Book of the New Sun-Should I keep going? (SPOILERS)

Michael Gallo · 12 Dec 1996, 08:20 · from sf-lovers.1996.mbox

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From: mike at hal.iodesign.com (Michael Gallo)
Subject: Re: Book of the New Sun-Should I keep going? (*SPOILERS*)
Date: 12 Dec 1996 08:20:34 GMT
Message-ID: <sflovers-v21-516-11 at digest.sf-lovers>
X-Digest-Issue: SF-LOVERS Digest V21 #516
X-Urthmirror-Source: https://archive.org/details/sf-lovers-digest-vol-21b

Jeremy P Lakatos <afn39111 at afn.org> wrote:
>Hardly. Though there are swords, and sorcery, there are no quests to be
>won, no dragons to battle, no evil overlords to overthrow. It isn't Swords
>and Sorcery, it's fantasy (but then, scifi is fantasy too).

   I'd agree - an original fantasy reminiscent of Jack Vance's _Dying
Earth_.  If you didn't like that, you probably won't like _New Sun_ either.

Michael Wen <mswen at worldnet.att.net@postoffice.worldnet.att.net> writes:
>some colony world that's lost contact with civilization and had
>degenerated.  Am I right?

   I don't expect this to be a major spoiler, but Urth -is- Earth in some
far off time (hence the name).

>What I would really like to know is why this series is so popular.  

   I'll concur with most of what Jeremy wrote.  While there's more action
later on, I think it's main attraction is the richness of the prose, the
strangeness of the setting, and the puzzles that are Urth and its
inhabitants.
   I adore the Book of the New Sun but realize it's not for everybody.  In
fact, the first time I read it, I didn't know whether I liked it or not,
but I just -had- to keep reading.

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