|
magic cactus posted:Oh man the tunnel chapters in Exodus from The Long Sun are the best/worst example of Wolfe writing at maximum Wolfe-level. I still have only the barest grasp on what went on down there and I read each section three times at a minimum. "Now I'm going to interrupt your description of a thing that happened off-camera with a different interpretation of a thing that happened on-camera and right as I'm about make a cogent point a thing will happen that ends the chapter, and when we return to this part of the plot a character is no longer where they're supposed to be or several months have passed." I love Wolfe but there's a reason that many people have written many essays trying to figure out what exactly the hell happens in his books.
|
#
¿
Jan 28, 2022 06:46
|
|
|
|
| # ¿ May 5, 2024 03:25 |
|
|
On a kind of similar note, I think the Wayfarers series by Becky Chambers may be anti-Wolfe in a very appealing way. The stories are straightforward. Even when the stakes are high, the resolutions come quickly and cleanly. Characters love explaining the worldbuilding elements to each other in simple terms. Wolfe is great when you are looking for a challenge, for something that is going to take a few reads and then be worth discussing afterwards. It's nice to also be able to find stuff that has quality prose but doesn't eat up a big chunk of your life as well.
|
|
#
¿
Sep 26, 2022 03:00
|
|
|
It cannot be stressed enough how important re-reads are to enjoying Wolfe. The more you read him, the richer it gets. I loved his writing from New Sun on so maybe it doesn't work if you don't have that initial sense of wonder, but even his books I initially didn't care for have gotten better over the years.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 2, 2023 04:50
|
|
|
Gaius Marius posted:I dipped out of Castleview when it seemed to get Knightly. I absolutely do not have the grounding in Arthurian legend that I have in Christianity and Greek Mythology and I got scared I was going to be left clueless as to what was happening. I only picked up Castleview in the midst of a big Arthur binge and I think it'll still take a second read before I "get" it. For what it's worth, I'd say it's less important to know a lot of Round Table Canon Facts and more to recognize that the entire Arthurian legendry has been a fey, fluctuating thing for as long as it's existed.
|
|
#
¿
Apr 20, 2024 15:09
|
|