Subject: (urth) Malacia

From: Damien Broderick <damien at ariel.ucs.unimelb.edu.au>
Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 12:01:05 +0000

Nick Gevers suggested:

< what about Brian Aldiss' THE MALACIA TAPESTRY, which was published in
the mid-1970s? >

Jonathan Cape, 1976, but at least some of its parts were earlier, perhaps
in Damon Knight's notable Orbit original sf anthologies.

< hero, whose name is Perian (!) >

Still more (!), in the stories - alas, I've never read them -  I believe
his name was Prian.

< Aldiss told
Charles Platt (in THE DREAM MAKERS) that he was planning a Malacia
sequel; then Wolfe's Book appeared, and Aldiss did THE HELLICONIA
TRILOGY instead, as if TBotNS had pre-empted his Malacia scheme, >

Brian once told me that the book simply didn't sell well enough to justify
the planned sequels.  I wept and tore my garment and swore that it was the
finest book he'd ever written, and urged him to put art above mere filthy
lucre, but the man had a family and mansion to support and had to be
realistic.  The (rather sluggish) coincidence with BOTNS was just that, I
think.

Damien 

*More Wolfe info & archive of this list at http://www.urth.net/urth/

---

From: Peter Westlake <peter at harlequin.co.uk>
Date: Mon, 12 Apr 1999 08:55:12 +0000

At 12:01 1999-04-12 +0000, you wrote:
...
>the planned sequels.  I wept and tore my garment

A reasonable and considered response. I would do the same, but
it ought to wait till I leave the office, and you lose a lot of
the spontaneity that way. But I shall certainly wail and gnash
my teeth. And growl a lot.

>and swore that it was the
>finest book he'd ever written,

By a long way ...

>and urged him to put art above mere filthy

Helliconia and later works ought to have lined the coffers somewhat.
I wonder if there might be room for a spot of art now or in the future?

SBear.

P.S. On the other paw, _The Malacia Tapestry_ is so good, we
wouldn't want him to spoil it.