February's Fantastic Folios and Fascinating Fables

[Connavar]

The few examples of his stories I've seen, I'd tend to agree....

As for Before Adam -- not biblical; in fact, I would imagine it raised something of a stink with the more fundamentalist crowd, as it is on the theme of evolution.... It is the tale of a modern man who recalls his "other self", Big-Tooth, a protohuman somewhere between the very earliest stages of our separation from the other primates, and the Neanderthal. These memories are from his dreams, which as a child he simply could not understand, and which terrified him (especially as he was a city boy, and here he is dreaming of the savage life of an early hominid in the raw), but who eventually, as a man, learns the key to them. The novel is his piecing together of these memories into a coherent story -- quite an entertaining one, too.

It isn't only the theme (modern man recalling a barbaric past life), but the handling, and even some of the phrasing and thought expressed, which makes me pretty darned sure Howard read and was very taken with this one. The similarities just are a bit too strong otherwise....

At any rate, I finished the book, and am going back to Poe after something of a lengthy hiatus....

Sounds much better than the synopsis i read. Sounds very much like Star Rover theme wise. A novel i thought was great because of the memories of earlier life. The writing got so much freer,more poetic in the short story like parts of the early life of the star rover.

Heh even reading El Borak Howard puts a word here and there about this theme. El Borak thinking back how Afghan mountains,the east looked a 1000 year back,seeing his crusade self/ancestor charging....

 

[Talysia]

After speeding through the first book, I'm now moving on to C.J. Sansom's Dark Fire, and loving it so far.

 

[GOLLUM]

I have nearly completed the NYRB Gautier collection My Fantoms. Overall this is a very good rather than unequivocally outstanding collection of stories IMO. There's one, possibly two stories I found to be not far above average for my tastes but most range from very good to excellent. When Gautier is on song he positively soars with his sensorially descriptive and atmospherically effective prose. A collection deserving of a 8.5-9 star rating when I get around to posting my review.

The next book or perhaps I should say collection in my sites is Roland Torpor's much neglected French horror classic of the 1960s in The Tenant. This is a book I've had for more than 2 years sitting on my shelf, so what else is new?... I've only had a chance to read the introduction by Thomas Ligotti but if the modern master of horror fiction is to be believed, Torpor's work including The Tenant represents a superlative body of horror fiction with literary qualifications as deserving as anyone who has received the Nobel Prize. Included in this collection is the Tenant and 4 other related short stories in addition to some of Torpor's amazing and enigmatic art work.

Here's a teaser regarding the Tenant, for those of you who like to call yourselves Horror aficionados...

Originally published in France in 1964, The Tenant chronicles a harrowing, fascinating descent into madness as the pathologically alienated Trelkovsky is subsumed into Simone Choule, an enigmatic suicide whose baleful presence still saturates his new apartment. Much more than a tale of possession, the novel probes disturbing depths of guilt, paranoia, and sexual obsession with an unsparing, almost clinical detachment. This densely textured work was brilliantly adapted for the screen by Roman Polanski in 1976.

 

[Thadlerian]

The Fifth Head of Cerberus by Gene Wolfe. SF Masterworks.

I am a little let down - I read The Book of the New Sun this summer, and was astonished. I had expected something similar, I guess.

 

[GOLLUM]

HMMM...I really liked Fifth Head as well as New Sun but then I'm a Wolfe tragic...

I did find that particular production needed to be read more than once, like a lot of Gene's other works, to be more fully appreciated.

It still remains one of my favourite Gene Wolfe projects.

 

[Fried Egg]

I've finished "To Ride Hell's Chasm" by Janny Wurts at last. I did enjoy it but thought that it was too long. I've no idea why Gollum praised her economy with words. On the contrary, I found her descriptions embellished to distraction. In the second part of the novel when the emphasis was on the action, her overly wordy approach only served to diffuse the tension. Like I said though, I did enjoy it overall. I think I'll try another of her stand alone novels at some point.

 

[j d worthington]

I have nearly completed the NYRB Gautier collection My Fantoms. Overall this is a very good rather than unequivocally outstanding collection of stories IMO. There's one, possibly two stories I found to be not far above average for my tastes but most range from very good to excellent. When Gautier is on song he positively soars with his sensorially descriptive and atmospherically effective prose. A collection deserving of a 8.5-9 star rating when I get around to posting my review.

