Gene Wolfe

David Eppstein · 27 Mar 1992, 21:41 · from sf-lovers.1992.mbox

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From: eppstein at wormwood.ics.uci.edu (David Eppstein)
Subject: Re: Gene Wolfe
Date: 27 Mar 92 21:41:01 GMT
Message-ID: <sflovers-v17-148-4 at digest.sf-lovers>
X-Digest-Issue: SF-LOVERS Digest V17 #148
X-Urthmirror-Source: https://archive.org/details/sf-lovers-digest-vol-17a

maxson at cerl.uiuc.edu (K R Maxson) writes:
> Not only that, but his stories are a lot of fun.  Gripping and suspensful
> in a way that "evil invasions by evil guys from way up north" just never
> turn out to be. [...]  Just to address more specifically what was said
> about the Torturer series: Now, I cannot deny that you may have seen
> little plot.

I have seen this assertion several times now, and I am tired of letting it
pass.  There is enormous quantities of plot in the Torturer series.
Including "boy from nowhere grows up to be emperor", "evil invasion from up
north", and various other standard subplots.  You just don't notice it
because there's so much else going on.  Like the claim of no foreshadowing,
the supposed lack of plot is easily refuted.  Those people not liking Wolfe
must be doing so for some other reason than the reasons they are claiming.

David Eppstein
Info & Computer Science    
UC Irvine

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