{ "export": { "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/sflovers/107", "note": "Exported from an unofficial mirror of a public mailing list. Copyright in each message remains with the person who wrote it. Email addresses are obscured as `user at host`, the form the original archive published. This file was rebuilt from parsed fields rather than retained headers, so it is faithful in content but not byte-exact.", "addresses": "obscured as 'user at host'" }, "archive": "sflovers", "thread": { "id": 107, "subject": "REQUEST: Gene Wolfe recommendation", "messages": 10, "voices": 10, "first": "1993-01-15T18:17:14+00:00", "last": "1993-01-29T16:33:06+00:00" }, "messages": [ { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Anthony E Bible", "address": "bible at iastate.edu" }, "date": "1993-01-15T18:17:14+00:00", "subject": "REQUEST: Gene Wolfe recommendation", "in_reply_to": null, "reply_link": null, "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I've seen several favorable comments on the net about Gene Wolfe so I\npicked up a book of his short stories (_Gene Wolfe's Book of Days_) at the\nlibrary a couple days ago, and I am enjoying it very much. When I'm done\nwith it I intend to read one of his novels. I'd appreciate suggestions\nfrom the Gene Wolfe fans amongst ye.\n\nThank you.\n\nTony" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Loren Miller", "address": "loren at wmkt.wharton.upenn.edu" }, "date": "1993-01-15T23:06:29+00:00", "subject": "Re: RE: REQUEST: Gene Wolfe recommendation", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "sclera at milori.ccit.arizona.edu writes:" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "Ah, a real topic. It has been a while, but I think the name is \"The\nTorturer's Apprentice,\" which starts the Urth of the New Sun series.\nThese are books which will get those endolphins :) flowing. They remind\nme of a latter-day Iliad." }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Erm, that's _Shadow of a Torturer_, and it starts off the Book of the New\nSun, but besides those little problems which might make it pretty hard to\nfind the books you're right. It's a great book, and the main reason most\npeople who like Wolfe do so. The rest of them are great too. In fact,\nthey're the reason I joined the SFBC the last time I joined it, so I could\nget the whole set.\n\nHis other series is the Soldier one, _Soldier in the Mists_, and _Soldier\nof Arete_, which ends with a cliffhanger and unfortunately has not been\ncontinued.\n\nHis short story writing is impressive and literary, and IMO boring, but his\nadventure novels also tell wide-ranging stories and really get the reader's\n(at least this reader's) blood flowing.\n\nLoren Miller" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Dani Zweig", "address": "dani at netcom.com" }, "date": "1993-01-16T00:39:58+00:00", "subject": "Re: REQUEST: Gene Wolfe recommendation", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "bible at iastate.edu (Anthony E Bible):" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "I've seen several favorable comments on the net about Gene Wolfe so...\nI intend to read one of his novels. I'd appreciate suggestions" }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "That's easy. He's written a number of books, some of which have been well\nreceived and some of which have not, but the towering standout among his\nbooks is his \"Book of the New Sun\" tetraloy, the first book of which is\n\"Shadow of the Torturer\". The tale takes place so far in the future that\nit is impossible to tell whether it is science fiction or fantasy.\n\nAs a second choice, if you like historical fantasy, \"Soldier of the Mists\"\nis the 'diary' of a soldier who, during the Persian Wars, takes a head\ninjury which destroys his capacity for long-term memory: Every night he\nforgets the events of the past day. The injury has also given him the\nability to see the immortals who have a use for him.\n\nDani Zweig" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Patrick Nielsen-Hayden", "address": "pnh at panix.com" }, "date": "1993-01-16T02:29:58+00:00", "subject": "Re: REQUEST: Gene Wolfe recommendation", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "sclera at milori.ccit.arizona.edu writes:" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "Ah, a real topic. It has been a while, but I think the name is \"The\nTorturer's Apprentice,\" which starts the Urth of the New Sun series.\nThese are books which will get those endolphins :) flowing. They remind\nme of a latter-day Iliad." }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "You're thinking of THE SHADOW OF THE TORTURER, the first of four volumes\nthat comprise The Book of the New Sun. THE URTH OF THE NEW SUN is a\nseparate work, connected to The Book of the New Sun but not part of it.\n\nThis coming April we will publish, in hardcover, NIGHTSIDE THE LONG SUN,\nthe first of (yes) four volumes of The Book of the Long Sun, a new work set\nseveral thousand years earlier in the same universe.\n\nYour recommendation of THE FIFTH HEAD OF CERBERUS and THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR\nDEATH AND OTHER STORIES AND OTHER STORIES zeroes unerringly in on two books\nwhich are currently out of print. We actually own THE FIFTH HEAD OF\nCERBERUS and will be getting it back into print by and by. Meanwhile, fans\nof Gene's short fiction can find quite a lot of it in ENDANGERED SPECIES,\nSTORIES FROM THE OLD HOTEL, and CASTLE OF DAYS.