The next book or perhaps I should say collection in my sites is Roland Torpor's much neglected French horror classic of the 1960s in The Tenant. This is a book I've had for more than 2 years sitting on my shelf, so what else is new?... I've only had a chance to read the introduction by Thomas Ligotti but if the modern master of horror fiction is to be believed, Torpor's work including The Tenant represents a superlative body of horror fiction with literary qualifications as deserving as anyone who has received the Nobel Prize. Included in this collection is the Tenant and 4 other related short stories in addition to some of Torpor's amazing and enigmatic art work.

Here's a teaser regarding the Tenant, for those of you who like to call yourselves Horror aficionados...

Originally published in France in 1964, The Tenant chronicles a harrowing, fascinating descent into madness as the pathologically alienated Trelkovsky is subsumed into Simone Choule, an enigmatic suicide whose baleful presence still saturates his new apartment. Much more than a tale of possession, the novel probes disturbing depths of guilt, paranoia, and sexual obsession with an unsparing, almost clinical detachment. This densely textured work was brilliantly adapted for the screen by Roman Polanski in 1976.

I really need to read Torpor's novel in order to compare. For me, Polanski's film has always smacked strongly of Oliver Onions' "The Beckoning Fair One"....

Glad you're enjoying the Gautier... I do need to get around to picking up this collection, as I only have one (albeit a fairly hefty one) by him, and I, too, was mightily impressed with the man's work. (Then again most, if not all, the translations were done by Lafcadio Hearn....)

 

[GOLLUM]

I've finished "To Ride Hell's Chasm" by Janny Wurts at last. I did enjoy it but thought that it was too long. I've no idea why Gollum praised her economy with words. On the contrary, I found her descriptions embellished to distraction. In the second part of the novel when the emphasis was on the action, her overly wordy approach only served to diffuse the tension. Like I said though, I did enjoy it overall. I think I'll try another of her stand alone novels at some point.

Now that's interesting.

I clearly had a somewhat opposite reaction to that. I love descriptive prose and her use of language, so perhaps it's a matter of taste. I will say that I find that Janny's stories often move along quite slowly and then every so often some revelation or event occurs that pitches the plot forward but I can see that someone who isn't overly taken with her style of writing would find her tendency for word play a little tedious. at times I think I admire her use of words within individual sentences rather than how may sentences she takes to describe a particular scene, character, event or mood. I should have made that clearer to you F.E., sorry....

From what you've said, I think you would enjoy her earlier stories much more than the War of Light and Shadow cycle. I have noticed that her earlier work, although it displays her love of word play and developing style, generally moves along at a faster rate than her more recent stuff. It would also mean you would not have to invest as much time, as her earlier writings are either trilogies or stand-alones and the books a lot shorter in length as well.

Let us know if you pick up one of her earlier stories. Either the Cycle Of Fire trilogy or the novel Master Of Whitestorm.

 

[GOLLUM]

I really need to read Torpor's novel in order to compare. For me, Polanski's film has always smacked strongly of Oliver Onions' "The Beckoning Fair One"....

Glad you're enjoying the Gautier... I do need to get around to picking up this collection, as I only have one (albeit a fairly hefty one) by him, and I, too, was mightily impressed with the man's work. (Then again most, if not all, the translations were done by Lafcadio Hearn....)

Not having read much of Onions I won't be able to comment on that specifically. My review will be a slightly more isolated one from that perspective than what you would probably bring to the table.

I would like to know which Gautier stories you have read and if they're overtly supernatural in flavour. This collection does has some obvious supernatural stories but in some cases it's fairly subtle in terms of the descriptions. As I enjoy stories with a lot of supernatural elements in them from the point of view of them being disturbing, creepy, unsettling, horrific etc. rather than simply containing ghosts, spirits etc.. which these stories do; this may be why I didn't rate this particular collection as highly as if the editors had only included the more obvious horror tales rather than this mixture. The collection is an attempt to encompass his entire literary career. Still, there's no denying his mastery of language and ability to set a mood. Clearly an underrated master by academics in his own country if the Introduction is to be believed.

