# Jeff VanderMeer *The Urth list — 7 messages, 7 voices, 11 May 2010* > 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. --- ### JBarach at aol.com *11 May 2010, 22:32* URTHers -- I glanced at a copy of Jeff VanderMeer's recent novel, Shriek -- An Afterword, and discovered that it has a blurb by Gene Wolfe: "Here is a desert island book, a tale you can lose yourself in for days, a novel of character in which the setting -- the magnificently gritty city-state named Ambergris -- proves as the light fails to be the finest character of all." _http://www.amazon.com/Shriek-Afterword-Jeff-VanderMeer/dp/0765314665_ (http://www.amazon.com/Shriek-Afterword-Jeff-VanderMeer/dp/0765314665) I wish someone were keeping track of all the books Wolfe has blurbed.... John --- ### Mo Holkar / UKG *12 May 2010, 07:27 · in reply to JBarach at aol.com* > At 23:32 11/05/2010, John wrote: > I wish someone were keeping track of all the books Wolfe has blurbed.... Maybe someone would like to start off such a page on the wiki? best, Mo # ~ # ~ # WolfeWiki -- a wiki about Gene Wolfe http://www.wolfewiki.com/pmwiki/ --- ### Mike Myers *12 May 2010, 12:49 · in reply to JBarach at aol.com* Shriek is a great book, one of my all time favorites. --- On Tue, 5/11/10, JBarach at aol.com wrote: From: JBarach at aol.com Subject: (urth) Jeff VanderMeer To: urth at lists.urth.net Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2010, 3:32 PM URTHers -- I glanced at a copy of Jeff VanderMeer's recent novel, Shriek -- An Afterword, and discovered that it has a blurb by Gene Wolfe: "Here is a desert island book, a tale you can lose yourself in for days, a novel of character in which the setting -- the magnificently gritty city-state named Ambergris -- proves as the light fails to be the finest character of all." http://www.amazon.com/Shriek-Afterword-Jeff-VanderMeer/dp/0765314665 I wish someone were keeping track of all the books Wolfe has blurbed.... John -----Inline Attachment Follows----- --- ### Craig Brewer *12 May 2010, 13:12 · in reply to Mike Myers* I know this isn't the place for Vandermeer discussion...but for those interested, I'd have to say that _Shriek_ is the least successful of Vandermeer's three Ambergris novels. The premise is a blast (a missing brother has left behind a book, found by his sister, who decides to write an afterward to it explaining their lives...but the sister is now missing and the brother has found the book and is now commenting on her afterward by inserting notes as she tells it). But the execution becomes bogged down a bit halfway through once we basically know the whole story. And the character examination to me became a bit repetitive rather than illuminating at the same point. The book that introduces the city of Ambergris, _City of Saints and Madmen_, though would I think be plenty interesting to Wolfe (and Crowley) fans for its variety of styles/mysteries/histories/wonders. --- ### Jordon Flato *15 May 2010, 00:24 · in reply to Craig Brewer* Huh...I found it to be the most compelling of the three. I found FINCH to be the most underwhelming, mostly because if felt like a well written China Meiville story: nice and pretty but with not as much, what, soul? to it? > On Wed, May 12, 2010 at 6:12 AM, Craig Brewer wrote: > I know this isn't the place for Vandermeer discussion...but for those > interested, I'd have to say that _Shriek_ is the least successful of > Vandermeer's three Ambergris novels. The premise is a blast (a missing > brother has left behind a book, found by his sister, who decides to write an > afterward to it explaining their lives...but the sister is now missing and > the brother has found the book and is now commenting on her afterward by > inserting notes as she tells it). But the execution becomes bogged down a > bit halfway through once we basically know the whole story. And the > character examination to me became a bit repetitive rather than illuminating > at the same point. > > The book that introduces the city of Ambergris, _City of Saints and > Madmen_, though would I think be plenty interesting to Wolfe (and Crowley) > fans for its variety of styles/mysteries/histories/wonders. > > > ------------------------------ > *From:* Mike Myers > *To:* The Urth Mailing List > *Sent:* Wed, May 12, 2010 7:49:25 AM > *Subject:* Re: (urth) Jeff VanderMeer > > Shriek is a great book, one of my all time favorites. > > --- On *Tue, 5/11/10, JBarach at aol.com * wrote: > > > From: JBarach at aol.com > Subject: (urth) Jeff VanderMeer > To: urth at lists.urth.net > Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2010, 3:32 PM > > URTHers -- > > I glanced at a copy of Jeff VanderMeer's recent novel, *Shriek -- An > Afterword*, and discovered that it has a blurb by Gene Wolfe: > > "Here is a desert island book, a tale you can lose yourself in for days, a > novel of character in which the setting -- the magnificently gritty > city-state named Ambergris -- proves as the light fails to be the finest > character of all." > > http://www.amazon.com/Shriek-Afterword-Jeff-VanderMeer/dp/0765314665 > > I wish someone were keeping track of all the books Wolfe has blurbed.... > > John > > > > -----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > _______________________________________________ --- ### Robert Thornton *15 May 2010, 00:32 · in reply to Jordon Flato* I am in mid-Finch and right now I agree with Jordan for somewhat different reasons. As I read Finch, Ambergris seems pretty dreary