From: "Daniel Fusch" <dfusch@hotmail.com>
Subject: Re: (urth) Re: the superb level of discourse here
Date: Tue, 02 Nov 1999 11:09:51 PST

Hello, Patrick!

I also am enjoying this forum.

About the covers...I couldn't agree more. When I read The Book of the New 
Sun in paperback, I kept thinking, "What horrible cover art!" Especially on 
Books II and III. Oh, I suppose the art isn't that bad...it's just 
incredibly cliche. It has "sword and sorcery/Conan/pulp fiction" written all 
over it, to use a cliche. No self-respecting lit professor would have books 
with those covers on his/her bookshelf!

The Tor/Orb editions (the two-volume edition, I mean) of The Book of the New 
Sun is a little better--the books are well put together, the covers look 
respectable, and they chose the two best samples of the cover art, at least. 
My advice--give THOSE editions to your friends.

Patrick--I don't think you are either naive or alone in thinking Wolfe's 
work ultimately accessible. I can only speak for the Urth cycle and for a 
few of his short stories, myself (still have to read 5HC and Dr.Death as 
soon as I get the chance--the time, that is), but I find his work very 
accessible. Severian's narrative voice--like, say, Ishmael's voice in Moby 
Dick--draws the reader right in.

(On the other hand, not every one finds Moby Dick accessible.)

I'm not certain why some people "don't get" Wolfe's work. Is it the science 
fiction element?

Anyway, that's all I had to say.

--Daniel

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