{ "export": { "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/sflovers/146", "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": 146, "subject": "Gene Wolfe, certain books any good?", "messages": 6, "voices": 6, "first": "1997-06-02T20:19:58+00:00", "last": "1997-06-08T04:35:03+00:00" }, "messages": [ { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Adam Rosenblatt, M.D.", "address": "arosenba at welchlink.welch.jhu.edu" }, "date": "1997-06-02T20:19:58+00:00", "subject": "Gene Wolfe, certain books any good?", "in_reply_to": null, "reply_link": null, "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I thought that The Book of the New Sun was one of the most amazing series I\nhave ever read. I am wondering what would be people's recommendations\nabout certain others of his books. Has anyone read the books about the\nLong Sun or whatever the heck it's called, where people are living on some\nkind of a generation starship making a long journey? Do they take place in\nthe same world as the Book of the New Sun? Also has anyone read Soldier in\nthe Mist? I have it, but did not buy the sequel Soldier of Arete, because\nI hadn't read the first one yet. I hope I don't regret that decision now\nif it is hard to find. In The Book of the New Sun, he showed a terrific\ngrasp of mythology and retelling which makes me suspect that these books\nmight be really good?" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "David Kennedy", "address": "d.kennedy at qub.ac.uk" }, "date": "1997-06-03T10:38:28+00:00", "subject": "Re: Gene Wolfe, certain books any good?", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Yes, I've read the 'Long Sun' books, they're superb but with an ending I\neither didn't get at all or just flat out didn't like. However there is\napparently a followup series coming so... I'll reserve judgement until\nthen. But its certainly a great series." }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "Do they take place in the same world as the Book of the New Sun?" }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "In my opinion, no." }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "Also has anyone read Soldier in the Mist? I have it, but did not buy the\nsequel Soldier of Arete, because I hadn't read the first one yet. I hope\nI don't regret that decision now if it is hard to find. In The Book of\nthe New Sun, he showed a terrific grasp of mythology and retelling which\nmakes me suspect that these books might be really good?" }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I loved 'Soldier of the Mist' and, like you, cannot find 'Soldier of\nArete', which is a pity. I liked this best of the all Wolfe's books that\nI've read. The historical grounding helps a lot, it makes it a lot easier\nto catch on to whats happening, something that often doesn't happen when I\nread a Wolfe book until I've already missed a lot...!\n\nDavid Kennedy\nD.Kennedy at Queens-Belfast.ac.uk" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "RRHMAH", "address": "rrhmah at aol.com" }, "date": "1997-06-03T11:58:08+00:00", "subject": "Re: Gene Wolfe, certain books any good?", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Wolfe is also a remarkable short story writer, and I recommend all his\nshort story collections very very highly.\n\nRich Horton" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "A^3", "address": "aaa@keith" }, "date": "1997-06-03T12:43:26+00:00", "subject": "Re: Gene Wolfe, certain books any good?", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Soldier of Arete was remaindered. I've seen a number of copies around in\nremainder stores in the last few months. It's also moderately available\nsecond hand." } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Hugues ROBERT", "address": "hrobert at iway.fr" }, "date": "1997-06-04T09:30:41+00:00", "subject": "Re: Gene Wolfe, certain books any good?", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "One could also mention The Fifth Head of Cerberus, which was his second\npublished novel (1972), and already a masterpiece. It is made of three\nclosely related stories, about power, cloning and extraterrestrial\nanthropology (yes !), but to explain how the stories are related would\nclearly spoil your pleasure..." } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Kevin Maroney", "address": "kjm at panix.com" }, "date": "1997-06-08T04:35:03+00:00", "subject": "Re: Gene Wolfe, certain books any good?", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "quote", "depth": 2, "text": "Do they take place in the same world as the Book of the New Sun?" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "In my opinion, no." }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Yes, unmistakably, but very obliquely. The connection could be severed and\nnot significantly alter the _Long Sun_, as nearly as I can tell, although\nit was a great little shiver when the connection was revealed.\n\nKevin J. Maroney" } ] } ] }