A Question

Tim Walters · 15 Jun 2007, 05:57 · from 2007-June.txt.gz

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From: walters at doubtfulpalace.com (Tim Walters)
Date: Thu, 14 Jun 2007 22:57:59 -0700
Subject: (urth) A Question
In-Reply-To: <4672233D.3030905 at charter.net>
References: <667793.88044.qm at web81408.mail.mud.yahoo.com>
	<4672233D.3030905 at charter.net>
Message-ID: <46722A67.70009 at doubtfulpalace.com>

A lot depends on who's getting the recommendation. Much of the pleasure 
of BotNS and later fiction lies in the way Wolfe treats and/or subverts 
standard sf and fantasy tropes, and someone who hasn't read much in the 
genres may not get that.

I don't quite remember my first encounter with Wolfe--it was back in the 
Seventies, I think, since I remember being very excited when _Shadow_ 
came out--but it was almost certainly a short story in an Orbit or 
Nebula collection, possibly "The Death of Doctor Island." To this day I 
prefer his stories above all, and I think _Island..._ might be the best 
introduction, unless the receiver is one of those surprisingly numerous 
people who just doesn't like short fiction at all.

But to the Joyce/Eliot fan I gave _Fifth Head_. Not that he ever read it.

-- 

Tim Walters | The Doubtful Palace | http://doubtfulpalace.com

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