Subject: (urth) Watson and Wolfe

From: David Duffy <davidd at qimr.edu.au>
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 04:51:42 +0000

On Sun, 20 Apr 2003 Adam Stephanides <adamsteph at earthlink.net> wrote:

>
> I've only read a little Ian Watson, and didn't like him, but there is a
> superficial similarity between him and Wolfe.  They're both "cerebral"
> and "literary" authors, though my memory of Watson is that his stuff
> really is empty of emotion.  Incidentally, I once read an article by
> Watson criticizing SotT because the protagonist was a torturer;
> something about making it seem that torturers weren't really so bad,
> iirc (but don't quote me).
> 
Was it possibly a review in Foundation, comparing Donaldson's _The One
Tree_ with _The Sword of the Lictor_ (both out at that time)?  As I
remember that article, the reviewer found Wolfe impressive but cool,
while Donaldson semed to cared more about his characters and their
dilemmas and so moved more.  Despite shortcomings, Short Sun _is_ less 
cool, I think.  

I quite like Watson, but the main similarity with Wolfe is that his work
is intellectual and aimed at adults.  I would be curious to see what
Wolfe would have done with _The Gardens of Delight_ ;)

-- 
| David Duffy (MBBS PhD)                                         ,-_|\
| email: davidD at qimr.edu.au  ph: INT+61+7+3362-0217 fax: -0101  /     *
| Epidemiology Unit, Queensland Institute of Medical Research   \_,-._/
| 300 Herston Rd, Brisbane, Queensland 4029, Australia  GPG 4D0B994A v 

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From: David Duffy <davidd at qimr.edu.au>
Date: Sun, 20 Apr 2003 04:55:18 +0000

I have to add the coda to a Watson bibliography I checked:

             Visitors to this page also looked at these authors
             Roger Zelazny
             Karl Edward Wagner
             Kate Wilhelm
             John Wyndham
             Jack Vance
             Jack Williamson
             Ian Wallace
             Brian Aldiss
             Gene Wolfe
             H G Wells
             Chelsea Quinn Yarbro
             David Weber
:)

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