Gene Wolfe

Peter Cash · 03 Apr 1992, 20:31 · from sf-lovers.1992.mbox

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From: cash at convex.com (Peter Cash)
Subject: Re: Gene Wolfe
Date: 3 Apr 92 20:31:37 GMT
Message-ID: <sflovers-v17-160-7 at digest.sf-lovers>
X-Digest-Issue: SF-LOVERS Digest V17 #160
X-Urthmirror-Source: https://archive.org/details/sf-lovers-digest-vol-17a

phs172m at vaxc.cc.monash.edu.au (Stephen Harker) writes:
>I find this opinion hard to believe.  I have tried to read a number of
>books by Gene Wolfe at various times.  He is one of very few "acclaimed"
>authors who I have found unreadable.  I cannot believe that anyone would
>call his writing "spare".  The only description that I can think that is
>vaguely appropriate is my old first form English teacher's worst comment
>"verbal diarrhea".

I've read a couple of his books - FREE LIVE FREE and SOLDIER OF THE MIST. I
enjoyed both until the end. While the writing style didn't set me on fire,
I thought the characters were interesting and well-drawn, and the plot
moved along OK but, this guy just does not know how to end a book. There
are lots of intriguing situations and tantalizing mysteries but, they all
come to nothing in the end. FLF just falls apart the solution is totally
unbelievable and trivial. SotM sets you up by making you care about the
characters, then treats them shabbily (setting up for a sequel I'll never
read).

No, I don't like Gene Wolfe either, and I won't read anything else by him.

Peter Cash

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