OT: Anathem

David Duffy · 16 Sep 2008, 23:03 · from 2008-September.txt.gz

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From: David.Duffy at qimr.edu.au (David Duffy)
Date: Wed, 17 Sep 2008 09:03:47 +1000 (EST)
Subject: (urth) OT: Anathem
In-Reply-To: <56E579CC-4AA9-4DAF-8140-6DA2F0E57A1B at io.com>
References: <39ed084f0809141908h4ee0b508oc6c0b1d6baf89abe at mail.gmail.com><81c420fa0809150655n78fcb8edy962294747fac784b at mail.gmail.com><44fb53d10809150841u565213cei1784a5112a21e7dc at mail.gmail.com><39ed084f0809151140h9e0652fjff92ad0cdc6331ff at mail.gmail.com><2f8557150809151154n176b532fl70cd27089a115b75 at mail.gmail.com><9527.67.142.130.23.1221530199.squirrel at brunians.org><DA32BD89-756E-48D1-A383-45F20E7DF766 at gmail.com><9769.72.171.0.141.1221537830.squirrel at brunians.org><CBCFDA04-ED4F-4F1C-934D-55BE2B4FE7D7 at gmail.com><14104.72.171.0.141.1221539102.squirrel at brunians.org>
	<56E579CC-4AA9-4DAF-8140-6DA2F0E57A1B at io.com>
Message-ID: <Pine.LNX.4.64.0809170847390.12995 at orpheus.qimr.edu.au>

On Mon, 15 Sep 2008, Adam Thornton wrote:

>
> On Sep 15, 2008, at 9:25 PM, brunians at brunians.org wrote:
>
>> I've had other people say similar things to me, but I don't see it as all
>> *that* good. But then I don't really like either Pynchon or Gibson either.
>> 
>
> Seriously: the Baroque Cycle is _Gravity's Rainbow_ only set after the 30 
> Years' War rather than after WWII.
>
> Speaking of which: how many other hard-core Pynchon fans are there here?
>

Well I just finished _Against_the_day.  I avoided M&D as too long (read 
all his others), but got sucked in by the first chapter of _AtD_.  I like 
and have read everything of Stephenson's, but I was glad to reach the end 
of the Baroque Cycle ;)

Turning back to Wolfe, Pynchon is interested in a lot of the same things 
-- I think here of power and violence and pulp literature (_atD_ has a few 
Lovecraftian episodes as well as all the edisonades/westerns) and a hard 
science background that is deliberately held lightly -- but slightly 
different politics...and more on-screen sex...and his puns are probably 
better.

David Duffy.

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