crowley

maa32 · 28 Jul 2003, 05:20 · from urth-v0307.mbox · original

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From: maa32 <maa32 at dana.ucc.nau.edu>
Subject: (urth) crowley
Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2003 22:20:33 -0700
Message-ID: <urth-v0307-3762 at digest.urth.net>
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Blattid implies that "Little, Big" never captured his imagination.  I have =
to=20
say I agree.  If you look at the cards and the characters and follow the pa=
th=20
of the stork, then there are some interesting things going on in the book, =
but=20
it isn't my favorite Crowley.  I like the Aegypt series much more, but in m=
y=20
mind "Little, Big" doesn't have the intense weirdness that makes Book of th=
e=20
New Sun so much more fun to read over and over again (but then again, neith=
er=20
does The Book of the Long Sun, and that's a fine series as well).

However, I did think that portions of the book were amazingly effective,=20
especially toward the end when Smoky (that was his name, right?) is left al=
l=20
alone to die a mortal death and his faerie family has moved on.  I haven't=20
read the book in some years, so I can't help you too much, Blattid.  But I=20
must say for the most part I agree ... Crowley can't touch Wolfe in my mind=
,=20
but it is well worth your time reading Engine Summer and The Deep and even =
his=20
collection of tales that includes Great Work of Time and that one about the=20
birds of the forest (Was it called Novelty?)  Maybe Alga could help you mor=
e.

Don't feel bad, Blattid.  As far as my literary taste goes, after Wolfe, I=20
love Zelazny, Mishima, Faulkner, Dostoevsky, Jonathan Carrol, Borges, and=20
Nabokov and "merely" like Delany, Simmons, Crowley, and M John Harrison (wh=
ich=20
means I've still read almost everything by them).  Tolstoy bored me out of =
my=20
mind, so maybe I'm a plebe.  And I always thought the original Dragonlance=20
Chronicles were just as good as Lord of the Rings.  As long as you like Wol=
fe,=20
you are plenty sophisticated and discerning in my mind.:)

Marc Aramini

--=20

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