and doesn't fascinate me as it did in the other books. Rob > On May 14, 2010, at 8:24 PM, Jordon Flato wrote: > Huh...I found it to be the most compelling of the three. I found FINCH to be the most underwhelming, mostly because if felt like a well written China Meiville story: nice and pretty but with not as much, what, soul? to it? > > On Wed, May 12, 2010 at 6:12 AM, Craig Brewer wrote: > I know this isn't the place for Vandermeer discussion...but for those interested, I'd have to say that _Shriek_ is the least successful of Vandermeer's three Ambergris novels. The premise is a blast (a missing brother has left behind a book, found by his sister, who decides to write an afterward to it explaining their lives...but the sister is now missing and the brother has found the book and is now commenting on her afterward by inserting notes as she tells it). But the execution becomes bogged down a bit halfway through once we basically know the whole story. And the character examination to me became a bit repetitive rather than illuminating at the same point. > > The book that introduces the city of Ambergris, _City of Saints and Madmen_, though would I think be plenty interesting to Wolfe (and Crowley) fans for its variety of styles/mysteries/histories/wonders. > > > From: Mike Myers > To: The Urth Mailing List > Sent: Wed, May 12, 2010 7:49:25 AM > Subject: Re: (urth) Jeff VanderMeer > > Shriek is a great book, one of my all time favorites. > > --- On Tue, 5/11/10, JBarach at aol.com wrote: > > From: JBarach at aol.com > Subject: (urth) Jeff VanderMeer > To: urth at lists.urth.net > Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2010, 3:32 PM > > URTHers -- > > I glanced at a copy of Jeff VanderMeer's recent novel, Shriek -- An Afterword, and discovered that it has a blurb by Gene Wolfe: > > "Here is a desert island book, a tale you can lose yourself in for days, a novel of character in which the setting -- the magnificently gritty city-state named Ambergris -- proves as the light fails to be the finest character of all." > > http://www.amazon.com/Shriek-Afterword-Jeff-VanderMeer/dp/0765314665 > > I wish someone were keeping track of all the books Wolfe has blurbed.... > > John > > > > -----Inline Attachment Follows----- > > _______________________________________________ --- ### James Crossley *15 May 2010, 03:39 · in reply to Jordon Flato* City of Saints and Madmen is certainly the flashiest of the three, with its myriad styles. It leaves a lot to the imagination, in the best possible way, and is probably the most purely enjoyable book in the Ambergris cycle. Shriek is also very rewarding, and I think the most accomplished of the set. The depth of characterization in the book is beyond almost anything else in genre. It’s quite different from its predecessor, which I find refreshing, although I can see where it wouldn’t push a reader’s buttons in the same way as CoS&M. Finch is yet another departure, a successful one in my opinion, but again not necessarily a likeable one. In many ways, it wraps up the mysteries that the previous books set up, which I think lends to the deflating feeling that some have described. James > On 5/14/10 5:24 PM, "Jordon Flato" wrote: > Huh...I found it to be the most compelling of the three. I found FINCH to be > the most underwhelming, mostly because if felt like a well written China > Meiville story: nice and pretty but with not as much, what, soul? to it? > > On Wed, May 12, 2010 at 6:12 AM, Craig Brewer wrote: >> I know this isn't the place for Vandermeer discussion...but for those >> interested, I'd have to say that _Shriek_ is the least successful of >> Vandermeer's three Ambergris novels. The premise is a blast (a missing >> brother has left behind a book, found by his sister, who decides to write an >> afterward to it explaining their lives...but the sister is now missing and >> the brother has found the book and is now commenting on her afterward by >> inserting notes as she tells it). But the execution becomes bogged down a bit >> halfway through once we basically know the whole story. And the character >> examination to me became a bit repetitive rather than illuminating at the >> same point. >> >> The book that introduces the city of Ambergris, _City of Saints and Madmen_, >> though would I think be plenty interesting to Wolfe (and Crowley) fans for >> its variety of styles/mysteries/histories/wonders. >> >> >> >> From: Mike Myers >> To: The Urth Mailing List >> Sent: Wed, May 12, 2010 7:49:25 AM >> Subject: Re: (urth) Jeff VanderMeer >> >> Shriek is a great book, one of my all time favorites. >> >> --- On Tue, 5/11/10, JBarach at aol.com wrote: >>> From: JBarach at aol.com >>> Subject: (urth) Jeff VanderMeer >>> To: urth at lists.urth.net >>> Date: Tuesday, May 11, 2010, 3:32 PM >>> >>> URTHers -- >>> >>> I glanced at a copy of Jeff VanderMeer's recent novel, Shriek -- An >>> Afterword, and discovered that it has a blurb by Gene Wolfe: >>> >>> "Here is a desert island book, a tale you can lose yourself in for days, a >>> novel of character in which the setting -- the magnificently gritty >>> city-state named Ambergris -- proves as the light fails to be the finest >>> character of all." >>> >>> http://www.amazon.com/Shriek-Afterword-Jeff-VanderMeer/dp/0765314665 >>> >>> I wish someone were keeping track of all the books Wolfe has blurbed.... >>> >>> John >>> >>> >>> >>> -----Inline Attachment Follows----- >>> >>> _______________________________________________ ---