Book of the New Sun-Should I keep going?

Michael R Weholt · 13 Dec 1996, 12:23 · from sf-lovers.1996.mbox

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From: awnbreel at panix.com (Michael R Weholt)
Subject: Re: Book of the New Sun-Should I keep going?
Date: Fri, 13 Dec 96 12:23:48 GMT
Message-ID: <sflovers-v22-21-20 at digest.sf-lovers>
X-Digest-Issue: SF-LOVERS Digest V22 #21
X-Urthmirror-Source: https://archive.org/details/sf-lovers-digest-vol-22a

kmaroney at crossover.com wrote:
>With that as a preamble, I would say, if you didn't enjoy _Shadow of the
>Torturer_, odds are you won't enjoy the later volumes. It is possible that
>Wolfe is not to your taste, or that this specific Wolfe is not to your
>taste, or that the Wolfe is not to your taste right now.

   This is the one truly pertinent piece of advice.  The story pretty much
continues in the same vein so if you had trouble with the first book, you
will have the same trouble further on.  If you bail out now, I do hope you
return to it someday.  It really is wonderful.

   Regarding Jo's point about the Gyoll being the Amazon.  I thought as
much myself, but then started thinking that we can't really say in that the
story must take place millions of years in the future (else the sun
wouldn't be in such bad shape, no?)  The continents would have moved around
a bit, no?  The "true identity" of the Ascians is fairly obvious and I
believe there is some mention that they are from the "continent to the
north".  South America being at some remove from "Ascia" it seems possible
that the Gyoll is not the Amazon.  Also, I believe there is some mention of
the fact that part of the Commonwealth consists of a "string of islands"
which made me think the continent may be Australia with the Indonesian
archipelagos being those islands.  But, as I say, all this must be millions
of years in the future, so who the hell knows.  Or, is there some other
source somewhere that makes all of this clear?  I'm literally just pages
from the end (after reading it for the first time) so I admit I know little
about what info might exist "outside" the book itself.

Michael R Weholt

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