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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>Just finished book 3 of the Long Sun. I am dazzled by
this work, more than I was with the New Sun books.</span></font></p>
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>I suppose some of it has to do with learning how to
“read” Wolfe, which I believe I’m just starting to do.
Now, I’m not a dullard; my degree is in English and my favorite writers
include Borges, late-period Samuel Delany, Nabokov…a lot of “lit
snob” stuff. However, I’ve little background in studying the
Bible, which I’m realizing is key to Wolfe’s work, and is something
I’m rectifying on my own. In addition, I am getting better at
spotting massive revelations about the book’s characters and the Whorl
itself in casual, almost throwaway asides and oblique references; in
particular, I was blown away by learning who Blood’s father is in the
last pages of this volume. Having had these insights into his style,
I’ll have to go back and re-read New Sun in the future.</span></font></p>
<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
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<p class=MsoNormal><font size=2 face=Arial><span style='font-size:10.0pt;
font-family:Arial'>On to volume four! I can’t wait to comb through
the list archives to read past discussions on this series. I’ve
been very impressed with what I’ve read here so far.</span></font></p>
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