3 ms·
That's a terrific way of putting into words my thoughts about Stephenson, except I've thought of him as Thomas Pynchon for remedial readers rather than Vonnegut
by k2enemy 3y ago
That's a terrific way of putting into words my thoughts about Stephenson, except I've thought of him as Thomas Pynchon for remedial readers rather than Vonnegut.
- piltdownman 3y agoIf I'd ever successfully made it through Gravity's Rainbow, I might have contended so as well!
- southwesterly 3y agoCrying of Lot 49 is short and sweet.
- k2enemy 3y agoI'd recommend Against the Day, then if you enjoy that, try Gravity's Rainbow again. It continues some of the timeline of Against the Day. GR is super tough for the first third but gets easier and more enjoyable.
- slothtrop 3y agoAtD gets sidetracked with long stretches of s&m-laden filth. GR reads like a fever dream but it's interesting both thematically and in prose (it's also dirty, but doesn't linger as much).
- shwaj 3y agoUsername checks out. Funny, I remember GR as being filthier, such parts don’t jump to mind regarding AtD. AtD is one of my all-time favorite books.
- slothtrop 3y agoHaving read them both twice (I like them all really) I remember more of the gross stuff in AtD than otherwise, maybe because it seemed more coherent on the page.
- k2enemy 3y agoLove the username. I don't remember AtD as being particularly filthy, but it has been a long time. It remains one of my all-time favorites. If nothing else, I'm indebted to the book for encouraging me to seek out literary westerns such as Warlock by Oakley Hall and Butcher's Crossing by John Williams.
- notahacker 3y agoGravity's Rainbow and The Diamond Age certainly both feel like they'd have been better books if the author could keep his fetishes to himself...
- the__alchemist 3y agoThis checks out. NS is my favorite fiction author, but I am not intelligent enough, at least in the required way, to understand Gravity's Rainbow.
- k2enemy 3y agoI'm sure there are numerous things that I didn't understand but could have if I were more intelligent or better read. It became a lot more enjoyable for me on my second attempt when I gave up on the idea of understanding everything. Sometimes things get explained later in the book. Sometimes not.