BEATING AN EIGHT-LEGGED HORSE

Urash, Tom · 02 Sep 2000, 14:16 · from whorl-v0011.mbox · original

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From: "Urash, Tom" <turash at firstam.com>
Subject: (whorl) BEATING AN EIGHT-LEGGED HORSE
Date: Sat, 02 Sep 2000 14:16:23
Message-ID: <whorl-v0011-0217 at digest.urth.net>
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Having just received IGJ I just can't help myself. The cover sucks! As does
OBW's, imltho. Shadow was the first Wolfe book I ever bought: an impulse buy
spurred by the Maitz cover, and, Jesus MacGod!, am I ever grateful. Now,
like most you, I can't get enough. That first purchase was twenty some odd
years ago, and I'd never even heard of Gene Wolfe at the time. The young man
I was then, or so I surmise, wouldn't take a second glance at either of the
first two volumes of Short Sun based on the covers. I live in Texas and the
artist who paints the Short Sun covers reminds me of the myriad white Blues
guitarists in this state who, not uncommonly, are technically quite
proficient but lack that special something -- soul? -- that so many Black
Blues artists seem to evoke so effortlessly. Or, like Twain is reputed to
have told his wife upon her trying to shame his habitual swearing by doing a
little swearing of her own, "... you have the words, honey, but you don't
have the music."=20

It says more about me than Wolfe, but I just hate the idea that he could
have been on board with the decision to use those covers. I'd rather imagine
some sort of evildoings that left him no choice but capitulate in the
matter.=20

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