Engine Summer

I know we have had an on-again, off-again discussion about other Lupinesque authors that listers would recommend. I just finished reading John Crowley's "Engine Summer" and highly recommend it. The Wolfean elements include the far-future, post-apocalypse setting, but the real strength and charm of the book have little to do with the far-future setting, the interpersonal relationships and characters are what drive the work. Whereas, in the NS cycle, the dying sun really is integral to the plot, and the plot drives the story, in Engine Summer the far-future earth happens to be where the story takes place, it is the setting, but really the story is much more universal IMHO. As Rush that Speaks said, sometimes the snakes-hands are the best parts of stories, and with Engine Summer that certainly is the case -- there is nothing overly unique about the plot, Crowley's magic is all in the telling. Engine Summer is my first foray into Crowley but I just picked up Little, Big which I know is supposed to be his masterpiece. I can't wait!

Even though it was as recently as April 21 that Alice Turner mentioned the new book on Crowley: Snake's-Hands: The Fiction of John Crowley Edited by Alice K. Turner & Michael Andre-Driussi which was contributed to by four members of this discussion group, including myself, I will risk being charged with redundant posting and blowing my own horn because I received my own copy of this work (finally) this past Monday, so reading the passage I quote above was too tempting an opportunity to resist. I will also supply a bit more purchasing info, for those so inclined: The original, much shorter, chapbook or booklet is still available from Sirius Fiction. (The web site says on 17 copies are left.) <http://siriusfiction.com> <http://siriusfiction.com/snake.html> The new, much expanded hardcover is available from Cosmos Books (a division of Wildside Press). <http://cosmos-books.com/> <http://www.cosmos-books.com/turner-crowley.html> The above web site says that there is a trade paperback edition of the book as well, but only the hardcover is currently available for sale so perhaps the paperback is forthcoming. Here is a list of the contributors: Michael Andre-Driussi William H. Ansley Brian Attebery Harold Bloom John Clute Matthew S. S. Davis Thomas M. Disch James Hynes Don Riggs Bill Sheehan Graham Sleight Adam Stephanides Jennifer Stevenson Sondra Ford Swift Alice K. Turner I hope the list members will forgive me for this rather lengthy posting, but I felt the book was of enough interest to the group to warrant it. William Ansley