Gene Wolfe: Book of the New Sun

Steven K. Zoltan Brust · 27 Feb 1986, 20:56 · from net.sf-lovers.1986.mbox

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From: brust at starfire.UUCP (Steven K. Zoltan Brust)
Subject: Re: Re: Gene Wolfe: Book of the New Sun
Date: Thu, 27-Feb-86 15:56:53 EST
Message-ID: <196 at starfire.UUCP>
Newsgroups: net.sf-lovers
References: <194 at analog.UUCP> <3840005 at csd2.UUCP> <651 at edison.UUCP> <1808 at hammer.UUCP> <527 at hoptoad.uucp> <6921 at duke.UUCP>

*** You are not able to teleport at will ***

Okay, I'm finally moved to take up this gauntlet.  Whatever else has
happened, the original query ("What d'you guys see in this,
anyway?") was quite reasonable and deserves to be answered.

It is sad that I can't answer it.

I will, however, describe my experience with the books.  Okay.
I picked up SHADOW OF THE TORTURER and read about a third of it,
discovered that it hadn't grabbed me, and stopped reading it.  For
the next year, I kept hearing from friends I respected how much
they were enjoying the books.  In particular, I was hearing from
those who enjoyed the sounds of words, that is, the work of those
who are aware of the beauty of the language.

Well, okay, I like that stuff, too.  That's why I'm a Zelazny nut,
and why I like Orson Scott Card, Jane Yolen, Patricia McKillip, etc. etc.

So I decided to give the books another try, this time forcing myself
to read slowly and carefully.  It worked for me, and I am now very
glad that I did.  For those who enjoy the sound of English well
wrought, these books will tickle that.  For those who enjoy a good
story, it really is here, it just takes a while to realize it.  The
book is screamingly funny, without ever falling out of its
conceit (including a multi-page comparison of the art of torturing
to the art of writing; I almost hurt myself laughing.)  The book
had me close to tears at times, yet was never a tragady.  The part
of me that likes to play with ideas just as ideas was tickled all
the way through, but never quite in ways I expected.  On my next
few readings, when I start looking for "What is really going on
here; what is the author saying?"  there is enough meat that
I don't go away hungry.

Okay?  This certainly won't convince anyone who didn't like it
that he ought to, but maybe this will help whoever asked the initial
question to understand why some of us enjoy the books.

skzb

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