Why I don't like TBOTSS

William Ansley · 26 May 2002, 04:45 · from urth-v0205.mbox · original

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From: William Ansley <wansley at warwick.net>
Subject: Re: (urth) Re: [urth] Why I don't like TBOTSS
Date: Sun, 26 May 2002 00:45:50 -0400
Message-ID: <urth-v0205-1085 at digest.urth.net>
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At 11:20 PM +0100 5/25/02, Andy Robertson wrote:
>----- Original Message -----
>From: Allan Lloyd
>
>>     Is it just me feeling particularly grumpy tonight, or does everyone
>else feel that
>>  these are justified ways of provoking thought and reflection on a story?
>
>
>It's just you feeling grumpy.  ;-)
>
>No.  I can see it.   I have even had the experience of reading the SS books
>and having it come out like that.  They are hard books to read and they ta=
ke
>a lot of effort, continual effort, to read.
>
>     hartshorn

I agree with Allan. I didn't care for the Short Sun books and I still don't.

Andy Robertson, in his passage above, suggests I have not put enough=20
effort into reading the books. This may be true. In fact, it is very=20
likely.

But writing is a two way street; I expect to get some kind of return=20
for the effort I put into reading something, some kind of=20
satisfaction. I have gotten that from most of what Gene Wolfe has=20
written, enough, at least, so that I feel that I was part of a fair=20
exchange. (And in many cases, the return I have gotten from reading=20
Wolfe's work was much more than fair.) But I don't feel that way with=20
the Short Sun books. They seem a bit slip shod, between mysteries=20
being piled on mysteries and the seemingly unnecessary shoe-horning=20
of the Urth of the Old Sun into the final volume. It may be that I am=20
totally missing the grand design. But if that's the case I doubt I=20
will ever see it; I am not likely to re-read the series.

Of course, someone on this list could post a revelatory message that=20
makes me see the light, but I haven't been convinced by any attempts=20
so far.
--=20

William Ansley

--=20

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