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<DIV style="font-color: black"><B>From:</B> <A title=entonio@gmail.com
href="mailto:entonio@gmail.com">António Pedro Marques</A> </DIV></DIV></DIV>
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Well, I don't really think there is a Correct Way to read GW, of course.
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style="FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none">Everyone's
experience will be different and rich in its own way.<BR></DIV>
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<DIV
style="FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none">But
since you've mentioned it, I think tFHoC should come after the Sun books
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I read it before and somewhat regret that - as it is a difficult work imo,
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style="FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none">having
the GW complexity in almost its pure state. I have yet to read a lot <BR></DIV>
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GW, but my impression is that tFHoC is the one book in which there is no
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<DIV
style="FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none">'simple'
reading to find solace in while you're not yet able to get the rest.</DIV></DIV>
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style="FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none">Given
that Wolfe is best on a re-read, it’s logical that there can’t really be a
‘best’ order!</DIV></DIV>
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<DIV
style="FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none">I
would recommend the short stories to begin. Also, Peace and Fifth
Head are probably his two best stand-alone novels, and whatever the complexity,
they are less daunting than multi-volume series. Of course Fifth Head
should never be given to anyone who has not already developed some degree of SF
sophistication – but for those who have, I think it is okay for a first
Wolfe. It was one of the first I read, a long time ago. (IIRC I
liked the second part best, and didn’t have too much trouble interpreting it –
the third part I found a bit dull and complicated, and didn’t bother much
with. But the second part in particular always stuck in my
memory.)</DIV></DIV>
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<DIV
style="FONT-STYLE: normal; DISPLAY: inline; FONT-FAMILY: 'Calibri'; COLOR: #000000; FONT-SIZE: small; FONT-WEIGHT: normal; TEXT-DECORATION: none">That
said, Book of the New Sun can’t really be faulted as a starting point
either. Long Sun would be okay too, but it is flawed by the longeurs of
the second half. (The rushed ending will also irritate readers unused to
Wolfe. I think he does it on purpose to give the reader a feeling of “hey,
I must have missed something – I better go back to the start!” But in Long
Sun it seems more rushed than usual, somehow. Maybe it’s the contrast
between 200 pages of tunnels and 10 pages of Mainframe.)</DIV></DIV>
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Gerry Quinn</DIV></DIV>
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