Swanwick and others

Antonin Scriabin · 21 Jun 2014, 03:26 · from 2014-June.txt.gz

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From: kierkegaurdian at gmail.com (Antonin Scriabin)
Date: Fri, 20 Jun 2014 23:26:42 -0400
Subject: (urth) Swanwick and others
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That was one of my main problems with Anathem. Once the main Avout goes out
into the world, it isn't all that interesting. Whereas Urth is fascinating,
alien, and gets more intriguing by the page. Also, I am on my phone and it
wanted to autocorrect Urth to Utah. Utah is also interesting. Thanks phone.
On Jun 20, 2014 9:01 PM, "dunnaaa ." <bahamut0 at gmail.com> wrote:

> The world-building is very similar - we are aware that there is a lot
> going on out there, but we are only teased brief details which let us
> attempt to construct the larger picture.
>
> I definitely got a BotNS vibe off of Anathem - mostly for this reason. I
> think the difference lies in the explanations that we are given by the
> authors - for instance, I would have been perfectly happy reading the first
> half of Anathem and then leaving it be, with all my questions unanswered,
> but the possibilities I could create still out there. Whereas with Wolfe, I
> am much happier with the world and the answers that he provides.
>
> So I guess I'm saying that Wolfe is the better writer, but I can
> definitely get that Anathem evokes some of the feelings that I got when
> reading BotNS.
>
> Cheers,
> Sean
> On Jun 17, 2014 10:05 PM, "Andrew Mason" <andrew.mason53 at googlemail.com>
> wrote:
>
>> 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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>
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