 

[Grimward]

Started Volume V (Nine Black Doves) of The Collected Stories of Roger Zelazny this morning.

EDIT: Oh, and with the clarification above, Fried, I would DEFINITELY suggest Sorcerer's Legacy next. Can't remember if you've already read them, but the Daughter of Empire collaboration with Feist carries Janny's stamp quite well, too....

 

[Jayaprakash Satyamurthy]

Halfway through the Penguin Classics edition of TALES OF HOFFMANN, a selection of stories by E.T.A. Hoffmann as well as A FACE IN THE DARK, a collection of supernatural stories by the Anglo-Indian author Ruskin Bond.

 

[Fried Egg]

EDIT: Oh, and with the clarification above, Fried, I would DEFINITELY suggest Sorcerer's Legacy next. Can't remember if you've already read them, but the Daughter of Empire collaboration with Feist carries Janny's stamp quite well, too....

I haven't read the "Daughter of Empire" series altough I have read Feist's "Rift War" and "Serpent War" series. I've kind of gone off Feist though so I haven't had much inclination to read the fruit of that collaboration.

I like the sound of "Master of Whitestorm" though, I may read that or "Sorcerer's Legacy" next.

Now that's interesting.

I clearly had a somewhat opposite reaction to that. I love descriptive prose and her use of language, so perhaps it's a matter of taste. I will say that I find that Janny's stories often move along quite slowly and then every so often some revelation or event occurs that pitches the plot forward but I can see that someone who isn't overly taken with her style of writing would find her tendency for word play a little tedious. at times I think I admire her use of words within individual sentences rather than how may sentences she takes to describe a particular scene, character, event or mood. I should have made that clearer to you F.E., sorry....

No need to appologise. Like I said, it did enjoy it. And before I saw your comments here, I was already committed to reading it. Your (and others) comments about her prose set my expectations very high so I was almost bound to be disappointed. And, I do agree, I think it largely comes down to a matter of taste.

 

[Pyan]

I haven't read the "Daughter of Empire" series altough I have read Feist's "Rift War" and "Serpent War" series. I've kind of gone off Feist though so I haven't had much inclination to read the fruit of that collaboration.

No, no - trust me, FE, the collaboration books are much, much better than standalone Feists. The characters have...well, characters, for a start. But they seemed to achieve synergy - Feist's event-driven plots mixed with Wurts' use of language and descriptions take these three books out of the common run of the genre.

 

[dask]

May, 1933. Cover by Walter Whitehead.

 

[Pyan]

I don't know if you know of this site, dask, but it may be of interest to you:

The FictionMags Index

 

[CyBeR]

I'm currently reading the first part of the 'Twilight' saga. I have no intention of reading the rest of the books, I just want to "GET" what this phenomenon is all about. In my country, as it usually happens here, it's reached a point in which you're either with it or you're completely against it as if it were the bubonic plague. I can't understand why it's so, so I'm reading.
So far, a hundred pages in, I can get the attraction to the so called vampire. But other than that, each page I finish reading I consider a small victory on my part.

 

[dask]

I don't know if you know of this site, dask, but it may be of interest to you:

The FictionMags Index

No, I'm not familiar with it but many thanks for bringing it to my attention. It looks fascinating, a place I can spend much time and not regret it. I've already added it to my favorites. I know the name William G. Contento, think he's reliable.

 

[thatollie]

Just finished Going Postal by Terry Pratchett.
Not sure what I'm going to read next.

 

[Fried Egg]

No, no - trust me, FE, the collaboration books are much, much better than standalone Feists. The characters have...well, characters, for a start. But they seemed to achieve synergy - Feist's event-driven plots mixed with Wurts' use of language and descriptions take these three books out of the common run of the genre.

Well, maybe I will give it a try sometime...

Just read a few more stories inItalo Calvino's "Cosmicomics" and now on to "The Dying Earth" by Jack Vance.

 

[murphy]

Now reading Blackout by Connie Willis. It's another time travel book like Doomsday Book, but this takes place in the UK during the beginning of WWII.