OT: Vance Autobiography

David Stockhoff · 18 Dec 2008, 17:05 · from 2008-December.txt.gz

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From: dstockhoff at verizon.net (David Stockhoff)
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2008 12:05:20 -0500
Subject: (urth) OT: Vance Autobiography
In-Reply-To: <mailman.1602.1229618950.16269.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
References: <mailman.1602.1229618950.16269.urth-urth.net at lists.urth.net>
Message-ID: <494A82D0.4000901 at verizon.net>

that's HIRO Protagonist, to you! (At least the Japanese name is plausible.)

Snow Crash is much like those movies, especially action comedies it seems, that are truly great for the first half and then fall into cliched resolutions. It was also sloppily executed in many ways. But Stephenson's dark laissez faire world is effective.

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Message: 8
Date: Thu, 18 Dec 2008 05:35:11 -0700
From: Dave Tallman <davetallman at msn.com>
Subject: Re: (urth) OT: Vance Autobiography
To: urth at lists.urth.net
Message-ID: <494A437F.8090000 at gmail.com>
Content-Type: text/plain; charset=ISO-8859-1; format=flowed

John Watkins wrote:

> > I read The Dying Earth entirely because of Wolfe and this list, and I
> > found it not to be too my taste.
> >   
>   
I read and enjoyed it a long time ago (before reading much Wolfe), and 
also his "Demon Prince" series, which I liked for style and 
culture-building.

 From this list, I started reading some Stephenson. I loved "The Diamond 
Age" and "Anathem" -- both have strong techno-nerd plots that lead into 
esoteric mysteries by the end. He also has a weird sense of humor that 
sometimes works for me and sometimes not. I tried to start "Snow Crash" 
but found it too absurd. A protagonist named Protagonist? No way.

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