Swanwick and others

Andrew Mason · 17 Jun 2014, 21:05 · from 2014-June.txt.gz

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From: andrew.mason53 at googlemail.com (Andrew Mason)
Date: Tue, 17 Jun 2014 22:05:38 +0100
Subject: (urth) Swanwick and others
Message-ID: <CAM3O41LbEwKiW7vSnaX-Gg3SN8X8Tfh3ySf8jcaieMnp7GRzqg at mail.gmail.com>

Michael Thayer wrote:

>
> I am a big fan of Anathem, but I just don't see the New Sun
> parallels/connection -- what specifically do you see as the similarities?
>  I'm intrigued.
>

Set on an Earth-like planet in the far 'future' (though not as far, nor as
blatantly Earth-like)

Lots of unusual words (in Wolfe real words: in Stephenson made-up ones,
though not too mysterious if you know Latin; but the effect is similar).

The hero begins in an enclosed community and then goes on a journey.

And, most importantly, the idea of alternative worlds and a choice between
them.

Well, it may not add up to much, but Stephenson was rather absurdly accused
of plagiarism (with the mistaken claim that the planet is called Orth), so
clearly others besides me have noticed a similarity.

As I mentioned a little while ago, Paul Witcover's _The Emperor of All
Things_ seems to acknowledge a debt to Wolfe, though perhaps a negative
one, as the character Wolfe is a villain; (but then, Umberto Eco made
Borges a villain, and I don't think that was meant in a wholly hostile
way).

--
>
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