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3.8 AVERAGE
3.8 AVERAGE
Okay, I have only looked at the first, and read a few pages. I thought I'd see what was going on with this one first...
The answer is, incomprehensible nonsense, that grows tired by about the third paragraph. There are a few books that work with a vernacular style of writing. Pilgerman, A Clockwork Orange and Feersun Endgin come to mind. But characters portrayed only by their wonky way of talking are usually tiresome. Pratchett makes good use of it in the odd character.
But when it is the main protagonists in the first two chapters, it is seriously annoying. When I find myself reading 2 chapters of a book that fails to entertain, says nothing, and speaks in a difficult to follow lingo, I throw it away. Gene Wolfe has been good in the past. He has also been stultifyingly dull. This is one of the latter. Some reviews suggest these books are somehow original in the fantasy market. Rubbish. There is nothing new here, and the literary trick of having a boy in a man's body has little mileage any more... since Tom Hanks in Big, actually, and that was due to the skill of the actor.
Avoid.
The answer is, incomprehensible nonsense, that grows tired by about the third paragraph. There are a few books that work with a vernacular style of writing. Pilgerman, A Clockwork Orange and Feersun Endgin come to mind. But characters portrayed only by their wonky way of talking are usually tiresome. Pratchett makes good use of it in the odd character.
But when it is the main protagonists in the first two chapters, it is seriously annoying. When I find myself reading 2 chapters of a book that fails to entertain, says nothing, and speaks in a difficult to follow lingo, I throw it away. Gene Wolfe has been good in the past. He has also been stultifyingly dull. This is one of the latter. Some reviews suggest these books are somehow original in the fantasy market. Rubbish. There is nothing new here, and the literary trick of having a boy in a man's body has little mileage any more... since Tom Hanks in Big, actually, and that was due to the skill of the actor.
Avoid.
Hard book to evaluate, since pretty much anyone who reads this is probably on the Wolfe train already.
As usual, Wolfe characters are great and fully-formed. The protagonist (Sir Able?) seems more unambiguously good than other Wolfe protagonists, which is strange. The language is less flowery and easier to understand than other Wolfe. The surface-level plot is harder, though, so I suppose there's some conservation property at work.
Loved the setting, very cool.
As usual, Wolfe characters are great and fully-formed. The protagonist (Sir Able?) seems more unambiguously good than other Wolfe protagonists, which is strange. The language is less flowery and easier to understand than other Wolfe. The surface-level plot is harder, though, so I suppose there's some conservation property at work.
Loved the setting, very cool.