(urth) Free Live Free Two texts

Austin Hackett austin.hackett at gmail.com
Sun May 18 00:48:49 PDT 2014


Give the nature of these differences, it seems to me like the Tor version
may be preferable, as it represents the author's final intentions... still
a tough call.


On Tue, May 13, 2014 at 5:04 PM, Marc Aramini <marcaramini at gmail.com> wrote:

> Also, some subtextual clues have been layered into the tor version like
> the sounds of an airplane when free is just sitting there watching tv, etc.
>  which will make sense as a detail when you finish the story.
>
>
> On Tuesday, May 13, 2014, Marc Aramini <marcaramini at gmail.com> wrote:
>
>> 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>
>>> 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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>>>
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