# A book worth buying? *The Urth list — 2 messages, 2 voices, 15 Apr 2003* > 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. --- ### ArchD'Ikon Zibethicus *15 Apr 2003, 04:19* Malco: > Lanark by Alasdair Gray Interesting...I was gonna suggest the very same thing. Bear in mind, tho', that Mr. Gray - encountered in the book as the author, Nastler - is very reluctant to have 'Lanark' regarded as science fiction. He shouts indignantly that _he_ is writing about _real people_... If you really want to spend some money on it, Bloomsbury have issued a 20th Anniversary edition; a boxed set with all four volumes as an individual book. £35.00: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/184195120X/bloomsburymag-21/202-5635029-7452657 Should gain in value over the years... ->Zx<- ____________________________________________________________ When God failed to respond reliably to on-line access, Mankind had to turn elsewhere to unload the burden of its own responsibility. It invented the computer - which is far more accessible than God and just as satisfying - providing you never give yourself time to think about it. - Colin Kapp ____________________________________________________________ --- ### Malco *15 Apr 2003, 09:37 · follows ArchD'Ikon Zibethicus* Hi Zx, He does say that, but he also admits that although Thaw/Lanark is based on himself they have been altered in various ways in order that the reader will become more attached to them. In any case, I trust Nastler as far as I can comfortably spit out a rat. Personally I dislike the idea of the books being bound separately, it might give someone the nasty idea of reading them in the "right" order. Which would be the wrong thing to do. I'll also say that Lanark deals with the judgement of a society following an assessment of the main character by a council of representatives. And I was particularly taken by the passage where Thaw accuses God of using "a torturers trick" (!!!) to gain his worship. Thaw prays for mercy during an awful asthma attack. ArchD'Ikon Zibethicus wrote: Malco:>Lanark by Alasdair Gray Interesting...I was gonna suggest the very same thing. Bear in mind, tho', that Mr. Gray - encountered in the book as the author, Nastler - is very reluctant to have 'Lanark' regarded as science fiction. He shouts indignantly that _he_ is writing about _real people_... If you really want to spend some money on it, Bloomsbury have issued a 20th Anniversary edition; a boxed set with all four volumes as an individual book. £35.00: ---