Date: Sun, 27 Jul 2003 22:20:33 -0700
From: maa32 
Subject: (urth) crowley

Blattid implies that "Little, Big" never captured his imagination.  I have to 
say I agree.  If you look at the cards and the characters and follow the path 
of the stork, then there are some interesting things going on in the book, but 
it isn't my favorite Crowley.  I like the Aegypt series much more, but in my 
mind "Little, Big" doesn't have the intense weirdness that makes Book of the 
New Sun so much more fun to read over and over again (but then again, neither 
does The Book of the Long Sun, and that's a fine series as well).

However, I did think that portions of the book were amazingly effective, 
especially toward the end when Smoky (that was his name, right?) is left all 
alone to die a mortal death and his faerie family has moved on.  I haven't 
read the book in some years, so I can't help you too much, Blattid.  But I 
must say for the most part I agree ... Crowley can't touch Wolfe in my mind, 
but it is well worth your time reading Engine Summer and The Deep and even his 
collection of tales that includes Great Work of Time and that one about the 
birds of the forest (Was it called Novelty?)  Maybe Alga could help you more.

Don't feel bad, Blattid.  As far as my literary taste goes, after Wolfe, I 
love Zelazny, Mishima, Faulkner, Dostoevsky, Jonathan Carrol, Borges, and 
Nabokov and "merely" like Delany, Simmons, Crowley, and M John Harrison (which 
means I've still read almost everything by them).  Tolstoy bored me out of my 
mind, so maybe I'm a plebe.  And I always thought the original Dragonlance 
Chronicles were just as good as Lord of the Rings.  As long as you like Wolfe, 
you are plenty sophisticated and discerning in my mind.:)

Marc Aramini



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