https://sms4smile.com/quotes/about/books/) ```json { "@context": "https://schema.org", "@graph": [ { "@type": "Quotation", "text": "I had - and continued to have - great fun exploring the Revelation Space universe, but it was always clear to me that I wanted to write other kinds of books, even within what might be termed the fairly narrow overlapping genre categories of hard SF and space opera.", "creator": { "@type": "Person", "name": "Alastair Reynolds" }, "isPartOf": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website" }, "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-had-and-continued-to-have-great-fun-exploring-the-revelation-space/", "about": { "@type": "Thing", "name": "Books" }, "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-had-and-continued-to-have-great-fun-exploring-the-revelation-space/#quotation", "image": { "@type": "ImageObject", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/alastair-reynolds-2186_books_i-had-and-continued-to-have-great-fun-ex_311008.jpg", "contentUrl": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/alastair-reynolds-2186_books_i-had-and-continued-to-have-great-fun-ex_311008.jpg", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/i/b69/alastair-reynolds-2186_books_i-had-and-continued-to-have-great-fun-ex_311008.jpg", "width": 1080, "height": 1080, "caption": "“I had - and continued to have - great fun exploring the Revelation Space universe, but it was always clear…” — Alastair Reynolds", "creditText": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "creator": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } } }, { "@type": "BreadcrumbList", "itemListElement": [ { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 1, "name": "Home", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 2, "name": "Quotes", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 3, "name": "Alastair Reynolds", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/author/alastair-reynolds/" }, { "@type": "ListItem", "position": 4, "name": "I had - and continued to...", "item": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-had-and-continued-to-have-great-fun-exploring-the-revelation-space/" } ], "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/alastair-reynolds/i-had-and-continued-to-have-great-fun-exploring-the-revelation-space/#breadcrumb" }, { "@type": "WebSite", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#website", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "publisher": { "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization" } }, { "@type": "Organization", "@id": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/#organization", "name": "SMS4Smile Quotes", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/", "logo": { "@type": "ImageObject", "url": "https://sms4smile.com/quotes/wp-content/themes/sq/assets/icons/icon-512.png", "width": 512, "height": 512 } } ] } ```