\n\nPatrick Nielsen Hayden\nsenior editor\nTor Books" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Keith Warren Rickert", "address": "rickert at cco.caltech.edu" }, "date": "1993-01-16T04:18:22+00:00", "subject": "Re: REQUEST: Gene Wolfe recommendation", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "The book titles are:\nThe Shadow of the Torturer\nThe Claw of the Conciliator\nThe Sword of the Lictor\nThe Citadel of the Autarch\nand\nThe Urth of the New Sun\n\nWonderful books, the lot of them :)\n\nKeith" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Matt Austern", "address": "matt at physics2.berkeley.edu" }, "date": "1993-01-16T05:19:53+00:00", "subject": "Re: REQUEST: Gene Wolfe recommendation", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "bible at iastate.edu (Anthony E Bible) writes:" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "I've seen several favorable comments on the net about Gene Wolfe so I\npicked up a book of his short stories (_Gene Wolfe's Book of Days_) at\nthe library a couple days ago, and I am enjoying it very much. When I'm\ndone with it I intend to read one of his novels. I'd appreciate\nsuggestions from the Gene Wolfe fans amongst ye." }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Well, I think you have two obvious choices.\n\nFirst, you might read _The Book of the New Sun_. It is sometimes called a\ntetrology, but I think it's more accurate to describe it as a novel\npublished in four volumes. Either way, though, it is very intricate, with\nlinks backwards and forwards between different parts of the book. The\nlanguage is also very carefully constructed.\n\nAnother choice is _Soldier in the Mist_. This is a slightly difficult book\nto describe. We might view it as fantasy; alternatively, you could think\nof it as a novel set in ancient Greece (and nearby parts of the world), but\nwhere the ideas of what is and isn't real are those that someone of that\ntime might have had, not those that we have.\n\nBoth books, in my opinion, are excellent. And, interestingly enough, an\nimportant element in both books is the memory of the main character.\n\nMatthew Austern\n(510) 644-2618 \naustern at lbl.bitnet" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Barry Meikle", "address": "meikle at gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca" }, "date": "1993-01-17T02:05:19+00:00", "subject": "Re: REQUEST: Gene Wolfe recommendation", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "pnh at panix.com (Patrick Nielsen-Hayden) writes:" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "Your recommendation of THE FIFTH HEAD OF CERBERUS and THE ISLAND OF DOCTOR\nDEATH AND OTHER STORIES AND OTHER STORIES zeroes unerringly in on two\nbooks which are currently out of print. We actually own THE FIFTH HEAD OF\nCERBERUS and will be getting it back into print by and by. Meanwhile,\nfans of Gene's short fiction can find quite a lot of it in ENDANGERED\nSPECIES, STORIES FROM THE OLD HOTEL, and CASTLE OF DAYS." }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "And _Castle of Days_ contains \"The Castle of the Otter\", which I (and a lot\nof others, I guess) missed on its first small-press go-round. I think\n\"Keen!\" is the word I'm looking for here.\n\nBarry Meikle \nUniversity of Toronto Bookstore\n214 College Street\nToronto, Ont. M5T 3A1\n1-416-978-7925\nmeikle at gpu.utcs.utoronto.ca" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Klaus Ole Kristiansen", "address": "klaus at diku.dk" }, "date": "1993-01-19T13:08:44+00:00", "subject": "Re: REQUEST: Gene Wolfe recommendation", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "loren at wmkt.wharton.upenn.edu (Loren Miller) writes:" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "His short story writing is impressive and literary, and IMO boring," }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I find them very uneven. I have only read one book of Wolfe short stories,\nEndangered Species.\n\nSome are rather boring.\n\nSome makes litle sense, but contains fantastic quotes:\n\"Long ago, when the universe was old ...\"\nWolfe is a great language wizard.\n\nSome are great stories. War Beneath the Tree alone is worth the price of\nthe book. So is When I Was Ming the Meciless. So is In The House of\nGingerbread.\n\nKlaus O K" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Kai Ivo Quale", "address": "kai at ifi.uio.no" }, "date": "1993-01-19T20:29:18+00:00", "subject": "Re: REQUEST: Gene Wolfe recommendation", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "My personal fave list:\n\n(I have read just about everything by Wolfe, but these are the ones I\nremember on the spur of the moment.)\n\n_Book of the New Sun_ RAVE! PANT! DROOL! Easily the best he has ever\n written. \n\n_The Island of Doctor Incredible. I don't like collections; I love this\nDeath and other Stories one.\nand Other Stories_\n\n_Soldier_ series Very good.\n\n_Free Live Free_ Good, but extremely confusing. Not for the\n beginner. \n\n_Castleview_ Good, but kind of light for my taste.\n\n_There Are Doors_ Not bad (Wolfe is never bad), but I don't think he\n quite pulled it off this time. I kind of waited\n for things to start rolling, and then it was over.\n\n_Book of Days_ Ranges from the very good to the so-so. \n\n_Fifth Head of Cerberus_ I found this one rather disappointing compared to\n his other work. An early effort, isn't it ?\n\n_Peace_ The only Wolfe I've ever found completely\n unreadable. \n\nWolfe can be very confusing. The way of reading Wolfe that works for me is\nto \"ride the wave\": Don't worry if you haven't got the faintest clue of\nwhat's going on - that's normal :-), just relax and enjoy the experience.\nIt IS enjoyable even if you don't understand a thing, sort of like Kafka.\n\nKai Quale\nkai at ifi.uio.no" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Andrew Culhane", "address": "adculha at afterlife.ncsc.mil" }, "date": "1993-01-29T16:33:06+00:00", "subject": "Re: REQUEST: Gene Wolfe recommendation", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I'm new to this newsgroup, so pardon me if this is an old opinion.\n\nI've read almost everything Wolfe has written. Except for (IMO)\nCastleview, and maybe Soldier of Arete, there aren't any bad Wolfe books.\n\nBut he is a very demanding writer. If you read a Gene Wolfe story only\nonce, there isn't a chance of a snowball that you'll understand it. I\nreread The Book of the New Sun once a year or so, and there are still\nthings I discover in it. Now it's possible that I'm just kind of dumb ...\n\nSo read anything. Contrary to what a previous poster said, I found his\nnovel Peace outstanding, and I recommend it as a place to start." } ] } ] }