(urth) Free Live Free Two texts

Marc Aramini marcaramini at gmail.com
Tue May 13 16:56:13 PDT 2014


There are a few differences like chapter headings - "selling weather"
becomes "four roomers of war" in the first chapter a man named Norris
identified by his first name comes in looking for candy rather than sgt
Proudy looking for Free ... Words like might are changed to would, etc.  I
may read them side by side when I get to 1984 in my review of Wolfe's
fiction... I don't plan on doing new sun unless the spirit strikes me and I
have something new to say.

On Saturday, May 10, 2014, Antonin Scriabin <kierkegaurdian at gmail.com>
wrote:

> I just finished the 1984 version, and can't imagine doing without 4000
> words. I haven't read the Tor version. I would say have the best of both
> worlds; read the longer version with the benefit of the chronology when you
> need it. It was fantastic by the way, one of my favorite of his stand
> alones.
> On May 10, 2014 1:41 AM, "Austin Hackett" <austin.hackett at gmail.com<javascript:_e(%7B%7D,'cvml','austin.hackett at gmail.com');>>
> wrote:
>
>> Hi, new member here. I joined up to find out which version of *Free Live
>> Free* is preferable to read?
>>
>> I haven't read *Free Live Free* but plan on doing so soon. It just so
>> happens I have both the 1984 Mark V. Ziesing small press edition and the
>> standard 1986 Tor mass market version on my shelf. Several places online
>> say the Tor is shorter by about 4000 words. I also notice that it contains
>> a chronology (which, it says, was requested by the publisher) and the title
>> of the first chapter is different. The order of some parts may also be
>> different between the two versions according to vague reports.
>>
>> Does the Tor edition represent an editorially truncated text or the
>> author's final revisions? Some might think "longer = better" but I don't
>> want to assume anything. Maybe Wolfe shortened the book at the behest of
>> the publisher, but he may have just revised it for his own artistic
>> purposes. Even if the cuts were mandated, he may have taken the opportunity
>> to make different changes as well. And none of these factors actually
>> determine which version is *better*.
>>
>> So has anyone read both, or at least knows a little about the backstory?
>> I can't find any info online.
>>
>> Thanks!
>>
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