{ "export": { "source": "https://urth.darkrealm.vip/thread/urth/2558", "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": "urth", "thread": { "id": 2558, "subject": "Is Free Live Free worth it?", "messages": 4, "voices": 4, "first": "2001-01-30T21:38:15+00:00", "last": "2001-01-31T10:26:07+00:00" }, "messages": [ { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Redhaven1", "address": "redhaven1 at aol.com" }, "date": "2001-01-31T02:04:42+00:00", "subject": "(urth) Is Free Live Free worth it?", "in_reply_to": null, "reply_link": null, "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I'm just starting Free Live Free and it seems darker and grittier than \nanything by Wolfe I've read yet. Actually, I'm not really enjoying it at \nall. I would just give Wolfe the benefit of the doubt (he's never let me \ndown yet) and read it trusting it will be better, but I'm coming to this list \nfor advice. Maybe this book was his one dud. What did you guys think of it? \n Is Free Live Free worth it? (i.e. Does it get better?)\n\n-Steve" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "James Jordan", "address": "jbjordan at gnt.net" }, "date": "2001-01-30T21:38:15+00:00", "subject": "Re: (urth) Is Free Live Free worth it?", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "Have you ever read the Wizard of Oz? Or even seen the movie? If so, bear it \nin mind while you read. It will make the going much more fun.\n\nJBJordan" }, { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "At 09:04 PM 1/30/2001 -0500, you wrote:\nI'm just starting Free Live Free and it seems darker and grittier than\nanything by Wolfe I've read yet. Actually, I'm not really enjoying it at\nall. I would just give Wolfe the benefit of the doubt (he's never let me\ndown yet) and read it trusting it will be better, but I'm coming to this list\nfor advice. Maybe this book was his one dud. What did you guys think of it?\n Is Free Live Free worth it? (i.e. Does it get better?)\n\n-Steve" } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Peter Westlake", "address": "peter at harlequin.co.uk" }, "date": "2001-01-31T10:26:07+00:00", "subject": "Re: (urth) Is Free Live Free worth it?", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "At 21:04 2001-01-30 EST, Redhaven1 at aol.com wrote:\nI'm just starting Free Live Free and it seems darker and grittier than \nanything by Wolfe I've read yet. Actually, I'm not really enjoying it at \nall. I would just give Wolfe the benefit of the doubt (he's never let me \ndown yet) and read it trusting it will be better, but I'm coming to this list \nfor advice. Maybe this book was his one dud. What did you guys think of it? \nIs Free Live Free worth it? (i.e. Does it get better?)" }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "It does. It isn't dark at all, and enthusiasts of grittiness wave it aside.\nYou have probably passed the single instance of profanity in the entire book,\nfor instance. Stick with it, is my advice. And as well as thinking about the\nWizard of Oz, keep an eye open for anomalies. Odd things about the weather,\nmusic, anything at all.\n\nSpectacled Bear." } ] }, { "message_id": "", "from": { "name": "Michael Straight", "address": "straight at email.unc.edu" }, "date": "2001-01-31T08:21:27+00:00", "subject": "Re: (urth) Is Free Live Free worth it?", "in_reply_to": "", "reply_link": "subject", "blocks": [ { "kind": "quote", "depth": 1, "text": "On Tue, 30 Jan 2001 Redhaven1 at aol.com wrote:\nI'm just starting Free Live Free and it seems darker and grittier than \nanything by Wolfe I've read yet. Actually, I'm not really enjoying it at \nall. I would just give Wolfe the benefit of the doubt (he's never let me \ndown yet) and read it trusting it will be better, but I'm coming to this list \nfor advice. Maybe this book was his one dud. What did you guys think of it? \n Is Free Live Free worth it? (i.e. Does it get better?)" }, { "kind": "text", "depth": 0, "text": "I think Free Live Free is easily Wolfe's funniest book. In fact the\nphrase \"madcap adventures\" comes to my fingertips. It's also got a\nhumdinger of a puzzle to fit everything together at the end (I hope you've\ngot the edition with the timeline in the back--BUT DON'T PEEK AT IT!)\n\nI think Free Live Free is the best of Wolfe's \"modern\" novels,\n(Castleview, There Are Doors, Pandora).\n\n-Rostrum" } ] } ] }